LINKÖPING UNIVERSITYDepartment of Culture and CommunicationLiteratureBasic EssaySCUM ManifestoofValerie Solanas-Should we take the text seriously?Spring 2012Author: Daisy LidforsDirector: Maria Wahlstrom

Page 2Table of ContentsFirst Introduction2nd Purpose and research question3rd Method4th Literally4.1 Threat?5th Symbols and Metaphors5.1 Symbolic violence5.2 Men who writes about women5.3 Symbolic sex6th Satire or not?6.1 Women and satire7th Sweden and SCUM7.1 Background7.2 Current situationEighth Summary9th Bibliography2

Page 3First IntroductionSCUM Manifesto is (as the title indicates) a manifesto. Agency presents what is wrong withsociety and what should be done about the problem, and conjures up an ideal society, a goal to striveagainst. It was not long before the SCUM Manifesto by Valerie Solanas (1967) was translated into Swedish. Full36 years, which is quite surprising when we, after all, talking about a work that is both controversial andwidely discussed. Given that The Second Sex by Simone de Beauvoir (1949) did not get onefull Swedish translation until 2002, so it may not be unusual for books that dealfeminist issues.Many other interpretations, and previous research by the SCUM Manifesto has focused on ValerieSolana's life and background. You've talked a lot about her attempted murder of Andy Warhol, herlife as a prostitute and her time in a mental hospital, in an attempt to rationalize and explainSCUM Manifesto., I want to try to avoid this and instead focus on the text itself,because the readings of the text as we do now (2012) feel important. Sources that discuss whatSolana said really and if she was serious or not, I have thus opted out.This essay will process Solana text with a focus on the reader, since the interpretationof the text depends very largely on the message reader chooses to see in it. This makes all othertexts also in varying degrees, of course, but SCUM Manifest has an excellent ability touncompromising provoke, attack and rally, making it by some readers (especially men)perceived as intimidating, while others see satire or humor. The interpretations are very diverse, whichI find interesting.Finally, I discuss the impact and influence the manifesto had in SwedenLate translation came 2003rd3

Page 42nd Purpose and research questionThe purpose of this paper is to show the different interpretations of the SCUM Manifesto which made readingtext. I will do a literal interpretation, then I go through different stylistic approachSolana uses, her choice of words and arguments. This I will then compare with asymbolic interpretation of the text, when I describe the theories that might provide a basis forher reasoning. Finally, I also discuss and illustrate the obvious satiricalaspect of the SCUM Manifesto, and as a satire usually has a purpose, I want to discuss whatthat purpose in this case could possibly be?Just as I mentioned in the introduction, this is the SCUM Manifesto a controversial text whosetranslation and publication (and especially dramatization) has not gone unnoticed in Sweden.I believe that one reason for this is that the readings differ so greatly. Why are perceivedtext so intimidating? Martin Halldin called SCUM Manifesto for "one of the world's most hatedtexts, which are still used as an example of how nasty feminists are and what a shame it is ifmen "in his review of the play.1Why is that? Should we take SCUM seriously? The question is not soeasy to answer because the answer is both yes and no, an "it depends" is the well closest to the truth.3rd MethodIt's hard to find books about Solanas from a Swedish perspective, but there are essayswritten about the Swedish translation, which I have used. Louis Moritz has in itsbachelor thesis from Lund University have chosen some of the same problem as me, which makespaper is very useful.2As Katherine Harrison, also he the Swedishtranslation and its acceptance as a starting point.3Regarding the debate about whetherSCUM Manifesto is a satire or not, I have chosen to support me on Mavis Hauts article in the journal41Halldin, Martin "hated manifesto people smile" ETC 1111092Moritz, Louis. "Cutting down their worldview" If the Swedish edition of Valerie Solanas SCUMManifesto. Centre for Gender Studies (bachelor thesis, Lund University. 2008)3

Harrison, Katherine "Sometimes the meaning of the text is Unclear": Making Sense of the SCUM Manifestoin a Contemporary Swedish Context "Gender delight: Science Knowledge, Culture and Writing ....: For NinaLykke, pp. 341-355. In 2009

