Andrea Dworkin

I guess it's been a long time since I read Andrea Dworkin. Her death this week saddens me in an odd way, like that of an eccentric aunt whom you never really knew because that one thing she said all those years ago pissed you off so bad you never took her seriously again, even though you knew she was smart as hell. You never tried to understand her after that, and you never tried to defend her when everyone else in the family said anything about her or somehow distorted her life or her views or made fun of her. And they did. And so did you. And so did I, even though I was one of them once. One of those womyn who went around vandalizing billboards and giving speeches about how pornography caused rape.

I don't have time to say much more about it now, but Susie Bright's post about her death is really quite sweet, acknowledging Dworkin's gifts and legacy while still not quite agreeing with her.

And here's her obituary from The Guardian.