Feminism Sucks

It really does.

I'm sitting at the comp right now, avoiding massive amounts of hard physical labour that awaits me (repainted living room bookshelves, can't walk without tripping on piles of books, must pack most of them away to storeroom), and because I must have an excuse to avoid that labour, I am browsing www.thefword.org.uk. (Don't ask me how I navigated my way there.)

Hey. I'm no enemy to women. Many of my friends are women. Oh, and I'm one myself (though this guy at the flea market I went to couldn't seem to decide - "I just sold this picture to that woman - er, girl... er, woman? - over there!").

But let's take a look at some of this stuff, shall we?

The Tampon Article
In this article, Leonie Brooke is disappointed when a bunch of her female friends refuse to be excited over what she thinks is a revolutionary product: the permanently reusable tampon. (Yes, you read that right. Permanently. Reusable.) The reason, she fumes, is women have been "socialised" to be grossed out about menstruation, and as a consequence, find washing their blood off a used tampon icky. Those male chauvinist pigs! They have contaminated our love for our bodily emissions! TEH EBIL!11!!1

On the bright side, I think those guys who invented reusable toilet paper might have a customer at last.

The Rape Article
What, you knew there had to be one. These are feminists talking!

So. Drunk girl does the bonkity-bonk with drunk guy at a party, then wakes up in the morning and cries rape. Guy says it was consensual. Girl doesn't really remember much of anything that happened that night. (I guess her entire case consists of "I'd never willingly sleep with that guy no matter how drunk I was - look how ugly!") Anyway, the judge dismisses the case, and the prosecutor is quoted as saying "drunken consent is still consent", and making remarks to the effect of, "women are adults, and must bear responsibility for their own actions". Meanwhile, the guy is getting back to his life, trying to come to terms with being the butt of his friends' jokes for ever and ever and evermore. ("I'll bet she wouldn't even remember you bonked her if she hadn't woken up naked next to you, eh, Jimmy boy?")

Ellery, the Modern Feminist, is pissed. Oh looky, the big MCP prosecutor guy with his curling moustache and offensive Italian suit (because Italians are all misogynists, of course). He's blaming the victim! (er, victim of what?) How about suggesting the men take responsibility, too, huh? How about we tell everyone never to drink too much, huh? The guy was equally to blame! (er, for what?) Where's the equal treatment?

Really, check out the website. It's a hoot. And I, I shall begin to tackle those infernal books. Tata!

Tags:

• rants