Live by the sword, die by the sword
I think the industry that works to fuel the envy and curiosity surrounding people like Judd are largely to blame. It doesn't have to be this way. Of course, when you are part of a celebrity industry you are going to be the focus of uncomfortable attention, but I think she makes a point here: IMO these outlets probably did not want her input because it risked dispelling or diminishing a great scoop. That is dishonest and mean-spirited. It does happen to men, but not nearly as much as it does to women.News outlets with whom I do serious work, such as publishing op-eds about preventing HIV, empowering poor youth worldwide, and conflict mineral mining in Democratic Republic of Congo, all ran this “story” without checking with my office first for verification, or offering me the dignity of the opportunity to comment. It’s an indictment of them that they would even consider the content printable, and that they, too, without using time-honored journalistic standards, would perpetuate with un-edifying delight such blatantly gendered, ageist, and mean-spirited content.
- Patriarchy is not men. Patriarchy is a system in which both women and men participate.
As an aside, I think we should start tagging women's issues with #hubska (Saydrah, cynthianews, anyone?). Good polish humor.
It's an altogether different beast, rooted in different psychology, to a different end, perpetuated by a different class of people and thought. That it's focus is primarily on women doesn't mean that it has a relationship with patriarchy.