Sady Doyle of Tiger Beatdown fame has a great piece up at In These Times on the ways in which the Internet has helped to highlight virulent and violent misogyny — and inspire effective feminist pushback. It’s actually kind of … inspiring? (That’s a word I don’t use often!) Here’s the opening:
When a history of 21st-century feminist activism is someday written, 2011 may be labeled Year Rape Broke. Sexual assault and harassment have, of course, always been key feminist concerns. But in 2011, sexual violence, exploitation, or intimidation were part of nearly every major story that fell under the heading of “women’s issues”–and the activism against it has been particularly widespread, focused and effective.
As we enter this renaissance of sexual assault awareness, it’s worth considering the ways in which new media has informed it–and, indeed, perhaps even made it possible. …
You can read the rest on the In These Times website.
Full disclosure: I worked at ITT for a couple of years in the 90s (yes, I’m old), and Sady says some nice things about Man Boobz in the piece.
Mral, sadly it’s sometimes too much fun. But It’s the pattern I’ve followed for 4 years now, it’s hard to fit everyone in but I like to make the effort. Better to see everyone for a few hours atleast then move on. While I’m pretty excited about my holidays, especially the food (I love the food) I am worried about the hangovers.
Haha. If that was my Christmas I’d totally like the season more. Maybe when I’m older?
Maybe, surely you are off University now? My term ended last friday. I don’t really know what age you are, I know the age of drinking is alot higher in the states though. I don’t want to say that things will get better when you get older and can do exactly what you want, but yeah it’s pretty satisfying.
@Amused
Of course you know more about being a Christian than me. You don’t tell me how to be a Christian. You don’t ever speak about being a Christian. You don’t ever say anything about any Christian or about the Christian faith.
Once you do. I have free rein to tell you how to be a good Jew. All the atrocities of every single Jew who ever did anything wrong. Once you, open your all-knowing yap about anything pertaining to Christians/Christianity. I mock every aspect of your faith from calf worshipping to talmud goodieosity. Savvy?
I think Jesus would be far more offended by the idea of someone as brutal, ignorant and intolerant as NWO latching onto his teaching than being called names on the internet. That’s assuming an ancient dead guy can even be offended at all of course.
Since we are making this thread about our plans for the 3 day weekend, I present mine. This weekend I plan to party a fair amount. My partner is out of town attending her family’s Christmas event down in L.A. and my friends that have not gone out of the neighborhood plan on getting together frequently. Tonight we are going to hit up a fairly strange bar, it is a flash back to the 70’s and located in a mall basement, it is owned by a hyperactive man that dresses like a he is a airline pilot, or a member of the Love Boat crew. Then on Saturday a small group of friends will be getting Thai from a lovely hole in the wall that makes the best Pad Ma Kua I have ever tasted, then we will get wasted on home made egg nog and rum punch while watching the Star Wars Holiday Special (I have never seen it, and only know that it is considered to be one of the worst pieces of art ever created). On Sunday I will be helping to host a party for all of my friends that had various holiday related obligations as they come back to the neighborhood. I am roasting a turkey for that. Should be fun.
Any of you atheists out there that nevertheless enjoy Christmas celebrations I give you Tim Minchin’s ‘White Wine in the Sun” (hopefully this link works out)
@Holly Pervocracy
Than shut your all-knowing yap about anything even remotely pertaining to being a Christian. Or are only Jews considered human as is written in the mighty talmud?
Alas the link did not work out, let me try again:
@Caraz
“That’s assuming an ancient dead guy can even be offended at all of course.”
That ancient dead guy I consider the Son of God. Be sure to mock Jews for equality!
NWOSlave:
You presume to give me orders now, slave? What is this, another example of your Christian humility?
That would be fine, except you don’t know what is involved in being a good Jew, because you are an ignorant oaf who doesn’t read books.
Hey, as long as my yap is all-knowing, I don’t see how you can dispute anything I said. Knowledge of what Christianity is and what being a good Christian entails is not dependent on ethnicity, but on actually reading the Bible. Which I do, and you don’t.
As for mocking my faith — which I already told you I don’t have — first of all, you are incapable of mocking anything, because you are stupid. Second, Judaism does not involve calf-worshiping. Third, while I’ve read the New Testament, you haven’t read the Talmud. Therefore, I can comment on the former, while you can’t comment on the latter. Savvy?
I lovelovelovelovelove Tim Minchin.
Citation to the Talmud badly fucking needed.
Why?
NWO, Amused was not mocking Christianity. She was mocking your hypocrisy. When she talked about the conversion of Constantine, she was describing a historical fact. When she discussed the role of martyrdom in Christianity, she was again describing a fact. So far you’ve just responded to everything with antisemitism and rudeness.
