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Marie Shear

  • Feminism: The radical notion that women are people.

    • Marie Shear,
    • in New Directions for Women ()
  • Makeup: Western equivalent of the veil. A daily reminder that something is wrong with women's normal looks. A public apology.

    • Marie Shear,
    • in New Directions for Women ()
  • Male supremacy: Doctrine built upon three forms of superiority: the ability to grow a handlebar mustache, the ability to answer most of Nature's calls efficiently, and the possession of pockets.

    • Marie Shear,
    • in New Directions for Women ()
  • Manual dexterity: An aptitude for exacting work with one's hands, which fits women for typing but not for more lucrative enterprises like brain surgery.

    • Marie Shear,
    • in New Directions for Women ()
  • God: If she turns out to be Eleanor Roosevelt, some of these turkeys are in big trouble.

    • Marie Shear,
    • in New Directions for Women ()
  • Football: A religious ritual in which men fall upon each other in funny suits.

    • Marie Shear,
    • in New Directions for Women ()
  • Special interests: Any group working to obtain the necessities of life — food, clothing, shelter, employment, dignity, laughter — for unfashionable people. Not applicable to a group seeking more power or luxury for rich, straight, male, WASP Republicans with perfect bodies.

    • Marie Shear,
    • in New Directions for Women ()
  • Coat hanger: Symbol of pro-choice movement, inspired by the drastic measures taken by women desperate to obtain an abortion.

    • Marie Shear,
    • in New Directions for Women ()
  • Machostroke: A cerebrospinal accident characterized by a rush of testosterone to the brain during the act of making a decision. The only known therapy is satire.

    • Marie Shear,
    • in New Directions for Women ()
  • Sexist words and pictures commonly imply that everything active, everything significant, is male.

    • Marie Shear,
    • in New Directions for Women ()
  • [On using 'seminal' for 'germinal/groundbreaking,' etc.:] If we believe what newspapers and magazines tell us, intellectual and literary prowess flows from Man's Most Cherished Protuberance. ... The apologist for biased language usage will, of course dismiss such matters as trivial. But I think they make a vas deferens.

    • Marie Shear,
    • in New Directions for Women ()
  • Dieters are wonderful consumers, purchasing food and weight-loss products in an endless cycle.

    • Marie Shear,
    • "Brand Illusions," in The Women's Review of Books ()
  • No wonder women smoke: cancer is the diet that really works.

    • Marie Shear,
    • in The Women's Review of Books ()
  • What with military extravagance and corporate welfare, I doubt that the chief threat to the national economy is grandma gumming too much gruel and refusing to eat a cheaper brand of cat food. I am entitled to assisted suicide, and so is anyone else who chooses it, whether our miseries are terminal or interminable — real assistance, not help restricted to those who can pass through the eye of a needle at the far end of an obstacle course. People with disabilities, which means almost everybody sooner or later, are equally entitled to services under their independent control, 24/7, for as long as they choose, regardless of age, even if the cost reduces the Pentagon to the Rectangle.

    • Marie Shear,
    • "Unhappy Endings," in The Women's Review of Books ()
  • ... skip the cheap shots. Books, like foxes, are living creatures. Don't saddle up and race after one, baying and hallooing for sheer sport.

    • Marie Shear,
    • "Reviewing Book Reviewing," in James Waller, ed., Freelance Writers' Guide ()
  • I've gotten better at the computer: When it goes bonkers, I regain consciousness much faster than before.

    • Marie Shear,
    • letter ()
  • I think it's foolish for anyone to pay a doctor for a stress test. If you've had a computer for two weeks without having a coronary, you'll never have one.

    • Marie Shear,
    • letter ()
  • Why do researchers wonder why many black people have high blood pressure? What part of 'living with racism' escapes them?

    • Marie Shear,
    • in The Women's Review of Books ()
  • ... the U.S. body politic can become septic when enough lies, distortions, and smears are relentlessly pumped into it. Millions of us now 'know' things that are not true ...

    • Marie Shear,
    • "What Ailes TV News?" The Freelancer ()
  • Let's redefine this toxic term like this: Senior moment: (1) Any accomplishment, large or small, possible because acuity, confidence, and gumption increase with age. (2) A memory lapse or other sign of ineptitude, attributable to advancing age. Obsolete.

    • Marie Shear,
    • letter to the New York Times ()

Marie Shear, U.S. editor, writer, feminist