Mad Max, Feminism, and Being A Man

This post was contributed by Ronald Short, a connoisseur of the cinema living and working in Austin, TX. He eats, sleeps, and breathes film and filmmaking. He also happens to be my partner. When I read his post on Tumblr about Mad Max, and his words for his fellow men, I was excited to share it here. I loved the film myself and  was really excited to talk about it a ton with him. 

You can follow Ronald on Twitter or check out his production company, Short Pictures Independent on Facebook.

Mad Max: Fury Road is an action masterpiece. The practical stunts, effects, and story (the whole movie is a chase, an army of bad guys…er, War Boys relentlessly pursuing a small group of women, including their leader Furiosa (Charlize Theron) and our titular hero Max (Tom Hardy). Our protagonists are trying to escape the grasp of the nefarious Immortan Joe (Hugh Keays-Byrne) who will stop at nothing to get his “property” back) will often leave you gazing at the screen with your mouth agape in disbelief. Like I said on my social media after seeing it a second time, this movie is a masterclass in editing and structure. It’s one I will be watching a lot over the next however many years I have left on this rock to not only relive that enjoyment, but to study George Miller’s brushstrokes as a filmmaker and artist. It’s that damn good.

If this movie was purely its special effects and action sequences, it would still be pretty great, one that would stand shoulder to shoulder with some of the best action films out there. However, as I’m sure many of you probably know by now even if you haven’t seen the flick, it isn’t your run of the mill action film. This is a FEMINIST action film. And it’s time for the world to fuckin’ accept it and ENJOY it.

***IT’S A FREE FOR ALL IN TERMS OF SPOILERS FROM THIS POINT ON***

Mansplaining: A Case Study

Well, well, well. It seems something has pissed me off enough to actually write.

In the 6 years that I've been writing here, I've long strayed from the "misandry!!1!" "men are scum" side of things. In fact, I've probably gone WAY too far out of my way to be inclusive to men. What can I say? This blog has been with me a long time time and covered my evolution of theory and learnings.

Anyway, a professional experience on Friday left me so fucking pissed off that all I could think for about an hour after was "I hate men I hate men I hate men I hate men I hate men I hate men I hate men I hate men."

My very thorough and official reaction to Patricia Arquette's comments at the 87th annual Academy Awards

Why it seems like just last week that I was discussing White Feminism's (TM) latest fail. Oh wait.

The next chapter in the on-going saga that is exclusionary feminism has already been released! This time starring Patricia Arquette: 

Without further ado, here is my highly anticipated reaction, in chronological order:

[Image text: reaction gifs of Mila Kunis nodding, Lea Michele listening with a smile, then it fades and she looks around confused, followed by Oprah shaking her head and looking disgusted and a final one of Prince giving an angry glare over his shoulder and walking away.]

There's almost no way that you've arrived at this post and don't know what this is about, but just in case: Arquette made some comments about wage disparity at the Oscars on Sunday which might have seemed progressive, but were actually super White Feminism (TM.) The worst of what she said wasn't on stage. Later to the press she said.

So the truth is, even though we sort of feel like we have equal rights in America, right under the surface, there are huge issues that are applied that really do affect women. And it’s time for all the women in America and all the men that love women, and all the gay people, and all the people of color that we’ve all fought for to fight for us now.

Obviously, as the joke of the title of this post indicates, I don't have really anything substantive to add to the conversation. So many other people have thoroughly explained the issues here forward and backward. But with it being the big feminist topic du jour, I feel I would be remiss if I didn't just note how much I agree with the backlash against these statements. It's infuriating how so many of my fellow white feminists continuously fail to think about anything beyond their own position in life. When you have the power of a podium behind you like the Oscars stage and you want to say something very BIG, you had better think through what it is you're actually saying and wanting for the world before you open your mouth.

I mean, look, if we want to talk about wage inequality on a national stage, I am so up for that. But any conversation about it which focuses on (apparently) on straight, white women is inherently flawed and won't get us far:

[Image text: wage gap data broken our by race and gender with Asian men making the most and Latina women the least. More information and audio available at the source, NPR.]

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Just lean away, forever, please

You know what's really messed up?

Using White Feminism (TM) to bully other women.

I know this happens literally all the time every day in big and small ways, but I'll cut right to the chase on this one. I'm talking about the reaction to Jessica Williams saying she ins't ready to take on the job of hosting the Daily Show after Jon Stewart's departure.