I think Jesus would be far more offended by the idea of someone as brutal, ignorant and intolerant as NWO latching onto his teaching than being called names on the internet. That’s assuming an ancient dead guy can even be offended at all of course.
Seriously.
Also, there’s a certain irony in attempting to defend Jesus by shrieking about how all Jews are terrible, horrible, no-good, very bad people. Something tells me that this is not actually a message Yeshua ben Yosef would be likely to support! :-p
Ullere, my point was that “Happy Holidays” as a phrase has a history longer than whenever we as a society decided not to be overtly assholish to oppressed minorities.
I don’t know what to say – I’m sorry that you no longer get to blithely assume that you’re the centre of the universe? But you don’t, and if having to say “Happy Holidays” to someone of whose religious and cultural background you are unsure gets up your nose so much, I don’t know how you leave the house.
But in the Christmas spirit, whatever. Your holiday plans sound like a lot of fun. I’d be drinking a lot too if I weren’t pregnant.
Anyway, my holiday plans – right now we’re at my in-laws’ place where we’re staying for Christmas. Ben is writing a murder mystery game for us all to play tomorrow night. I will not be drinking eggnog because a) mostly vegan here and b) eggnog is vile. On Boxing Day we’re driving about five hours to my parents’ place where we’ll spend a few days. New Year’s Eve Ben has a gig opening for a really loud band, so I will be on my own (must protect babby’s hearing even in utero) with the hounds.
@Amused
Well since you can’t shut your yap I’ll tell you how to be a good Jew by the words of your own faith in the mighty talmud.
Kethuboth 11b . “When a grown-up man has intercourse with a little girl it is nothing.”
Sanhedrin 59a: “Murdering Goyim is like killing a wild animal.”
Abodah Zara 26b: “Even the best of the Gentiles should be killed.”
Abodah Zarah 36b . Gentile girls are in a state of niddah (filth) from birth.
Nice faith Amused. Want more? We can play all day. You, never speak about Christians. Savvy?
I wish DKM would show up, NWO is boring as hell.
@Kendra, the bionic mommy
My above post is fact as well. Ya want more? I guess if Amused lives by those tenants she’s not a hypocrite at least.
Gosh, NWO, I didn’t know you were Jewish.
NWO, Amused has a great point. As a Historian of (Mostly) Christianity to be, (hopefully!) I agree with a lot of what she’s saying.* (Well, except that Christianity outside of Europe was often not the dominant religion, and developed different ideas… Also, flogging isn’t all about martyrdom supplementation and scourging and pain-prayer is common to very many religions and etc, but she wasn’t bound to include all the ands and alsos).
Christianity DOES have a “feels persecuted even as the majority” complex in the West. That you consider what she was saying to be persecution itself is… Well, I’ll just say it’s interesting.
*Which is proof, I guess, that the academy is all against you.
Also more of the fabulous and unsung Dutch Revival Cast of Jesus Christ Superstar, doing Simon the Zealot/Poor Jerusalem. Just CAUSE.
I’m totally gonna do that ultimate international version, I think…
By the way, the quote in context is that if a grown man has intercourse with a little girl it is wrong to punish her; you should only punish him.
But I think that’s two different things that NWO wouldn’t want to hear.
@Holly Pervocracy
That’s your faith dearie not mine. Pedophelia is promoted by “your” faith. Is my mother and sisters bron in a state of filth? Should even the best of gentiles be killed?
You don’t tell me how to be a good Christian. You, don’t ever mention Christian. Got it?
Hey NWO! I hear you have some opinions about the necessity of having a Nativity scene in public.
“And when thou prayest, thou shalt not be as the hypocrites are: for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and in the corners of the streets, that they may be seen of men. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward. But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret; and thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly.”
While Jesus did not opine on the necessity of scenes of His birth in public, I’m pretty sure that doesn’t get you in good with God either. If you get praised by the people for being such a good, religious person, you’ve already gotten rewards from your faith; God rewards those who don’t seek out those rewards.
Kethuboth 11b . “When a grown-up man has intercourse with a little girl it is nothing.”
Gosh, NWO, I didn’t know you were Jewish.
…………….
Oh ffs.
The point of that, is not to say RAPING LITTLE GIRLS IS COOL! The point is that in a virginity obsessed culture, the poor raped little girl was not going to be considered damaged goods for marriage. In other words, the poor victim wasn’t robbed of her purity. That’s what the nothing was.
Oh wait, sorry, I guess they got to me too, and the LOOK HOW EVIL THE TALMUD IS quotes speak for themselves.
Also, do you know HOW MUCH TALMUD THERE IS? And how much of it is ARGUING WITH ITSELF?
If the same old same old standbys really are all the quotes anti-semites can pull from it, well, goddamn that speaks pretty well for the corpus.