If there’s one thing we know for a fact, it’s that Nikki Haley cares deeply about women’s issues and gender equality. And by “cares deeply,” I mean “doesn’t give a single shit.”
Vagina Outrage
Is It Nutpicking If They Jump Out’ the Bushes At You?
I can hardly afford to make fun of other peoples’ hobbies, but I believe this ‘Ben Spurr’ has qualified for a hearty “Not cool, bro.” Per Cienna Madrid at Seattle’s Stranger:
Ever since feminist blogger Anita Sarkeesian committed the grave internet faux paus of launching a Kickstarter campaign to research how women are portrayed in video games, she’s been the recipient of rape threats, death threats, and racist tirades by male gamer nerds who are apparently very enraged by the thought of a woman rootin’ out misogyny in the high plains of Azeroth or whatever the fuck.
And instead of simmering down since Sarkeesian launched her May 17 Kickstarter (which skyrocketed past its $6,000 goal in less than 24 hours), the violence directed at her continues to escalate—most recently at the hands of a pathetic, whiny little man named Ben Spurr, who created a brutal video game starring Sarkeesian. Apparently, the sole point of the game is to beat the shit out of her…
My weak google-fu further indicates that, as with all things on the internet, the progression from ‘out of hand‘ to ‘WTF‘ moves faster than Moore’s Law.
Seriously: Isn’t there somebody in Spurr’s gamerpod who could, for instance, let him know there’s a new, “HD”, Kickstarter-funded version of Leisure Suit Larry due out real soon now?
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Rand Paul is Trying to Attach a Personhood Amendment to a Flood Insurance Bill — What #WaronWomen?
Noted Libertarian and neck-stomp enthusiast Rand Paul loves him some small government.
He loves it so hard that he’s running around trying to attach a “life begins at conception” amendment to a Flood Insurance bill.
A FLOOD INSURANCE BILL, PEOPLE.
From Politico:
Michigan GOP Rep. Mike Callton (R-Vagina) Offended by the Word “Vagina” — VAGINA! VAGINA! VAGINA! VAGINA!
VAGINA! UTERUS!
Remember last year when concerned Republicans in Florida got a case of the vapors and had to retreat to their fainting couches because a Florida Democrat used the term “uterus” during a floor debate? (I wrote about it here.)
In response to the senseless and reckless use of such a vile and repellent term, Florida spokeswoman Katie Betta said that it was important for members of both parties be “mindful of decorum during the debate,” and “mindful of and respectful to visitors and guests, particularly the young pages and messengers who are seated in the chamber during debates.”
Remember that? And remember how we laughed and cried, and it was better than Cats?
I think I may have even encouraged you to go spelunking in your ladyhole in order to discover what untold treasures lie within — treasures that make your netherbits so special that the mere mention of them would cause the collapse of civilization as we know it.
Well, it’s a year later and as it turns out, I may have been on to something. Apparently, not only is “uterus” an inappropriate and offensive term, but the word “vagina” is, too — at least in Michigan.
You know “vagina.” You either have one, or you know someone who has one. You definitely came out of one, and chances are you’re trying to get back inside of one right now.
Well, here’s a tip for all you Michiganders: if you’re successful in getting inside one, KEEP IT TO YOURSELF.
Whatever you do, don’t yell “Vagina!” like you would “Eureka!” upon discovering gold at the end of a rainbow, or gaining entrance to a highly coveted and special place. “Vagina” is offensive and will get you a proper scolding and banned from speaking if you dare use the term during a House debate about legislating vaginas:
[read the rest at ABLC]Brown, a West Bloomfield Democrat and mother of three, said a package of abortion regulation bills would violate her Jewish religious beliefs that pregnancy be aborted to save the life of the mother.
“Finally, Mr. Speaker, I’m flattered that you’re all so interested in my vagina, but ‘no’ means ‘no,'” Brown said Wednesday.
Brown’s comment prompted a rebuke Thursday by House Republicans, who wouldn’t allow her to voice her opinion on a school employee retirement bill.
“What she said was offensive,” said Rep. Mike Callton, R-Nashville. “It was so offensive, I don’t even want to say it in front of women. I would not say that in mixed company.”
