(no subject)

[threeplusfire]

Reading through the internet in the wake of the insanity yesterday, I've found myself frequently upset to the point of incandescent rage by many of the comments I've seen. Most of those comments happen to be from men. As someone who has spent most of my life "running with the boys," it is so disheartening.

A comment I read this morning:

"Except that espousing violence or the suggestion of violence in the face of what amounts to nothing more than irritation or uncomfortableness (sic) is more morally contemptible than anything these socially-retarded boob-honkers could come up with." Shades of the 19th century, when women were deemed to be such fragile moral creatures that they shouldn't be allowed outside the house.

Now. I understand the argument of turning the other cheek, or being the better person. But I find it repulsive to suggest that self defense is viewed in the same light as gratuitous violence. That's fucking bullshit. I also find the idea that this sort of behavior is dismissed as something that results in nothing more than "irritation." Again, fucking bullshit.

I am so angry about this attitude, and permutations of it, that I can barely stand to form a coherent response.

It took until 5:30am to fall asleep. My head is pounding and my throat hurts.

Comments

[sammka.livejournal.com]

What kind of violence is he talking about here? "If you honk my boob I'll smack you?" Joking about kicking men in the nuts? Or threatening to stalk theferrett and kill him?

Because I can understand the comment only if he's talking about the third.

[sammka.livejournal.com]

Also is the "shades of the 19th century" part from them too? If so, BULLSHIT. Apparently "violating our personal space actually bothers us" makes us out as "weak" and "fragile"??? WTF.

[meallanmouse.livejournal.com]

You are right to be angry. I'd make myself a "morally contemptible" icon, if I weren't determined not to dignify that bludgeon disguised as an argument with the total absence of merit which is all it deserves.

[delchi.livejournal.com]

I'm guilty of saying that ferret needs to be killed, but I was not being as literal as one would think. I often say " well just shoot 'em " as a frustrated response to a clueless person doing something to amazingly stupid that any attempt to explain sense to them would be lost.

It's one of my trigger points when I see a male of the species saying/doing something so blatantly dumb that it casts a negative shadow on all of us. People like ferret are the reason why so many women generically fear/hate all men - even the ones who do not deserve it. If no one takes action to curb this brand of stupid then it will continue to perpetuate. If this sort of ignorance towards women is allowed to continue then fear and hatred will continue to not only poision inter-human relations but it will also support the unjust prejudice held against men by many women.

As a society we need to move away from ignorant and outdated schools of thought that seperate the rights , abilities, and freedoms of an individual based on their gender. We have come a long way, but we have a long long way to go.

[violetisblue.livejournal.com]

There are days I thank God, Zeus, Loki and/or Ford for making me a lesbian, and this is definitely one of them. (And no, Ferrettdick or whatever your name is, you CANNOT ask if you can watch so as heal your pweshus fwagile high-school-trammeled ego.)

[wonderlandkat.livejournal.com]

someone I don't know asks to touch my breasts? is going to get slapped. Period (unless there is some sort of extreme weird context in which it makes sense which this is not). I don't care if people think that violence is worse, but that is the appropriate reaction in my life. And that is why random strangers DON'T ask to touch my breasts.

[kevinblanchard.livejournal.com]

The only problem I might have with advocating this reaction is not from how the women should act but based not he same guys you are probably mad at. I'd probably advocate the woman slap the man very hard and/or yell at him to let him know what he did was wrong. The reason I advocate the slap and not the hit is once a woman hits a man the rules change (though please note I would never personally hit a woman).

Most men are raised knowing that you never raise a hand to a woman. But what many women don't realize is the reasoning behind it. Not being raised as a man they don't know what is going on in a man's head (understandably). Men are taught not to hit women because "women are weaker and can not defend themselves and need to be protected". "We" are not taught to not do it because it's a universal wrong. The wrong comes along with the reasoning behind it. The problem is there. It's why men who might never hit a women are more likely to hit a women if she hits him first. By hitting him she is sending a very clear message that she can stand up for her self and is not weak. The same message can be sent with a slap with far less fear of retaliation. When a women retaliates with a punch she is basically voiding the only reasoning a man has to keep himself from defending himself with an equal measure.

Please note I don't advocate hitting women even in self defense, nor was I raised to think like that BUT I know a lot of men who were raised to not hit woman for that reason above. So I warn my female friends to slap as needed but don't swing unless they can handle themselves in a fight because in many many cases when a women actually hits a guy closed fist she's now taken away the only reason keeping the guy from not swinging back like if a guy hit him.