Letter to Zillah’s Friends/Colleagues at Ithaca College on the Occasion of Her So-Called Retirement, or How to Cope Without the Queen of Counter-Fashion

By Ros Petchesky

September 21, 2012

Dear Friends in Ithaca – and especially Tom, whom I want to thank for including me in this day’s festivities:

I’m sitting here in New York City trying to imagine how best to console you for what might seem, on superficial glance, to be a huge loss—for the Politics Department, Ithaca College, and many of you personally—in Zillah’s decision to retire from teaching and move on to a different kind of life.

After all, hasn’t she been the utmost exemplar among you in all things intellectual, political, ethical, culinary, athletic, medical, and, not least, fashion-related?  How will you go on?  How will you know what to think, how to interpret the elections, how to organize against racist and sexist and classist assaults, what to cook for your dinner party, and most of all, what to wear?

Well, as a close friend who has known our Zillah for probably as long or even longer than most of you, I feel it is my responsibility to guide you toward a more realistic and actually optimistic perspective in this new situation. 

To start, consider the fact that Zillah has the worst sense of direction of anyone on the planet. 

Now you may believe this applies only to logistics or geography, but I want to suggest Zillah’s waywardness reaches further. 

First, let’s talk about intellectual directions. 

When political theorists were mainly interested in familiar old boys (Rousseau, Locke, Hegel, Marx, and all that gang), Zillah had to take us through a dozen frustrating detours, through patriarchy and gender and power relations and women’s labor and so much else.  When feminist political theorists thought they had all that figured out, well of course Zillah had to go zig-zagging away to pluralize feminisms and hopelessly complicate gender with race, colonialism, global capitalism, militarism, cyberspace, sexualities, hatreds (more popularly known as “affect” these days), and Hillary. 

When post-modern theorists were comfortable with their trinity of Foucault, Deleuze and Derrida, Zillah went wandering off again, confusing “real” theory with the Iraq and Afghanistan wars, scientific racism, women soldiers, Chinese workers, Caster Semenya, Barack, Michelle, and Hillary again.  So I say to younger scholars who want to keep up with intellectual fashions, or who seek a secure place in your discipline and in today’s academic job market, Zillah’s example might not be your guide to success.

Or let’s take a look at politics. 

Now, I realize that everyone assembled here is likely to agree that activism and engagement in the events of our world are necessary assets for political scientists and good citizens. 

But how many political issues does one really have to be on top of?  And what if we crave to be in a single, easily identified political camp? 

Here again, Zillah leads us in a thousand directions at once, and just when we think we’ve gotten our bearings, we’re veering off down another track. 

We can be feminists who sincerely believe in gender equality and women’s empowerment, but we’d better make sure that includes women who wear hijab and recognizes “women’s bodies” as including all sizes, shapes, colors, and genitals.  We can adopt staunch anti-racist politics, but an uncompromising defense of reproductive rights for all and opposition to all kinds of gender-based violence had better be front and center in our anti-racism.  We can go door to door for Obama in Pennsylvania or Ohio, but don’t for a minute let him off the hook when it comes to drone attacks in Pakistan and Yemen or forced deportations or not shutting down Guantánamo and Bagram—rather, stand up in opposition. 

Actually, when Zillah is around one is ill-advised to identify with “left” or “right” or “West” or “East” or “black” or “white,” because you’ll find all these categories coming apart before your eyes (and don’t even try to call that “post-modern” or think you know what that means).  So my point here is, shouldn’t you all be breathing a sigh of relief?  Think of the endless political confusion and disorientation you’re being spared thanks to Zillah’s decision to wander off into the sun.

Finally, on the topic I know everyone thinks is where Zillah reigns supreme, clothes, let me respectfully suggest that here too fashion does have its standards. 

I mean, come on, what’s with the green and purple and orange all mixed together, the alternating gigantic and teeny-tiny bags, the flounces over tights and hip-hop sneakers, or the miles of chains and beads and rings and earrings to the shoulders? 

Is this polyversal, polychromatic Eisenstein-sense-of-style any kind of example to set for I.C.’s students? 

How will they go out and be successful in the corporate world, where everyone knows the mandatory color scheme must never depart from various tones of beige, grey, white or black?  Isn’t there some benefit to having the paragon of counter-fashion a little less visible, a little less able to divert young bodies down dangerous and deviating paths?

Yet we can always hope that freedom from the confines of academia will change Zillah’s wanton, misguided ways. 

