TALKING THE WALK
The Grassroots Language of Feminism
© Marilyn Casselman 2008

A One-Day Combined Seminar & Workshop

WOMEN: TAKE A STAND
Personal Stability and Achievement in an Ever-Changing World

Fear of feminism? Fear of the practice and advocacy of social, political and economic equality for women? What gives? Feminism changed the world. And the life of every woman in this country has been improved immeasurably because of it.

And what happened as a result? We added our brains and muscle to the workforce and built thousands of new businesses. We built up the country’s wealth to massive proportions and brought new leadership into all fields. We educated ourselves in unprecedented numbers. We changed neighborhoods and cities and altered perceptions about social responsibility, the environment and human rights. And while doing so, we produced and delivered the next generation.

This seems to have had little influence on the big picture, however. Despite our presence in the mainstream, there is no recognizable improvement in how the affairs of society are run. Nothing has changed at the top. Traditional patterns and polarities have not been removed. Women’s experience, talents, values and wisdom are not being woven into the culture. As you read this, someone, somewhere, is undermining, curtailing or reversing the rights of women: there is a continuing crisis in achieving equality for women. “They” stand to profit from everything we have done and will do. Meanwhile, we don’t even know where we stand.

This is serious. Our higher consciousness and position in life are still being thwarted by the historical nature of sexism. The end result? Loss of potential. Untapped power. Denial of our full humanity. And inherent in this situation is the loss of the vision that gave rise to the women’s movement in the first place.

Women’s identity should be a groundbreaking force working to our own advantage. We should be on top of life, not always slipping backward. It is imperative that we reclaim the territory we’ve lost and stay our ground once we get there. And this can be done only through our voices. We are not men. We must speak in our own language – the authentic language of what it means to be a woman living on this planet.

WHAT IS TALKING THE WALK?

TTW is a confidence building and language development project that reflects and serves the interests of mainstream women. It derives from the concept of standpoint feminism – “This is where I stand as a sovereign woman with an free will and an independent mind” – a conceptual tool that serves as an internal anchor to keep you centered and on your mark. It underpins a definitive point of view from which to develop your personal expression and the language of your exchange with the outside world. It keeps you tethered to the common sense of your own gender; ergo, to your own priorities.

Standpoint feminism embodies the idea that our power base is internal and emanates outward. This ideal is brought to life in juxtapositions, connections, dynamics and aspects not previously considered. From the experience of speaking our own truth, we can discover and acknowledge our commonalities as women. Within these grassroots developments, we can perceive and further our own cultural strategy and advance the transformative force the women’s agenda has already proven itself to be. It offers hope in the face of the impoverished worldviews and deceptive ideologies whose burdens are crushing us all.

THE PRODUCT AND THE PROCESS

TTW is a method that teaches a framework of essential concepts that break the grip of male dominance on the intellect. These ideas are then used to rethink the narrative of your life according to the feminine principle. This structure is a practical means of realizing a new language of identity and developing the conversational strategy of being grounded and in control on any subject at any time.

At the outset, an overview of the material is presented and the critical points are then clarified with the support of a visual presentation. The material is then used by participants to analyze familiar narratives and reconsider these in the light of what they’ve just learned.

In Part One the points are broken down as to their relevance in both our intellectual conditioning and liberation from these constraints. In each segment, participants are actively writing and discussing to amplify what they are learning. In Part Two, a special technique using story (designed to bypass stereotypical thinking) is employed to expand on these ideas; to discover what one truly thinks about any subject at hand and to express it in honest language.

Part Three, “Talking the Walk,” is an extempore discussion with participants monitoring each other for valid speech and narrative context. Each participant will actualize what she is learning by expressing insights, meanings or truths heretofore unarticulated – ideas she did not know she held or was afraid to speak. This will complete the learning objective which is to tap into and express the language of women’s buried knowledge – and to use this experience to motivate authentic expression hereafter. A summary outline of the material will be given out at the end of the seminar to help participants absorb the essential set of references which are the basis of this seminar.

WHAT YOU’LL GET OUT OF THIS SEMINAR

TTW will benefit you personally.

Get centered.
• Realize your core power: it lies in the innate strength of being a woman. • Strengthen your identity: understand and acknowledge your equality and expect others to do the same. • Develop the confidence to hold your position in any interaction. • Build on your position to help resolve long-term, habitual difficulties. Figure out what you really want – and get it.

Clarify your intellectual framework: transform your situation into what you really want.
• Understand the circumstances limiting your experience and ways to overcome them. • Heighten consciousness by gaining stability and a new perspective. • Re-examine your values – according to your own scales. • End your ambivalence and commit to the important things you want to do with your life.

Find your own true voice.
• Replace the rhetoric of feminism – and “femininity” – with the language of women’s values, priorities and wisdom. • Develop the language of common sense about your individual relevance and status so that others can understand it. • With higher conversation skills – end a lifetime of deference to men.

Enhance your professional development - on the job, at work, in your career.

• Ambivalence about your position disappears, making you better able to assess any situation. • From a stable standpoint, create a positive environment for yourself and others. • Hold your ground in negotiations and the resolution of issues. • Sexual harassment and sexism immediately become a no-win strategy. • Be motivated to pursue the opportunities in the world.

It will help you in the outside world.

• Deal with the social, political and cultural realities of gender prejudice and misogyny. • Express what it means to be a woman – by defining your sovereignty, practicing advanced citizenship, and defining this society. • Affirm your female legacy – pass on your knowledge at the grassroots level to our daughters, to upcoming generations and to the future. • Become part of the Ghandi concept by definition: large systematic problems can be changed by ordinary people doing simple things – the ability of each of us to change reality around us.

© Marilyn Casselman