I'm reminded of a line spoken by Jill Clayburgh in a movie she made with Walter Matthau (1981, First Monday in October). The story had to do with the first female Supreme Court Justice (played by Jill Clayburgh). Walter Mattau's character (also a Supreme Court Justice, possibly the Chief Justice) speaks to her, calling her, "Madame Just-ess" a few times. The first time, she gives him a strange look, but after he uses the term two or three times, she looks him straight in the eye and tells him there's no such thing, that the word is "Justice" and so on. It stuck with me. I am a Jew. I have no problem being called a Jewish woman or a female Jew. I strongly object to being called a JewESS. I'm not "smaller" than other Jews; why label me as "less than"? No. While I'm all in favor of reclaiming words to give an oppressed group its power, this is one word I have no interest in reclaiming, or even resurrecting. Let it die.
I'm reminded of a line spoken by Jill Clayburgh in a movie she made with Walter Matthau (1981, First Monday in October). The story had to do with the first female Supreme Court Justice (played by Jill Clayburgh). Walter Mattau's character (also a Supreme Court Justice, possibly the Chief Justice) speaks to her, calling her, "Madame Just-ess" a few times. The first time, she gives him a strange look, but after he uses the term two or three times, she looks him straight in the eye and tells him there's no such thing, that the word is "Justice" and so on. It stuck with me. I am a Jew. I have no problem being called a Jewish woman or a female Jew. I strongly object to being called a JewESS. I'm not "smaller" than other Jews; why label me as "less than"? No. While I'm all in favor of reclaiming words to give an oppressed group its power, this is one word I have no interest in reclaiming, or even resurrecting. Let it die.