AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[lirazel]

This day has been so full of fail. I cannot have a conversation online without someone failing horribly. Work has been more relaxing and soothing to my soul, and we all know how I feel about that.

Like this:

Having a conversation on whedonesque (duh), which is full of fail on other levels (like this gem: "I'm not sure to what extent critical gender theory is an ideal tool for analysing individual texts as opposed to identifying trends in the medium as a whole" embedded in a bunch of pseudo-intellectual stuff that basically boils down to, "You're wrong, and my privilege lets me say so"), and then the most faily thing ever is said:

Other person:

I haven't got as far as the glowy sex, but aren't you arguing the (in my opinion impossible to objectively define) line between seduction and rape? Sounds like she got the horn and went irrational, as anyone can. I think if she's fine with it afterwards then you have to allow her the empowered choice to be so. Even if it ruins the story.

Me:

No, we don't, fraac, though you certainly can if you want to. But we don't have to because Buffy isn't a person. We can ask why the writers needed to include it at all and say we think they should have thought about it more. Which is what we're saying.

AND THEN.

Other person:

Surely if we're talking about her rights then for sake of argument she's a person? Otherwise you could do anything to her.

I think that, in the same way freedom of speech means defending to the death your worst enemy's right to verbally attack you, the ultimate expression of feminism is to defend a woman's right to enjoy being raped. In both cases it's about accepting (i.e. loving) our fellow humans for all they are, even where their existence is at odds with our deepest fears. So it's about courage and self-awareness.

[eta]

AND THERE'S MORE!

What if the character of Buffy spoke to the writer, as (previously) well-formed characters often do, and said she enjoyed the coercive universe aspect of sex? Either she's a person or she isn't, can't have it both ways.

[eta 2]

FOR FURTHER PROOF THAT THE UNIVERSE IS FAILING AND FAILING HARD TODAY, PLEASE TO BE LOOKING AT THIS POST.

But perhaps not if you value your sanity and your faith in humanity.

Please read that last link I linked to (once again, here) and report the hell out of this guy. I know the superpowers of my awesome feminist flist can shut this guy down.

Comments

[mollivanders.livejournal.com]

hoping to not join the 'fail' crowd here.

Have you ever read The Fountainhead? Or even Atlas Shrugged? While I enjoy most of what Ayn Rand wrote, she does seem to have this complex where sex is not a positive thing, where it's a violent act of taking. And I almost feel like I have to write it off as white noise because it's so consistent among her characters that it's not even part of their characters, it's just her projecting or something. Which is horrible to think about, but -

There's a scene in The Fountainhead where the female protagonist "wants" the male protagonist to rape her because she wants him to fight for her and dominate her. And it made me sick to read it and it's not like the male protagonist can read her thoughts and it's such a violation I have to wonder what Rand, as a woman, found attractive about that. I just don't get it.

But regardless of whether it's Buffy or another character, a character is allowed to have what we would perceive as weird or not-okay preferences. The question is have those been clearly established beforehand to her sexual partner? Because role-playing is part of some healthy relationships, so why not for a character? As long as everyone's in on it and it's not "Well, I kinda liked it after the fact so thanks, I forgive you."

Today has been made of such fail. I moved my laptop to the office kitchen so I could work without wanting to explode.

[elisi]

the ultimate expression of feminism is to defend a woman's right to enjoy being raped
WHAT?

[flake-sake.livejournal.com]

This person is clearly brain damaged somehow? Buffy (the actual person) is telling the writers she likes to be raped ?!? WTF!

[angearia.livejournal.com]

The pscyho got the thread CLOSED on Whedonesque. I got my "WHAT???" in before it got shut down.

Though... I don't like that it was closed without any word on the matter. That's one of the most offensive things I've ever read on Whedonesque.

fraac gets a MONUMENTAL FAIL in Feminism 101. There is not enough FAIL in the world to smash into fraac's face.



Hey dumbasses, this is how Buffy reacts to having her body violated!

And you know what, Helpless has disturbing similarities. Because Buffy has always wanted to be "normal", but when it's forced upon her by someone else, it's horrible. It's a betrayal. In Season 8, Buffy wants to be "happy" and for the longest time she'd wanted to be with Angel... but not like that. Not after what he'd done to her all season. So to have Buffy react happily to this bullshit...

I WANT TO SMASH FACES.

[anythingbutgrey.livejournal.com]

WHAT THE ACTUAL FUCK.

[quinara]

Erm, I'm completely trashed by beer festival and mead, but what the frilly fuck?

[gabrielleabelle.livejournal.com]

I think that, in the same way freedom of speech means defending to the death your worst enemy's right to verbally attack you, the ultimate expression of feminism is to defend a woman's right to enjoy being raped.

...

*sigh* Why are people so stupid?

[madcap-shiny.livejournal.com]

WHAT THE ACTUAL FUCK.

Defending a woman's right to enjoy rape fantasies/roleplay with partner/etc.? Totally feminist. However, I am, uh, pretty sure that no one would ever sign up to have it happen in real life, though.

I know I'm preaching to the choir here but I mean Jesus. (Sorry, Jesus. It needed to be said.)

[next_to_normal]

Whiskey. Tango. Foxtrot.