Brown’s comments were published in Thursday’s Detroit News.
Majority Floor Leader Jim Stamas, R-Midland, determined Brown’s comments violated the decorum of the House, said Ari Adler, spokesman for the Republican majority.
“If I can’t say the word vagina, why are we legislating vaginas?” Brown asked Thursday at a hastily called Capitol press conference. “What language should I use?”
Brown noted “vagina” is the “medically correct term.”
“We’re all adults here,” she said.
There Never Was No War On Women (Internet Division)
I’ve got a bunch of other “I should write something about this” entries in my queue — but a tweet retweeted from someone whose handle I didn’t keep (sorry) led me to an article that just short-circuited my rage-and-sorrow circuits:
Sarkeesian was after $6,000 to cover the cost of researching the topic, playing all kinds of awful games, and producing the videos.
In Sarkeesian’s own words:
“The intimidation and harassment effort has included a torrent of misogyny and hate speech on my YouTube video, repeated vandalizing of the Wikipedia page about me, organized efforts to flag my YouTube videos as “terrorism”, as well as many threatening messages sent through Twitter, Facebook, Kickstarter, email and my own website. These messages and comments have included everything from the typical sandwich and kitchen “jokes” to threats of violence, death, sexual assault and rape. All that plus an organized attempt to report this project to Kickstarter and get it banned or defunded.”
Head over to the link for more detail, none of it pleasant.
The good news is that Sarkeesian much more than made her nut at Kickstarter. The bad news — as I’m guessing most of us know all too well — is that there is a depressingly large subset of our society deeply threatened by anything that amounts of an assertion of agency by anyone not supposed to possess it. An African-American President is not just someone with whom to disagree; he is unpossible. He must be Kenyan.
A woman in charge of her own body? A woman asserting that femaleness is not simply a toy built for the amusement the rude boyz of the ‘tubes?
An abomination, it seems.
There’s nothing to negotiate at that point; there’s no middle ground when, to put it in the ever so polite terms of a David Brooks, us followers have to learn how to allow our betters to lead us as they did back in 1925. (I’ll send you to the essential Charlie Pierce for details, properly dissected.)
I would say we have a long way to go — but anyone on the receiving end of this nonsense knows this without being told. What I can say is that this is why the fight is necessary. I get that some folks hate and fear the reality of change in society, culture, the Way Things Ought To Be.
Not my problem.
Theirs.
Image: Artemisia Gentileschi, Judith Beheading Holofernes, 1611-1612.
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Open Thread: Darcy Burner at Netroots Nation 2012
Praise goddess and the spirit of Ada Lovelace that we who are prone to avoid IRL human gatherings can still eavesdrop on such events. Via Adele M. Stan at Alternet, here is Burner’s keynote address at the NRN “2012 and the War on (and for) Women“:
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Apart from the analogy comparing the Democrats to Lotus and the Republicans to Microsoft, I suspect very few people at this blog are liable to complain about Burner’s suggestion at the 13:35 mark:
As an exercise of moral power, Burner called on the audience to “fight for something big.”
“For the women’s movement,” she said, “it is high time we followed our great-grandmothers’ lead, and pass the Equal Rights Amendment.”
Most Americans — some 80 percent — “think the Constitution already provides equal rights for women,” Burner said. So the ERA is no longer the controversial idea it once was, she said, but it is hugely symbolic.
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The Most Ridiculous Shit I’ve Seen Today: Open Thread
This video is supposed to be devastating. Devastating! Sure, ok — if by “devastating” you meant “Laugh OL ridiculous.”
You laughed. Admit it. Either that or you sat there with your jaw agape before you quit watching around the one minute mark because what the crap was that?
Sigh.
If there’s one thing that drives me up a fucking wall, it’s this asinine notion that women are asking that the government hand out free birth control. I mean, what is that? Why? Why do these people continue to believe shit that simply isn’t true? (That’s a rhetorical question.)
All women want is to have contraception coverage in health insurance plans that they are already paying into. Why is that so hard to understand? Wingnuts are convinced that Obama is going to force woman to take birth control pills and pass the cost of those pills on to innocent couples who live and die by the rhythm method.
It’s driving me nanners.
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