If you're engaged in social justice on Tumblr (and other places, but that's my frame of reference), you were well aware of the many calls for Williams to take this soon-to-be-open gig. I was one of them! I agreed! Williams is awesome and hilarious and her filling that seat would be incredible.

BUT

Anti marriage equality folks are a' floundering

Have you ever seen someone more sadly cling to something than the folks who are against marriage equality in 2015? It's beyond embarrassing.

I, like most people, assume that nationwide marriage equality will be and SHOULD be achieved soon. There's just no logical argument against it...certainly not from a constitutional perspective. But, nevertheless, as conservatives are apt to do, some sad, floundering anti marriage equality folks try their damnedest to make a case.

The one I heard last week on NPR's On Point (and have heard before) was the whole, "WON'T SOMEONE THINK OF THE CHILDREN?!" side to it where an ultra conservative argued that marriage should be reserved for heterosexual couples because they produce kids...and the state sanctioned marriage as a special thing for people who produce kids...and the government has an interest in ensuring that children are parented by their biological mother and father.

Yeah.

So many things wrong here, all of which highlight the ways that the anti marriage equality side is so ridiculously out of touch with reality that it's laughable. Let me touch on the biggest issues I see right off the bat...

1) So are they lobbying for heterosexual couples who can't or don't want to have kids to lose marriage rights? Of course they're not.

2) Um, all kinds of homosexual couples actually ARE parenting together...everywhere, all the time. Like it or not, lady.

3) Being someone's biological parent does NOT automatically make you the best person to raise children. As the many of us who survived abuse know. Also...something tells me these people would actually be just fine with a "nice, straight, white Christian couple" adopting....

3) There are SO many queer couples who can reproduce. I love this photo set from Tumblr that demonstrates as much. Not only are these anti marriage equality people showing how homophobic they are, they're also incredibly transphobic/exclusionary and have very little grasp of the basic concept of gender diversity...which isn't surprising but sure is fucked up nevertheless.

[Image text: Two women cartoon figures. One is saying, "I am a lesbian trans woman." The other, "I am a pansexual cis woman." With the caption, "We are a queer couple able to reproduce.]

I recognize that marriage equality shouldn't necessarily be the main focus of LGBT+ discourse (especially when so many trans youth are homeless and face violence, for example.) But since it has  reached a fever pitch in national politics anyway, we can at least all agree that anti marriage equality folks are bananas. Sad, strange bananas.



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Today in victim blaming

[Content note: abuse, violence, victim blaming, sexual assault, rape culture]

After a lovely long weekend away in Chicago (and specifically being in a bubble) I've been catching up on the news. And FANTASTIC! Misogyny is live and well. /Sarcasm

I don't know a damn thing about sports, but I do know that people have been watching a video of Ray Rice assaulting his then-girlfriend-now-wife, Janay Palmer, (btw, don't). Some folks have been all, "Why would she marry him after that?!" And when her defense of him on Instagram was shared on Facebook, I saw quite a few people calling her "dumb" and "crazy."

Sometimes only a gif can adequately express frustration:

Thankfully, Beverly Gooden took to Twitter and started #WhyIStayed which demonstrated the incredibly complex and dangerous situation that victims of domestic violence face every day.

If you don't understand this topic...if you've never been abused or studied toxic relationship dynamics...the solution is to keep your opinions to yourself and go READ from people who do. And let me make this perfectly clear and as blunt as possible...if you hear a story like Palmer Rice's and you EVER feel the need to say something like 1) Why didn't she just leave? 2) Why did she marry him? 3) What did she expect? ...I ask that you kindly a) shut up and b) fuck off forever. That's really all I can say about that.


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The Defenders of the UCSB Shooter

[Content note: rape, victim blaming, rape culture, misogyny, violence, ableism]

Since Saturday morning, I've been watching the discussion about the UCSB shooting, its misogynistic motives, and the resulting fallout...both the feminist and anti-feminist reactions. One of the more interesting things is the #YesALLWomen trend on Twitter. Other feminists and social justice minded folks have been dismantling the ableist narrative that the shooter is just a "crazy" lone wolf (which is scapegoating and ignoring that his motivations were explicitly tied to misogyny.)

Privilege is...

Thought about a microcosm of privilege recently...privilege is posting incredibly bigoted, often violent, comments on public social media under your full name and not even thinking twice about it.

