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#Feminists Have No Moral Compass
blk-chauvinist · 9 months
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...and now, another exciting episode of, "Adventures in Dumb B*tch Logic."
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bsof-maarav · 17 days
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I just talked to one of the handful of friends I have left from my former community and found out that a specific former mutual friend, one who particularly prides herself on being a feminist, is straight up denying the hamas rapes, demanding "forensic evidence" and claiming it's all "Israeli propaganda."
I just have no more words left. I knew it was bad and I left behind what little social media I had in the first days after October 7th because I saw enough to know that I wasn't going to be able to be in this community anymore, I saw enough to know that I wasn't going to be hanging out with this crowd ever again. But I didn't stay long enough to watch every particular individual do and say the monstrous things that it turns out so many of them have been doing and saying.
I just left. And for a lot of them, I deliberately didn't look. I deliberately didn't look too closely at anything this woman was doing, for example--I thought it would hurt too much if it was bad. I thought it was better to just consider this part of my life over, to remember these people as they were to me before. I didn't want to know. I was leaving anyway.
Piecemeal, I saw some egregious things from some of my former friends. Glorifying self immolation...calling for the genocide of Jews...Holocaust inversion...claiming the hostages deserved it...denying that Jews are indigenous to anyplace on this earth...people who have utilized our words and symbols for their own liberation movements, wholesale denying the humanity of the people who made those words and symbols in the first place.
Every new piece of news I learn about who is dehumanizing us and with what rationale is just profoundly dispiriting.
No matter how many ways these people should be able to relate and make a human connection, they refuse to. Everything in their supposed values should enable them to hold the truth of what is happening to us. But it doesn't.
They're willing to treat Jews, especially Israeli Jews, in a way they would never accept for anyone else, in a way they would strenuously resist for anyone else--in fact, they strenuously resist much less serious things for anyone and everyone else! and that just breaks me. It means they never had the values that I thought we shared. It's all been a lie.
I froze things in time for some months, to some degree, accepting it was bad enough to be over, but not wanting to know the details. But with every new detail it's undeniable: there is no moral compass there. That world should have been a home for me and for years, I felt it was, but this hate was there the whole time. I never understood the conditions of my "belonging."
I can never forgive them. Not least because they'll never stop feeling righteous about their evil.
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ride-thedragon · 10 months
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The worst thing about Rhaenyra is the inherent need her fans have to moralize the protagonist. Rhaenyra isn't a good person.
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That's okay.
Rhaenyra isn't a feminist.
That's okay.
She is not a girl's girl and that's fine.
It's so unfair that people can unapologetically Stan Aegon and Daemon but draw the line at morally questionable women.
We love gray characters until a character is truly gray and a woman.
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Rhaenyra isn't better than Alicent, nor is Alicent better than Rhaenyra. These women are both brought to the heel of their patriarchal society at the helm of the most power it affords to women.
Neither of them are intersectional thinkers or necessarily progressing women's rights. Rhaenyra would rule then her son. Alicent will just have her son and grandson's rule.
It's a disservice to her character to pander to the idea of moral righteousness or bettering.
What happens to her happens because she is a woman. At every turn, her womanhood and the role of it will pigeon hold her in this society. That does not excuse her very questionable behavior.
Two things can be true.
For example, using my favorite girl, Nettles.
Under Viserys' rule with Alicent and Otto ruling this young girl is a sex worker to sustain her life. She is assumed to have lost her virginity to eat and was disfigured as punishment for wanting to eat. That was her assumed life under their rule. The entire time she has the capability to be a dragon rider.
Had it fallen normally to Rhaenyra nothing would've changed for her and like most of the women we see in that line of work she'd die at the hands of someone or from illness or pregnancy all while being able to claim a dragon.
Women do not need to be exceptional.
( Not everyone can be Nettles)
Women can just be legally named the heir and be heir.
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But to impose a moral code that these characters can never live up to is unfortunate. Again, I rise and say I love Rhaenyra, and I understand that she's been groomed by a crazy person and has the moral compass of every Targaryen after the conquest. She's that girl. I'm sorry for those who don't get it or feel the need to justify it.
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I also love Alicent, and as a victim of white people's nonsense in 2020 and the Hollywoodification of the feminist movement in the 2010s, you'll never see hate a woman when men are to blame. Seeing someone try to care about something, she has no understanding or ability to truly escape from is hard and a lot of you project the lack of understanding most people have had when it comes to feminism on her as a means to seem above her and what she does. We all fall short and to villanize her for it, is crazy, especially when the person we compare her to has access to do better and doesn’t pursue it.