Page 5Feminist Theory.4Although Pierre Bourdieu's theory of symbolic violence, from his book The maledominance has proved very useful.5Since I also want to discuss Swedish conditions and the commotion caused in the textSweden after 2003, so I have chosen to exclusively use me of the Swedish translation ofSara Stridsberg. The sources I have used, however, is partly based on the original text ofEnglish.Sometimes I refer to SCUM without italics mark, and then it is not entitledreferred to, but I use SCUM more like a name, a kind of "main character" in the text. Arepresentative of the views expressed in the SCUM Manifesto.54Haut, Mavis 'A salty tongue: At the margins of satire, comedy and polemic in the underwriting of Valerie Solanas'Feminist Theory 2007 8:27 (Sage 2007)5Bourdieu, Pierre., The male dominance (Daedalus / Gothenburg 1999)

Page 64th LiterallyIn the preface to the SCUM Manifesto, writes Sara Stridsberg: "We can read it literally. We'll read itliterally. SCUM is an entirely serious and literal affair. [...] SCUM has no reason to beconstructive and reasonable. Patriarchy is not reasonable. "6Stridsberg goes on to suggest evensecond, equally important, readings of the text (which I will later on), but to begin withto say that you should read it literally is interesting.The text is prohibitive for real is it? If the reader is of the opinion thatreality is not at all unreasonable, then the SCUM a provocation. I want this chapter to show whya literal interpretation can make the text perceived as threatening.4.1 Style and languageSCUM Manifesto is a political text, in that it criticizes society, trying to explain whatdeficiencies consists of and shows a clear goal to strive for. What surprised when reading SCUMManifest is the differences in style level Solana use. Language is, on the one hand, pompous andidealistic: "There is no reason why a society consisting of rational, comprehensive

beings capable of empathy and without natural causes to compete would have eithergovernment, laws or leaders. "but on the other hand, gross, disgusting and dirty, with an effectiveimagery: "The man is nonetheless obsessed to fuck, he swims through a river of snot,Wade to the nose in a river of vomit, if he thinks that there is a friendly pussy awaiting him. '.78Even my spell checker detects that there is a difference between these two quotes, and thepicture painted probably fills the reader with disgust.What can be achieved with profanity and foul language? What will be the effect of växlandet between highand low, good and ugly? Attention particular. We may be more or less used bad words inour everyday lives, but to encounter words like fuck, cunt and vomit in a political text allows but definitelycan not let it pass unnoticed. It reacts. They also experience the text (the author) as angry.There is a rage in the SCUM Manifesto which can not be missed. Swore judges is a sign of anger,But there are other examples.66Solanas, Valerie. SCUM Manifesto (Modernista / Stockholm, 2003), P. 217Ibid., P 548Ibid., P 35

Page 7Solana uses on several occasions of lists, repetition and alliteration as aStyle tools as the following quote illustrates well:"Free from the property, nice units, tact and finesse, free from public opinion and"Morality," free from "respect" for arselhålor and always cool, low and dirty dragSCUM round round round ... SCUM have seen the entire show, every part of it, fucking scene,sugscenen, flat stage - SCUM has been in all port areas, every wharf and pier,Petter Niklas pier, fittpiren. You have to go through a lot of sex to get toantisex and SCUM's been through it all and are now ready for a new show; SCUM wantcrawl out of the harbor, go ahead, pull away, rush out. But SCUM does not ruleyet; SCUM is still in the gutter of our "society", which, if not foldfrom its present course, if they do not place the bomb, will fuck itself toof death. "According to Harrison, this creates "a Gradually Increasing rhythm and speed as the text progresses,

