I apologize for returning so quickly to the cesspool that is The Spearhood, but I felt the need to note how head Spearheader WF Price celebrated Mothers’ Day this year: with an attack on trans* women that probably deserves a TRIGGER WARNING for its nastiness and ignorance.
Responding to an Op-Ed in the New York Times by author Jennifer Finley Boylan reflecting on her experience as a mother who also happens to be a trans* woman, Price lashes out at what he describes as
men who reject everything about masculinity. Men who reject it so much that they chop off their genitalia and take female hormones in order to eradicate everything male about them.
You may recall A Voice for Men’s Paul Elam making a similarly transphobic “argument” about the alleged motivations of trans* women a couple of years back.
After this general attack on trans* women, Price narrows his aim a bit, attacking those trans* women who have the chutzpah to declare themselves mothers, focusing his wrath on Boylan in particular:
One of these stalwart, self-mutilating individuals – a “former” male who goes by the name Jennifer Finley Boylan – has declared that he’s every bit the mother as any woman. … If we don’t accept that he’s a mother, we’re bigots.
Well, yes, Mr. Price, not accepting that she’s a mother does make you a bigot.
After setting forth this rather garden-variety transphobia, WF Price spells out the broad outlines of what you might call an MRA Theory of Trans* Womanhood:
I understand why some of the most selfish, depraved men among us would want to relinquish their masculinity. In our society, women are free to pursue their heart’s desire without fear of sanction. Judging women for putting their own needs first is condemned in every mainstream outlet, from Dr. Phil to The Atlantic.
Some men are bound to be envious of this. Some of them go so far as to try to try to become a woman. And what kind of woman do they emulate? The worst parody of one. Gaudy, self-righteous, exhibitionist, attention-seeking, demanding, selfish and all too willing to place their burdens on others.
Ironically, with the possible exception of the word “gaudy,” all those adjectives in that last sentence apply perfectly to Price himself, and more than a few of the other Men’s Rights Activists I’ve had the displeasure of encountering while writing this blog.
Did I ever! I made myself a pest until Mom took us to see it.
And then I came home and made fanart.
It was only years later, when I was sharing the gem with Beloved, did I realize that Jennifer Connelly was in it.
I bought myself a special, remastered collection of the original Rocketeer issues a couple of years ago, and I was struck by how much Cliff’s Betty is based on Betty Page, and how cheesecake and damsel she is (a href=http://www.atozombies.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/05/betty04.jpg>cf). I was disappoint.
On the other hand, nerd boner. *wads jacket on lap*
Ahem.
Actually…
Gender: a trait that encompasses identity and expression.
Gender role: a social role associated with a particular gender identity.
Sex: the set of physical characteristics that include sex hormones, external genitalia, chromosomes, brain structure, and so on.
Can be switched at whim? Have little or no meaning? Ok.
What’s with MRAs and the etymological fallacy? Sheesh.
And what’s with transphobic people and their constant obsession with a medical treatment they don’t even understand adequately?
I can’t write right now.
The logic of the MRM crowd is the same as if folks who were into cancer research showed up at every convention, lecture ect about any other illness and whined that that convention/lecture didn’t talk about cancer.
Hopefully, that makes more sense.
And the first time I played Savage Worlds, someone played the Rocketeer (without having seen the movie or the comic, just because rocket pack), someone played Evie from Somers’ The Mummy, and a third someone played Rory the Plastic Roman. I played a gangster with a tommy gun in a violin case.
We fought a crocodile cult in the Amazon, culminating in a big battle against a giant animated croc statue.
The Rocketeer was why I was really excited about the Captain America movie.
Despite what I was certain would be the terrible casting of Chris Evans. I told myself, over and over again, that just because he was constantly typecast into that one role he plays really, really well didn’t mean he doesn’t have the kind of range necessary to take on a different role.
