Barbara Streisiand's Speech at the 1992 Crystal Awards
In Barbra Streisiand's speech at the 1992 Crystal Awards, she expresses discontent with the negative "way women are viewed in a male dominated society". She has a strong dislike for the fact that women and men are respected and admired for reasons that are so alike and defined degradingly different. I understand her anger and I think she is handeling it in the most effective manner possible. She is at the ceremony to present or receive an award. In theory, she should be giving a speech to the committee that has recognized her work, thanking them for validating her creative spirit, and thanking everyone for their support. She was supposed to be happy, shining, graceful, and content. But instead of being all of these things, she was angry and she expressed herself.
"Language gives us an insight…", a very limited, negative, and opinionated definition of women. She used her power and status and power to promote her beliefs and I am positive that this speech did not go smoothly with the critics. Streisiand is aware that we live in a world that pisses on women's legs and tries to conveince us it is raining. This means we have been 'given' psuedo-equality. The world has started to recognize that a woman can be androgynous, but it is still very critical of female strength and determination. I am in school to be an attorney and at sixteen I worked my first internship.
The program required us to become familiar with the true nature of what it means to practice law. There were two of us assigned to the firm. Chad was automatically taken into client meetings and assigned to case evaluations. I was automatically taken to the firm's executive secretary. For two or three weeks Mrs. Brenda showed me how to prepare coffee, make copies, file transcripts, take effective case notes, order the boss's lunch, and how to be the background to the male foreground of the firm. Lord knows that I was grateful for my chance to work at one of the top firms in Dallas, but the Lord also knew that I did not aspire to be a secretary. I asked Mrs. Brenda when will I go into client meetings and start to do case research and she asked why would I want to do that. She said that "Women don't do certain things in this firm".