leaving the reader breathless and overwhelmed, "and it further emphasizes the feeling of angerand rebellion, since the use of sexually loaded words is a deliberate provocation.9Solanasappears even while linguistically unpredictable, as she so clearly changes in the style level. To do so, andnot stick to a single style level, is traditionally "ugly", which makes a text poorly written.The SCUM Manifesto, this is a deliberate strategy, instead, in my opinion, enhances the reading experience.As I pointed out earlier, we perceive anger in the text, but is it the same as it isintimidating?4.3 Threat?"To call a man an animal is to flatter him, he is a machine, a walking dildo."10This ismaybe one of those better-known sentence in SCUM Manifest, and perhaps the only ones there great majorityhave actually read and base their opinions on the SCUM. It is also easy to get caught up in the acronymSCUM: Society for Cutting Up Men, and choose to take even that literally. What SCUM stands for isit No real consensus on, besides it was Solanas as made "acronym";but rather her publisher who probably tried to get the book to sell better.1179Harrison10Solana, p 3511Haut, p.33

Page 8There are plenty of opinions on SCUM, but only few of them are from people who actually readtext. If you choose to read the text so you can find anger and uncompromising, especially sinceSolana begins by declaring its desire to "exterminate the male sex."12Of course, theperceived as threatening, especially if you are a man and particularly if it's what you choose tofocus on. It is also a matter of perspective. Moritz writes in his essay that "When women

writes about men who 'it andra'väcker much stronger feelings than when men write about womenin the same way, "so some of the" menacing "is possibly the fact that it's a damnedwoman who has written a text on men, where men are portrayed as deviant.13An angry woman is intimidating, something really scary for many. "I am a witch and a whorewhen I read Valerie "Stridsberg writes in his preface, and maybe it's what makes the text intimidating:the idea that anger will rub off, the SCUM will become a reality, that women should unite in hatredthe male sex, poisoned by SCUM.14There is another aspect of this. Mavis Haut quoteKathleen Rowe when she says that "Angry Women ... are dangerous ... because Their set unsettlesIdeologies about gender ".15Our perceptions of gender challenged by angry women, when anger is consideredbe a masculine feel. One can also see that the anger is expressed as men "own", then it is apower tool, a way to dominate. Women challenge thus patriarchy by being angry.In other words, it is not the text itself which is intimidating, but the fact that the woman who wrotetext is angry, very angry even, and it makes the text dangerous.But there is something you miss in the text of one reason: it is the male sex Solanasagitates against, not men. The male behavior, in other words. You select the mode that ignorefrom other things Solanas writes, for if you should see the text literally, one can not ignorefrom the following quote: "A woman not only takes her identity and individuality for granted, she also knowsinstinctively that the only thing that is wrong is to hurt others, and that the meaning of life is love. "16Itis a clear message of peace in the SCUM Manifesto, a striving for the perfect society, the good willbeyond anger and hatred.Nevertheless, Rosenberg writes that "The patriarchy has every reason to fear it, Becauseit is a dangerous text "and I can agree with. SCUM challenges and provokes.17SCUM threatens812Solana, p 3313Moritz, p.1014

Solana, p.715Haut, p 3116Solana, P. 5617Rosenberg's 533

Page 9and ridicule masculinity, because the text is perceived as dangerous. But patriarchy is not a man ora collective of men, it is a system. Why are the men so upset by SCUM? To begin with,then there are the plenty of men who claim that patriarchy does not even exist, but it is anotherdiscussion. I believe that much of the explanation lies in the Moritz suggest that when men are criticizedit is not in their role as individuals, but as his public role, its role as a man.18AboutI'll try to answer the question of SCUM Manifesto is a threatening text, the answer is no. Sure writesSolana that she wants to exterminate the male sex, but she also says that it is depravity ofmasculinity that will do this on your own, by destroying themselves, not towomen to take up arms. In Solana's text, it is the women who play in the men's"Theater" (male-women) who are the biggest threat to scums ideal society, not men.5th Symbols and MetaphorsAfter following the Battle's invitation to look at the text literally, it can be stated that thereis not sufficient to understand the text. There is so much more. To begin with, the various theories about whatSCUM is and does. Society for Cutting Up Men? It is making it easy for oneself toImagine a bunch of women who hacks men to pieces. Neither realistic nor likely. There areseveral theories about what it could be instead. "To cut", to cut or cut, can of course bea physical act, but might as well be symbolic: to disassemble, cut up;questioning, criticizing, in this case an idea, worldview, or society. The men havecreated.You can also see SCUM as a word and translate it with scum or bottom scraping, thewith the lowest status. SCUM Manifesto becomes "the lägstas manifesto", an appeal for those who have nosay.195.1 Symbolic violenceSCUM Manifesto is a violent text in multiple ways, and Solanas do not apologize for it either.