When I started blogging more seriously a few years ago, I made the decision to not write under my legal name. I was concerned that my personal opinions could come to affect my professional success or the reputation of the nonprofit I work for. As I say in my about me section: as someone whose livelihood depends on the generosity of others (individual donors, government grants, corporations, foundations, etc.) I do not ever want my personal opinions to be seen as representative of my professional affiliations. I don't feel that my writing is particularly controversial, but you never know what others might think, and I want to minimize any confusion between the personal and professional spheres of my life. 

A couple of recent interactions I had online with some raging bigots made me think about this and how sad it makes me. All that my writing really amounts to is advocating for oppressed people, bodily autonomy, and the end of rape culture...but I'm worried that these things are somehow controversial...really?? On the other hand, we have people throwing around all kinds of slurs, threats, etc. under their full names and not batting an eye. They probably know that society generally affirms their views and there will be little consequence for their actions (unless they hold some kind of public office or something, and even then who knows?)

Now, I realize that many of these people might just not be as generally cautious as I am, but I'm certainly not the only feminist/social justice blogger, tweeter, tumblr, who writes under a pseudonym or just first name. The concern is I have is shared by many. (And I'm privileged in that my only worries center on professional damage and not actual bodily harm like the threats I've seen slung at many trans women and women of color.)

So yeah, privilege is feeling free to write under your "real" name. 


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Stick Your Dictionary Up Your...

[Content note: flashing gif below the cut.]

I am so incredibly sick of people who think that textbook definitions of concepts like "sexism" and "equality" are relevant to nuanced discussions of kyriarchy.

Specifically, I'm talking about the frequent messages I receive that say things like "You aren't for real equality, you're for special treatment!" or "It goes both ways!" or "Why do you put men down? I thought feminism was about equality!" (Side note, I don't even ever put men down...so what?)

And then there is the very verbal crowd of MRAs out there who bemoan "misandry" without understanding that every single piece of evidence they site to "prove" it actually comes from and is perpetuated by other men.

Rape Culture: So Far Left To Go

[Content note: rape, rape culture, rape apologism, etc.]

It's been a disheartening past few days.

I can't emphasize the trigger on this post enough, so please skip it if you can't tolerate the worst of the worst of our rape culture.

An Observation

So many of the people who come here or to my Tumblr to attack me for my views/work/words also try to tell me that I'm doing activism wrong. They go down the whole path of "If you care so much, why aren't you doing something REAL?" or "This is not the way to make positive change." or "When you freak out over small stuff like this, people won't listen to you about the real issues."

Aside from the fact that they know nothing about my daily life, that they have a misguided notion of "realness," and that they are employing silencing tactics, it's interesting to me that they think I would ever take their criticisms seriously. These are the very same people who in one breath tell me I'm wrong and hate the fact that I'm an outspoken intersectional feminist, but in the next act like they're offering advice on how to do activism better?

Seriously?

I mean, look at it this way, let's say you and I each own businesses. I'm a megacorporation. You have a small family owned business offering similar goods. If you start to cut into my market share, my first tactic might be to launch an ad campaign designed to make your products look inferior, to undercut your prices, or to insult your customer service skills. If I then drop by your store and try to offer you business advice, pal-to-pal, are you going to take it seriously? Hell no! You just learned that my number one goal is to squash you, so you'd tell me to fuck off.

The same goes for any of these people who try to offer "helpful" advice about how I run my blogs. When they come in defending racists/sexists/homophobes, etc...why would I EVER want to listen to their thoughts about how I should do things? The fact of the matter is that their only goal would be to make bigots more comfortable with my feminism...and that's not why I do this. When I take constructive criticism, it will be from other activists, thank you very much.

But it's very interesting to me to observe this two pronged approach they take prong one being "I hate what you do!" and prong two being, "Here's how you can do it better." It's no mistake that they try both...they want to dismantle my work in any way they possibly can. Some people are that invested in kyriarchy.

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RANT: So You're Saying...

Ok, I have just a moment to vent and I need to. I guess I was just telling a little fib yesterday when I said things would be quiet here for a while. (But really...they will be...when I'm not fuming.)

[Content note: rape, victim blaming, rape culture]

Have you heard of the anti-rape underwear? It's everywhere right now, so I assume most people are familiar. If you're not, a company is trying to crowd fund to make "AR Wear Confidence & Protection That Can Be Worn: A clothing line offering wearable protection for when things go wrong." As they say on their Indiegogo page:

We developed this product so that women and girls could have more power to control the outcome of a sexual assault. We wanted to offer some peace of mind in situations that cause feelings of apprehension, such as going out on a blind date, taking an evening run, “clubbing”, traveling in unfamiliar countries, and any other activity that might make one anxious about the possibility of an assault.

