love is an action, never simply a feeling

December 15, 2021 9:33 AM

Author, social activist, feminist and professor bell hooks has died aged 69.
posted by fight or flight (125 comments total)

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posted by lefty lucky cat at 9:33 AM on December 15, 2021

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posted by idb at 9:34 AM on December 15, 2021

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posted by Surely This at 9:37 AM on December 15, 2021

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posted by later, paladudes at 9:37 AM on December 15, 2021

Reading hooks' Killing Rage: Ending Racism was one of the fastest and most potent reads I've yet encountered - it really expanded my understanding of not just intersectionality but how to think about it. I can't overstate how crushing this is.

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posted by bile and syntax at 9:38 AM on December 15, 2021 [13 favorites]

I saw hooks speak at Reed College in '96, and remember her answer to a student that asked how she managed to avoid despair - she said something to the effect of, "Where does despair get us? It's a luxury we don't have."

I'm not always able to follow along, but I still think about that occasionally 25 years later. She had a very powerful presence.
posted by ryanshepard at 9:39 AM on December 15, 2021 [46 favorites]

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posted by Kattullus at 9:40 AM on December 15, 2021

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posted by LobsterMitten at 9:41 AM on December 15, 2021

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This one stings
posted by Faintdreams at 9:41 AM on December 15, 2021 [6 favorites]

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posted by riverlife at 9:44 AM on December 15, 2021

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posted by lalochezia at 9:46 AM on December 15, 2021

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posted by mochapickle at 9:47 AM on December 15, 2021

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posted by notquitemaryann at 9:48 AM on December 15, 2021

Too, too young.
Outlaw Culture: Resisting Representations literally changed my life. I read it and I was a different person with far more and better ideas.
posted by Frowner at 9:49 AM on December 15, 2021 [7 favorites]

Much too young. This one hurts.
posted by Mizu at 9:49 AM on December 15, 2021 [1 favorite]

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posted by goalyeehah at 9:51 AM on December 15, 2021

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posted by acb at 9:52 AM on December 15, 2021

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posted by a box and a stick and a string and a bear at 9:52 AM on December 15, 2021

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posted by hydropsyche at 9:55 AM on December 15, 2021

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posted by suetanvil at 9:56 AM on December 15, 2021

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posted by dannyboybell at 9:57 AM on December 15, 2021

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posted by mandolin conspiracy at 9:58 AM on December 15, 2021

Huge loss and far too soon.
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posted by leslies at 9:58 AM on December 15, 2021 [2 favorites]

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posted by col_pogo at 10:00 AM on December 15, 2021

As a white, teen-age guy in the 1980s/90s she mystified me. Eventually I realized that it was me who needed to close that gap, and not her.

. for such a strong voice.
posted by wenestvedt at 10:02 AM on December 15, 2021 [19 favorites]

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posted by dlugoczaj at 10:03 AM on December 15, 2021

Far too young, this one hurts
posted by dis_integration at 10:03 AM on December 15, 2021 [2 favorites]

As others have said, may she rest in power.
posted by y2karl at 10:05 AM on December 15, 2021 [3 favorites]

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posted by thivaia at 10:05 AM on December 15, 2021 [1 favorite]

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Relevant AskMe from a few years ago.

Just re-stocked.
posted by box at 10:08 AM on December 15, 2021 [3 favorites]

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posted by Lawn Beaver at 10:12 AM on December 15, 2021

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posted by Lyme Drop at 10:12 AM on December 15, 2021

ohhhhhh. This saddens me. I am glad that she got some reassurance, while alive, that her work was important to so many people.
posted by brainwane at 10:16 AM on December 15, 2021 [6 favorites]

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posted by away for regrooving at 10:24 AM on December 15, 2021

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posted by Halloween Jack at 10:25 AM on December 15, 2021

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posted by clew at 10:25 AM on December 15, 2021

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posted by introp at 10:27 AM on December 15, 2021

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posted by Woodroar at 10:32 AM on December 15, 2021

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posted by Gelatin at 10:33 AM on December 15, 2021

Ah fuck.
posted by aspersioncast at 10:34 AM on December 15, 2021

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posted by sciatrix at 10:34 AM on December 15, 2021

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posted by jameaterblues at 10:35 AM on December 15, 2021

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posted by 20 year lurk at 10:41 AM on December 15, 2021

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posted by humbug at 10:46 AM on December 15, 2021

Too young!

