Churnalism

We're all pretty familiar with all the rubbish newspapers often churn out. As something of a warning to my fellow students I found this website www.churnalism.com that basically exposes lazy journalists who simply copy stories from press releases without adding much to it at all and then pass it off as their own work (something we would never do of course - I'm often amazed at how often wikipedia copied my homework).

On the site you type in the story you've read and it shows you how much of it was from a certain press release and therefore how much of their own input the journalism has included.

http://churnalism.com/

Mary Wollstonecraft

Mary Wollstonecraft was a British writer and philosopher who lived between 1759 and 1797. Her many writings on the role of women in society have led her to be considered in some circles as 'The Mother of Feminism'.

Wollstonecraft's most famous piece of work was 'A Vindication of the Rights of Woman' which was published in 1792. As part of my history and context of journalism module we considered chapter 4 of this book, 'Observations on the state of degradation to which woman is reduced by various causes' (yes, her style is this unnecessarily long-winded throughout!).

Wollstonecraft's main problem with the female perception of society appears to be the courteous way in which the men of this period treated them. This may seem a strange argument at first, however Wollstonecraft explains that this politeness is merely 'hollow respect' and is limiting female instinct and potential. She uses a the wonderful imagery of a bird in cage to describe this, adding that all women have to do is remain in the cage and plume their feathers. This suggests that Wollstonecraft felt that although chivalrous treatment may make a woman feel special, it is merely another example of men exerting dominance and is condescending. This is extended further in the example of a man holding a door open for a woman, the woman could easily do it for herself and therefore this is yet another example of men showing physical dominance. Wollstonecraft suggests that women could be as strong as men, its just society and a lack of willingness preventing them. This appears to be her most prominent criticism of women - they are simply not doing enough for themselves. Indeed the way she launches this attack almost makes it hard to believe that the author herself is female. 

Wollstonecraft's solution to these problems is education. This lack of education places women in a pigeon hole and as a result little can be expected of them. Wollstonecraft seems to criticise the male use of education, stating that they see it merely as a 'practical guide to life' rather than the first step to advancement. Indeed that Wollstonecraft was effectively self-educated, having been a great reader, shows that she saw the potential of education in the expansion of our minds, rather than simply learning how to do what you're taught.  She adds that men are prepared for profession, whilst women are prepared for marriage, suggesting that whilst pleasure is the main business of a woman's life they cannot advance in society. She quotes Rousseau in this passage (someone who's theories she appears to have a hot and cold attitude towards) in stating 'educate women like men and they will have less power over us'. I think Wollstonecraft disagrees with this - she does not want women to have power over men (indeed any power they did have was shallow), but for them to have power over themselves. Her ideas are similar in some way to a great 'equaliser' from the enlightenment John Locke (though how much equality his ideas really had is open for debate). Wollstonecraft's ideas remind me of Locke's blank slate - her belief that education was key suggests that she too felt we were all born equal and can only improve ourselves by experiencing and learning new things.  

Wollstonecraft compares female attitudes at the time as similar to someone who is born rich. They have no real need to use their brains or have any talent as their role in society is a superficial one. She seems to favour the hardships of the 'middle rank of man', suggesting that these men are of the most virtue. Wollstonecraft also praises the direction that they have, always something to work towards, something to achieve. This is clearly an attitude she feels is lost on the rich, and something women need to adopt. She adds that 'a King is always a King and a woman is always a woman' which suggests that the ordinary man can be whatever he wants. She feels that if more women had a more direct attitude then there would be less of a distinction between man and woman. She does not want women to be seen as 'heroines or brutes' but simply reasonable creatures. 

Wollstonecraft was fascinated by the French Revolution which began in 1789. Louis 14th (see image) is a prime example of her attitude towards the rich. He is described as a model Prince who no doubt lived for the extravagant manners and flair that typified the aristocracy at this time. She believed that as a result of this the nation suffered. She would have been excited by the revolution and its 'we the people' motto which suggested equality amongst all.

Strangely Wollstonecraft also seemed to have been something of a Romantic, often advocating the benefits of love. The only time where she felt there should be a gender distinction was in a loving relationship. In Chapter 4 she describes her dislike of Polygamy stating that there is no practical positives to it and nature intended man to have one wife. She adds that a faithful woman demands respect. I think that this aspect of Wollstoncrafts theory is somewhat hypocritical considering her private life. She seemed to fall in love hard and was romantically linked with several men including artist  Henry Fuseli, American adventurer  Gilbert Imlay (and was registered as his wife in France) and British philosopher William Godwin (who fathered daughter Mary Shelley future author of Frankenstein). Wollstonecrafts chaotic love-life included two failed suicide attempts and it is this image that has perhaps hampered her reputation amongst some feminist groups. Indeed it is hard to take her views on Polygamy seriously for example, as she apparently once proposed a platonic, polygamous relationship to Fuseli and his wife.

Despite this controversy however I think that Wollstonecraft does raise some interesting ideas. Her strong belief in education as key to advancement is something that I wholeheartedly agree with and her preference towards the middle man and belief that they have more direction and ambition is something I can also relate to. There can be no doubt that she played a vital role in the advancement of women in society and I think that she perhaps deserves more prominent recognition in the feminist movement as she was clearly a strong woman who led by example to show women how to achieve equality.