I'm so tired of being expected to say this after informing someone that I am a feminist. I also tire of having to explain that no, being a feminist does not mean that you hate men.
You know what, though? Sometimes I kind of do hate men.
THERE. I SAID IT.
Draw me, quarter me, feed me to the wolves---but never say I lied to you.
I'm jealous of the power they hold, and furious that half the time they refuse to even acknowledge it--rather, they try to convince us that sexism and misogyny are all in our pretty little heads. As if our female-ness is somehow reality-proof. (Oh, if only.) And it WORKS.
Men do this in varying degrees, and nearly always without even thinking about it. Some are more overt than others, but the basic mentality remains the same. That's why I'm so skeptical of those odd creatures known as male feminists. Don't get me wrong, I'm not denying their existence nor their beliefs. (I'm also pretty sure ghosts exist, and possibly Bigfoot as well.)
"But Chai Latte, how could you?" you ask. "Men are victims of the patriarchy, too!"
Yeah, sure. But they're complacent--they benefit too much from the patriarchal system to really be motivated to change very much. No matter how much they might love us, they're not going to change the system unless it benefits THEM to do so. And guess what? That hurts. And pain leads to anger. Anger leads to hate. Hate leads to....oh crap, I fucked that one up. Look, I haven't seen Star Wars in about ten years, okay? Leave me alone.
Though the thought of someone force-choking Rush Limbaugh or any of his ilk has serious entertainment potential.
Friday, February 27, 2009
Thursday, February 5, 2009
Revolutionary Road and Imdb.com Trollery
Note: SPOILERS AHEAD
The movie is about a young suburban couple in the 1950s, who dream of something beyond the tedium of their daily lives. Kate Winslet's character, April, is getting an absurd amount of hate on the forums. Because she yells at her husband instead of being properly grateful to him for...uh...being weak-willed. For cheating on her. For telling her to keep the child neither of them wanted. For putting his masculinity/power ahead of his partner's happiness. He's not the Antichrist, but he does suck quite a bit.April is a dreamer, but she is willing to work to change things. She suffered from what Betty Freidan called 'the problem with no name'.
If you've studied 1950s history, you'll know that this was virtual pandemic of severe depression among women (normally housewives). Hell, if I had to stare at a white Formica table and service some entitled douchebag for the rest of MY life, I might go off the deep end too. Suppression of a dream can really fuck with you. Yeah, I know---you have to be realistic too, but there is always some kind of balance to be found. That is something I truly believe. It is within all humans to find this balance. But these comments drive me bananas! My personal fave is the thread about why women and girls are so bitchy, only wanting what they can't have and being shallow and...(wait for it!)make the poor menz work for EVERYTHING.
Did you know guys are entitled to sex at all times? I didn't. Maybe that explains why I've been dumped twice. But yeesh, the level of misogyny present was horrifying. I kinda feel the need to shower after that experience. I know where I'M not going again! *shudder*
Oh yeah--people on this forum ask why April was so irrational. Why she wasn't grateful. I suspect that some people still have this pipe dream that people were DIFFERENT (read: cleaner, nicer, whiter) back then. They weren't! They were just like us, only with fewer options--and way more crippling social backlash if they tried to create their own.Which is essentially April's fate.
That's another thing--she tries to abort (abortion was still illegal then), which is something else the trollfolk seem to believe damns April. I honestly don't agree. First off, the insinuation that this desperate woman somehow deserved to die is sickening. This is why abortion is legal now--no, not because we want to kill teh preshus babeez---we want to save WOMEN. Because sure, their fetus might turn into the next Barack Obama. But my question is this--why does this same logic not apply to the woman in question? Could she be destined for greatness? Why is she worth less? That's one question I've never had answered to my satisfaction.
The movie is about a young suburban couple in the 1950s, who dream of something beyond the tedium of their daily lives. Kate Winslet's character, April, is getting an absurd amount of hate on the forums. Because she yells at her husband instead of being properly grateful to him for...uh...being weak-willed. For cheating on her. For telling her to keep the child neither of them wanted. For putting his masculinity/power ahead of his partner's happiness. He's not the Antichrist, but he does suck quite a bit.April is a dreamer, but she is willing to work to change things. She suffered from what Betty Freidan called 'the problem with no name'.
If you've studied 1950s history, you'll know that this was virtual pandemic of severe depression among women (normally housewives). Hell, if I had to stare at a white Formica table and service some entitled douchebag for the rest of MY life, I might go off the deep end too. Suppression of a dream can really fuck with you. Yeah, I know---you have to be realistic too, but there is always some kind of balance to be found. That is something I truly believe. It is within all humans to find this balance. But these comments drive me bananas! My personal fave is the thread about why women and girls are so bitchy, only wanting what they can't have and being shallow and...(wait for it!)make the poor menz work for EVERYTHING.
Did you know guys are entitled to sex at all times? I didn't. Maybe that explains why I've been dumped twice. But yeesh, the level of misogyny present was horrifying. I kinda feel the need to shower after that experience. I know where I'M not going again! *shudder*
Oh yeah--people on this forum ask why April was so irrational. Why she wasn't grateful. I suspect that some people still have this pipe dream that people were DIFFERENT (read: cleaner, nicer, whiter) back then. They weren't! They were just like us, only with fewer options--and way more crippling social backlash if they tried to create their own.Which is essentially April's fate.
That's another thing--she tries to abort (abortion was still illegal then), which is something else the trollfolk seem to believe damns April. I honestly don't agree. First off, the insinuation that this desperate woman somehow deserved to die is sickening. This is why abortion is legal now--no, not because we want to kill teh preshus babeez---we want to save WOMEN. Because sure, their fetus might turn into the next Barack Obama. But my question is this--why does this same logic not apply to the woman in question? Could she be destined for greatness? Why is she worth less? That's one question I've never had answered to my satisfaction.
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