I've found that there is a certain assumption made about me as a single woman in academia by other female academics...that I am a liberal feminist thinker. I'm not. I'm a liberal. I'm a feminist. I'm a thinker. But not all those things put together. I don't want to spend my evenings discussing patriarchy and oppression. I'm not well-versed in the theories of feminist thought. I believe everyone's work should be valued and I understand that has not always been the case. I am grateful for women who were willing to stand up for their rights and I will fight for mine. But, I'm not interested in talking about it endlessly with other women. I'm not interested in identifying all the ways I've been slighted or diminished or made invisible. I have my stories, from time to time I share them, but I also believe that there are many men who truly would be more understanding and thoughtful if they didn't feel every move they made or word they said was being judged and weighed.