Uncompromising is a word I have used several times to describe the text, as does theviolence in it. It should not be forgotten, however, that violence can be many things and show itself in many918Moritz, page 919Ibid., P 5

Page 10manner. If you leave the descriptions of physical violence aside, this means text political messages oneincitement to violence in our society, to restructure, tear down and rebuild. It is aviolent idea in itself, but it Solanas do is to use violence to another level, symbolic violence.The concept of symbolic violence means to exercise power through communication, throughrecognition and ill feeling.20Bourdieu goes on to describe how patriarchy exercising symbolic violenceas a means to maintain power, so by women "exposing themselves to a kind ofsystematically demeaning and nedsvärtande [..., which consists ...] more commonly in women's consent to adevalued image of women. "21It's just the structures Solana opposes. Sheadvocate violence as a response to the symbolic violence against her. As Solanadefense attorney could argue that she was acting in self-defense, nothing else. She fights backwithout following the rules.According to Solana, as is men's power in the very fact that they get women to believe that they do notis independent and strong. Since Solana with his text as bold challenge a prerequisitepatrikarkatets for power, perceived violence in society, she agitates for that extra coarseprovocative. According to Bourdieu, it is, in other words, the patriarchate nature to oppose everythingthat challenge the seemingly natural rules of our society follows. SCUM is not natural, SCUM is amonsters.5.2 Men who writes about womenSomething that will return when I read what others have written after reading the SCUM Manifesto isreflection: It's like this men write about (and watch) men in ordinary cases. Looking atadvertising, a film or read a magazine that is objectification and sexualisation offemale body is overwhelming. If you read the tabloid comment field is misogynistcomments more the rule than the exception (batik witch, gender Taliban, feminazist just to give a few

example). All this as an example of the symbolic violence that surrounds us. Googling it the words "pussyfeminist whore "together you get 577,000 results (I count in English results in a correspondingwords). Combine them, you get even more hits. Although this course has noscience, the result is still interesting, because it's three words that should not appear inthe same text. Misogyny is part of our present, but also a part of our history. Even Stridsberg1020Bourdieu, p.1121Ibid page 48

Page 11mention this in his preface. She calls SCUM Manifesto a text full of references.22Aristotle writesthe woman as an imperfect being, undeveloped in comparison to the man. Nietzsche discusseswoman's natural lack of intelligence, as well as Luther. Rousseau writes about women as the root ofcivilization's destruction.23The Solana is doing is using the same methods, she turns to the world we have enteredwith throughout history. She turns Freud's penis envy to "fittavund", she takes Marx's thoughts on classand revolution and give them to the women that completely abolish money, because money and work aresomething that men have created as a means of oppression. SCUM is aimed at the world the same way asGerd Brantberg in Egalias Daughters (1977), but with burning rage, dirty words, and without mercy.Stridsberg summarizes: "History is brainwashing. SCUM is a complete programming. Valerie can their's Thinker, she can her Mans history. Valerie joking with them all. "245.3 Symbolic sexTo understand the Solana writes about men, women and sex, you have to familiarize themselves with what sheloading concepts. Solana mixes sex and gender, which can make the reading confusing andTo complicate things further her own coin concepts, such as "male-female" and Daddy's Girls andMama. I'll make an effort to sort things out. A man is no male and malebehavior, a failed, imperfect creature with "a negative Midas assignments - everything he touches turnsto shit "(incidentally, an excellent example of the humor that permeates the text).

