sexism

Rescripted’s Revolution Glossary is our new series where we dive deeper into words which are part of the conversations about justice happening around all of us. The goal of this series is to provide a resource for people who want to expand their vocabulary around social justice topics, or people who want extra context and perspective on their word choices. Our hope is that this series can spark some important discussions, and help people jump into those discussions with enthusiasm.

Microaggression is a term that we hear and use a lot. It was even referenced previously in our Revolution Glossary: Unpacking Allyship. The word itself seems so self-explanatory. Despite its wide-usage and seemingly obvious definition, this term is often misused to a damaging degree. Psychologist Derald W. Sue, author of Microaggressions in Everyday Life: Race, Gender, and Sexual Orientation, defines a microaggression as an act that communicates “The everyday slights, indignities, put downs and insults that people of color, women, LGBT populations or those who are marginalized experiences in their day-to-day interactions with people.” The piece of this definition that often goes unacknowledged, and where the most damaging misinterpretation occurs, is the relationship between who is acting out the microaggression and who is forced to receive it?

Continue reading “REVOLUTION GLOSSARY: Clarifying ‘Microaggression’”

“When it became clear that our ensemble member Mary Ann Thebus’ consistent retention of the script was challenging due to side-effects from medication, we chose to see it as an opportunity to remind ourselves and Chicago what makes us who we are.” – an excerpt from The Gift Theatre Company program insert.

Dear White Critics,

We’re baaaaaaack. Much like Johnny in The Shining y’all don’t know how to quit. This is the third installment in “Dear White Critics,” the series that never should have been, and unfortunately it focuses on a couple of beloved Chicago critics who each made a really offensive judgement call in different ways. Doubt presented by the Gift Theatre is a formidable production, please see my full review of that enthralling piece of theatre by clicking here. Many critics enjoyed the show, but some critics decided to focus on the fact that Mary Ann Thebus was holding a script for her performance due to a side-effect of medication that made memorization difficult. Then a storm of ageism, sexism, and ableism was unleashed on Chicago courtesy of primarily Chris Jones at the Chicago Tribune. Continue reading “Dear White Critics: I ‘Doubt’ You Meant to be Ableist…”