Our dear friends over at A Voice for Men, the thought-leaders of the Glorious New Men’s Human Rights of The 21st Century Human Rights Movement With Girl Writes What (GNMHROT21CHRMWGWW) have been trying to introduce a new word into the vernacular, as part of their broad-based campaign for the betterment of human rights. That word? Rapetard.
While the portmanteau word has been floating around for some time, with assorted definitions, it took on its modern, human-rightsy definition in mid-April in a little-seen YouTube video by a fellow calling himself “Dick Magnum,” who defined it thusly:
An individual who, for reasons related to intellectual, emotional or moral deficits, cannot distinguish between questioning [the idea of] “rape culture” and supporting rape.
It was picked up in an AVFM post titled “Beware the Rapetard Society” about a week after that. Soon other AFVM writers seemed to forget Mr. Magnum’s careful definition, adopting it as their go-to epithet for feminists they don’t like. Which is pretty much all of them.
In a post having nothing to do with rape or rape culture, Paul Elam talked about “dumbing things down so that even a rapetard could understand.” In the comments to that post, AVFM contributor Dan Perrins joked about “rapetarded quote mining expedition[s].” And in a post yesterday, AVFM’s “Andy Bob” attacked Australian comedian Catherine Deveny for an assortment of alleged offenses against decency — including using the term “retard” – in a post that referred to her as a “rapetard” four times, including once in the title.
You might think that combining the word “rape” with an ableist slur –“tard” – and applying it liberally to feminist women would be a step backwards in the campaign for human rights, but apparently that’s old-fashioned twentieth century thinking on my part.
Can someone explain the whole Eurosabra/fascism thing to me? I mean, like, where the fuck it came from? Because I’ve looked at the article and the thread twice, now, and I’m not seeing it….
Oh, and here’s a little something more appropriate to this thread than a discussion of Middle Eastern politics–a mariachi band serenading a beluga whale:
http://www.wimp.com/belugawhale/
Sorry, y’all, I know I’m probably off topic, but I got hit over the head with a chair about three hours ago, and the bleeding has stopped, but I’m just looking for some support, and to say that I’m not dead, even if I am in 8 hours.
Jesus Christ, Amandajane! I’m sorry. I’m glad the bleeding has stopped. Are you OK? Do you need anything? Do you have anyone with you?
The hell? Who hit you with a chair, why, and are they in jail yet?
I was going to reply to what Jake Hamby said with what Kitteh said, but then kitteh said it.
I have had the same problem when trying to talk about rape culture with a male friend though. He denied rape culture exists because he thinks the term “rape culture” means that everyone goes around raping all the time, and since the guys he knows are good guy and not rapists (which is likely true statistically) then how can rape culture be a thing.
So Jake, please go do some more reading on what is actually meant by “rape culture” before coming in and telling us how we should be nicer, smile etc so people will like us.
Holy hell, amandajane! Have you, or can you, get to hospital to get that checked?
amandajane, get yourself checked out!
@amandajane
Dafuq!! Hie thee to the hospital, and please check back in with us and let us know how you are!
@Freemage
I shit you not, my google search bar has “site:manboobz.com mariachi” because I was trying to hunt that video down a coupla hours ago. This is my trippiest manboobz moment yet!
I don’t want to ever go to the hospital again, I’ve documented some of my experiences here, and I’ve been beaten around the head many times, and it’s pretty much just a flesh wound, but I’m trying to stay awake just in case I’m concussed. I spent a couple of hours on the phone with a friend.
If anyone wants to get on chat with a stranger, um hi!
I’d love to, amandajane5, but I have to go participate in a make up course.
I… I really hope your headwound is in no way particularly damaging, and may I just say that is a remarkably crappy thing to have happen to one self?
… No way anyone here could convince you to call a doctor, I suppose? Not that you have to, it’s just I wince reading about it and can think of no other way to express my sympathy.
I did enough doctor training to pretty much know what I’m talking about, even if it’s myself, I mostly need to stay awake at this point.
Remarkably crappy is an excellent description!
Repeating the urging for you to get yourself looked at by a professional Amandajane!
Seriously, head injuries are not to be mucked about with, and try not to drive if you can, concussion is pretty likely and it’s not safe.
Also this whole “rapetard” thing (urgh, I feel icky just typing it) is a load of crap, it’s just a way of them trying to shut down debate.
It always makes me laugh when people go on about how Feminists want everyone to think the same and control what people think, when we are in fact doing some of the most ground breaking analysis and challenging of how our culture and society works and how we all think about things and see the world.
In better news, it is a really nice day here in York, the story about our University FemSoc being refused ratification twice has made it onto the HuffPo website and the Independent website, we have statements of support from the Philosophy and Women’s Studies departments on campus and we now have just over 100 members on the facebook group.
Also I’m going to be picking up some free contraception later today, hurrah for the NHS. It’s a pain in the neck though, as the Doctor has recommended that I switch from a normal Pill to the Progesterone only kind because I have history of migraines. This means that it won’t have an affect on my skin so I’ll just have to hope that the clear skin I’ve had since I stopped my last pill a few weeks ago is here to stay.
The progesterone only pill has some advantages, and has helped me with my migraines, though I only get visual, thankfully, I get enough hits to the head otherwise.
I’m at wait and see right now, they couldn’t do anything more for me at the hospital. And I can’t afford going.
And please, y’all, call me AJ – AmandaJane was my favorite doll when I was wee, so I started using it as a pseudonym a decade ago, but my name is neither Amanda, nor Jane, and I prefer AJ.
Okay. So, AJ, aside from being hit over the head with a chair, how are things? Read any good books recently?
Eva Ibbotson’s Journey to the River Sea. About a girl running away from a horrible situation and finding joy in Brazil. It’s really a lovely book.
Cool. I’m discovering that I don’t find “The Voyage of the Beagle” particularly interesting, but I’m going to stick with it.
And by “Stick with it” I mean “I started reading it, I put it aside and read four other books, I’m going to read three more, but right after that, I’ll get back to it. Unless I pick up a new book before then.”
Ooh, that sounds like it’s right up my alley. For anthropology, though, I recommend Colin Turnbull’s The Forest People, it’s old, but really interesting.
Engaging is what I mean.
I’ll check that out some time, it looks like something that might be assigned reading in MMW.
However, I have trouble calling 1961 old when talking about books.
AJ I can’t chat (gotta go to work) but I hope you will be ok. I’m glad Baroncognito is around.