25Homosexualityand transgender people look Solana as a mitigating feature of men, that they at least try to bewomen and make themselves inoffensive.A woman is a woman of the female sex and female behavior (always cool), unlikefrom a man's woman or Daddy's Girl, who is of the female sex who live unenlightened on the manterms. A Daddy's Girl is a brainwashed woman who believes in Daddy (God / Father) and want to behim to the team and work against SCUM. Mama is a symbol of the need for guidance andNursing requires men of Daddy's Girls, the woman is reduced to "a soulless Administrator1122Solana, P. 2123Ibid., P 2224Ibid., P 2325Ibid., P 46

Page 12physical needs; vyssjare of whining nail monkey sights, peppare the puny ego, estimators of thevidrige, a hot water bottle with tits. "26These concepts show that it is not as simple as being a man or woman to get scumsapproval or disdain, SCUM have requirements for (and threaten) the women too. Solana, as I mentionedearlier, sees men as a problem that will solve itself, when men are destructive creatures.SCUM does not threaten the men because they are already the best at killing other men. The women, howeverhave raised, "If men are eliminated, women will shape up. Women aredevelopment only, men are not, even if their behavior is. When SCUM will after theirassholes, they will pull themselves together soon. "27To return briefly to the threatening of SCUM: it is men whoperceive the text as intimidating, even though in many ways, women are the target. Paradoxically,if you do not take one insulted patriarchy in the calculation, then the reaction is logical.6th Satire or notWhat is the most provocative: eating children or to exterminate men? I would argue that both proposalsis at least as provocative and menacing, both reduces people to animals (and thus represents a

good basis for comparison), but what distinguishes Swift's A Modest Proposal (1729) and SCUMManifesto for is not the level of provocation, without reading. "The Similarities between the satires ofSolana and Swift are striking, "but even so, no modern reader of Swift can be unawareback text irony, its criticism of a heartless society, satire of repression.28No ragingnow of this ancient text and categorizes it as "dangerous" to read, despite the fact that starving peoplenot in any way to the past. This is not obvious from a reading of Solana text.SCUM Manifesto is also an ancient text, a product of its time. The text puts his finger on oneproblems and the oppression that too, just like hunger, still exists. But unlikeSwift's modest proposal creates SCUM Manifesto anger, then as now. Many refuse to see it assatire, can not (or will not) see the absurdity, humor and irony. Why?6.1 Women and satire1226Ibid., P 4727Ibid., P 8528Haut, p 28

Page 13According to Mavis Haut is satire a genre that has traditionally been reserved for men, which leads towhen "a woman writes Such savage, unyielding satire, its humor seems to evade many readers andcan provoke more disgust than enlightenment. "29Men can thus provoke to get theirvoice heard, but women can not. Of course, there are women who are perceived as humorous,but there are apparently rules that should be followed. Solana follow them not.The most widely accepted form of female humor is to make fun at his own expense.There are plenty of examples of just turning on their TV. That kind of humor treatstraditionally female topics and problems that relationships, obesity and appearance. Political satireviolates this standard, and will therefore not be funny, or Haut puts it: "If a malecomedian attacks the values of his own sex, the establishment may grudgingly tolerate him; awoman who pours out rage and ridicule upon the masculine is not so moonrise pardoned. [...] Hercriticisms are strident, too harsh to be a joke: there present Solana must be mad, not funny. "30Rosenberg agrees when she says that "Angry women are [...] generation rally not well recieved."

31Ignoring Solanas as mad, for example, compare the SCUM Manifesto with Anders BeringBreiviks manifesto (which there are several examples of if you read what has been written in newspapers inSweden since 2003 translation until now) is a clear sign of unwillingness to recognize textas satire. They use methods like for example to point out that if you replace the word "man" inSCUM Manifesto against "Jew" or "immigrants" as the text would count as hate speech. Itare also made comparisons with Hitler, then it calls SCUM of feminism's Mein Kampf.Forgetting happy that men are not an ethnic group and that the Patriarchate oppression of womenhistorically not been considered hate speech, even if it might have facilitatedreform. It becomes clear is exactly what Haut said, there are certain things women do notcan joke about. An angry woman is not funny, a woman who writes feminist satire perceived ascrazy and dangerous.Is SCUM Manifesto a funny text? Satire is supposed to contain humor. Yeah, it's funny! It is fullof the absurd, it twisted and pointed, and the unexpected. SCUM is quite unreasonable, which increases thethe humor in the text. Solana's frequent use of the lists I've mentioned before, but as an example ofabsurd humor, I would quote the following list:1329Ibid., P 2930Ibid., P 3031Rosenberg's 532

