We need to believe them
The symphony of cicadas, the silencing of women, and the muse of Manhattan.
Hello, readers. Today’s newsletter meanders through random topics, but ends with an important plea. Insomnia is back like a beast and I’m writing on 8 hours of sleep over the last 2 1/2 days. Needless to say, I’m rather 😴🫠.
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There will always be the purists who insist that there are three more weeks of summer once Labor Day hits, but September has always been that month. It doesn’t matter that the astronomical calculation of the earth’s orbit and the sun’s celestial crossing hasn’t passed the equator yet (the official first day of Fall is September 22, if you’re wondering). It’s already pitch black at 8 P.M., and we got a little spoiled here in the northeast by the cooler-than-normal, low humidity weather all month.
Labor Day as the start of Fall is about as much seasonal creep as I’ll tolerate, though. I know marketers and stores have been chomping at the bit to start tempting us with pumpkin spice and Halloween spooks for a few weeks already, but I don’t engage in that nonsense. August is still summer, even if kids in some parts of the country are already in school, and while I pledge my allegiance to Fall as my absolute favorite season, it can just sit down and wait its turn.
Summery things I’m not ready to give up yet: cherries and peaches. Sandals and linen button down shirts thrown over tank tops. Ample neighborhood parking and a quieter city. Sitting under warm, dappled sunlight with a book.
I listen for the buzzing of cicadas which always has a way of creeping into the late summer soundscape because it’s just white noise until you start paying attention. Of all the things that make me feel nostalgic for childhood summer, it’s the swelling crescendo and fall of their vibrations that transport me back to those lazy, dragged out summer days of boredom in the sticky heat.
It’s a good association, actually. But knowing now that the sometimes deafening buzz, called synchronous chorusing, is actually the call of the males to attract females, all I can think of is how desperate the shrieking wails sound. Cicadas only live a few weeks and the purpose of their entire adult lives is to mate and reproduce, at which point they get ready to die. Seems silly, but it struck me as a bit tragic.
But I’m not really here to talk about cicadas. I randomly came across the actual tragic life of Audrey Munson recently, who was once a household name and considered the “American Venus.” She worked as an actress, cast on Broadway and in Hollywood movies in the 1910s, but it’s her likeness as an artist's muse and model that has immortalized her forever in some of America’s most prominent statues, particularly here in New York. It earned her the nickname, “Miss Manhattan.”
If you’ve ever looked up at the Municipal Building near the foot of the Brooklyn Bridge in lower Manhattan and wondered about that gilded statue that sits high on top, it’s Audrey who is looking down at us from her lofty perch in the sky. Like so many women in the public eye whose star burned bright but faded too soon, scandal and notoriety cut her career short. After a suicide attempt and a diagnosis of depression and schizophrenia, Audrey was institutionalized by her mother in upstate New York on her 40th birthday where she remained until her death at age 104. After her mother died, the woman who was once the most recognized in New York City spent the last 25 years of her life alone, without visitors.
“She is everywhere in NYC, yet nowhere at the same time.”
– Aimee Ng, curator at The Frick Collection
Men get redemption arcs and can come back from scandal, destructive behavior, and even convicted crimes, while the double standards of morality and behavior often lead to women getting silenced and branded as ruined and unstable. In this patriarchal culture where men dominate politics, entertainment, sports, and business, scandal and downfall are turned into spectacle and magnified by media sensationalism. A woman’s failure is rarely her own. Our mistakes are scrutinized as proof that women cannot afford to falter.
I was thinking of Audrey in light of the press conference that is scheduled at 10:30 A.M. today on the steps of the Capitol. Caught in the middle of all this Jeffrey Epstein drama are the survivor victims who are reliving their painful trauma through the news every single day. Children were raped, but we live in a system that is designed to protect the powerful. So it doesn’t come as a surprise that our government and the FBI failed to protect these women who were young girls when the abuse happened.
This morning, ten survivors of Epstein's sexual abuse are speaking out, many for the first time. These victims have been silenced for decades. They need our support as they inevitably face backlash from this administration and the conservative media. They will try to discredit their voices and call it a hoax. We need to listen to these women. We need to believe them. Not Ghislaine Maxwell, not Speaker Johnson or Nancy Mace, and not the president.
In America, we don’t protect our children. Not from pedophiles or rape, and not from guns. Remember that when House Republicans refuse to sign the petition to release the Epstein files. Who are they choosing to protect? Their silence says everything.
Related reading
A roundup of links & recs
To read:
The Death of the Full-Time Critic and What It Means for the Future of Art Writing (Observer)
Full-time art critics seem to be vanishing as journalism shifts toward viral content. Is the very foundation of critical art writing at risk?This group walks and listens to audiobooks. It's not just for introverts (Washington Post)
A community-oriented group for walking and listening to audiobooks? Sign me up.100 years ago, scientists thought we’d be eating food made from air (Popular Science)
A French chemist once dreamed of manufacturing food from nothing but air and light. 100 years later, microbial fermentation is one step closer to his vision.To Wolf, To Worm, To Badger, and Ram – When animal names are used as (often violent) verbs. (Orion)
A charmingly informative article about animal names.For Gen Z, the Library Is Political (Phillymag)
The library, at its core, is about equity in information literacy and political engagement in communities. No wonder libraries have been a target of this administration.Jeremy Lin Retires After 15 Years That Included ‘Linsanity’ With the Knicks (NYT)
As a life-long Knicks fan (yes, it’s been painful at times and I’ve definitely dropped in and out of basketball interest) the short-lived Jeremy Lin run during the 2012 Knicks season was nothing short of miraculous. But Jeremy’s story is not just about basketball, it’s also about representation as the first Asian American basketball star. Along with that thrilling ride came the pressure of being a role model, a global cultural icon—and yes, racism.
What I’m watching:
The Residence (Netflix)
A murder mystery in the White House with a bird-loving detective to solve the case. A particularly timely watch as the recent rumors of the president’s health and a certain trash bag that was seen being thrown out of a White House window circulated all weekend.Stick (AppleTV) A show about golf that’s not really about golf, but about relationships. Pretty heartwarming, actually, and the perfect summer watch.
Thank you for speaking to this subject. When I read Dream Count, the idea of women having to bear so much pain and discomfort just to speak up for themselves. Let’s not lose sight of what it looks like to be brave.
Thank you for putting this into words so powerfully. The way you name the double standards and the scrutiny women face is so validating it’s a hard truth that needs to be spoken more often.