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Three Views of Feminism

22 Aug

August 21, 2011

Have you heard about slutwalks? These are public demonstrations or marches where women dress in slutty outfits and proclaim themselves proud to be sluts.

It all began when a Canadian police office told a group of women that “women should avoid dressing like sluts in order not to be victimized.” The women immediately took offense at the suggestion that getting attacked or raped is the victim’s fault. The blame for rape or attack falls squarely on the shoulders of the attacker.

So far so good.

But they didn’t take offense as much at the suggestion of being culpable in their own possible attack as they did at the use of the word “slut.” Co-founders Sonya Barnett and Heather Jarvis decided to use the word slut in their response. They observe that historically, “slut” has had negative connotations, and that their goal is to redeem the term.

And that is where they lose me.

“Slut” has negative connotations because it is a negative word, There is no “redeeming” it.

Yet they tried. And so you have the slutwalk. 

“We’re taking slut back”
“Proud slut”
“Slut pride.”

What is the point of identifying yourself as a slut? Why would you want to make that your public image? Do people march under the “I can’t tie my own shoes and I’m proud” banner? Should bad tippers wave “I’m a cheap fuck” placards?

The KKK and American Nazi Party proudly call themselves racists and how does it work our for them? OK, being a slut and being a racist are hardly the same, but why would a woman want to identify herself in a way that only brings up negative associations?

Get it straight. “Slut” has never been and never will be a good word. No good can come from associating women’s rights with “slut.” It overshadows and ruins the point they are trying to make.

The women’s’ point is that no matter how they dress they are not inviting rape. I agree. The fault of rape is the rapist who makes the ultimate decision to take his dick out of his pants. (Pardon my language.)

However.

There are things you can do to lessen your chances of being attacked. You do not walk in a bad neighborhood after dark. You do not go swimming when sharks are sighted off the beach. You do not flash money at an ATM.

And that was the policeman’s (poorly phrased) point. He was not blaming the victims. He was pointing out that there are some things you can do to lower your risk of attack. What’s wrong with that?

Of course, not everyone has the same view of feminism. Check this out:

 

On the one hand you have a group of women saying “We are not sex objects. Don’t treat us like sex objects.”

On the other hand you have a group of women saying “We are sex objects.”

I guess it is true. Blonds do have more fun.

Especially if you are Vienna from The Bachelor. 

Who would want to watch a show where a normal person stays home and plays video games? What kind of show is that?

 

Oh, that kind of show.

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The Saturday Comics: Grandma

20 Aug

August 20, 2011

I came across this strip while I was searching for Agatha Crumm.

Created by Bill Hoest (The Lockhorns), Agatha Crumm began in 1977 and ran until 1996. She was the owner of the Crumm Cookie Company and broke the cliché of the sweet little old lady.

I like Agatha Crumm but it was Grandma that caught my eye. 

It was the creation of Charles Kuhn and ran from 1947 until 1969, eight years before the more progressive Agatha Crumm debuted.

From Toonopedia via wiki:

The strip depicted humorous events in the life of a friendly, fun-loving woman known to her friends and neighbors only as Grandma.

In Toonopedia, comics historian Don Markstein described the character:

Grandma was known by no other name, to children and grownups alike, despite the fact that she gave no evidence of having actual progeny of her own. Like the much earlier Lady Bountiful, she palled around day in and day out with the neighborhood kids; but unlike her, Grandma wasn’t interested in improving them. She was just having fun. Otherwise, she kept busy around the house, but of course, the household chores included a lot of baking. Kuhn derived much of her character from his own mother, who, in her dotage by most standards, was always ready to dress up, sing, and even dance a jig to help out a small theatrical production put on by her friends, the children of the neighborhood.

As Kuhn recalled:

My mother was always full of pep and vigor. One time at 75 years of age, she dressed up in my old Navy uniform, danced a jig and played a piece on her French harp just to help the neighborhood kids put on a backyard show. My comic Grandma, in spirit at least, is my own beloved mother.

It is important to note that the Sunday strips reprinted below were published in color. Look for the panel in or near the middle labeled “Color this one, kids!” One panel was always left uncolored in black and white for the kids to color in themselves. I think it was wonderful that Kuhn remembered that these strips were for kids.

The tone of the strip is unabashedly sweet and charming, and the feelings and emotions it depicts would be considered old-fashioned today, and even in the strip’s own lifetime too as is entered the late 1960’s. For me, the nostalgia and obvious love that glows from it is the appeal to me. 

 

 

 

 

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