Page 14"The most disgusting and dangerous man types are: rapists, politicians and all who servethem [...], bad singers and musicians; orföranden on boards; breadwinners; landlords;owner of gritty brawn and restaurants that play Muzak; "great painters"; cheapmisers and waelsare; cops; magnates; researchers who work with death anddestruction programs or in the private industry (practically all scientists); liar andfåntrattar; DJs, men who in the least interfere with a strange woman; property owners;stockbrokers; men who speak when they have nothing to say, men who run around idlethe streets and disfigure the landscape with their presence; impostor; Performing Artists;to litter "Solana continues his list further, but one can not help but wonder what the people of Wales andBlockheads playing bad music has to be on the list?

The unwillingness to admit SCUM Manifesto as a satire can have several causes. Satire is usedtraditionally to show the flaws in society. Recognising Solana text as a satire wouldconsequently lead to the recognition that the deficiencies in the community that she is still making chumps out ofexist. If deficiencies exist will perhaps have to do something about them. In otherwords much easier to dismiss Solanas like crazy "tok-feminist" instead of serious satirist.7th Sweden and SCUMWhat are SCUM Manifesto with the political climate in Sweden to do? The translation of a smallthin book from the late 60's should go completely unnoticed, one might think. Not really. SCUM haveaffected Sweden more than most small books from the 60's could ever hope to do, andit has very much influenced the perception of what it means to be a feminist in this country.7.1 BackgroundLooking at Sweden from and compare with other countries, Sweden is the most equalcountry. We have an excellent maternity, we have plenty of women in government, wage gap betweenmen and women is negligible (compared to other countries), plenty of pre-school places and so on.When the SCUM Manifesto was translated in 2003 had all the party leaders, except KD and M deklararat they werefeminists. Ahead of the 2005 elections were feminist issues on the agenda, to the highest degree with theFeminist Inititativs formation. My first thought was that the SCUM Manifesto would have goodpotential to be well received, that the anger would be less strong.14

Page 15Translation 2003 had good reviews and a mostly positive reception. A paperif the translation was published in ROKSs (National Organization for Women's and girls' shelters inSweden) Journal. 2005, a documentary called "gender war" in which the then President ofROKS, Ireen von Wachenfeldt interviewed about the article. During the interview, did the journalistrepeated attempts to obtain von Wachenfeldt pulling equate scums and ROKSsvalues, which von Wachenfeldt opposed. After the interview, then cut and edited wasgreat emphasis on the fact that von Wachenfeldt said that "men are animals". She quoted SCUM, shedid not express a personal opinion, which was not clear from the documentary. The media circus that followedThis statement resulted in von Wachenfeldt departure and was probably the reason whyFeminist Initiative failed to get into parliament.32Before the "gender war" had FI highpoll numbers.'Men are animals "debate got the result that many feminists felt compelled to

distance themselves from any confusion with the more radical feminist ideas. It became veryless accepted that call themselves feminist, and they limited themselves politically. The political debateavoided talking about men's violence against women, and focused instead on discussions about the representationon company boards and equal pay. These questions are not as controversial or provocative, and itcan see a clear "watering down" of the gender debate.7.2 Current situationHave SCUM had a negative or positive effect on feminism in Sweden? There is no doubt thatFeminism has had a bad reputation. Not even our Equality calls herself a feminist. Rosenberg makesLooking back: "Looking back on That time now, it Becomes Clear That what took place was apolitical misunderstanding in Which mainstream gender equality politics was mistaken forfeminism. "33One could infer that all the party leaders who said they were feminists, probablyit was not really. When important feminist issues come up for discussion (as male violence)so it is still perceived as threatening. Men feel påhoppade and offended and it will notlong until you see comments like, "oh well, so you think that men are animals?". This shows thatSCUM live in Swedes consciousness, often without their knowledge. Solana text is intimidatingand frightening for many, and it is almost the same as when one frightened little children1532Harrison33Rosenberg, p 532

