i think we have to be very careful not to be eurocentric; that gets harder when stuff doesn't translate well or at all. not to mention, watching and loving their shit doesn't make us experts on their culture and doesn't give us the right to out and out reject the stuff that doesn't suit us without examining cultural baggage. but honestly, we're usually dealing with international fandom who are in the same boat as us, and rape by any other name is as deplorable and yes is yes and no is no and you can never make that not the case, no matter what headgames are being played.

this is veering off topic, but while i'm not happy about it and i think chris brown is in the upper echelons of revolting, at the same time i dislike how much and the manner in which people are criticising rihanna for her choice to be with him again. because she's a role model and it's sending a terrible message but concurrently Man Down exists and speaks, shrieks, volumes about her stance on rape and illustrates rape culture at work in a visceral, no room for equivocation way. and that is out there too and i love her ass for doing that, and nobody mentions that at all when dissing her, and it still ends up the woman who gets more shit than the man? like what is that.