Thursday, December 29, 2011
This Week In Misogyny
Apparently women are just asking to be called cunts and threatened with rape all over the net this week. Can you believe that some women have the nerve to criticize Ron Paul or post a picture of themselves with a book on reddit? They should know better than to have opinions while female.
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Hey C,
ReplyDeleteLoving the new look blog!
As far as your two examples of net misogyny, the criticism of internet fora wankers in the skepchick article is spot on, bunch of whiny social reprobates getting their kicks by anonymously abusing an easy target. Also, the abuse towards Ashley MIller is exactly what I'd expect from so-called libertarians (read: utter douche-flumes who have no values except they don't want to pay taxes.)
Having said that, I don't see much point in criticizing Ron Paul. I have no idea what would make someone a good or bad Republican presidential candidate as they are all loathsome scum. To single out Ron Paul for criticism is like standing in front of 10 pieces of shit, pointing at one and saying how bad it smells.
Yup, those threads are VERY ugly. Unfortunately, I could identify with both of them. When I was an undergrad, I wrote a political opinion column for the school paper for a few semesters. My photo ran by the column. I received hate mail, which was predictable and even understandable. Some of the hate mail was obscene and discussed sexual violence against my person. I did NOT predict that. One guy sent such vile spooky things that I had to file a police report. He was put on academic probation.
ReplyDeleteIt is worth noting that the other two political columnists, both men, did receive flak and insulting letters...but they were never harassed or threatened.
The vile responses toward the teenage girl with the Sagan book trouble me the most (not that it's a contest). You nasty, despicable men--what did that girl ever do to you? I've never talked to (or about) someone like that in my life...even the handful who may have deserved it.
This makes me think of what it was like when I was an adolescent--say 13-15 yo. I can still remember how OBLIVIOUS I was to adult sexuality, mens' in particular. I had zero comprehension of it. I'd just be going about my business, doing whatever, completely ignorant of my "attractiveness," and some random strange dude would take it upon himself (more like feel entitled) to approach me and say something degrading, hostile, and/or sexual about me.
When I was 14 and standing outside of a 7-11 with a slurpee, some asshole who must have been in his 30s pulled up, got out of his car, leered at me, and called me a "Hot little whore" before he went into the 7-11.
Age 15, at the lake, a total stranger told me that I'd look better in a bikini because I had small breasts and my 1-piece made me look flat-chested.
Another older guy at the Y stopped me to point out that he could see a little of my public hair from the side of my suit! "You're supposed to shave it," he said! I WAS 14! ON SWIM TEAM! I wasn't even shaving my legs! And I did not have an Austin Powers chest-mat rug on my crotch--and even if I did, who the fuck is he to comment?
Arrgh look at how much I've written. Sorry, I didn't mean to talk about myself so much; I only bring up my experiences because these threads in your blog post were immediately recognizable to me (and lots of women, I expect).
ARGH! Why am I apologizing? NICE GIRL SYNDROME!!! Fuck me!
OK, one more thing: when read these threads, there was a part of me that wanted to say--against all my feminist education and contrary personal experience--"Most of these assholes are internet trolls. They can't be representative of MEN IN GENERAL."
I mean, shit. Who wants to think that the men you interact casually with a hundred times a day harbor such contempt and animosity towards you?
But here it is, the Awful Truth.
Fat Steve, Ron Paul is especially deserving of heaping helpings of opprobrium because self-professed progressive white men (cf a recent Amptoons editorial) are willing to endorse him on the strength of his (I larf!) so-called antiwar stance, carefully forgetting or forgiving him for his very special brand of racist, misogynist, classist libertarianism. (Frankly, I think that's the point of libertarianism -- to steal back the world for the sad, young, white men -- but some folk disagree.) So whereas a lot of ostensibly leftwing people will make no apology for the five kinds of shit Republican candidates spew, they'll happily make excuses for Ron Paul and his sort and try to silence nay-sayers by suggesting that they personally want to murder Afghan women, or summat equally risible.
ReplyDeleteSkeptifem, like you, I gave up reading the "hot fer students" Pharyngula thread fairly early on, but I read this morning on the never-ending thread your complaint that some of the regulars were treating you shitty. You have my sympathy. I have genuinely appreciated your commentary there -- a breath of fresh, rational air in the midst of all the porn happiness. Thank you.