Another elevator joke for you all:
So Pierce Harlan of the False Rape Society blog gets into an elevator ….
Well, OK, not a joke. In his latest post, Harlan offers a reaction, of sorts, to the whole atheist elevator incident –- by relating an anecdote of a recent elevator experience of his own.
EDITED TO ADD: Harlan has now deleted the post in question. It can still be seen, at least for now, in Google’s cache of the original page, which you can find here. Grab screenshots! Back to the story:
Seems he was riding a hotel elevator with a sweet old lady. Neither one said anything to the other (Harlan apparently hates talking to sweet old ladies) but when he got off the elevator – well, let’s let him explain:
I glanced back at her and saw that … she was immobilized with fear. In fact, she was practically cowering in the corner. Her eyes couldn’t have been wider if I had whipped out my dick and lathered it up with Grey Poupon. Hers was the face of utter, unbridled fear, and she was watching me like the scardest of scared deer. She said not a word but her demeanor practically pleaded, “Please don’t rape me, sir!”
Now, Harlan seems to have what you might call a taste for overstatement. He describes feminists as “screeching banshees” and “extremist loons allied with the sexual grievance industry.” I doubt he could describe a chicken-salad sandwich without resorting to angry hyperbole. (That was a little bit of overstatement on my part.) But let’s just assume that there is at least a kernel of truth here: this woman was creeped out by Harlan.
So what was Harlan’s response to this woman’s obvious discomfort?
[N]o one has more empathy for his fellow human beings than I do. The first thought that came to my mind in response to the obvious fear on the face of this pathetic, sweet looking, older woman — who probably never hurt anyone in her entire life — was fuck you!
Obviously we are supposed to ask just what it was that drove Harlan – the self-described world’s most empathetic man – to say something so seemingly callous? Well, as is usually the case with those we write about here, it all comes back to man-hating ladies and their male allies, with their evil insistence on sexual assault education (sorry, “indoctrination”) and their callous demands to “’take back the night,’ although the night has always been theirs.”(I don’t quite know what that means, but it sure sounds selfish of these women to want a whole extra night just for themselves.)
Ours is, Harlan says, “a culture marked by crass, hysterical fear-mongering about male sexual predation and violence.” (Evidently some guys haven’t gotten the memo on this.)
But all this evil misandry seems to have left poor Mr. Harlan in an uncharitable mood towards, well, almost everyone — though he directs his worst opprobrium at sweet old ladies.
Fuck them all. The paranoia of the woman in the elevator is her problem, not mine. Ironically, the elevator, the hotel itself, the car she rode in and the roads she rode on to get to the hotel were all undoubtedly conceived, designed, and built by men — men she’d fear just as much as me if they were standing in that elevator with her. I felt no guilt or shame or bewilderment over the fact that she fears me because of my birth class. Let her fear me. I can’t change it, and I have too much to do to worry about it.
And maybe, just maybe, it’s good that some people fear us. Maybe we should exult in the power we wield by reason of their paranoia. One thing I know: I will never do anything to alleviate their paranoia. In fact, I’m just fine with it, thank you very much. If someday, my riding the elevator causes some old woman to have a heart attack, that, too, is not my problem. Blame it on a culture that I don’t approve of. Blame on sweet looking, older women who give in to the paranoia.
Truly the world’s most empathetic man.
Harlan goes on to talk briefly about the Rebecca Watson elevator incident. Needless to say, he adds nothing interesting to the discussion.
“I think a lot of feminists imply that men should be going out of their way to make the super special women comfortable.”
Not at all cupcake. They simply want to do what you just said you want to do. To be left the fuck alone to do or be what they will.
You want to believe that they are trying to control you because that gives you a reason to bristle, flex your big boy bicepts and pretend to be He-Man. Because you don’t actually have a Big Bad Enemy to fight, you invent one.
But, I’m just a big ol queer. What do I know about the world of men . . oh wait . . .
