I don’t do enough link posts. Or any, really. (I mean, I think I’ve done a few, but that was years ago.) Anyway, I’ve decided to remedy that. So here are some interesting and/or appalling recent stories I’ve run across. Add more in comments!
Fanboys, White Knights, and the Hairball of Online Misogyny, by Tauriq Moosa at The Daily Beast.
You Can’t Fight Rape With Nail Polish, by Kate Harding at Dame.
Answering questions asked of feminists by a misogynist, by Amanda Marcotte at The Raw Story.
College dudes worried that movement to take rape seriously is ruining their sex lives, by Katie McDonough at Salon.
The Chilling Effect of Misogynistic Trolls, by Victoria Turk at Motherboard.
Disney World Princess Does Reddit AMA; Receives Creepy Messages, Of Course, by Kelly Faircloth at Jezebel.
Also, while I’m plugging things, I want to mention the GiveForward campaign to raise money to help pay the medical expenses of Christy Mack, the porn actress now recovering from a savage beating (allegedly) at the hands of her ex-boyfriend, the MMA fighter/ex-porn actor/convicted felon War Machine. (Note: Link contains picture of the injured Mack.)
I am perplexed by the insistence that Hello Kitty can’t be a cat because she walks on two legs, not four. Is Mickey not a Mouse, then? Is Bugs not a Bunny?
Is Elmer not a Fudd?
(Sorry, had to.)
@Chthulhu’s Intern – I thought the picture looked a bit like three of the Monkees.
Hello Kitty is not a kitty? Mind blown but it looks nothing like a human girl. Maybe it’s cosplay?
‘She’ not ‘it’
Tauriq, thanks for that piece. I especially liked this bit:
Yes, yes, and YES. Now where did I put my dragon-slaying lance…?
Elmer is absolutely a Fudd(dyduddy).
There has definitely been a lot of show-your-true-stripesy-ness around the internet lately. I lost several “friends” due to them being Ferguson racists, and now I’m losing more due to them being Sarkeesian sexists.
Today someone tried to post a “rebuttal” to one of the articles saying that “Gamers are over”. It was very long winded, but it’s basic message was: “Threatening to murder people on the internet is bad but so is a lack of journalistic integrity, and calling gamers jerks is a terrible injustice, so I think the real solution here is that everyone should stop caring about things and just shut up. Except me.”
Ignorant white dudes sure do like solutions to injustice that involve throwing your hands up in the air and claiming that caring too much is the real problem. True South Park activism.
The first time I read about something that could be called a man cave, it was about the Duke of Windsor. He and the Duchess lived in a house in Paris, decorated and maintained by the Duchess (and a staff of servants) with understated opulence. He had a spare bathroom, with a board over the bathtub and a wooden chair. It was the one room she wasn’t allowed to touch.
These whiners don’t know how good they have it.
The first part of the disney princess story was adorable, and I shoulda stopped reading before it got bad. Still, the Emily story was so cute.
As for the nail polish, first ew at sticking your fingers in your drink. How long do you have to keep it in the drink before it changes colors? If this became popular, how long until men start ranting about women not trusting them and testing their drinks? And of course, well… “So you were drugged? You know there is this nail polish that can detect that. Maybe you should’ve invested in that.”
@Robert – Was it a hard wooden chair, though?
::dies::
I just came across this comic and it seems appropriate.
http://nateswinehart.tumblr.com/post/96003256367/being-good-to-each-other-is-so-important-guys
That “Hello Kitty is not a cat” story reminds me of my own stance on the species of fictional characters: I tend to puzzle people with the claim that there aren’t really humans/vulcans/cats/elves/ducks/”what-have-you”s in fiction… because they are “fictional characters” first and foremost. I know I’m weird. ^^;
As far as the drug detectors, it would seem like a swizzle stick that changed color might be better.
It’s just another band-aid on the problem…but if it were my daughter..or son… going out for the night, I’d want them to have a way to detect a drugged beverage.
..I think if someone tried to drug me it probably would not end how they planned, but at my age it isn’t likely.
Yes, we still need to work on rape culture and change it, no, victims are never, EVER to blame. The victim could be stark nekkid and drunk as a skunk, the blame is all on the assailant, always.
Someone made themselves an easy target? Well, what kind of monster thinks of fellow human beings as prey, huh?
Hello Kitty is a cat and I refuse to believe otherwise. REFUSE.
I agree that items would be better for dipping in drinks, the only issue is that items can be lost/stolen. Not so much when it’s your finger attached to your hand.
Hello Kitty is the anthropomorphic personification of a cat, in Pratchett terminology, which is like a cat, only heightened.
@ sombrera true that…
Though I think a guy might have reservation about wearing nail polish…just saying…both the polish and stirrers would be nice to have on the market.
Be even nicer if it was an extremely rare worry, I don’t believe it is.
I really don’t mind anyone doing whatever they need to feel safe, but I’m unimpressed with the nail varnish idea. Swizzle sticks or straws would be better, but it would be 1000000000% better if I could go out for a drink without worrying about scumbags.
And actually, it is really important to remember that, while spiking drinks happens, it’s not the most common danger for women. Rapists will take advantage of people using alcohol but spiking isn’t as common as it is presented to be. I remember a few years ago, there was panic in North Dublin when a lot of rohypnol was stolen from a factory. In fact, most of it was probably sold to junkies because it lessens the effects of withdrawal. I don’t think there was any rise in spiking.
It’s a band-aid. Band-aids are nice things! I’m all for band-aids! I just don’t want anything to detract from the main issue of rape. It’s got nothing to do with what the victim does and EVERYTHING to do with what the rapist does.
On the dudebros getting upset over women and video games, I can’t help but view these twats as toddlers who don’t want to share. Especially not with GIIIIRLS! What if the games get GIRL GERMS on them? They’ll ruin EVERYTHING! EWWWW!
Ooh, do you think they’ll pull that ploy where they threaten to hold their breath until they get what they want?
Can I just say that, regarding the nail polish thing, um, I don’t like nail polish? Like, I never wear it. Ever. I’ve had friends beg me to let them do my nails. I just…don’t like it. And, you know, I don’t think I should have to do something to my body I really don’t like just to possibly prevent one kind of rape from happening to me. A kind of rape, I should add, that to the best of my knowledge, I’ve only been in danger of once, and even then I may not have been the target.
In the Disney universe, Goofy looks like a dog, but there is a normal sort of dog, Pluto, who lives in a dog house and doesn’t wear clothing. So maybe it’s all just a big cosplay deal and we have to then wonder about dogs like Mr. Winkle (I would post a link but I can’t figure out how….feel free to google, Mr. Winkle is ultra cute).
Ej, great comic! Thanks for sharing it.
Sunnysombrera – please don’t use ‘twat’ as an insult.
The biggest reason I don’t wear nail polish (other than I just don’t care that much for it) is that I’m incredibly sloppy at it. I’m right-handed so I can do my left hand, but when it comes to trying to do the nails on my right hand, forget it.
I can do toenail polish. So, not sure how stirring a drink with my toes would ever be discreet.