Page 16with the control and the Water Sprite in the past. This is politically retardant and has madeequality debate polarized.Had the situation been different, but SCUM? Probably not. According to Bourdieu's theorieshow patriarchy defend their power (as I mentioned earlier) with symbolic violence, so we had enoughseen similar reactions and defense like "gender war" anyway. But SCUM wasa grateful target, an effective weapon to use. There you get to thank SCUM and the intensedebate, is that much of what was in the background (åksikter, attitudes, anger, values,grievances) came out in the light, inequality became visible in Sweden, the most equal country in theworld. Ett yrvaket patriarkat visade tänderna och tvingades att visa vilka kort det spelar med.Eighth Sammanfattande diskussionSCUM Manifest är en satir som förtjänar att tas på allvar, inte en text som bokstavligt bör tas påallvar. Däri ligger skillnaden. Satir är ett viktigt politiskt verktyg, ett ypperligt sätt att skapa debatt,

och det är det Solanas gör. Det är en mycket rolig satir också. Jag skrattade både när jag lästetexten, såväl som när jag såg pjäsen (männen i salongen skrattade också kanske bör tilläggas). Thebegränsa sin tolkning till det enbart bokstavliga är att göra texten (och sig själv) orätt. Jag anser attSCUM Manifest är en viktig text. Vi behöver den för att den skakar om vår världsbild och tvingaross att konfrontera saker som vi annars lätt förnekar. Vi behöver det absurda, det galna, det orimligaoch vridna som är SCUM, för den patriarkala värld vi lever i är, precis som Stridsberg påpekar,också absurd och orimlig! SCUM Manifest beskriver kvinnligt våld mot män, och det faktum attdetta upplevs som så mycket mer provocerande än motsatsen (som vi lever med varje dag) bevisarbehovet av texten. Givetvis är den en produkt av sin tid, vilket lyser igenom. I Solanas text ser mantill exempel 60-talets oro för kärnvapenkrig, och även en överdriven tillförsikt gällandeteknologiska framsteg, vilket kanske inte känns så aktuellt idag. Trots detta är texten aktuell. Itpatriarkat som attackeras och vänds ut-och-in på i texten lever kvar även idag. Om SCUM gick attbortse ifrån, om det gick att bagatellisera, skulle inte reaktionerna på innehållet bli så starka. SCUMManifest engagerar läsaren, på gott och ont, så därför förtjänar den att tas på allvar.16

Page 179th LitteraturförteckningSourcesSolanas, Valerie. SCUM Manifest (Modernista/ Stockholm, 2003)LiteratureBourdieu, Pierre. Den manliga dominansen (Daidalos/ Göteborg 1999)Halldin, Martin ”Hatat manifest lockar till skratt” ETC 111109 ( www.etc.se/noje/hatat-manifest-lockar-till-skratt ) 120503Harrison, Katherine ”Sometimes the meaning of the Text is Unclear”: Making Sense of the SCUMManifesto in a Contemporary Swedish Context” Gender delight: Science Knowledge, Culture andWriting....: For Nina Lykke, s 341-355. In 2009Haut, Mavis ”A salty tongue: At the margins of satire, comedy and polemic in the writing of ValerieSolanas” Feminist Theory 2007 8:27 (Sage 2007)Moritz, Ludvig. ”Klippa sönder deras världsbild” -Om den svenska utgåvan av Valerie SolanasSCUM Manifest. Centrum för Genusvetenskap (kandidatuppsats, Lunds Universitet, 2008Rosenberg, Tiina ”Still Angry after All These Years, or Valerie Solanas under Your Skin” TheatreJournal 62 (The Johns Hopkins University Press 2010)17