(sometimes the cynical and scared side of me is wrong. And that’s why I’ll give Man of Steel a shot even though I have no trust in Zack Snyder at all)
The Savage Worlds pulp settings are pretty awesome. I’ve got a boss fight on Wednesday that I’ve sorely inadequately prepped for.
Sorry about the layoff, melody!
For a brief respite from your worries and cares, have some kittens:
Never seen Labyrinth, the Rocketeer, or the Last Unicorn, but I’m a big fan of the Neverending Story, Legend, and the Dark Crystal. I’m totally uncool! (Again.)
I am very intrigued and very, very scared of Alfonso Cuaron’s Gravity, apropos of nothing but the movie discussion.
I will go see it. And then I think I might sit in my car and let the shaking stop before I go home.
@katz: I played more Savage Worlds this past Friday. I got a bit frustrated at the chase rules. If one group in a chase draws the lowest card, they don’t get to do bupkis, as my group understands it.
@Bee: Labyrinth is like Dark Crystal, but with David Bowie instead of scary terrible scenes where the vulture heads eat. (I may lose my lunch just thinking of that scene….)
@Falconer: seriously, that trailer is soooooo intense.
Labyrinth is a movie about muppets and David Bowie in really tight pants. Everyone who’s seen that movie has an image of Bowie’s crotch branded into their cerebellum forever.
Someone on the Internet dubbed Bowie’s groinal bulge in Labyrinth as The Area, and the name has stuck with me ever since.
Not to mention that his pants are nicknamed “The Magic Pants.”
I like the idea of having abstracted chase rules, especially since so many of the vehicles have move speeds impractical for tabletop play, but I think the actual implementation is weak. A lot of trying to figure out what the rules mean and not a lot of logic.
Yeah.
I gotta shake the expectation of mapping the action out on a grid that has been inculcated by playing D&D and other squad-scale skirmish-based RPGs.
The vehicle rules in GURPS are awful, and seem to require the use of hex maps.
I would hesitate to run a Battle of Britain game in GURPS because all the planes are so fast. But I’d run it in Savage Worlds in a heartbeat because the draw of the cards represents the chaotic nature of a dogfight, let alone a furball (which is a big dogfight).
The draw of the cards also somewhat dilutes the relative distance between a highly skilled participant and a moderately skilled participant, because it’s another random element, and not one controlled by anything on the character sheet.
@marcilannister
Trans* basically is an inclusive term (i.e. it includes non-binary gender identities).
About the asterisk (or “splat”) character in “trans*”, see:
http://freethoughtblogs.com/pharyngula/2012/07/10/you-want-to-see-bullying/comment-page-1/#comment-393220
Every movie should be about these two things. Even documentaries.
Also, thanks Aaliyah and Crip Dyke for the info about trans* – I’m learning so much here, and that is good 🙂
Crip Dyke — I forgot to ask earlier, but what are your preferred pronouns? Ze/zir for me (and just call me Argenti 🙂 )
Ok, I am really in a wacky mood, I find it hilarious that I’m one of NWO’s “zie creatures”…it sounds like “sea creatures” and FISH!!! (For the new around here, I keep fish, and will babble about them the way others babble about their babies, consider yourself warned 🙂 )
Learning about fish is one of the things I love about this site. 🙂
I’m now imagining zie/zir having to be said in a Cornish accent, preferably by a fisherman.
@Crip Dyke, That was one of the best explanations I’ve seen about the origins of and reasons for trans* — thanks!
I’m glad I know where trans* came from too, though as a non-geek person the terminology was monstrous confusin’! 🙂
Aaliyah & Crip Dyke: Thanks for the info. I know google is a thing and all, so I appreciate people willing to answer. I will try to keep them to a minimum, but I’m glad that others learned something too!
Sorry if the “If someone calls you Mom…” wasn’t very articulate. I think that regardless of actual biology, when someone is Mom to you, nobody should be able to say otherwise. And some people are lucky enough to have more than one!