“Of course, this outrage will last only until some woman is raped in an elevator, at which point Pierce Harlans of the world will do a complete about-face and claim it was her own damn fault for being in an elevator with a strange man.”
You really don’t argue very well, do you, Amused?
Rape is never a woman’s fault. You suggest I feel that it is a woman’s fault because I have the audacity to advocate for the wrongly accused and therefore, I must be a woman-hating, rape apologizing, Neanderthal.
Just because I am not a self-loathing male and a far leftist, free-lancing loon doesn’t mean I transfer the blame for rape to the victim.
If you are typical of the readers here, you are no better than the blog owner.
Pierce wouldn’t argue rape was a woman’s fault.
His whole shtick is arguing that rape never happens at all.
Like, maybe if there are four male witnesses and videotape, maybe.
“You really don’t argue very well, do you, Amused?
Rape is never a woman’s fault. You suggest I feel that it is a woman’s fault because I have the audacity to advocate for the wrongly accused and therefore, I must be a woman-hating, rape apologizing, Neanderthal.
Just because I am not a self-loathing male and a far leftist, free-lancing loon doesn’t mean I transfer the blame for rape to the victim.
If you are typical of the readers here, you are no better than the blog owner.”
You WOULD call her a liar, though, right? Because, since a man invented the elevator, some other man couldn’t possibly rape a woman in it. Or rob her.
Mr. Harlan-several questions:
Did you know it was you she was actually scared of? I know I am scared to death of heights and when an elevator is one of those all glass ones you can see out of I get more scared then when they are not.
Did you stop and think that since you are a stranger to her, she has no idea what kind of person you are? You know you are a harmless, how does she?
Have you ever been smaller then a stranger? Would you always feel comfortable in an enclosed space with this stranger?
You are obviously not old-but could you imagine your grandmother feeling scared of a strange man in a hotel elevator? If not, you may want to ask her about it.
And finally, if you are empathic towards others, why are you so full of hate for this small older woman?
“The old woman probably feels vulnerable 24/7, you know, being old and all”
Exactly. It’s hyperactively emotional tto an insane degree to view a vulerable elderly person afraid, who this worthless fucking coward no doubt could overpower when it suits him to, and get *mad* at her for it.
Does this stupid waste of jizz get pissed off at children who are afraid of him too?
He’s just another emotionally damaged anger-junkie inventing things to complain about.
Though, since this testerical emotional mess can’t be trusted to give an accurate account of what happened, given his obvious lack of even basic emotional control or accountability, its probably fairly likely she didn’t do anything of the sort. He just needed a cowardly, overly emotional misogynistic blog post that day, so he made one up.
I find it interesting how people assert that women are afraid of men “for no reason”. Like, you don’t know these people, they could very well have a very good reason. Even if nothing like rape or assault happens to these women personally, harassment makes many women feel unsafe, and it is frighting to hear the anger and vitriol from men directed towards women to act the way they want them to.
But still, it’s possible to say “I’m not going to change my behavior for random people on the street” and not be a dick about it. It’s perfectly possible to go “Wow, I’m sorry I made that person uncomfortable, even if I think it’s a little bit unfair, but I’m not going to let myself be bothered about it” without going “How DARE that bitch make ME feel uncomfortable by being obviously uncomfortable in my presence!?”
Joanna, I might be a “knob,” but you’re a congenital idiot.
Bruce said: “Because you don’t actually have a Big Bad Enemy to fight, you invent one.” OK, I’ll make you the Big Bad Enemy, Bruce. You seem like an easy enough target to knock down.
Amused: “There can be many reasons why a woman in a particular situation should not believe that a man next to her is a rapist — but the fact that he has the same genitalia as some other, hypothetical guy who supposedly had something with the design of a space that they are in isn’t one of them.”
That’s called the Futrelle School of Argumentation. Wow! If you made that argument in any class outside of Women’s Studies, it would get an “F” — after the professor finished laughing.
