1.14.2008

One Rape to Go?

http://www.viceland.com/int/v14n8/htdocs/rape.php?country=us

(team effort)

chey: i'm being timed so here goes, this articlke is a totally misogynist piece of trash,, egan should be drugged, and dragged out into the street and taught many PC things, like that her slutdom might bring down the feminst "cause", not embellish it. where is walter benjamin when you need him, i bet he scrawled faster than i type.

yoyo: hmm. is that tongue-in-cheek, about the dragging her into the streets and all? I can't tell how I feel about this piece. Like, I get the argument that we've advanced the dialogue to the point that women can say they fantasize about rape w/o that automatically undermining the whole concept, but is that true?

chey: no.

yoyo: no what?

chey: yes, she does undermine it. she is making herself an easy target for feminists. she even says she identifies with feminists in the opening, which shows how meaningless the assignation of feminism has become. i would rather eat a chocolate brownie than work on this.

yoyo: i think that last bit is like, so true. But: 1. why is yr reaction to her piece immediately violent, image-wise? and 2. isn't part of feminism women taking control of their sexualtiy and being free to express it regardless of the political climate at the time? cldnt' we say it's vice's fault for featuring this over something more 3rd wave-y?

chey: it's violent bc i'm a violent person, and i imagine cavement dragging this wannabe cavegirl out the cave, because that's exactly how she will get treated as she gets older and less hump-able -- no i guess that was sexist...........but don't you worry for her safety in the future? on 2. true, but if they are inviting violence, that strikes me as foolish. no, it's not vice's fault, it's great that they featured this, sparks discussion, etc., they're not responsible in my eyes, have been publishing stuff out at the borders since the inception of the mag.

yoyo: so it's not vice's fault for publishing it but it's her fault for writing it?

chey: this is bogging down into semantics, but i think there is no fault in any of it.....she really did it, wanted to do it, which is a product of her drives and fantasies and that's her business...............but the problem obviously would be to tell the horny guys who read the mag that in fact, yes, some girls have rape fantasies or worse,,,,,,this gets them horribly confused, and when drunk probably helps them pin a girl down when she says no, don't cha think?

yoyo: well, obviously that's the fear. I think we're debating whether that risk is so big that she shldn't have written the piece in the first place. you start out saying she shld be dragged thru the streets, but vice isn't responzible, it's just being edgy. i think that's a more interesting double standard, cuz the rapey guys aren't reading this anyway.

chey: 1. every guy is a rapey guy. i was being facetious when i said she should be dragged out into the street. i hate how our conversations get hopelessly meta. i think she's perverse (but aren't we all).........................she really felt the way she did........i feel sorry for her. but at the same time, yes, no the image that any woman should want for herself; she doesn't come off as powerful, she comes of as a lunatic slut.

yoyo: ok, i'm ignoring the meta comment (and almost, almost resisting the temptation to comment on my not commenting in a paranthetical. Damn.) I think she cultivates the lunatic slut image, and seems to see it as a feminist statement. Which is troublesome, bc it seems like a short term personal gain at the expense of the larger goals of the movement....

chey: totally. i don't want girls to be all prim and ish. but isn't it kind of disgusting when you roll up on a pack of frat boys at the mall wearing aeropostale and talking about "pussy" in the abstact....not that dirty words nor fantasies don't happen, but is it better for society for us to demarcate the bounds of good taste? am i getting all FCC on you?

yoyo: but isn't it vice's job (and egan's as a vice correspondent) to test those boundaries? isn't htat their bread and butter? also, sexuality is a crazy thing. isn't it better to let guys know that up front rather than keeping it "in the bedroom"?

chey: so values do change over time, and most people couldn't think of forgo-ing the skin they see now on network television. re: yoyo -- there is a line between keeping it up front and advertising that a little rough stuff is ok. not that many happy couples don't enjoy the rough stuff.........i fear coming off like some reaganite miss manners. but really, what is our responsibility? this conversation is getting circular and i think it's my fault.

yoyo: hmm. our responsibility is to NOT get all "yr a slut" on Ms. Egan; not fart or make annoying sounds or flash lights in the other's face during his/her turn to "win" whatever the hell we are OMG WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING? I CAN"T WORK THIS WAY AAAAAAAAAAH.

chey: to let our dutiful readers know, we are typing one after another, and trying as hard as we can to break each other's concentration. i can see how this tangent is a good commentary in itself on the death of the feminist movement. i don't understand, yoyo, how you can read my comments so fast.

yoyo: WE are trying to distract EACH OTHER? WTF? NO. I do read fast. it's one of my two major gifts. Feminism's not dead, it's just that as it confronts more complex issues it has to break into more divergent channels. DAMN THE TIMER I HAVE SO MUCH MORE TO SAY.

chey: what is left to say? vice is not at fault, egan is a psychoslut (can you see how irresponsible i am in getting off on that word?), but her voice should not be silenced..........

yoyo: yeah, it's the heaping of abuse on egan and not on vice that's troubling to me. There is a OMG CLD YOU SHUT UP? I HATE YOU. GOD.

chey: you're not allowed to use g-d's name in vain. yoyo's asking me, "have you ever________?"

yoyo: "seen yr parents naked"? yeah, that's right. shut you down. I think the point here is that Egan is allowed to do what she wants, but we wish she wld stop. and take care of herself. and... like, get a more constructive hobby. i'm out.

chey: my feelings are hurt. oh, good, you're back in. well, maybe i don't have anything left to say either, i guess we'll end it........well foreclosed, yoyo.

yoyo: i wld like to note that Ms. Egan has adorable bangs. ok, really i'm done. foreclosed and sold at state auction, this entry is.

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