Friday Love: Junot Diaz

Last updated on: November 3, 2014 at 11:18 am by Posted by The Editors

Friday Love: Junot Diaz 2014-11-03T11:18:09-07:00 Posted by The Editors

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

Ricardo Hernandez/AFP/Getty Images

Friday love to brilliant writer, novelist, social commentator, and recent MacArthur “genius” grant recipient, Junot Díaz!

Hurrah for men who help open up the space for other men to speak more honestly and directly about the issues of intimacy that profoundly impact all of our lives.

“There is a built in cultural aporia, a stigmatism in the way that men view and imagine women. It’s generalized, most of us are not aware of how we have acquired a vision of women that doesn’t really encounter or think of them as completely or entirely as human beings.

When I honestly think about the way I was taught to think about women, it was completely instrumental. I grew up with this idea that women were either a mom type figure – someone who did stuff for you – or a figure of your sexual attention. That doesn’t leave much room for in there for there to be more nuanced, more complicated, and more human relationships. Nor does it leave room for one to imagine women as people that are utterly independent of our needs, wants, as they’re not instruments.

If you don’t think of a person as human as you, it’s certainly easy to kind of put a foot in them. It’s certainly easier for you to think, “Well, you know, this can’t hurt that much”, because they’re only just a mule…And I often think there is a fundamental lack of compassion that’s connected to this sort of underdeveloped imagination that most men have about women. Because really that is what we’re really talking about – if I can’t imagine you as fully human, that gets me off the hook of having to be compassionate about anything that has to do with toward you.”

Listen to more of his fantastic insights on relationships, love, intimacy, betrayal, male privilege, and more on NPR’s Forum.

This is how you lose her

Previous Post

October 4, 2012

Confessions of a recovering sex addict

Next Post

October 12, 2012 Prayers for Malala Yousufzai

Browse Our Archives

Select a Category Book Reviews Brown Girl Dreaming Editors Flirting with Fate and other Disasters of an Intersectional Muslimah Food, Love, & Memories Friday Love Halal Since 22 Integrity of Heart Life After Death Literary Mama Literature Love Inshallah Podcast Love InshAllah writers Media My Infidel Husband Not Without Love Poetry Monday Radical Love Reflections & Readings Reviews of Love InshAllah Salaam Love Writers Sex & The Ummah Single in the City Spotlight Story & Chai Book Club The Geekologist The Love Tour The Male Gaze Things I Wish I'd Known Thoughts of a Wasat Girl Uncategorized Your Sunny Side Up Your voices

Select a Month May 2015 April 2015 March 2015 February 2015 January 2015 December 2014 November 2014 October 2014 September 2014 August 2014 July 2014 June 2014 May 2014 April 2014 March 2014 February 2014 January 2014 December 2013 November 2013 October 2013 September 2013 August 2013 July 2013 June 2013 May 2013 April 2013 March 2013 February 2013 January 2013 December 2012 November 2012 October 2012 September 2012 August 2012 July 2012 June 2012 May 2012 April 2012 March 2012 February 2012 January 2012 December 2011 November 2011

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz

Where did David hide from Saul for many years?

Select your answer to see how you score.

Jerusalem The wilderness Philistine camp Jericho