You people really are weak. You want to argue these silly points, come over to FRS. I’m done here.
“Pierce wouldn’t argue rape was a woman’s fault.
His whole shtick is arguing that rape never happens at all.
Like, maybe if there are four male witnesses and videotape, maybe.”
Not a chance. Those male witnesses are manginas. And the videotape is fake.
I know he didn’t say it out loud, but getting mad at someone for being afraid of you (especially a “I know what you think of me, you horrible imaginary version of yourself!” kind of mad) is a really cruel thing to do.
It creates an endless loop where they’re afraid because you’re angry and you’re angry because they’re afraid, and in the end of the loop (I’ve been in one!) they’re quivering on the floor and you’re screaming with rage–and you still have it in your head that they’re the aggressor here.
“You suggest I feel that it is a woman’s fault because I have the audacity to advocate for the wrongly accused and therefore, I must be a woman-hating, rape apologizing, Neanderthal.”
Dude what is the point of lying this egregiously when everyone here can simply slip on over and see for themselves how incredibly fucking false this is?
I doubt she was even cowering in fear. I suspect that the “gentleman” in question was seeing fear where none existed–he seems invested in believing in the cartel of wanton feminists he and his cohorts’ feverish and irrational imaginations have cooked up.
Also, please note that men who design buildings or build elevators never also rape people.
I’ll give him credit for this. He actually HAS a blog, and so he can say “if you want to continue, come to my blog” which is fair. :]
“That’s called the Futrelle School of Argumentation. Wow! If you made that argument in any class outside of Women’s Studies, it would get an “F” — after the professor finished laughing.”
Funny, “Pierce” — I never took a Women’s Studies class, and I got straight A’s throughout. Apparently, my professors didn’t get your memos on logic and argumentation. Such shocking insolence on their part! You, of course, being the final authority on history, hotel design, rhetoric, and the substance of other people’s thoughts.
“You people really are weak. You want to argue these silly points, come over to FRS. I’m done here.”
Flounce.
Or fuck, why make this about rape?
For all you know she was afraid you’d snatch her purse, or follow her to her room and steal her stuff. That’s not a woman’s fear of a man, that’s just an elderly person’s fear of a younger and more able person that they don’t know.
“Also, please note that men who design buildings or build elevators never also rape people.”
I know, right?
“OK, I’ll make you the Big Bad Enemy, Bruce. You seem like an easy enough target to knock down.”
LOL. Two things, cupcake.
1 – that wasn’t directed at you, which if you weren’t such an over emotional, illogical mess, you might have read that first and been able to guess that for yourself. Better luck next time
2 – Overly emotional, illogical, lying bigots are not scary. You’re a coward, a liar, and already on the floor. How’s the view from the cowering under the table position, sweetiekins?
Harlan: Congenital idiot you say. Unless you can back up your argument it seems you have reverted to childish name calling.
“I’m done here.”
What a predictible, spineless bag of shit you are.
I’ve decided to take Pierce’s bait. Wish me luck!
He said you have a point so I guess win?
Ok, here’s a question: Assuming that his story is true, what could Mr. Pierce have done to make this old lady more comfortable/fear him less?
“Ok, here’s a question: Assuming that his story is true, what could Mr. Pierce have done to make this old lady more comfortable/fear him less?”
Like I said, a kind smile.
He seems to be a lot less hostile and much more willing to argue in good faith in his own space. Which is quite understandable, if frustrating.
Ion; Just give her space. Anyway, he’s right in that he really doesn’t have to do anything to make her more comfortable. Purposefully making her more uncomfortable would be an extremely dick move, but at the end of the day he left the elevator and never saw her again. She probably forgot about the incident ten minutes later.
The problem I personally have with his post is that he has so much vitriol for a woman who dares act in such a way he does not like. That’s just…. i don’t even.