Which Hunt

“Which Hunt” by Samantha Brigandi

My Found Poem titled “Which Hunt” was made from clippings of the transcript of Brett Kavanaugh’s opening statement to the Supreme Court last year. The hearing between Dr. Christine Blasey Ford and Judge Kavanaugh was a very long, publicly broadcasted, political event that really was a pivotal moment for the Me Too movement. I personally sat in front of my laptop, livestreaming the whole afternoon and being blown away by the scrutiny that Dr. Blasey Ford faced. How well she had spoken, how thorough her answers, and how painfully honest she had been absolutely floored me. And when it came time for Judge Kavanaugh to give his statement, he was absolutely unhinged, shouting like a maniac and literally screaming about drinking beer. The worst came later of course, but what I could never really forgive was the media and many Republican politicians referring to the Me Too movement as a “witch hunt.”

Witch Hunts, specifically the American based hunts like the Salem witch trials, historically were attacks on women. Globally, witchcraft has often been used to demonize and punish female sexuality. The overwhelming majority of witch hunt victims were women and girls. Additionally, most of the cases of men killed during the witch hunts were gay men. I feel this is very important to remember because, nothing makes me angrier than the absolutely insulting irony of straight white men trying to compare themselves to victims of witch hunts. So, I decided to find all the times that Judge Kavanaugh said “which” and the accompanying phrases in his opening statement. I think the results speak for themselves. Ultimately, I did want to end with the message to remind everyone that true progress for the Me Too movement will not come from the trials of women and witches. It will come from judging men to be better and to not make excuses for any man, even our fathers, our friends, husbands, or our brothers. Especially if those brothers are frat boys from Yale.

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