Why, who knows? We might even find her one of these days studying religious mysticism, advocating for free T.V. dinners for all, wearing neutral-toned pants suits, or (don’t kill me on this one, Zillah) playing golf. 

One never can predict with Zillah. 

So take heart, Ithaca people, you might be able to reap a double advantage from Zillah’s hasty decision to flee the coop. 

On the one hand, you get to unburden yourselves of the influence of dubious behaviors and ideas that will get you into trouble every time.  On the other, you can follow vicariously as Zillah leads you toward new territories and fashions neither you nor she ever dreamed you’d discover. 

So don’t say good-by, say hello to Zillah anew, and in that spirit, sing with me:

HELLO ZILLAH (to the tune of “Hello, Dolly”)

Hello Zillah, well hello Zillah – we can’t wait to see your next amazing run!

Where will you stray, Zillah?  We can’t say, Zillah, but we hope you’ll take us with you

                 for the thrills and fun.

So keep on traveling places, invading cyberspaces, writing books and blogs that keep

                our minds aglow.

We know the world needs you, hope that Obama reads you,

You’re the counter-fashion queen, health food, yoga, hot cuisine,

Zillah, we’re just saying, go girl go!

Ros Petchesky is Distinguished Professor of Political Science at Hunter College & the Graduate Center, City University of New York, where she teaches courses on political theory, feminist theory, biopolitics and body politics.  Among her numerous published books and articles are SEXUALITY, HEALTH & HUMAN RIGHTS (co-authored with Sonia Corrêa and Richard Parker), GLOBAL PRESCRIPTIONS, and, most recently, "Biopolitics at the Crossroads of Sexuality and Disaster: The Case of Haiti."  She plays classical piano, practices muy thai kickboxing, and dotes on her two grandchildren, Anna and Jack.

My name is Jonathan Morello.  I’m inviting you to learn with me, explore with me, and grow with me as we embark on a journey that is the 2013 Finger Lakes Environmental Film Festival (FLEFF).   This year's theme is MOBILITIES.

However, before we submerge completely in ideas ,films, music, art and politics, I would like to invite you to get to know me. I'll be keeping the Fresh at FLEFF blog updated, and working on community outreach for the festival.  

I’m currently a full-time graduate student pursuing a master’s of science in communications at Ithaca College. My studies here started last spring. I  focus on corporate and organizational communications. Once I complete my degree in summer 2013, I hope to start a career in marketing or public relations for a corporation or agency that handles clients within the entertainment industry. So FLEFF is a perfect transition for me--a great way to contribute to a major festival.

Before I decided to attend graduate school, I had just received my bachelors of arts from Hofstra University in May of 2011. I majored in print journalism and minored in music. I was also extremely active on campus, so I am hoping to share time-management skills with interns, mini-course students, and festival course students as they embark on their FLEFF journey this year.

I wrote for the university’s student- ran newspaper. I  worked as a resident assistant (R.A). I played for the men’s club ice hockey team. I was a  leader in my fraternity. All of these activities gave me something very special:  joy.  These extracurricular activities are the reason I hold my alma mater dear to my heart. And they motor my interest in working on building social relationships within a festival like FLEFF.  Community outreach and community building are two goals I have for my work with FLEFF this year.

My involvement with FLEFF began a few weeks ago when Dr. Patricia R. Zimmermann, codirector of FLEFF and professor in the Department of Cinema, Photography and Media Arts at Ithaca College, contacted me via e-mail. She informed me that I’d be working as the assistant to the co-directors for this year’s festival!  This would be my graduate assistant in the Roy H. Park School of Communications--a step toward my goal of doing marketing, public relations and community outreach.

This news ignited feelings of excitement and intrigue.  I immediately began researching everything I could about FLEFF. (tip for intern applicants:  RESEARCH!)

Reading the vast array of blogs, supporting documents and film descriptions on last year’s website helped me understand the fundamentals of FLEFF, the diversity of those involved and the international recognition and impact of the festival. 

To me, FLEFF is  something much more than a way to help me gain solid professional experience within the field of communications. It is something that offers me the chance to meet people and hear voices from all over the world as they seek to have their messages heard.

The stories found at FLEFF are powerful. The topics are serious: war, disease, health, genocide, the land, water, air, food, education, technology, cultural heritage, diversity and beyond.

You see, I never had the chance to study abroad. Now,  I feel lucky.  FLEFF is my passport to the world. It's not a physical location, but an artistic and intellectual place, a place I am very excited to explore with all of you.