The firestorm around the product, of course, is because products like this place the responsibility of rape back on victims. The preface of AR Wear's page states that they're seeking to change the cultural acceptance of rape, but how far can that really go when their product perpetuates the dangerous myth that victims are the ones who can prevent their own rapes?

There are a litany of things wrong with this horrible product, but what I would like to focus on for a second involves the discussion that emerges when people like me speak out against these products for their victim blaming undertones. Unfortunately, some people take that as some kind of endorsement of the rape culture. I was recently asked about this product on Tumblr because I shared a submission where people were calling out the underwear. When I said,

Basically, as long as we continue to put the spot light on victims in regards to rape prevention, we are doing it fundamentally wrong and it is not ultimately a good use of time or resources.

I was met with,

So you're saying we shouldn't invest in rape prevention while society is currently in the position it is? We should let women get raped and refuse to allow them to take precautions against it and contribute to their fear and suffering?

Hold on one sec.

Ok, I'm back. How insulting is it that in the same conversation where I am clearly trying to discuss the nuanced implications of how products like this contribute to rape culture and send dangerous messages about victims, it is implied that I'm somehow endorsing rape? That I want to contribute to the "fear and suffering" of women? Seriously? That's what this person thought I was saying?

To be very blunt about it, fuck their disingenuous "so you're saying" comment.

In case you'd like to see my full response to them, it's over at my Tumblr. But here's the cliff notes version:

I cast no shame on someone who feels safer by taking such a [self defense] class or buying a rape whistle or whatever…I cast ENDLESS shame on the cultural narrative which says women (usually) SHOULD take these classes and carry whistles and pepper spray and wear magic underwear if they don’t want to get raped. I SHOULDN’T HAVE TO DO ANY OF THAT SHIT TO FEEL SAFE.

How dare anyone suggest that by asking we examine these messages, I am somehow complicit in the suffering of women. FUCK OFF. All right, that concludes my rant. Please excuse the excessive anger and swearing. No, ya know what, don't excuse it because I was justified in those feelings. I'm allowing myself this one.


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Response to "Luring Rapebait"

[Content note: rape culture]

This is a guest post by Mackenzie Busch, who blogs regularly at Fetus Frolic. 

I’m not the first person who has written or commented on this particular incident and I won’t be the last, but I think that’s a good thing.  The more people that speak out against these types of stories the more we expose the otherwise latent sexism in our society.   I mean, are you kidding me with this garbage?  I was in a sorority during college and attended my fair share of fraternity parties, and sadly this isn’t an isolated incident.  At the time I really was unaffected by the awfulness that is the pack mentality of a fraternity.  Eventually though we grow up and we have to be woman in the real world and the very “jokes” we used to laugh at are the same ones holding us back from reaching our potential now, so we have to make it not OK from the start.

Perhaps I am going against some sacred code by saying this, but it has been my experience that if the Greek organization were Europe in the 17^th century, sexism would be the Black Death.  Of course people will counter this argument with an exception here or there, but as I make clear as often as possible, exceptions are merely conjunctions in a story, exceptions don’t show me the big picture, they are only there to help piece it together.  I would hate to offend those individuals that are doing good within the PanHellenic community, but hindsight is 20/20 and I can safely say from experience doing good is not the overall focus.  The Greek system is a breeding ground for slut shaming, fat shaming, sexism, misogyny, and countless other anti-feminist issues.

It is important we don’t ignore these types of incidents because had they not been brought to the public’s attention they would very likely have been swept under the rug or worse laughed off.  Seriously, the title of this bro’s email is “luring rapebait” yet he specifies “no raping” within the body of the email. This is the epitome of rape culture, it objectifies women and renders this “no raping” clause completely invalid.  The fact that the author even had to include the “no raping” disclaimer at all should have been an indicator that what he wrote just might be the worst thing ever. 

I’m glad he wrote it though because if these types of people don’t continually and arrogantly air their shitty ideals to the world then they may never know how terrible they are. This is absolutely a big deal, these people are burgeoning adults and soon a few of them could one day be leaders, and reading things like this makes that a scary thought.  That is why it is so important that we don't allow those with privilege to say and do as they please without consequence. By ignoring it we are saying it is normal, it is acceptable, and perhaps even expected.

It is extremely dangerous to continue to brush things like this off.  Objectification leads to dehumanization which is the very reason harassment and rape are so much more prevalent among women.  It is not OK and we aren’t about to let them forget it.

