Men who wonder about feminist issues often tend to misinterpret the reasons behind them. On September 11, 2010, a male college professor living in the United States started a new experiment: The Van Winkle Project. His project centers around Washington Irving’s short story, “Rip Van Winkle,” where Rip sleeps for 20 years and misses several important news events. Inspired by Rip’s oblivion, the anonymous blog user “Birdie” decided to virtually “fall asleep” for a year, ignoring all forms of news. In his post titled “So Sorry You’re Sorry, My Dears,” the blogger questions the reason behind women always apologizing to men. Although the writer’s intentions seem curious and innocent, he fails to discover several important factors in these female tendencies. He writes about personal space, claiming that when women “believe they’ve been inadvertently intruded, oh, my, gosh, within five feet of my personal space” (Birdie) an apology is given. The college professor might have the right intentions in defending women, but Birdie has no idea what he’s talking about. Birdie fails to mention that maybe the reason women are in a constant apologetic state is because of men like his beloved inspiration, Rip. The fictional is the perfect example of another man who hates a bold woman. Dame Van Winkle, as a colonial wife in America, has several big responsibilities including cooking, cleaning, and raising the children. She asks her husband to help her out with a couple of chores but is treated with contempt, making her the perfect example of woman being mistreated. “Rip Van Winkle” exemplifies how women who are blunt in requesting something from men are responded with hatred, and that the only way for women to get things done is by asking politely. Women have been taught to treat men with respect, a subconscious act that is seen even in modern society. The blogger in charge of The Van Winkle Project ignores the patriarchal message emitted in the book he bases his entire blog around, while still wondering to himself why women succumb to misogynist tendencies.
I'm glad I read this because I hadn't even realized that he had these views. Also you write like an angel.
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