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posted by praemunire at 10:48 AM on December 15, 2021

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posted by treepour at 10:48 AM on December 15, 2021

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posted by gudrun at 10:49 AM on December 15, 2021

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posted by Token Meme at 10:53 AM on December 15, 2021

dammit.

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posted by bunderful at 10:55 AM on December 15, 2021

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posted by Sphinx at 11:00 AM on December 15, 2021

As i've broadened and deepened my own reading lists over the past ten-ish years, her name has come up more and more as an influence on writers I admire. for sure she is gone too soon, but her legacy seems sure to endure.

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posted by OHenryPacey at 11:05 AM on December 15, 2021 [2 favorites]

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posted by benluttrull at 11:15 AM on December 15, 2021

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posted by Obscure Reference at 11:15 AM on December 15, 2021

First Greg Tate and now bell hooks. What a month this is turning out to be.

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posted by May Kasahara at 11:27 AM on December 15, 2021 [2 favorites]

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posted by Faint of Butt at 11:29 AM on December 15, 2021

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posted by Pendragon at 11:34 AM on December 15, 2021

Fuck.



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posted by lazaruslong at 11:41 AM on December 15, 2021

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posted by Lynsey at 11:42 AM on December 15, 2021

May she rest in power. Gone way too young.

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posted by lord_wolf at 11:44 AM on December 15, 2021

I used to own her book Men, Masculinity and the Will to Change. Then my friend borrowed it. Then her husband read it. Then he began lending it to other men. I hope it just kept traveling to others looking for its wisdom.

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posted by Emmy Rae at 11:51 AM on December 15, 2021 [21 favorites]

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Is it just me, or are a lot of people dying this year who ought to have had another 10-15 years, minimum? If it was just COVID, I’d be “f*cking COVID,” but it’s like, everything! And somehow, the ghouls keep going. Ugh, shit. What a year.
posted by GenjiandProust at 12:06 PM on December 15, 2021 [14 favorites]

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posted by exlotuseater at 12:08 PM on December 15, 2021

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posted by solotoro at 12:11 PM on December 15, 2021

I just asked el_lupino to fetch from upstairs the copy of Killing Rage that I remember marking quotes all over with sticky flags (everything else of hers I've read I borrowed from the library), but it's not on the bookshelves, which means I gave it away to someone in particular, and there's no greater testimony to the necessity and vitality of a work than that.
posted by jocelmeow at 12:12 PM on December 15, 2021 [5 favorites]

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posted by but no cigar at 12:23 PM on December 15, 2021

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posted by justsomebodythatyouusedtoknow at 12:23 PM on December 15, 2021

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posted by brujita at 12:25 PM on December 15, 2021

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posted by rewil at 12:31 PM on December 15, 2021

. Heartbreaking, far too young.
posted by ellieBOA at 12:36 PM on December 15, 2021 [1 favorite]

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posted by cooker girl at 12:36 PM on December 15, 2021

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posted by miles per flower at 12:37 PM on December 15, 2021

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posted by Coaticass at 12:50 PM on December 15, 2021

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posted by and they trembled before her fury at 12:57 PM on December 15, 2021

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posted by ApathyGirl at 1:07 PM on December 15, 2021

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posted by Cash4Lead at 1:12 PM on December 15, 2021

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posted by The Underpants Monster at 1:34 PM on December 15, 2021

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posted by poseathon at 1:35 PM on December 15, 2021

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posted by winesong at 1:38 PM on December 15, 2021

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posted by From Bklyn at 1:46 PM on December 15, 2021

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posted by The Great Big Mulp at 2:05 PM on December 15, 2021

I met her only once. I was visiting Berea College, working with faculty and staff, then took a break to check out the book store. Browsing along, I came across a black woman also browsing. She asked me who I was and what I was up to, in a very friendly way. I told her, then asked her who she was. She looked kinda familiar. When she told me I was gobsmacked. I think I stammered out a confused mess of praise and bibliography.