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Don't Mess With Austin Feminists...

[Content notes: domestic violence "joke"]

I'm sure this past summer already proved that you don't mess with Austin feminists...but some people don't pay attention, so one local bar had to learn that lesson this weekend the hard way.

Mini Bar in downtown Austin had this outside their door:

[Image text: Chalkboard sidewalk sign that reads, "I like my beer like I like my violence: Domestic."]

Before I had even heard that this was up on Friday night, area feminists had rallied (as I saw shared by a few friends on Facebook) and mass called the manager of Mini Bar about this horrific "joke" and Mini Bar responded appropriately on Saturday night:

[Image text: same sign now reads, "$1 of every domestic beer sold will to toward the NCADV in honor of Domestic Violence Awareness Month."]

Mini Bar management also shared that they had terminated the employment of the individual who put up the first sign. Of course, in situations like this, it is much better to never make the mistake than to handle the reaction well, but I will take what I can get. Kudos to the local women who rallied behind sharing and shaming the sign. Too many people that night probably walked by that sign and chuckled among themselves instead of thinking critically about what they had just read. And let us not forget, as the second sign mentions it is National Domestic Violence Awareness month, which makes this "joke" all the more in poor taste.

This small but important event over the weekend highlighted for me how happy I am to live in a city where they type of messaging is not mindlessly tolerated. It's just amazing to me how quickly people rallied and went to the bar management. Of course, I realize that Austin is not perfect, but it really is comforting to know that the feminist community here is so vibrant, vocal, and active--time after time.


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Slut Shaming vs. Cultural Critique

[Content note: Discussions of rape culture and slut shaming]

I have stayed intentionally silent on the whole Robin Thicke Blurred Lines nonsense because it's one of the few artifacts of rape culture that, I think, has actually received the proper backlash it deserves. But someone recently passed this article my way, in which a self described feminist defends the song and says that its detractors are essentially slut shaming...and goes as far as to say that the song is more feminist than the critique it has received.

Sigh.

Chicks on the Right...You're So Wrong

As I've mentioned a million times, I'm originally from Indiana. Today one of my Indy friends, Jess, passed along the latest export (in a long line) of things from home that makes me want to cry: Chicks on the Right. They are "Daisy" and "Mockarena":

Daisy is Amy Jo Clark, and Mockarena is Miriam Weaver. Together they write the Chicks on the Right blog (www.chicksontheright.com) and host a talk show on WIBC-FM (93.1) in Indianapolis.

UGH.

I don't even know where to begin. I guess I can start by letting them talk for themselves. Here are a few of the endearing things they have to say:

She's Someone vs. Narcissistic Fatherhood

[Content note: dehumanization of women, misogynistic slurs, slut shaming, verbal abuse, fat shaming. Just a whole lot of triggers, really.]

Often in discussions of sexism, well intentioned (but misguided) people will resort to the whole, "How would you feel if this were your daughter they were talking about?" or "These women are someone's mother, sister, and daughter. Think about it that way" narrative.

As has been articulated many times, this train of thought--while perhaps a step in the right direction from flat out woman hating--is far from perfect. There's been an image circulating around Tumblr for months that nicely summarizes why:

[Image text: an image of a presumably female identified person with her back to the camera. Text overlaid reads "she's someone's sister/mother/daughter/wife." The "sister/mother/daughter/wife" part is crossed out in red and "she's someone" is circled for emphasis.]

Dispatches from the Front Lines of Choice

Have you heard about HB60/SO5 in Texas? It's an omnibus anti-abortion bill which would limit abortion to 20 weeks or before and close 42 of the state's currently safe, licensed clinics, leaving just 5 for a population of 26 million. Many people in rural areas would have to drive even further than they already are, including commutes up to 8 hours. Because there are already waiting periods on the books here, many people in rural areas would now need to be able to arrange travel, accommodations, child care, etc. for 3-4 day trips into the state's major metropolitan areas for abortion services. And that's only if the pregnancy is even discovered in time.

Choice is currently abysmal here, but this would be devastating, especially on poor, rural, people of color. It's the equivalent of having whole other-state-sized regions without clinics.

