Feminidiots Beware
In the spirit of equality, I have to say there are some serious wing-nut women's advocates blogging out there. Some of them have been attacking every mother's favourite cherubic Liberal Jason Cherniak over comments he made postulating that people could effectively eke out an existence living on current minimum wage levels. Somehow, that was taken to mean all women should be subservient idiots who should live in poverty so they can be dominated by evil, hairy, kitten-raping men.
I'm not naming people, but I have news for those of you who are frothing feminidiots: My bet is that Cherniak is poised to ascend into the staffing roster of some powerful government in Canada this year. If not this year, very soon. From that vantage point, he will be in a position to influence public policy to either help or hinder both genders equally. I'd think you'd be courting him, educating him or at least conducting intelligent critical debate with him. Hell, you might even find that you have more in common than you thought (i.e. slavish obedience to ideology).
Not to mention, it might help if you put some of that raw zeal into lobbying/blaming female cabinet ministers regarding your concerns (some of whom actually have the power to immediately increase funding for single mothers and poor children). But nooooooo. Obviously, the hegemony of racist, white sexist pig bloggers is a much better channel through which to effect social change? Get real.
To all non-reactionary feminists I say: Stiffle the idiots in your ranks or distance yourself from them before they destroy your credibility and sabotage your message like certain jackass Libloggers, Blogging Dippers and Neo-Kons have done for their peers. Otherwise, you will be consigned to spend eternity lobbing cheap shots over the bows of other bore ships full of ideologues that the common people don't pay any attention to whatsoever.
And if you want to be taken seriously by the old boys blogger club (Cherniak is 27) at least have the sense to deploy logical and/or plausible arguments. As far as I've seen, Polly Jones over at Marginal Notes is the only feminist blogger involved who seems capable of doing that.
That said, and to disclaim for all to see that I am not biased toward female bloggers, I find the level of debate on MOST political blogs to be tendentious, sophmoronic and cultishly partisan. Not to mention that a couple of my close, personal friends are strong, intelligent, feminist bloggers. (Well, truth be told, they are trophy friends. I really only hang around with them because my gay friends like to flirt with them and my black friends want to bang them.)
Ok, I'm off to start my own Maleist organization. Oops, we already have the Grits and Tories.
I'm not naming people, but I have news for those of you who are frothing feminidiots: My bet is that Cherniak is poised to ascend into the staffing roster of some powerful government in Canada this year. If not this year, very soon. From that vantage point, he will be in a position to influence public policy to either help or hinder both genders equally. I'd think you'd be courting him, educating him or at least conducting intelligent critical debate with him. Hell, you might even find that you have more in common than you thought (i.e. slavish obedience to ideology).
Not to mention, it might help if you put some of that raw zeal into lobbying/blaming female cabinet ministers regarding your concerns (some of whom actually have the power to immediately increase funding for single mothers and poor children). But nooooooo. Obviously, the hegemony of racist, white sexist pig bloggers is a much better channel through which to effect social change? Get real.
To all non-reactionary feminists I say: Stiffle the idiots in your ranks or distance yourself from them before they destroy your credibility and sabotage your message like certain jackass Libloggers, Blogging Dippers and Neo-Kons have done for their peers. Otherwise, you will be consigned to spend eternity lobbing cheap shots over the bows of other bore ships full of ideologues that the common people don't pay any attention to whatsoever.
And if you want to be taken seriously by the old boys blogger club (Cherniak is 27) at least have the sense to deploy logical and/or plausible arguments. As far as I've seen, Polly Jones over at Marginal Notes is the only feminist blogger involved who seems capable of doing that.
That said, and to disclaim for all to see that I am not biased toward female bloggers, I find the level of debate on MOST political blogs to be tendentious, sophmoronic and cultishly partisan. Not to mention that a couple of my close, personal friends are strong, intelligent, feminist bloggers. (Well, truth be told, they are trophy friends. I really only hang around with them because my gay friends like to flirt with them and my black friends want to bang them.)
Ok, I'm off to start my own Maleist organization. Oops, we already have the Grits and Tories.
Labels: Bloggers, Girls, Reactionary Bullshit
posted by K-Dough at 8:03 PM
47 Comments:
Why should feminist bloggers confine their attention to women in power? The fight for a living wage is everyone's problem. No, I'll go further than that: the fight for women's equality is everyone's fight.
