Debra Leigh Says

(Photo from cast of "Hook") UPDATE:  I wrote the original post in 2014, and am reviewing and updating it largely because I am struck by how the situation of 4 years ago has, in some ways become worse and, in others, is finally being addressed by large and very vocal populations of women who are at long last seeing overdue consequence happening to some of the worst of these predators. The original article, updated: I begin with a warning.  This writing pulsates with hostility for which I do not apologize.  I started with a desire to acknowledge the recent discussions of the ways in which women in 2018 are still harassed, disrespected, molested, raped, and generally brutalized. The #YesAllWomen movement of a few years ago has morphed into the #MeToo and #TimesUp movements, all of which have raised the issues of misogyny, sexual predators, and continued female struggles powerfully and revealed what most women already know, but seldom descry so loudly – that this abu...

My life provides me the opportunity to do many things.  I write.  I direct.  I sing.  I run an arts organization, Hidden River Arts , which I founded.  And I teach.  Often, I teach undergraduates; and in a few of my classes, there are discussions, readings, videos and film viewing about the consumerism and out of control capitalism of our culture.  I show them videos about Edward Bernays, Sigmund Freud's nephew, who used his uncle's theories of the human unconscious to manipulate and control mass behavior in two particular areas - shifting America from a needs-based to a wants-based society, and maintaining a level of fear in Americans about the ever-growing external threat - from communists, from terrorists, every age has its own boogey-man --  that creates consent for the kinds of extensive war-mongering our military is now addicted to.  We discuss the possibility of a no-money culture.  We discuss conscious and controlled buying ha...