20 Questions is a Q&A interview series with authors, musicians, and everyone in between, celebrating experiences both shared and individual in the messy game of being human.
“Through pop culture, we can address our fears and desires, we can escape to new and different spaces, we can find ourselves, we can invent ourselves. We can also just sit on the couch and zone out.” Allison Butler is a Senior Lecturer, Associate Chair, and the Director of the Media Literacy Certificate Program in the Department of Communication at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, where she teaches courses on critical media literacy and representations of education in the media. She serves as Vice President on the board of the Media Freedom Foundation.
She is the author of numerous articles and books on media literacy, including Surveillance Education: Navigating the Conspicuous Absence of Privacy in Schools (co-authored with Nolan Higdon); The Media and Me: A Guide to Critical Media Literacy for Young People, Critical Media Literacy and Civic Learning: Interactive Explorations for Students and Teachers (co-authored with Torrey Trust and Robert Malot); and Educating Media Literacy: The Need for Teacher Education in Critical Media Literacy. She is a co-author of multiple practical resources for media literacy education. I had the chance to get to know Allison and all about her latest book The Judgment of Gender: How Women Are Centered and Silenced in Pop Culture, available now.
Where is your favorite place in the world to be?
At the top of a mountain, after hiking it, on my own two feet! More specifically, at the top of Mt. Washington, in New Hampshire.
What is your earliest memory of wanting to be a writer?
I was in an honors magnet program in middle and high school and for a twelfth grade project, we were invited to do a year-long largely self-directed thesis paper on any topic of our choosing. I was super into the films of David Lynch and wrote my thesis on how Lynch’s films undermined the romanticism of modern American cinema — I knew what that all meant as an 18-year-old … I’m not sure I know what it means now! I loved the work of taking on a huge project, dividing it into manageable pieces, building files of research, organizing it into a coherent final product.
I loved the excitement of finding sources that spoke to me, that helped me solve problems. I loved being in the library and combing through the stacks. I cold-called a bunch of Hollywood people and some of them even called me back! I never got to speak to David Lynch, but I spoke with some of his producers and even one of the stars of his early films and TV work. I thought that if I could keep doing that work, that would be really cool.
Biggest pet peeve?
When people use the word “nauseous,” when they really mean “nauseated,” or when people use words that are not really words, like “irregardless” when they really mean “irrelevant.”
Favorite holiday?
I attend a queer feminist Seder every spring with dear friends. I am so blessed to have a close group of deep-depth friends with whom I share many, many meals, adventures, and travels; the Seder dinner is my favorite meal of the year. I am not Jewish, so this celebration was not a part of my history and each year, I need to re-learn the story of Passover. All the guests contribute to the meal in some way, so it is a community event. My husband loves to smoke meat, so he often prepares a brisket. The wine and conversation flow.
Our host has adapted the Haggadah for the 21st century: No mention of a male god, a fair amount of discussion of multiple forms of oppression and what we can do to counter those oppressions, some irreverent humor to support us through dark times. (There are videos on YouTube where the story of the exodus from Egypt is told by puppets, in musical form. Watch them.) Lots of reflection on friendship and family and gratitude. At this dinner, we always have an opportunity to share what we are grateful for, to learn about ways to live in community, to laugh, to cry, and to share. We end the meal with fair-trade chocolate. I always leave the dinner inspired to make change and full-up with gratitude for my amazing friends and our rich community.
The last series you binge-watched?
Pluribus. I don’t want to give any spoilers because it is a show that should definitely be experienced with fresh eyes. So, just briefly: Thank you, Carol, for guiding us through the hive mind! And thank you for sussing out the need to protect women’s autonomy!
Your new book The Judgment of Gender examines how girls and women’s roles in pop culture are still primarily constructed to reinforce patriarchy. What new perspective do you bring to this conversation?
In the book, I work to embrace the seeming contradiction that while women are taking up more space in pop culture, they are still silenced, in part, by the way their stories have been told. We have a significant quantity of representation of women and girls, but is it of high quality? How are women’s stories being told, and by whom? I explore the presence of famous women and women thrust into fame by a particular event through a critical media literacy lens to deconstruct their treatment and to provide audiences manageable ways to push back against unfair treatment.
That push back may be as simple as revisiting one’s own judgments of women in the public eye; when I was doing the research, I was confronted with my own past criticism of women who I had made judgments about. This book, and so much of the work that I consulted to build this book, asks us to look at those stories differently. This is the way that we can build new, more complex stories.
Most expensive thing you’ve ever shamelessly splurged on?
So. Much. Outdoor. Gear. I can always completely justify new gear purchases. I love talking about gear, I love browsing gear, I love well-worn, well-loved gear, I love shiny new gear. Did my husband and I need that 10-person tent? Nope. Did we buy it and laugh at ourselves for buying it? Yup. And also, we love that tent! Really, I just want to be outside as much as possible!
The last book you finished?
My Friends by Fredrik Backman. He’s a Swedish writer who writes such nuanced character development. I first found him when I read A Man Called Ove, which was either the funniest sad book I’ve ever read or the saddest funny book I’ve ever read. I openly wept on an airplane when reading My Grandmother Told Me To Tell You She’s Sorry. I am about to re-read the Beartown series because I love the characters and because I got so sucked into My Friends, I’m not ready to give up his writing just yet.
