oh so NOW capitalism is icky

Did you guys read that NYT piece All The Writers’ Workshops — though the non-social/SEO headline actually seems to be “Everyone Writes. But Is Everyone a Writer?”, which is gross as hell but at least does its job in foreshadowing the indelicate nose-wrinkling ahead, I guess. 

At face value, the piece chronicles the cottage industry of writers’ workshops that have emerged promising to teach anyone and everyone how to write that Modern Love column / personal essay / YA novel they’ve always dreamed of getting out there, but as writer Rachel Syme pointed out, it gets kind of snooty in only featuring women in the piece and making some real pointed observations about the hefty price tags and cushy retreat massages involved. 

……..like oh NOW capitalism is icky when it involves women doing creative things AND LIKE also god forbid they get massages like ugh can’t they just let the existential agony of putting words on paper shake their muscles loose??? Also did we mention it’s all for women?? you know, not to be confused with: men AKA serious artistes who do NOT need their corporeal form tended to, ever???

It all reminded me of j-school and how there was this secret Facebook group that a bunch of guys started — these self-styled “serious storyteller” bois — and it was where they shared their writing and critiqued each other and talked about internships and all that jazz, and of course, no girls were allowed. It makes me think: so what if some of these writers’ retreats are a tad excessive or shamelessly catered to women?? Maybe, just maybe the reason women writers are a little more beholden/vulnerable/receptive to these kinds of formal instructive opportunities is because HOW THE FUCK ELSE ARE WE SUPPOSED TO GET THE HIDDEN KNOWLEDGE IF THE FACEBOOK GROUP IS CLOSED, huh?????

(h/t to Kara always).