I've kept an eye out on the local coverage through the Lilith Fund, NARAL, and Planned Parenthood. There have been several protests and hearings already this week. Last night there was a people's filibuster scheduled for HB60, specifically. People began arriving at the capital at 1 pm. I had to work until 6, so I figured I'd just keep up to date on it all via Twitter. When I finally logged on around 8:30 pm, I realized that people were just beginning to make their testimonies. I was really pulled in by what I was reading and I knew I couldn't sit on my couch all night.  I didn't want to testify, but I figured I could be there for support and help out in some way.

Fortunately, Mr. Nerdy Feminist was willing to drop me off and I was able to get in touch with my friend, who works in Planned Parenthood's community outreach department and would be there all night assisting testifiers. She told me that things would be going into the early morning and encouraged me to just come on down and jump in. Thankfully, I have a flexible job and was able to confirm that I could come in at 11 am today, so that I could at least catch a few hours of sleep.

When I got there around 9, I signed in as a non testifying witness in opposition to the bill. I helped my friend with a few tasks like getting email addresses, directing people to food, and answer questions the best I could. But mostly I listened to the people around me and offered my support.

It was an incredibly important, although tense, night. A vast majority of the approximately 700 people there were speaking in opposition to the bill. I was truly moved and humbled by the stories shared and I can't say enough how much I admire the many people who told their deeply personal stories to the committee.

I can't tell you how many times I had a lump in my throat.

Anti-choice committee chair Representative Byron Cook, did not handle things well. He was very short with prochoice speakers and cut things off a few times, calling the stories repetitive. Many people didn't get to speak at all. As has been widely reported, one woman, Lesli Simms (I know her!) pointed out in her testimony “Our words are not repetitive. Our government’s attacks on our choice, on our bodies, is repetitive.”

It's amazing how Representative Cook didn't seem to conclude that the testimony might be repetitive 
because there is not wide spread support for this legislation. Did that get through to him?

All in all the filibuster was successful and things are being punted to the next stages without a vote for now. It's also likely that the horrible way that the hearing was run will raise "points of order" and there would have to be a second hearing. (I will admit that I still don't fully understand Texas political processes, but I'm trying to learn.)

I just hope we can continue to stall until the special session ends Tuesday, without this bill passing.

Last night I tweeted, "I swear I will lose my shit if this passes and I see coastal liberals making 'yuk yuk ass backwards TX' comments. We so showed up tonight. We're fighting and trying. DO NOT erase that fact later because you weren't paying attention." I SO stand by that sentiment this morning. Last night was hands down one of the most moving, important nights of my life. I heard directly from people of all backgrounds, colors, gender expressions, and ages---but who were all Texans, just how important choice is to them. I used to be a northerner who thought Texas was some conservative cesspool of a joke. (And I was in equally conservative Indiana, what was a thinking?!) But I have come to learn, first hand, how passionate the people here are about their rights.

Please: Do not dismiss that with thoughtless jokes, especially if you live in a state where choice is a given, and you've never stood in a crowded chamber for 14 hours waiting to beg a committee to trust you to make decisions about your own body. 

I am so proud to have contributed to this effort in the very small way that I did. I'm so proud of the support that came from across the nation. (Pizzas from California, y'all!) I'm so proud of Representative Ferrar, the only friendly member of the committee, who stood up and apologized for the behavior of her cohorts, thanked us for being there after 4 am, and implored us to stay engaged and not be discouraged by the evening (we weren't!) I'm proud of Representative Howard who is not even on the committee, but stayed present until the very end, as a sign of her support and solidarity.

But mostly I'm proud of all the impassioned, brave Texans who stood up and told their stories. I'm so thankful for you, and just totally in awe.

No matter the outcome, this process was really important.

For more about the evening:

RH Reality Check
Think Progress

Update 1:30: Sad to report, HB60 just passed out of committee.



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This Is The End, Dudebro Fest 2013

This post is a part of my summer blockbuster series. I'll be tagging the whole thing as 2013 blockbusters.

[Content note: rape culture, rape "jokes"]

Oi. I have been putting this one off because it poses some complications for me...and invokes the whole, "yes, I'm a feminist, but I like some really problematic shit" issue.

You don't know the whole picture...

[Content note: street harassment, misogynistic slurs]

I was recently listening to NPR's Tell Me More (as I am apt to do) and I heard something that struck a particular chord with me. The topic was street harassment and Holly Kearl, founder of the nonprofit group Stop Street Harassment, shared how when she's running, the catcalls, carhonks, etc, can reach 10 times or more each jog--that it's not just one small, isolated incident. It was clear that it's a network of horrible experiences in the street that has shaped her view.

While very different topics, I deeply related to this experience, for me in the context of being an online feminist.