And Simon wonders why people post on LJ and stay the fuck away from cesspools like this.

I am so angry right now I am shaking.

[prophecygirrl.livejournal.com]

You know this line, from Yeats:

"The world's more full of weeping than I can understand."

well, the world is more full of Idiocy and hate than I can understand.

Ever.

[shipperx.livejournal.com]

the ultimate expression of feminism is to defend a woman's right to enjoy being raped.

Holy crap, dude! He/She is aware that they're posting that crap in public, right?

[shamoogity.livejournal.com]

This fraac person seems to have a fundamental misunderstanding of the word "rape." That's the most I can get without being remotely up-to-date on the comics (I believe that's what this is in regards to), but jeez. Think before you write. The other guy is just looking for attention. I don't want to inadvertently give him page views for that sick shit.

[eilowyn.livejournal.com]

(This is basically the exact same thing I just posted on Gabs' journal, so hey, you're in good company . . . )

I'm fully prepared to get feminist ragey with you, just not right now because I don't have much time. My most recent post about NOT HAVING TIME was because of posts like yours that I want to comment on extensively and really get the feel for the nature of the conversation, just not right now. That's what my midnight insomnia is for! So here's some quick hugs and sympathy, and I'll get back to you soon.

[local-max.livejournal.com]

Oy vey. There's a reason I have been avoiding Whedonesque threads for a while. My great sympathies.

[eilowyn.livejournal.com]

Okay, have commented generally on conversation here, and greatly praise Simon for shutting the a-hole up. Nothing to add that hasn't already been said, and banging my head against a wall seems almost inadequate to describe my reaction to this guy.

Oh, and points for the Achibe reference. Things Fall Apart was the first post-colonial work I ever read (as an ignorant freshman in my first survey of world literature class), and am delighted to know he has critical theory to read as well (though most of my critical theory work on post-colonialism was trying to say Yeats was a post-colonial poet because he wrote about the Anglo-Irish experience in the context of Irish independence. It wasn't a very strong argument, but it was fun).

And Dana5140 may be the latest person I decide to fangirl and harass until he hie himself over to LJ (or hie herself - Dana's a gender neutral name, y'know).

But yay for you for wading into the mires of Whedonesque once again for those of us not brave enough to (or whose therapists strongly advise against it).

[ohwaluvusbab.livejournal.com]

What the fuck is up with these Whedonesque fuckers? Someone tell me when it's go-time to register so I can get my axe out and take some names.

[silverusagi]

The Internets seem to be made of fail today.

[redsilverchains.livejournal.com]

...I MAY VOMIT. All over those people.

I am seriously alarmed for the female population in...wherever that blogger lives.

[ava-leigh-fitz.livejournal.com]

NO REALLY. WHAT THE ACTUAL FUCK.

[ruuger]

What is it with Whedonesque and thinking that the characters are real people? Every time someone criticises something that Joss wrote someone starts arguing that it was the character's choice and that teh ebil feminists are just oppressing the poor fictional women.

[sarahlovesa.livejournal.com]

NO NO NO NO NO - he should not be allowed to put this filth on the internet and I say that as someone who is really not comfortable with censorship. However, someone I love was raped, so I just felt pure red rage fill my head when I read some of his blog. I could not read the whole thing as I just felt like I needed a shower after it. I am not suprised that such a b*****d exists but the fact that he is quite happy to write it all under his own name is beyond belief.

I read some of the comments on his blog and one of them said that he had been reported as a possible danger to female students by his head of dept. ( God help us, he is an educator.) So, while he says it is all just his opinion and he would not act on it, frankly, someone like him, who, despite seeming to be well educated and quite young, already has such extreme views, does not strike me as a person who will be content to just talk the talk for the rest of his life.

I read blogs and websites because I love being exposed to lots of different minds and opinions - that's how we learn and grow. But this guy? He just pollutes the internet and the worrying thing is that there will be some inadequate people out there who don't know how to relate to women and who wil read what he says and think that he has solved the riddle of why they can't get laid.

So I did what you suggested and reported him. I look forward to seeing him try to deal with the mighty power of women on a mission. He won't last 5 minutes.

[angelus2hot]

I followed the link and simply couldn't believe what I was reading. To think that someone believes this kind of moronic crap is beyond me. Someone I know wasn't raped. I was. I was fifteen(a virgin) and I can guarantee you that I didn't ask for it, enjoy it and neither was I glad it happened. Rape effects all women whether she's a feminist or not. Rape can not and should not be looked on in a favorable light. Just as it can not be enjoyed. Rape is about power, the power a man has over a woman it has nothing to do with the actual enjoyment of the sex act.

Furthermore, Buffy is a fictional character(my favorite female character) but she isn't a real person. So it's not Buffy that enjoyed that kind of sex it was the writers that brought it up.

[moonlightrick.livejournal.com]

I just. God. That link/last guy. I just. can't. even. I am literally writing a paper on if obscenity (read: sexually violent pornography) is causally linked to sexual assault right now. The notepad and texts are right in front of me. I should probably just cut and paste the "rape is equality" post on my paper and throw one down on culture and way too frakking fail in this world for the whole thing. Good Lord. I'll just be screaming in my pillow, here.