Sarah Gailey wants USU females to speak up
As feminist lecturer Sarah Gailey stepped up to the podium in Utah State University’s Merrill-Cazier Library on Friday, she spoke with conviction and confidence.
Cache Valley residents of all ages gathered to listen to the author and social critic as she discussed the power of the feminine voice and the fear it brings to those who don’t want to acknowledge its power.
Gailey, a self-proclaimed “mouthy broad,” discussed the risks of voicing opinions and why it is worth the cost.
In her own life, Gailey has had men threaten the well-being of her family as a result of her public speaking. Others have threatened to shoot her to keep her from talking.
“I’m not mad at them, and I’m not scared of them,” she said. “I know what they really are – they are terrified. For a millennia, western society has insisted that female voices – just that all by itself – are a direct threat.
Gailey spent most of her lecture discussing silence and the role it plays in many aspects of our lives, including the historic and contemporary demand for female silence and how it stems directly from fear of what women’s voices can do.
To demonstrate this, Gailey showed a picture of Odysseus resisting the call of the sirens, or “cursed women.” According the legend, the sirens would lure sailors to rocky cliffs where they would inevitably shipwreck and drown. Odysseus was tempted so greatly that the only thing stopping him from changing course was the fact that his crew blocked their ears from the siren’s call.
Gailey shared this story to illustrate fear of a woman’s voice and the power it can possess. Sirens appeared in many greek myths, stories that reinforced our societal terror of the influence women on powerful men.
“I am doing something that, for centuries, women have been told we must not do,” Gailey said. “I am speaking. And you are doing something that, for centuries, has been considered the worst mistake you can make. You’re listening. Regardless of who you are, listen. And keep listening.”
Gailey simultaneously encouraged people to speak out for what they believe without fear of being reprimanded and pushed them to listen to what others have to say.
“She’s a really powerful writer,” said Katya Pilkington, a freshman at USU studying creative writing. “I think it’s important for people to hear what she has to say because there are many people who don’t want to. She’s talking about voices being silent, and by coming to this it is the opposite – going against that silence.”
Matthew LaPlante, an associate professor of journalism at Utah State, hopes Gailey’s lecture helped students realize that no matter where they are in terms of making their voices heard, they can make a switch.
“She’s dynamic, she’s opinionated, she is absolutely fearless,” LaPlante said. “I want my students to feel that way, too.”
Comparing modern day perceptions with greek mythology is retarded. This lady is very misguided.