Acknowledging Passionate Utterances
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Acknowledging Passionate Utterances
In the #MeToo movement, we see a spectrum of perpetrators: on the one hand, we have those who knowingly violate their victims (think Weinstein or Cosby). On the other hand, we have those who transgress without realizing (think Aziz Ansari). The latter case often happens because the transgressors do not realize their partner is trying to refuse them. But how is this possible? Lisa McKeown uses Stanley Cavell’s notion of “passionate utterances” to respond to Rae Langton’s theory that pornography implies women’s refusals shouldn’t be taken seriously. She argues that acknowledgement is a practical, emotional skill necessary for conversational ethics and understanding systematic, gendered miscommunication.
► this event is hybrid. Join in person at the Centre for Ethics (Larkin building, room 200) or online at the link below:
Lisa McKeown
Sheridan College (PhD, The New School)
