About two weeks ago, Village Voice columnist
Rachel Kramer Bussel was given her walking papers. This was a rather stunning move on the part of the Village Voice because Rachel's column wass not only well-read and much enjoyed by many, but the publishing industry even acknowledged its importance by granting her several books deals in the past few years. Frankly, only her column and
Violet Blue's are funny, informative, and worth your time. They are very different columns but they both provide(d) a connection to what's happening in the world of sex-related events and philosophies.
I thought it was strange that Rachel's was terminated, but I was curious about what might replace it.
Holy crap -- you should see what replaced it.
Here's a
blog post from fellow writer Jolie du Pre that sums it up well, I think. (And if you want to read the whole column, god help you,
go here.)
I am a woman in my forties and this new column is just outright stupid. I don't relate to it at all. True, I don't have children, but the Village Voice is supposed to stand for cutting edge perspectives -- since when does that include suburban mothers with nonexistent sex lives? And if such mothers have the time or inclination to read anything at all, will they choose to read about their waning and/or shriveling sex lives?
Now, it should also be noted that I'm not known in the industry as being somebody who's out there consuming all manner of sexual information and "freak show" news stories. For the most part, I let all that stuff flow right past me because it seems like a lot of ephemera to me. But I don't ignore all of it, because frankly, the very publication of any of those stories is further evidence that the world is becoming more accepting of sex in all its iterations -- and that's a good thing. So my primary objection to this new Village Voice column is simply this: I fail to see how it advances the idea of open-minded sex philosophies and sex acts. To hear the whining and complaints of women who aren't getting any sex may feel just great to the women doing the whining, but the rest of us -- those who have healthy sex lives, with or without children -- are not enhanced, educated, or otherwise enlightened by anything this new column would spew out.
In other words, do we need another column of hackneyed, unoriginal thoughts penned by stereotypes that nobody finds interesting anyway?
I feel sure Rachel is going to turn up in a new and better place. Meanwhile, the flushing sound you hear is the Village Voice going down the toilet.
I have uncorrected proofs of my upcoming book, YOUR EROTIC PERSONALITY for anyone who might be willing to review it or otherwise talk about it on a Web site or blog. The book will be released in April. If you're interested in receiving a copy for a review, please write me at sagevivant@yahoo.com and tell me who the review is for and where to send your copy. Many thanks!