What if we were talking race, and you told angry Black activists that they should be attacking conservative Blacks instead of white people? See my point?
More generally, there are always those who degenerate into name-calling and denunciation, in any movement. And those individuals need to be called on it. But it's not necessarily the feminist movement's role or responsibility to police people with whom we are offended. We are quite capable of speaking for ourselves.
Dr. Dawg- My point is not that feminists should only talk to women in power.
My point is that even though caucuses may be dominated by a majority of men, women in government (and the bureaucracy for that matter) are just as responsible for developing and voting for social policy.
But from feminidiots (not feminists in general) all we hear about is the male dominated policy conspiracy against women.
Re: But it's not necessarily the feminist movement's role or responsibility to police people with whom we are offended. We are quite capable of speaking for ourselves.
I hear ya. BUT when Robert McLelland, for instance, says something fucking nutty he is doing a disservice to all Dipper bloggers- at least in the eyes of onlookers.
These online ideologues are not simply bloging personally - they are now representing a constituency whether they like it or not. If you have nothing to lose go ahead. But many of these idiots are actual party staffers and members.
Do we so quickly forget the recent blog issue that lost the federal by-election for the Liberals in Hamilton?
Not to mention the fact that the MSM is now watching and writing about this shit...
I hate when pundits say, "some" in reference to those they attack. At least have the courtesy to state who these bloggers are.
Jymn: They know who they are. I'm not getting into that - again. Thanks for calling me a pundit though- I always kinda thought I was just a pompous windbag.
Hey, wait a sec. I'm seeing a connection here....hmmm.......
What is your problem with progressives calling out other so-called progressives on their, e.g., sexism?
Also, isn't it a bit rich for you to link to Polly's critical self-examination of her own prejudices and privilege, when, e.g., you, are so defensive to folks calling you out?
"My bet is that Cherniak is poised to ascend into the staffing roster of some powerful government in Canada this year. If not this year, very soon."
The Raging Geek Party of Canada?
The other side of the bed have a "headache" last night KD?
Besides, your rant denotes the need for accountablity by all... good luck getting that in this Country.
Male or Female, all are generally busy shucking and jiving to avoid accountability for their actions.
Thats the problem with the country in general. People would rather have someone else do things for them... otherwise they might have to fend for themselves...
Cherniak... god help us if he ever gets any real power.
Now, where the hell is that little Mexican with my beer.
RP: what exactly are you talking about when you say I'm so sensitive to people calling me out?
JC: you are so politically incorrect it makes my binkie twitch. I love eet senor.
Leather- he is already a riding ass., prez. It's only a matter of time. And the "geek party" could be any one of our national or provincial parties.
Cherniak does old school old boy politics, and its about time some ladies called him on it.
His way is the old way. Sorry, pal.
Plus I cant ever see Cherniak getting elected. Really.
Calling him on his sexism and classism is awesome. Im digging it.
BUT when Robert McLelland, for instance, says something fucking nutty
Like what?
Thanks K-Dough.
The thing that drives me nuts about this is that I am about as far from an "old boy" political person as you get. Shows how much recognition you get for things like treating women and men equally, supporting the fight for more women MPs and supporting social programs like daycare.
I oppose the minimum wage and suddenly I'm supposed to represent the worst of male chauvanist politics. Talk about a non-sequitor!
That would be "I oppose the minimum wage increase".
Anonymous: All politicians pretty much do old school old boy politics- that's the nature of politics in Canada. Look at Jack Layton. What does he stand for? He is nothing more than a teflon walking infomercial.
Re: Cherniak getting elected- not "elected" per se. Hired as a staffer. It's the kids on the inside of the sweaty costume that effect the real decision making, not the horse's head.
RM: Well, I for one, was witness to that brutal crap you posted on comments please last year to get back at Kinsella. How's that for nutty?
I don't care if he called you a racist, that was absolutely ridiculous.
Jason- welcome to the real world of spin and mirrors dude. I have no doubt your blogging started zealously but you are becoming a public figure now - like it or not. You can bask in the exposure but you also have to weather the storms.
You have new responsibilities to your constituency and will only become more of target in the future if you keep blogging.
It's a shame. It's a sad reflection of the straw man reality of politics these days, where you are only as good as your last "stakeholder" ass-kissing.
Now it's becoming a reality of blogging as well.
