Jezebel has apparently decided to gin up some page views by running a bizarre, victim-blaming, slut-shaming, skeevily prurient screed on Amber Cole, the 14-year old African American girl who was videotaped giving oral sex to some boys; the video got posted online and, despite the fact that it was, you know, child porn, went viral. The story itself is appalling; so is the screed, written by a guy pretending (for rhetorical effect) that he’s Cole’s father. It reads like something you’d find on The Spearhead.
The piece starts off melodramatically:
I am Amber Cole’s father. I am angry, confused and completely at a loss. I love my daughter. I want to guide her without suppressing her. That is not always easy. Children need protection from their worst inclinations. That is not always easy. I am trying to convince her that the world will still love her if she keeps her clothes on.
Just to remind everyone again: the author is not actually Cole’s father. (And Amber Cole is apparently not her real name.)
The screed quickly descends into an attack on the girl’s mother that reads like something you’d read in the comments section of The Spearhead or In Mala Fide:
She would listen to her mother, if her mother was not busy. Doing something, anything that is not parenting. I want her mother to spend less time being “empowered” and more time being aware and engaged with our daughter.
And it only goes downhill from there. We get a section essentially blaming girls at large for the incident, because they allegedly ignore the “nice guys” who would never make such a tape. We get a section blaming the “mother’s boyfriend, Karrine Steffans or Kim Kardashian” for teaching the girl to be “proficient at such a difficult act. … I want to know why my 14 year-old knows so much about oral sex.”
And then we get a ridiculous race-baiting rant about white feminists and the Slutwalks:
White feminists can teach their own little girls to find empowerment through their crotches – my brown little girl cannot afford to be that carefree and cavalier with her life choices. Slutlife is the hard, lonely vocation of rich, educated, privileged white women who will fuck The World, contract social diseases and still, somehow find a husband. No black woman ever got far being a slut. I want to know what kind of women “slutwalk,” while young impressionable girls of all kinds look on with wonder and admiration.
After placing blame for the whole thing on just about every girl and woman in the world, the author comes to the father:
I am Amber Cole’s father. Don’t ask where I was that afternoon, because you already know. I was at work, just like you. I do not live with her, cannot always talk to her, cannot always be there. Not the way I want, and there are few laws to help me. To protect me and my rights.
Because that’s the real issue here: Father’s Rights.
And then the big reveal:
I am Jimi Izrael. I am not really Amber Cole’s father. But she is my daughter.
You do not think so. But she is your daughter too.
Go read the whole thing. It’s appalling. Then read Jeff Fecke’s takedown of it on Alas, a Blog.
Ironically, Jezebel ran an excellent piece on the subject about a week ago.
WTF, Jezebel? Are page views really that important?
EDITED: I reworked a bit about the (real) father that I originally formulated badly.
Bonus points if your theories can explain to zhinxy why anarchism is such a frickin’ sausage fest sometimes.
Budmin now speaks for all dudes? What a time saver!
Please delete my last comment. What I meant to say is that “I could understand prosecution of the wrong doers. I am more focused on prevention.”
Furthermore, This situation is as close to a MRA Boogie Man as one could imagine. It will be exploited. It all goes back to how much freedom you give to your child before they hurt themselves.
@zhinxy: I would say, for the same reason pretty much every subculture out there is a sausage fest. Fractal patriarchy, you find it no matter at what zoom level of society you’re looking at. 😉
Because of how many young anarchists take pride in acting like Tough Guys, thus making young women feel unsafe and unwelcome around them!
Anyway.
I don’t think it’s an MRA boogeyman until everyone involved is falsely accused of rape.
In fact, since it involves the exploitation of a girl, maybe MRAs should stay the fuck out unless they plan to stick up for her.
And no, you can’t just deny freedom to children. It’s neither physically possible nor psychologically advisable to make it impossible for them to film others having sex and share the video without their consent. (That is the bad decision you’re talking about, right? Good.) You have to actually teach them that it’s wrong.
The Patriarchy hurts men too. And everytime you use a double period a Youtube video dies.
For the same reason many anarchists I know never get to the “enlightened” part of “enlightened self interest”?
Men’s Rights Activist Lieutenant, what do you mean by “female privilege” and how was it on display when those boys decided to distribute child pornography? Is it your contention that the 14 year old girl in this situation was at fault for the boys decision to distribute a film of their encounter?