How would you describe the importance of storytelling in an age of isolation?
The importance of storytelling cannot be overstated. As humans, it was our first form of communication. It was how we shared news, how we shared warnings of danger, how we entertained, and how we were entertained. Shared stories will rescue us from isolation. I think one of the reasons why “social media” is called “social media” is to distract us from the fact that those media leave us isolated and alone. Don’t get me wrong, I love looking at pictures of bear cubs and puppies on my social media feed — but what I love more is talking about bear cubs and puppies with my loved ones. When a friend opens up and says they are having a hard time, or when a friend shares something exciting and thrilling, being with that friend, in person, sharing that story: That is what matters. Let’s tell more stories!
Are you an introvert or an extrovert?
Am I an introverted extrovert? Or an extroverted introvert? I get great joy and energy from being with people and being out in the world. I get just as much joy at home, on the couch, with my dog, just being quiet.
What fuels your interest and enthusiasm for pop culture the most?
Pop culture can be such a good storyteller. It can help us understand the world in which we live, it can help us imagine new and different worlds. Through pop culture, we can address our fears and desires, we can escape to new and different spaces, we can find ourselves, we can invent ourselves. We can also just sit on the couch and zone out. Pop culture can help us out of a bad mood, can help us celebrate a good mood, can be our companion in sorrow. Pop culture can connect us to others and help us make space for ourselves. Undoubtedly, pop culture can tell bad stories — or tell stories badly. With media literacy, we may be better able to push back on those badly told stories and create space for more complex and complicated stories.
Favorite book of all-time?
Cat’s Eye by Margaret Atwood.
Best book you’ve read in the last year?
The Emperor of Gladness by Ocean Vuong. I love his fiction. Stayed up way too late and devoured On Earth We’re Briefly Gorgeous and did the same for Emperor. I love the way he builds characters and illustrates their strength and vulnerabilities. I thought the overarching narrative of how to live with hope in an environment that is largely without opportunities for hope was so beautifully bittersweet.
In The Judgment of Gender, you write that critical media literacy is the key to changing the narrative surrounding girls and women in pop culture. How would you characterize the current state of media literacy in an age of misinformation, and how do you recommend bettering it?
I think the current state of media literacy in the United States is bad. We do not have formal, structured, scaffolded media literacy in enough of our schools (K-12 and higher education). As a nation, we lament that young people are so easily duped, cajoled, radicalized, or harmed in myriad ways — and yet we do not give them nearly enough opportunities to learn how to think and act critically about their media choices. To that end, we do not give our teachers and pre-service teachers nearly enough training to do this work in their classrooms. Our nation produces and exports the greatest quantity of media around the globe and yet we do not educate our children or our educators. We would never send our children to school without basic math, science, reading, or social studies and yet we are seemingly quite comfortable with ignoring the media, even though our young people (and ourselves!) spend a significant portion of our day with some form of media.
We better that situation by consistently asking for support and resources for media literacy education. Media literacy education should be part of teacher training programs so that teachers can build the work into, not in addition to, their lesson plans. We need to stop thinking of media literacy education as a special, extra, or add-on to our curricula; it should be the foundation of our curricula. Media literacy should be our dinnertime conversation, our conversation over coffee, our householder conversation. To be media literate does not mean to hate the media; it means that we have a multidimensional, complex understanding of our media industries.
One movie that will always make you cry?
Steel Magnolias. There’s something about the family struggles and the multigenerational friendships that get me every single time.
Favorite quote of all-time?
From Akira Kurosawa’s Seven Samurai:“A good samurai always parries the blow.”
You’re stuck on a long flight. Which world-famous musician would you want sitting next to you and why?
I am a very quiet person on a plane. I often fall asleep during take-off and try to stay asleep for the majority of the flight. If I’m awake, I’m usually reading. So, I fear that a famous musician would be lost on me. I would try to be polite and let them pass by if I had the aisle seat and they had the window — I’m assuming no famous musician would sit in the middle seat? I would probably get very nervous about asking a world-famous musician to move for me and would do my best to not need to leave my seat. All of this is me avoiding naming someone. Okay. My answer: PJ Harvey. I like to think that we would both be quiet, polite, and respect each other’s limited space. And then I’d get home and play all her music on repeat for days on end.
As a writer and artist, what would you say is the best way to rest or decompress?
I need nature, I need the outdoors. My brain quiets down when I am in nature and, simultaneously, some of my best sentences or word choices or turns of phrase or solutions to knotty problems slide quietly in when I’m enjoying the outdoors. There is no bad weather, just bad gear. I will always find time to be outdoors.
Physical books or e-books?
Physical books! No question!
What can we expect to see next from you?
There were so many stories and so many angles I needed to leave out of The Judgment of Gender. There are so many more women’s stories to consider. I’m contemplating a way to make space for those stories. Moms who have read the book have told me they are discussing it with their daughters. Dads who have read the book have told me they are discussing it with their sons. So right now, I’m thinking about an expanded Judgment for young readers and potentially diving into a dissection of patriarchy and how it hurts men and boys. I also want to look to history and share out examples of women change-makers that we have lost to history. It is time to tell different stories about women.
Get Allison Butler’s latest book The Judgment of Gender: How Women Are Centered and Silenced in Pop Culture from your local indie bookstore or library.
Jeffrey Reads 