Polly: Actually, the first time we encountered one another, which was the first time you commented on my blog, must have been a day when all you could muster was a fuck you. You called me a racist because I wrote a satirical piece about Stronach and the bitch thang.
But I forgave you after reading what you wrote yesterday because it was apparent to me that you weren't just a nutcase troll, but an intelligent, critical person.
I'm not saying Cherniak isn't a pesky ideologue, but nothing he has ever written has ever indicated to me that he is anti-woman- consciously or otherwise. Though admittedly, as discussed yesterday, we all have our intrinsic biases heaped upon us from early development on. Assuming you understand the psychological make-up of another person is methodological suicide, let alone that it's an assumption coloured by one's own tendentious bias.
Re: your comment: I admire feminists who refuse to engage in intellectual and emotional mollycoddling of men (and women) who never seem to get it.
I agree, with a qualification: refusing to engage is one thing. Invoking words like racist, sexist pig and others is quite another. It's polarizing, discriminatory and alienating.
Whereas "frothing feminidiots" is conciliatory, egalitarian and inclusive.
It's called privilege. And those who call it what it is aren't obliged to play nice for the master. Even if he's Jason Cherniak, future Liberal star of the backrum boiz.
Anon: guilty as charged, but I can't retract the phrase. I'm a sucker for alliteration and clever contractions. Oops, I did it again.
Besides, I'm just "calling it what it is". At least I tried (in vain?) to make sure readers knew I wasn't castigating an entire school of thought, or an entire gender. And that's a new watermark for me, being the obvious ignorant caveman that I am!
BTW Anon- "backrum boiz"?
LOL
K-dough, I realize now that the defensiveness I refer to is by now, I presume, a long-dead horse. I will only beat it if you're curious.
Well, you were never personally an asshole to me. And I certainly cannot claim to be innocent of assholiness at times past. For that matter, when I've been taken to task for things I've said in the past, I've been defensive as well.
And while peace is probably good between people who can be allies on some if not most fronts, I hope that we do not stop challenging other "progressives" when they are acting in an oppressive manner.
The exercise Polly undertakes at her blog is essential to all progressives, IMO. I admit to be initially defensive when being challenged to examine my own privilege and prejudices, but after some self-examination I came to realize which attitudes I inherited from a sexist, racist, heterosexist, &c. culture, and that I could change my mind about them.
I sometimes wonder if being confrontational is the best tack. It might not be in all cases. It definitely is in some.
RP: Look, we all have causes we believe in - or should if we bother to take the time to write about policy issues. My personal opinion is that the blogging world by its very nature is polluted with scores of idiots with emotional and childish chips on their shoulders.
But as we wade through the endless sea of stupid, we each choose to bookmark those we feel speak on our level- if not always in our favour or on our side. Those who choose to isolate themselves in a safe bubble of ideology are doing no service to their own intellectual development or the spirit of openness (or as many like to say progressiveness) in the blogosphere.
This has been a source of serious frustration for me since I got into this world. It's like an invisible grad seminar invaded by fucking idiots who inject empty rhetoric into serious discussions and can't be held accountable.
I spend a lot of time joking. satirizing, swearing and stupid-bashing here. But I am more than ready at any moment to engage people with thoughtful arguments on their ideas or my own for that matter at any time.
I wish more bloggers were like that. That's why I started to like Polly yesterday despite my first impressions of her.
Oh and keep weed illegal, otherwise they'll want to tax and bitch about it too.
I am a frothing feminidiot and I appreciate alliteration, but I do not appreciate sexist behavior. And, the blogosphere is full to overflowing with that. I especially don't appreciate it in political blogs. As I said to the young Jason, in his whinist diary entry, I will not apologize for naming sexism when I see it. And thanks, Polly, for appreciating that.
Let me clarify for all here, especially those who Still. Don't. Get. It. what this is about for women.
Women hold almost 2/3 of the minimum waged positions in this country. Those are StatsCan numbers, btw. Poverty is a women's issue and has been for the two decades I've been a social activist. In fact, it was also an issue for the Suffragettes at the turn of the last century. And so, when I read a commentary on minimum wage that neglects to consider the reality of women's lives, you can be g- d- sure I'm going to call it for what it is. Sexist.
Those of you who write these issues off with your name-calling and red-baiting say more about your own inherent sexism than you do about anything else. And to support Cherniak in his foolhardy tantrum is perhaps good for him, but it is not good for women's equality.
