Reclaiming Reclaim

Image: Morten Watkins

Reclaim is an interesting word; or rather the use of it is interesting. Baggage reclaim, reclaimed wood (for the new floorboards, so much more ethical darling – you know), reclaim PPI you never took out but you simply must have, why else would you be getting all those texts? Reclaim words you didn't know you ever owned. I assume you are all aware of brilliant women and men across the world taking a lazily worded warning from a Toronto police officer to task and reclaiming the word slut whilst getting some gentle exercise.

But can you reclaim something that was never yours? Not that anybody has a monopoly on the English language (strictly speaking...). I don't think slut has any kind of proud history. Unless you're really into insults, or misogyny. But I suppose you can turn it around. Now we can accuse those who imply a woman is some how to blame for a crime, or those who recoil at the idea of a woman discussing her sex life of slut-shaming. Is that a reclaim or a confiscation? 

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What about the word queer? 'Oh yeah, no I think that's been reclaimed'. What does that even mean? It meant 'a bit weird' or unusual, then in the 20th century was bastardised into a derogatory term for gay. Now many people identify as queer or gender queer, one can (and one did) attend queer theory modules at university. LGB societies have gained letters to become a more inclusive LGBTQ. Is that an act of reclamation or simply 2 fingers up at those who use homophobic language. It's not a slur, it's a correct definition. In fact it's somewhat right on – if you will. All of a sudden Great Aunt Casual Racist appears to be down with the bois when she discusses that gay agenda over Christmas Dinner.

If this were an essay* I was struggling to get going with on the subject of 'reclaiming' (which I suppose it is) I'd tell you that the Oxford English Dictionary definition of 'Reclaim' is this: v. 1. Retrieve or recover. 2 bring (waste land or land formerly under water) under cultivation. Recycle. 3 dated redeem from a state of vice. Archaic tame or civilize (an animal or person). n. the action or reclaiming or being reclaimed...ORIGIN ME: from Ofr. Reclamer, from L. Reclamare 'cry out against'...

Cry out against. Isn't that perfect? Goodness but I love dictionaries. As the nights draw in Reclaim the Night marches come out. The 17th of November saw Brighton Reclaim the Night, led by The Brighton Feminist Collective. Queer, trans, cis, all of Brighton was invited to cry out against. Against rape, against violence, against domestic abuse, against, against, against! The object was to retrieve, recover, 'redeem from a state of vice' as it were. 

are we just afraid to say it's a power grab? A Coup.

The Brighton march unfortunately sticks out like a sore thumb, throbbing with all the colours of the rainbow. The Brighton Reclaim the Night march is the only one I attended and had any intention of attending this year. During the march we were shouted at, on West Street (if you're from Brighton perhaps I'll throw a 'natch' in there for you) by a group of young giggling men to look up to the windows of the Travelodge Hotel where 2 nude men were thrusting their shaven genitals at us. HA HA penises in your FACE feminists. 

Now, because I was in a group – a huge group of over 500 – I was able to point, report the men to the police, I'll even admit I laughed. Had I been alone I would have been frightened. Because you know what flashing is? It's an act of (attempted – no one was going to have their eye out that night) intimidation. 

I would wager that these men heard us, saw us and were frightened. They so took against a misunderstood idea of feminism and Reclaim the Night that they wanted to cause distress and laugh at us. When I was 17 walking home on a foggy afternoon through the deserted Tervuren Park I was flashed. On telling the story to friends the next day they laughed. Ha-ha willies. But I have to tell you at the time I was very frightened. And then angry because there is nothing more annoying then someone who has never been in the same situation telling you what witty thing they would have done.

I am a great believer in using laughter as a weapon, it's the most powerful weapon when used properly because unlike violence no one gets hurt but the guilty. This belief is also why I know that the actions of these men was a defence technique. 

When the march was covered in the local paper the following week comments predictably ranged from remarks on our looks (because we all know one thing about rapists is how very discerning they are) to how Brighton doesn't need a Reclaim the Night because Brighton's a hippy town (in the early hours following the march a woman was attacked on the Level and that's an attack we know about). We are used to seeing women being dismissed, unfortunately. But you can't dismiss a mass of people with a comment on their looks. That's not a woman's whine that's an intersectional holler. It is a mass of people driven to cry out against!

This is what makes an inclusive march so much more powerful, so much more meaningful than a woman only march, or a segregated march. This is why as I mentioned earlier I did not attend other Reclaim marches because they weren't mixed. I understand the sentiment but this hands power to those people shouting you down. It blurs the message. It isn't Us versus Them, it's Right versus Wrong.

Is this reclaiming? Or are we just afraid to say it's a power grab? A coup. A 'This is why we can't have nice things!' scolding. You abused the night, so we revolted. We should all be Proud Revolting Feminists.

*Any students reading – sorry, everybody and your marker knows that dictionary definition trick. 

Squeamish Kate

Related Reading
Slutwalk Etiquette 
The Naked Feminist 
This isn't what a Feminist looks like
Who to Believe?