Musings in a Gendered World

Jared Loughner: Yes, it is his fault. But it’s the Right's fault too.

Thu, 20 Jan 2011 04:52:27 GMT

So this post is rather late, but still, I think, worth putting up. I have been staying quiet on the assassination attempt on Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords and the murder of six others, and I’ve done this for one main reasons: other people are far better at articulating my thoughts than I am. Not because I’m a super awesome Psi Corps member but because my views are based on (what I see as, anyway) common sense.

So, without further ado, my thoughts, generally described by others, with some elaboration from me:

( Mental Illness: Scapegoats are fun! )

( The Rhetoric: Is it really that bad? Yes. Does the Left do it too? Nope. )

( The Rhetoric: Actually, no, we do not live in a vacuum. )

---

Words matter. What we say to one another and what high-profile figures say to millions who are afraid, who look to them to fix this country, matter. Saying this isn't politicizing a tragedy--it's pointing out how the tragedy was already politicized. And when you keep telling someone who is frightened and desperate that a particular figure is dangerous, that a particular figure is a “target,” that a particular figure is part of a movement ruining this country, don’t be surprised when someone somewhere takes you seriously.

That’s not reading between the lines. That’s doing what you’re told and encouraged to do, and it’s doing that with a gun.

Note: I’d like to say something about the lack of real gun control here in the States, and in Arizona especially, but I honestly don’t know enough about the topic to even link to something meaningful. Let’s just leave it at: if there had been a more appropriate screening process for gun ownership, or at the very least more regulation on which types of guns civilians can own, thirteen people probably wouldn't be injured and six people probably wouldn’t be dead.

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The Story of Every "Two Guys, One Girl" Love Triangle Ever

Mon, 10 Jan 2011 01:33:44 GMT

So this entry is a bit less serious than the last one, but I was just watching Eclipse for the sheer horrible hilarity of it, and it occurs to me that I've never really put down on paper (or computer screen) why I hate love triangles with two men and one woman before. I mean, it's a woman! With sexual urges (sometimes)! Being given a choice!

Right?

Well, here you have it, folks.

A summary of every love triangle wherein ~~one girl chooses between two guys~~ two guys fight over a ~~girl~~ prize:

GIRL: Doo doo doo, life is lonely.

GUY 1: Hello girl. I am hot.

GIRL: Oh heavens I may be a little wet, I am in love!

GUY 1: I love you too bb.

*ENTER: Guy 2*

GUY 2: Hello girl. I am more hot.

GIRL: Oh heavens I may be a little wet, I am already in love! But but...

GUY 2: I love-

GUY 1: HEY. Mine!

GUY 2: Who says?

GUY 1: I say. I mean, um... she says! Let's let her choose.

GUY 2: But of course.

GIRL: Okay. Cool. 'Cause-

GUY 1: Why are you here anyway? What do you want?

GUY 2: I want her. And she wants me.

GIRL: Actually-

GUY 1: No. She wants me.

GUY 2: She wants me.

GIRL: ...I'm not really important to this conversation, am I?

GUY 1: Me.

GUY 2: Me.

GUY 1: I'll fight (you) for her.

GUY 2: Any time, dudebroass.

GIRL: ...

*GIRL goes to a cafe with a very long book*

GUY 1: You're on!

*GUY 1 and GUY 2 proceed to have various contests of bravery and manly manliness, getting all hot and dirty and making ~eyes~ at each other, until such time as one of them wins. Let's go with GUY 1.*

GUY 1: Ha! I beat you!

Guy 2: ...Dammit.

GUY 1: I get the girl! I get the girl!

*GIRL comes back from the cafe, where she was actually quite enjoying her book and latte, as a woman ending up single would be a tragedy of incalculable proportions.*

GIRL: Aren't I the protagonist here?

GUY 1: Ha! I got the girl!

GUY 2: So you did. *To GIRL* I will always love you, but I realize now your heart lies with him.

GIRL: ...Yeah. Guess so. I LOVE YOU GUY 1, I ALWAYS HAVE.

GUY 1: I LOVE YOU, GIRL.

*GUY 2 leaves. GUY 1 ~~gets his reward~~ and GIRL life happily ever after.*

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How We Twist Victims’ Words - The Misogynistic Left (TRIGGER WARNING for sexual assault)

Wed, 22 Dec 2010 19:00:59 GMT

How We Twist Victims’ Words - The Misogynistic Left

So I know lots of people have been posting about this lately, but in case anyone has missed anything, Julian Assange, the founder of WikiLeaks, is currently under investigation for rape, sexual coercion, and sexual molestation in Sweden. Most likely because of political pressure from the United States, this case is being pursued a lot more fervently than most other rape cases (which honestly says more about how little our societies care about rape cases, rather than how this one should be subject to the same lax treatment). There are even human rights issues with how he's been treated by the legal system.

In other words, it's a clusterfuck. But it's also not what I'm going to be talking about.

What's more disturbing to me, from a progressive standpoint, from a feminist standpoint, and from a woman's standpoint, is how these allegations have been treated.

Now, I'm not talking about those who call these women "honeytraps" or this whole thing a "front." I'm not even talking about those who spread the "sex by surprise" or unprotected sex/broken condom misinformation. (Ironically enough, we've crossed the political spectrum here, with Keith Olbermann, Michael Moore, and Glenn Beck all taking part in the immediately-disbelieving-rape-victims narrative at one time or another, though Michael Moore especially has since, thankfully, changed his tune).

I'm talking about people who, for the sake of argument, take these allegations as true, and then deny they constitute any crime whatsoever. I don't mean random people off the street, or even Those Guys, over there on the Right. I mean Leftists. Liberals. I mean small progressive networks like Young Turks. I mean self-identified feminists like Naomi Wolf. According to these sources, because these cases of rape and sexual assault weren't as extreme as others, they’re not rape. Or, even worse, that what’s being described is simply not a crime or is even consensual sex.

Let's run through the actual allegations, shall we? And, just for the sake of argument, let's take them as true. Let's see what they actually say.

( Trigger warning for sexual assault )

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