Choose It/Lose It: Writings

Welcome to Choose It/Lose It, my latest excuse to praise or condemn aspects of culture that have caught my eye lately.

Choose It: Half the Sky by Nicholas Kristof and Sheryl WuDunn

I read a good chunk of this book on the way to Uganda, and I honestly can't wait to finish it. The premise: The ongoing violence and discrimination against women worldwide--including sex trafficking, honor killings, mass rape and mother mortality--are tantamount to gendercide. Kristof and WuDunn have done a beyond-incredible job of interviewing hundreds of women who have been affected by gender-based violence and providing a platform for their stories. The book provides graphically detailed descriptions of the realities of forced prostitution, rape as intimidation, and women who have been cut up or burned with acid or beaten into sexual slavery. Eye-opener is not a strong enough word.

And while the authors do not wish to sugar-coat or downplay any aspect of this gendercide, they do not leave readers without hope, either. They interview dozens of women, many of whom are former victims, who have taken courageous actions to provide medical care and education for women in those areas where gender discrimination is at its worst. Probably the most worthwhile book I've read in years.

Lose It: A Girl's Guide to Saudi Arabia by Maureen Dowd
I feel like I've read this article before, perhaps more than once. It's your typical single-gal-goes-to-Saudi-Arabia-and-gets-pissed-off-because-she-has-to-wear-an-abaaya. Dowd whines on and on about the dress code, the driving laws, the edited Hollywood movies, the lack of Cosmopolitans..."I'm so repressed!" she says. "Poor me! Poor all women in Saudi!"

But my main problem with the article is the Dowd only manages to talk to one Saudi women--who commented on how nice the malls and restaurants in Saudi are. All the other people talking about women's oppression? Western. If you're going to travel to another country, especially if you're going to write about it, it is your responsibility to ask questions and, as much as possible, see things from another perspective. Dowd just remains stubbornly in her own shoes and lays her pre-conceived notions over everything she sees. She's too busy with her pity party to do her research. Smacks of Orientalism to me.