Misogynistic Men on Monday: College guys

I wish I had a picture but alas, I do not.  There were a number of different signs and banners on move in weekend.  But I feel the cake is taken by "Freshman Fathers Thank You for Your Daughters." I have difficulty describing my feelings here. I will start with a list of my concerns and elaberate from there.

• RAPE! SEXUAL ASSAULT! HARASSMENT! okay so it's a lot harder than I thought to move away from this one.
• Fathers...so alone fathers are responsible for producing women for these men to rape(see I cant get away from it).  If I remember correctly from biology and well being a woman, there is this thing called pregnancy and it can be done without fathers.  Many women are single parents by CHOICE!
• The fact that this sign stayed up long enough for me to see it shows me that this campus's "commitment" to reducing sexual assault and harassment.
• There were women THERE! Other women were aiding to this! I can't handle that.
• Alright so I am going to play the HUMANIST card and say that this insults the one guy(who dates women) on campus that I know that would NEVER hurt a woman.  It is sad to say that I only know one for sure.(because the other three moved)
• And lastly, WOMEN ARE NOT PROPERTY! Men cannot give away or trade women like baseball cards. (Though many treat baseball cards better than women.)

Alrighty, so we have the blatent sexual assault invitation right there for the world to see and women go there.  I dont ever mean to be harsh on women but come on! I may not be good a picking men but I can see thats bad. And what ever happened to the fathers and their guns protecting their daughters? I know that sign was up for at least a half hour but I suspect it was there all day.  And no "freshman fathers" came to give these men a talking to?  Because if you look at it, it is insulting them as well. What father in modern society throws his (hope to be) virgin into the volcano? With the rise of purity pledges I suspect very few.  And on the other hand a least a few of those guys have to have had sisters.  Would they want someone doing that to their little sister? 
As I said this insults the few decent men on our campus.  Actually the guy I knew is very involved with the Mentors in Violence Prevention and Students for Sexual Consent.  I am sure that he would no be thrilled to see a sign like that representing his own gender.
On to the participating women, I know all through society people who are discriminated against for the same reason can join the dominant side in discrimination to gain power. It happened during slavery, in sex trafficking and internalized homophobia; but that doesn't mean I understand it.
My biggest issue, well next to rape, is the issue of women as property.  If these men only seen their female classmates as objects to be gifted to them, how much further until they are running a brothel for sex trafficking? It may seem like a jump but it really isn't that far.  

My question is how did they get this way? What did we do to make these men turn out to be what they are?

Fabulous Feministy Females: Taylor Momsen

I rag on men a lot. I know it and I dont care.  But I need to give credit to all the fabulous womyn that also get ragged on by men and prudes, like the amazing Taylor Momsen!  She's 17 and she juggles modeling, singing and acting careers all at the same time.  But other than her being a workaholic, she is in many ways like the Riot Grrls of the early 90's.  Her inspirations include the band Garbage, Joan Jett and Cherie Currie. But more on Riot Grrrl Taylor.  She uses fashion as a definate means of expression, bordering on provactive but sexually reclaiming at the same time.  She has a dark style with touches of hot pink and glamour.  Her music is even darker than her eyeliner, with topics of: drugs, religion, sex and relationships. Her song 'Goin Down' is about the child molestation in the Catholic Church.  For a 16-17 year old, to write something like that is impressive.

She has also spoken openly in interview about her style, career choices and sexuality. She states that she wears what she likes and is inspired by music and people.  Music is her life and she feels it saves her, and I cant think of a better way to get out anger and teenage angst then announcing it publicly in a song. And in response to sexuality, she takes care of herself. What is more feminist than choosing a vibrator over a man?

When Taylor wants something she goes after it. She doesn't do drugs or party.  She may be wild but she's smart, and that's what makes her a Fabulous Feministy Female

Hijacking the Movement

I have several pet peeves when it comes to feminism.  It is my religion and I act like a Christian when someone says "god damn."

1.) Men claiming feminism.  Feminism was created for and by women.  Men can support the movement by say, doing what women tell them.  Too many men seem to think that they can have an input or ideas.  Worse, some men even expect feminism to help them--to fight 'men's issues.'  If men need reform, they are the ones in power, they can change it themselves.

2.) "Myths of Feminism"  All too often I hear that its a myth for feminists to hate men, not shave, be ugly, etc.  Well, though not all feminists are these things, many still qualify.  I identify as a man-hater and a feminist; I shave when necessary and I dont think I'm pretty.

3.) Humanism parading as Feminism.  This new craze is to call movements for LGBT rights, disability rights, multiculturalism, and even 'men's rights'.  If you want equal rights for all people call yourself a humanist, NOT A FEMINIST.

Misogynistic Men on Mondays: Glenn Sacks

In a new segment that I will be starting entitled Misogynistic Men on Mondays, which will cover the issues of Men's Rights Activists(primarily), politicians, and frankly men that piss me off.

Glenn Sacks: executive director of Fathers & Families

This is the man responsible for having "boys are stupid" mechandise pulled from stores.  It still can be found on DavidandGoliathtees.com, but more realistically this is a campaign against one of the only attacks on the male sex but women's clothing is offensive most of the time.  I recall the "who needs brains when you've got these" shirts, dumb blonde tees, thongs with "cha-ching" on them, but no calling boys stupid is a huge problem.  Boys today are not doing as well in school as girls but why do you think that is? Is it because boys are actually stupid? no(though personally I like to pretend that). Boys aren't trying as hard as girls, women have to work twice as hard to get half as far.  So girls are putting in more initiative and the standards might be raised in response, but that does not mean that boys can't do it.