Furthermore, to threaten as you have K-Dough, that we may fare worse when Jason Cherniak takes power because we have challenged his inherent sexism, well, little man, that is exactly what we're fighting against! How g- d- stupid do you think we are?
Finally, KD, male logic leaves a lot to be desired, but right now I'm doubting you have the capacity to recognizing that there are ways of knowing beyond those deemed logical by the likes of you.
RM: Dude, he's just a blow hard. You gotta understand where it's comin' from and move on.
The thing about his father was not cool in my books. That's sacred shit. I never had one that stuck around, so...
Whatever...we are all human and do shit we are not proud of. I'm just saying if I were you I would not be proud of that. In fact, I would apologize. But that's just me.
Zerb and the rest know exactly what he is about so don't think he holds any sway with them. He's a political whore- and I don't even mean that as an insult. We are all whores to something.
Berlyn- you made some good points till you started getting all anti-man.
First of all, big woman, I didn't say you would fare worse if Cherniak got into a position of power. I said if you have a serious point you want to make, make it like an adult and maybe someone will listen.
You said "poverty is a women's issue". That is complete propagandist bullshit. That is the logical equivalent to saying if all adult men are sexist pigs that's women's fault because they are the mothers that raised those boys.
You are demonstrating exactly what I was writing about. No intelligent member of our society is going to buy that kind of bullshit spin- regardless of their gender.
My personal opinion is that the blogging world by its very nature is polluted with scores of idiots with emotional and childish chips on their shoulders.
Hear, Hear!
I for one, prefer my emotional and childish chips to be on my PLATE. Smothered in gravy!
Hey. Word verification just made me type "Weinars".
Sweet. Only you would get that one Sheenahhhhhhh.
BTW- I know you will only scoff, but I just finished a glass of Little Penguin Merlot. Mmmmmmmmm.
Scoff? No, K-Dough.
Spew vomit from my delicate trumpeting nostrils, bien sur.
K, I am just wondering what these feminist groups have to do with minimum wage. I mean men and women get equal minimum wage if that is their wage. So exactly how is stopping this all of a sudden wage increase against women's rights or whatever? Even the idea that minimum wage should increase over $2 in a month is crazy. I believe that NDP is zero on the finance and budgeting department otherwise they should know that this sudden move will result in more jobless people as companies would rather fire than all of a sudden pay an employee $10 for in hour instead of gradually increasing the minimum wage to that level.
Sheena, word verification is going to make me type "fqpkb". guess what that means?
Sheena: LOl. Ok- when we finally suck a few back together I'll stick to the Belgian brews and you swill the vino. Deal?
That you're drinking Little Penguine wine, Joanne?
Joanne- you are exactly correct. That is the argument encapsulated. Their spin is (I think) that because women often times are the sole caregivers of children when the evil man abandons them ( in all seriousness this is a serious no-balls sin in my eyes), not increasing the minimum wage is an anti-woman, pro-poverty policy.
Funny how they don't often talk about the kids.
My oenological rule of thumb: If you insist upon drinking cheap poorly made ass leakage, at least be honourable enough to drink locally grown Canadian made cheap poorly made ass leakage.
That is all I ever ask.
Exactly, K. I just wonder why they even become women's rights' advocates.
Sheena, I am drinking tea right now. Canadian tea. Is there Canadian tea?
Great- now we are back at the Chinese again...
The Hu?
Never really liked that band.
Whatever...we are all human and do shit we are not proud of.
BUT when Robert McLelland, for instance, says something fucking nutty he is doing a disservice to all Dipper bloggers- at least in the eyes of onlookers.
Care to explain or will you simply admit to being a human who did something they shouldn't be proud of and withdraw the slur?
RM: You call that a slur? I call it a theoretical example. That sentence is about public perception, communications and audience.
Any way, my appeal to you above seems to have had no impact so let's drop it.
If I offended you I apologize.
Sheena, LOL. I always stick with locally grown rat piss.
Leather- that's what happens when you get the old gang from 'Nam back together.
Actually, I was quite impressed with reactions and the level of commentary. I half expected a bunch of anti-penile "slurs" as Robbo put it.
Would have been nice, however, if more feminists talked about their role as bloggers. But I guess they save that stuff for the secret meetings.
hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm,
don't hold back there dude.
Post a Comment
<< Home