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posted by doctornemo at 2:06 PM on December 15, 2021 [7 favorites]

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posted by Barbara Spitzer at 2:12 PM on December 15, 2021

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posted by Sublimity at 2:29 PM on December 15, 2021

She was a truly great Philosopher, and the only public-intellectual that I have unqualified respect for (ie: I could literally look though any of her books and not find a paragraph that I could take issue with. I don't think I could say this about anyone else). Also, a gifted writer and a rare intellectual who did not hide behind jargon. One of my faves: 'Talking Back'.
posted by ovvl at 2:56 PM on December 15, 2021 [5 favorites]

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posted by no mind at 3:09 PM on December 15, 2021

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posted by scaryblackdeath at 3:28 PM on December 15, 2021

My intro to her was reading We Real Cool years ago. Took me two weeks to get through it because every single paragraph was a mind-blower.

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posted by transitional procedures at 3:35 PM on December 15, 2021 [1 favorite]

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posted by Glinn at 3:39 PM on December 15, 2021

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posted by Capybara at 4:00 PM on December 15, 2021

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posted by evilDoug at 4:02 PM on December 15, 2021

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posted by kneecapped at 4:05 PM on December 15, 2021

Utterly heartbreaking. A visionary, a truth teller, a goddamn inspiration. I’m at a loss, bereft.

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posted by Ten Cold Hot Dogs at 4:08 PM on December 15, 2021 [1 favorite]

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posted by JoeXIII007 at 4:08 PM on December 15, 2021

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posted by theora55 at 5:21 PM on December 15, 2021

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posted by socialjusticeworrier at 5:24 PM on December 15, 2021

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posted by kozad at 5:45 PM on December 15, 2021

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posted by Gorgik at 6:00 PM on December 15, 2021

I always assigned my intro to women’s studies students to read some bell books early in the semester. She was so accessible and provided such a good foundation for intersectional feminist thinking.

This is really making me sad.

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posted by hurdy gurdy girl at 6:27 PM on December 15, 2021 [1 favorite]

. . . . .
posted by firstdaffodils at 6:27 PM on December 15, 2021

Is it just me, or are a lot of people dying this year who ought to have had another 10-15 years, minimum? If it was just COVID, I’d be “f*cking COVID,” but it’s like, everything! And somehow, the ghouls keep going. Ugh, shit. What a year.
posted by GenjiandProust

It’s not just you. I have these thoughts often, even more so in recent weeks.
posted by hurdy gurdy girl at 6:27 PM on December 15, 2021 [2 favorites]

Seeing so many quotes of her work in my social media feeds today, and thinking how much better our daily lives would be if that were the norm.

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posted by sk932 at 6:53 PM on December 15, 2021

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posted by Chanther at 8:05 PM on December 15, 2021

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posted by pt68 at 9:17 PM on December 15, 2021

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posted by stellaluna at 9:43 PM on December 15, 2021

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posted by inexorably_forward at 11:04 PM on December 15, 2021

"Is it just me, or are a lot of people dying this year who ought to have had another 10-15 years, minimum?" I understand this is kind of "woo," but it's helped me to view these people passing as the highest expression of their energy, converted more broadly into a world that really needs it, at the moment (if that makes sense). Eg. George Floyd's passing created a true wave of some of the most intense change, his death was sincerely a deepest tragedy, but this level of change is a high honor, and I hope it only continues.
posted by firstdaffodils at 11:15 PM on December 15, 2021 [2 favorites]

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posted by rrrrrrrrrt at 12:39 AM on December 16, 2021

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posted by Urtylug at 2:07 AM on December 16, 2021

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posted by nightcoast at 3:50 AM on December 16, 2021

She was a giant.

Shamefully, I am not as versed with her work as I should be. I'll fix that.
posted by Capt. Renault at 6:51 AM on December 16, 2021 [2 favorites]

"She was a giant," is a good truism for that one.
posted by firstdaffodils at 9:23 AM on December 16, 2021

queer as not about who you're having sex with, that can be a dimension of it, but queer as being about the self that is at odds with everything around it and has to invent and create and find a place to speak and to thrive and to live.
posted by ellieBOA at 9:49 AM on December 16, 2021 [12 favorites]

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posted by chapps at 7:46 PM on December 16, 2021

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posted by gauche at 2:44 AM on December 17, 2021

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posted by fizzix at 6:14 PM on December 19, 2021

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posted by wicked_sassy at 12:03 PM on December 20, 2021

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posted by cybercoitus interruptus at 4:10 PM on December 21, 2021