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.
De-lurking for a bit to wish AJ all the best. That’s terrible.
Also, I’ll use this opportunity to thank David and all the rest of you awesome people for everything you do on this blog. I have trouble imagining what I’d do without my daily fix of manboobz. Thank you in this day and age for being voices of reason and bringers of kittens. You guys rock.
AJ, you still okay?
I remember a night where I thought I had stepped on a scorpion on my way to the bathroom and it had stung me between my toes. I stayed up just about the rest of the night looking to see if I could find a crushed scorpion. When I asked someone about it later, they said that if you get stung by a scorpion, there’s no confusion. I probably stepped on an ant.
I took the dog for a walk. Exercise is good for the brain.
Oooh, fire ants? They suck.
Is 1961 not old for anthropology? It was when I was in school, back in the late ninties.
I don’t know from anthropology, it wasn’t my field of study. I did math. Most of Modern Algebra consisted of things older than 1961.
Whatever kind of ants they get in the Nagev desert.
I’m so tired, concussion is you can sleep, just not for very long, right? So if I set an alarm for two hours or something?
Oh, I can talk math for ages, and yes most of it is way older than anything with anthropology. Switching fields was hilarious in that respect, math depends on the old, with anthro, the newer the better.
I honestly don’t know. I’ve fallen on my head a lot, but I’ve never concussed myself.
I did learn, however, to start wearing a helmet when I ride my bike or decide to try to climb down a jump rope head first.
My roommate was doing her thesis in Anthro, I did Urban Geography and minored in Computer Science. Statistics…sadistics. But hell, I did AP Calculus as a freshman in high school. I love math.
Did you switch from math to anthropology or go the other way? (I can never spell visa versa. (vice versa?))
Did you go to CTY?
Urban Geography is Anthropology, Sociology, Statistics, Architecture, Art, it was a fun major.
When my brother had a concussion he was allowed to sleep, my mom just had to wake him every two hours.
What kind of dog do you have AJ?
I got a concussion about a year ago when my dad accidently kicked me too hard in the head while we were sparring. It was super unfun.
So hoping you are okay.
I’m going to say “no” because I’ve never heard of that acronym. A quick google search suggests that it’s a center for talented youth.
Honestly, I never showed too much talent for math because I could never be bothered to do the homework as a kid. Copying the problems over from the book to the piece of paper took 98% of the time, and it was absolutely mind-numbing.
It was only after the problems started to take time to do after copying them over that math started to get interesting.
Ah. Cool. Is Urban Geography like Urban development?
Just be careful with that concussion, AJ – is there anyone to keep an eye on you? I had one as a youngster and vomited some time later while half asleep (all over the riding hat that had failed to save me from the concussion, ironically).
My sister-in-law just got her doctorate in Cultural Geography. She’s been doing a fair bit of arctic research the last year.
It’s what you do if you’re a dork who wants to go into government work, I started in Computer Science and switched to Geography. I got my Master’s in Urban and Environmental Planning. Telling people that you’re a professional planner isn’t cool, but that’s okay, because you make so little money that you, and everyone you work with, has a second job. I also do good retail management.
One of the flutists I know got her degree in Urban Planning, even when to Michigan to get a Masters. I think she’s got a job in LA now.
CTY is a camp you can go to if you score higher than the average college-bound senior on your SATs in 7th grade. I, um, loved it. Have you ever seen Donald Duck in Mathemagic Land. That’s a good one. One of the reasons I love stars. (The five-pointed hand drawn pentagramy kind.)
I’m sending you kitty snuggles from the kitty brigade.