The Great? New York State Fair
Yeah, I know, I was a total slug about writing last week. Out of necessity, I’d gone off of caffeine, and let me tell you. It wasn’t pretty. I’m definitely felt the deep void in my life a Vanilla Coke fills. And for my negligence, I get to write while my back feels as though I’ve been stabbed with a rather large knife. It’s good though – it fuels my rage!
Because today is all about outrage. My apologies, but this isn’t art related outrage. This is gender and state fair outrage.
For those of you that don’t know, I live near Syracuse, NY, USA. It’s a city best known for once having salt, having one of the most polluted lakes in the country (and up there on the world’s list if I’m not mistaken), the 2003 NCCA college basketball championship, Charles Dickens falling into the Erie Canal (which according to local legend, fueled his hatred for the city), and “The Great New York State Fair”.
It’s this last one that has got my panties in a bunch. See, normally I hate the fair because it’s crowded, hot, overpriced, and they make up ludicrous rules every year that are usually repealed by the next. But this year I hate the fair for a whole new reason.
I was checking out the fair’s website last week because Midget #1 has been bugging us to take him to a theme park (thank you TV commercials that are on while I watch the local news…I knew there was a reason I mostly watch PBS). After checking out the admission prices of the closest theme parks (all of which are at least an hour, usually more, away), I started to think the fair might be a nice, cheaper alternative. Admission is cheaper than a theme park, we could take the bus there, and the midget would be satisfied. I had convinced hubby to go despite is own dislike of the fair, and I was totally set for the four of us to go. That is, until I was trying to figure out a specific day to go and I came across this:
Wednesday, September 2 – Women’s Day
Women’s Day Luncheon – “A Ticket to Sustainability at Home” with guest speaker Prof. Elet Callahan from the S.U. Whitman School of Management, 11:00am at The Empire Room. Cost is $20.00 per person and includes Fair admission & parking. You can also visit the Women’s Informational Mini-Fair in the Chevy Court Pavilion from 10:00am-4:00pm, enjoy demonstrations, exhibits & competitions in the Art & Home Center all day long or after the luncheon stop over to see Chef Bobby Flay in a live cooking demonstration on the Chevy Court stage at 1:00pm!
– From the New York State Fair website
Um, excuse me? Really? Home sustainability? Cooking demonstrations?? “Art and Home Center”???
Well gee golly, pardon me, I gots to get back to the kitchen now an’ make sure I got my man’s dinner ready for when he gets home.
But seriously New York State Fair? Is barefoot and pregnant in the kitchen really what we should be portraying on Women’s Day? There are so many directions, so many empowering directions, Women’s Day at the fair could go. We have a female county executive…why not a luncheon about women in politics? Syracuse just prosecuted its first hate crime, the murder of a transgendered woman…why not a luncheon to raise awareness of violence against women of all circumstances? Onondaga Community College has a female president and Syracuse University a female chancellor…why not a luncheon on women in the upper levels of higher education? Why not have Syracuse’s Planned Parenthood speak on women’s reproductive health issues?
In other words, why not acknowledge the advancements women have made since the 1950s?
Maybe the fair has. Maybe all those things and more are part of the “Women’s Informational Mini-Fair,” the whole whooping six hours of it (the fair itself is open sixteen hours every day). But they don’t advertise it. Instead, they choose to advertise the tired out stereotypes of womanhood.
I don’t want it to appear as though I don’t think sustainability and healthy cooking are unimportant issues…they are very important issues. But they’re issues for both genders, not just women. Reproductive health, reducing workplace inequality…these are issues for both genders, but more acutely for women. And just a tad more important than crocheting and cooking demonstrations.
i like how you say “panties in a bunch” cuz you dont wear panties
i think we should go that day and ill bring the rugby team and we’ll do an impromptu demo of what women can really do…we’ll practice our tackling skills on bobby flay.
What makes you think that a presentation on “Sustainability at Home” means barefoot and pregnant. The woman’s movement gave the woman a choice to work outside the home moving into careers men in the past had always held OR be a stay at home mom. When you’re a working mom away from the home, you can’t shirk your responsibility of maintaining a home environment for your family. If that’s your feeling, then don’t have a family. As a married woman with a family and a career of 30+ years in the generally male dominated field, I think this presentation will have some informative information regardless of the women’s choice. There is nothing wrong with being a stay at home mom (not barefoot and pregnant). There have been many opportunities where the women’s role in politics and violence against women have been discussed by other organization’s presenters.