No, I’m just stating the fact that if women didn’t teach each other to be entitled arrogant pricks who judge men based solely on attractiveness, money and other external qualities, this kind of stuff will happen more often. Because assholism is not a turn-off. It’s simple logic.
Yeah, MRAL, none of this would have happened if she’d given oral sex to an ugly guy!
…What in the living fuck are you saying?
Also, a little exercise for the next day when there isn’t freezing rain: go to the park, or a mall, or some place a lot of people gather. Observe all the couples. (All of them, like the ones with old people and ugly people and gay people too. Any two people who appear to be together together.) Observe how many of them don’t include a Pittclone. Reflect upon this.
Another thing – why is Amber Cole the only victim here? There was a boy whose penis was exposed, that’s more than Amber Cole showed.
More female privilege, we don’t even THINK about feeling for the boys.
I will never understand how some people get to be this self-absorbed. I mean, who reads a news story about a child being sexually humiliated and thinks, “Hmm…how can I turn this into an opportunity to whine about how I didn’t get enough dates in high school?”
And that’s it for me ever reading Jezebel again.
Oh, wait, I just read MRAL’s post. Let me amend my previous comment:
I mean, who reads a news story about a child being sexually humiliated and thinks, “Hmm…how can I turn this into an opportunity to whine about how I don’t get enough dates at BU?”
Misandry and female privilege hurt everyone, and this is a textbook example.
So a fourteen-year-old girl being sexually exploited is “female privilege”? What fucking planet are you on?
“…because assholism will be considered a negative trait, rather than a neutral one.
Asshole males being favored over others (to the extent this is actually true) is a function of male privilege, you dolt.
MRAL, exactly how does your datelessness tie in with the OP? It doesn’t, you say?
I think MRAL is just constantly trying to beat his high score in the game of “make a comment completely disconnected from reality that still blames feminists for shit.”
Congrats MRAL, you’re at 1006, a new high.
Hah! Well, I was asking jokingly, but yes! Yes! All of the above and very much more and “I CAN’T BE SEXIST, I’M AN ANARCHIST”
I particularly love “fractal patriarchy,” blacbloc. 😉
Cynical:
“The Patriarchy hurts men too. And everytime you use a double period a Youtube video dies.”
Just as I read that, I went to a favorite youtube video only to find “removed by the user!”
IT’S ALL TRUE!
He’s playing against NWO & Meller if that is indeed the game.
When I first read this, I thought it was an excellent feminist statement. Then I realized that he was coming from way, way, way far afield of where I thought he was and I lost balance for a second. Back on solid ground now, but disappointed.
*Raises hand*
So, a 14 year old girl is filmed giving oral sex, the video is distributed all over the Internet, and MRAL’s main problem with this whole situation is that the dudes involved were probably too good-looking.
Jezebel has pretty much always been like this, including some really questionable victim-blaming rape apologist articles by the regular female editors. (Those would presumably fall outside your remit though.) I’m surprised they even let comments calling them out on it through; when it’s one of the editors writing something questionable they haven’t tended too.
zhinxy says:
Can you expound on just what you mean by this? If you mean that there’s a culture of “manliness” that’s very hieriarchal in our society, sure. But I don’t think most men would consider themselves to be an “Authoritarian” explicitly, or even unconsciously. I genuinely want to hear more about your perceptions in this area.
@Zhinkxy – Hierarchal in values yes but to some degree Authoritarianism promotes longevity of life, mental health & cultural cohesion through uniformity and respect for the laws of causality.
“Work hard or starve to death”
“Save it for Marriage or be considered a slut”
“Don’t have sex and you won’t get pregnant”
“Spend your money wisely or go broke”
I’ve always said Men won’t Respect anything that can’t Whopp their Ass”. It seems that young women are following that same Mantra.
That’s my definition of Authoritarianism having a full knowledge & respect for consequences.
That’s all I’ve got to say…
Good.
MRAL, honey, assholism is considered a negative trait. That’s why you can’t get a girlfriend.
Sometimes–not always, but sometimes–the universe works justly after all.
(Also…you’ve watched the video and the kids look like Brad Pitt? Really? “River Runs Through It” Brad Pitt, “Fight Club” Brad Pitt, or “Moneyball” Brad Pitt?)