Heat Wave the play – 2 thumbs up!

 So, at Ellen’s suggestion I saw Heat Wave the play last night.  It was really great on various levels and I give it 2 thumbs up.  If you are in Chicago, go see it. 

So it is interesting because it is an adaption of a sociological monograph.  You don’t see that very often.  The book, by Eric Klinenberg was great, but how would it fare as a play? 

Turns out, it was great.  The cool thing was how the play and the production (like the book) make it clear that there were/are various ways to think about what happened in the Chicago Heat Wave of 1995 (in which almost a thousand people died).  It can be seen as a failing of individuals and a “natural” disaster versus a failure of social services with a profoundly disparate impact on older people of color living in poverty.   By the end of the play (or if you cannot get to it, the book), you feel pretty darn sure which interpretation seems more true to the events. 

So – playwrites out there:  street harassment.  think about it as a stage production.  I envision actors posing as audience members, sitting int he audience, harassing actresses on the stage.

Bus Harassment

Here is one solution to public sexual harassment:  separate busses for men and women.  

 Reminds me of a good book.  Why didn’t I think of segregation as a possible solution?!  **read with sarcasm**.  I like it because it makes real the problem — this is not something we should tolerate just to be in public.  I don’t like it because it seems ridiculous. 

Don’t we have to actually walk to get the bus?  then from the bus to our jobs?  It also reminds me of my favorite bumper sticker produced by hollaback which is so vulgar I won’t post it here.  And if you know me at all, you know that makes it pretty bothering bad.

Hat tip:  Beth Whittenbury

HEY BABY!! Looking Good!

Hey look, street harassment on the internet!

There is an article in the Gotham Gazette about increased penalties for subway flashers. It also discusses verbal harassment and it must be AWESOME because it features ME and my book! Either that or I am misquoted. haha

The article may make you want to buy my book or read HollaBack, the blog where women who are harassed on the street write their stories and post cellphone pictures of their harassers. Guerrilla social movement! That’s good reading.

Bonus for book purchasers: Original Eric Sorensen art on the cover.