The State Fair’s focus is on the family and their activities. The Women’s Center celebrates women’s activities (sewing, canning, food prep, embroidery, quilting. etc.) These are all things that in the past hundreds of years were done to maintain the home and the family. These activities now are not necessities but skills that need to be continued so we don’t lose this link to our past.
By the way, did you look at the prior work this presenter has been involved in (http://whitman.syr.edu/Directory/ShowInfo.aspx?id=14)? I really don’t think that
she will present the image you make reference to at the beginning of your rant.
Bailey – My period started the day I wrote this. I wear panties on my period lol.
And yes! Women’s rugby for the win! At the very least you and I should go armed with cameras, voice recorders, and notebooks. Feeling up to a little Gonzo journalism?
Stitchy – Actually, your entire comment proves my point. “When you’re a working mom away from the home, you can’t shirk your responsibility of maintaining a home environment for your family.” Why should this responsibility fall solely to the woman??? If both partners of a heterosexual relationship (because in my experience homosexual relationships don’t have this issue so much) are out working the same amount of time, then the responsibilities of the home should fall on both of them. If the man stays at home or works less, he should pick up a little more home duties. If the woman stays home or works less, she should pick up a little more home duties. Unfortunately, too many women are expected, both by society and their partners, to maintain both a full time work schedule AND fullfill all the duties of the home sphere. This is a phenomena frequently known as “the second shift.” To present about home sustainability on WOMEN’S Day is endorsing this expectation.
I’m also curious why you think I have issues with stay at home moms. If you poked around the site a little, you’d know that I currently am one. And considering how difficult it is to keep small children from accidently killing themselves all day, all the responsibilities of the home shouldn’t fall squarely on the shoulders of a stay at home parent either. Taking on the raising of a family with another person is a partnership, and all aspects of it should be shared. Again, the NYSF having a home sustainability presentation on Women’s Day perpetuates the idea that all home responsibilities should fall to the woman.
“There have been many opportunities where the women’s role in politics and violence against women have been discussed by other organization’s presenters.” I’m sorry, I don’t know how to put this politely or diplomatically, but this statement is just ignorant. To say that discussion of women in politics and violence against women shouldn’t be held just because it’s been discussed elsewhere is to downplay how hard it is for women to break into and be taken seriously in politics, for them to get justice for violence done against them. Would it interest you to know that Lateisha Green’s murderer will face only 10-25 years? Even though there were witnesses that heard hate speech being used moments before the murder? Because despite being convicted of a hate crime, he was only convicted of manslaughter…but I guess violence against women doesn’t rate as highly as “home sustainability.”
Again, the Women’s Center’s focus on “women’s activities” like those you’ve named…well yeah, you’re right. 100 years ago those WERE predominately womanly activities. By why couldn’t we celebrate along side them all of the other great strides women have made in all aspects of life. I agree we shouldn’t forget the past, but why does that “link” have to be so strong it’s oppressive?
manduh,
everything i wanted to spit out…i love how we think the same.
stitchy,
mandah and i both totally uphold some of those wonderful “womenly” tasks of making things. I can crochet almost anything and manduh makes a mean ribbon knitted bikini. but seriously why not celebrate what else we can do. of course most of our mothers and female relations and what have you have been trying to teach us the propper way to cook and clean make our men folk happy but what about us being happy? my mom was always the bread winner but unfortunatlely also had to keep the house and me and my bro in shape even though my dad was the one home with us more often and that is why she left him after 27 years. she wasnt happy. oh and by the way she worked in a steal mill for 20 years and then put herself through nursing school when i was 12 and still managed to perform all of her womanly duties at home. my mother is the best rold model i have ever had. she tought me that i could be who ever i wanted and do whatever i wanted and if i wanted to learn to bake she had a few recipies but to consult martha for anything further. i tought myself to put on makeup and was always encouraged to play sports and never ever let the boys win. cant we have something like that at the fair? just be you…corchet a blanket and tackle some girls on the rugby feild then go home and help your son learn how to read a map while your partner (if you have one) does some dinner dishes…the sex roles in our society are rediculous and its time to break them apart