I remember there was a guy, his name was Eric, he and I competed for the best grade from 3rd grade until he stopped caring in 7th.  He was gaining popularity and was slightly overweight and trying to be the "funny fat kid."  He started using drugs and neglecting school work.  Deep down I knew that he was naturally smarter than me, but I worked really hard and we always had gotten the same grades, in the same classes. When he gave up, his grades plummetted and he started making fun of me for trying.  During high school he slimmed down, got more popular and we started being friends again (well not publically, he didn't want to be seen being nice to me). He was a wiz at math but ended up failing Math Analysis(Pre-Calculus) because he would come to class high, I stopped letting him copy my homework and he was distracted by his slacker friends and girlfriend.  He was failing so bad that a perfect score on the final couldn't help him.

The moral of the story is that social pressure to be popular means dumbing yourself down, but only for boys. Women have the social pressure to be on top acedemically and are criticized by their peers for not being smart, boys get the opposite, where the ideal is to slack through life.

Comedians are NOT funny...

I often hear, mostly by my roommate, that I don't like fun.  Well I don't. I'm a feminist and its a fulltime political, religious and personal identity.  At my first college Southwest MN State University I went to two different comedians and both left me outraged. I didn't laugh. Being the type of feminist that I am I have often as of late felt ambivalence towards my sexual orientation(bisexual). I don't feel that I should like men, I hate most of them, but attraction's a tricky thing.  But thats not the point.  This was 4 years ago when I was first coming out.  I went to the comedian(I dont know names) because I was required to go to events for orientation week.  And he states in his "funny" act that he has no problem with being gay or straight, but he hates bisexuals. He calls them greedy and indecisive and all these horrible things and I am left sitting there unbeknownst to anyone hating myself.

The next semester I go to the relay for life walk and they have a comedian. Now remember I am living in Minnesota but am from Virginia. The comedian starts off saying that he is from Virginia so he can say it...that Virginians are obsessed with the confederacy and accused VA of not being that important in the civil war.  Ummm excuse me? We fought the whole goddamn war!

Okay, so that was a long explaination of my hatred of comedians and resistance towards fun and funny.  But my point was when I was youtubing much like my last post I stumbled onto Dane Cook, who in a two minute video blurb insulted gays, blacks and did a backhand on a rape joke pretending that he was sympathetic to rape victims when he losely compares their experience to Halo.  He talks about how the word rape should be banned just because men use it when talking to their friends about Halo...then Cook pretends that he cares saying that women wouldn't appreciate the comparison of rape to Halo.  Well I don't appreciate rape being used in comedy at all no matter how its being used.

Murder Over Words

Alright, so I occasionally (and well more than I should), stumble across rather offensive things on youtube.com. I expect most of it but not this.

 I actually feel dirty posting it on my blog...but since I am about to rip it to shreds, its iight.




It does say spoof in the title so I knew it would be ridiculous, probably just mocking Hillary Duff(not that I don't love her), but just innocent fun, right? Hell no. Not only was there a boy with a wig on that could be a purposefully placed attack on the transgender community but since the creator must be a moron, that would be giving him too much credit. It is an obviously gay stereotyped character who is weak and whiney.  So that's bad...  Then this trans/gay/woman character is killed by being hit with a bat, therefore insinuating violence against the LGBT community.  AHHH!!! I can't take this any more!

To Birth or Not to Birth...why is it your business?

I personally do not ever wish to be an incubator for a parasite that I would then have to birth, possibly with a perverted male gyno, in a hospital that requires genital mutilation during birth or an unnecessary c-section. But that's just me.  I am not about to go around and berate pregnant women about their decision to not abort the fetus.  So why is it when it comes to famous people, we have the "right" to criticize and debate their decisions.  When it comes to Jillian Michaels, a personal trainer on the Biggest Loser, saying that she wants to adopt because she "can't handle doing that to her body," we are all up in arms against her. It's still her choice but of course since she is in the public eye, society thinks it is appropriate to dictate her body.  I am sure that if she were to get pregnant, she would have to come out and say it immediately, or else she would be accused of gaining weight and getting fat.

 The interview that made it possible for society to start nagging and bashing her for her choice to abstain from pregnancy was in a Women's Health magazine which has been picked up on Fox News stating that "babies ruin bodies."  Jillian has described the hurt feeling of being misquoted in response to the article. But more importantly her choice is becoming a moral indiscretion on her part and an attack on mothers and women who may choose to birth.  That's not the case though, her personal behavior is not a statement on her beliefs.  If that was the case how can a man, like say, Rush Limbaugh get married four times and have Elton John, a very out gay man, perform at the ceremony?  That goes against his beliefs but yet his actions say otherwise.  Jillian is not against mothers and since she wants to adopt, she is obviously alright with motherhood as a concept.  She also stated in the same interview that she wants to adopt because it's like she is rescuing something.  But no, she is too shallow to allow her body to change from its perfection.
What's so wrong with a woman wanting to look a certain way? Nothing. Her job relies on how she looks and even if it didn't it is no one's business but her own.  She can have personal body image issues and still be a great motivator. It matters more what she says to other women than what she says to herself.