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I'm still waiting for y'all to dislike Daemon for killing a wife, sleeping with a woman at his wife's funeral, and strangling the other after she miscarried their child. Let's not mistake splinters for planks.
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comradekatara · 3 months
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with another atla revival on its way (I hate Netflix) I’m starting to see “shipping wars” again and I’m hating/fighting for my life with all these z*tara shippers. I guess, for me, people who ship them together fundamentally don’t understand or even like Katara and yet they will hail themselves as the only people who get her (in what universe…) and claim that Zuko would have treated her infinitely better than Aang (I can’t with people). I’ve had a look on your page and FAQ and I think we share the same thoughts on the ship with the whole coloniser x colonised aspect (this is not to say I don’t like Zuko, but still). I guess what I’m asking is do you think these people get her as a character? ALSO finding out that the comic book writer shipped them and broke up Mai and Zuko made me feel some type of way.
i like how you said “on its way” only 22 hours ago (as of 2/29) despite the fact that natla fully came out a week ago. that said, i still haven’t seen it, so in my mind it also doesn’t exist (at least until i do actually watch it tomorrow). also, for what it’s worth, i do think that breaking up zuko and mai is the right call, it’s just that the execution was fucking awful, because gene yang cannot write for shit and doesn’t understand these characters. but it’s also really funny that he apparently ships zvtara (like, that tracks) but also their only prominent one-on-one interaction in the comics is when he physically restrains her…. lol. lmfao even.
as for the way zvtara shippers talk about katara and aang it truly is bonkers insane the lengths they’ll go and the reaches they’ll make to justify why their personal preference is, in fact, morally correct. i mean, intellectually correct is one thing, because i believe in making a persuasive argument and citing your sources, but morally correct??? they’ll act like aang is some awful toxic misogynist (yes, i know) and that zuko is in fact a paragon of support and respect for women. when we’ve all seen firsthand how he behaves as mai’s boyfriend (sidenote: the fact that they’ll claim that MAI is the one who is “abusive” to ZUKO is crazy. people hate women so fucking much it’s unreal).
in terms of how they discuss katara, it’s not so much the fact that the ship is literally colonizer/colonized (although it is), but the way that shippers deliberately play into these colonial biases and dynamics when portraying them. i actually think had zvtara shippers not been egregiously racist about it for so long, i wouldn’t really mind the ship itself. like, they are very obvious narrative foils who parallel each other in many ways and their arcs are inextricably bound up in each other and incredibly meaningful to both of them. i can understand why people read katara touching his scar in the catacombs or zuko jumping in front of lightning to save her as romantic. not my personal cup of tea, but like. it’s not NOT there. i don’t even object to people calling them soulmates tbh, because like. yeah. they are???
however. the complete lack of understanding as to what colonialism is or how it functions (ive literally seen ppl say that zuko isn’t a colonizer bc he never personally occupies territory, as if he didn’t BURN DOWN SUKI’S VILLAGE, and that the swt was colonized by the fn because they don’t explicitly occupy land like they do in the ek) really pervades the (romantic) interpretation of this dynamic as i’ve observed it over the years. a lot of katara in fire nation reds, as “fire lady,” abandoning her culture for zuko’s sake (despite this apparently being egregiously problematic when katara does this for aang’s sake). one time i came across a literal pocahontas au?!?!?? like. it’s SO dire.
and beyond the very obvious racism, the way they paint shipping zvtara as feminist and progressive is insane because, as you say, they do hate katara. i don’t know how to explain to these people that sanding down all her flaws and turning her into this angelic maternal endless well of compassion and emotional labor means you don’t actually like her character as it is presented in canon. acting as if katara lacks flaws (she is, in fact, deeply flawed) or so much more mature than the rest of her friends and must suffer that burden every day (hint: she’s not and she doesn’t) until the noble zuko comes along and is so gracious towards her and her alone (he’s literally the most immature of the lot, screams and whines at her, and at everyone) is just. a really impressive amount of editorializing. and they turn aang and sokka into these whiny, idiotic babies to justify that decision, as if aang and sokka are not highly intelligent, wise, capable, and responsible in their own right.
katara and zuko are in fact flawed in similar ways. they’re both impulsive, self-righteous, stubborn, myopic, callous, and filled with an unquenchable, blinding rage. it’s clear that when they are aligned in that rage, their dysfunction feeds into each other and they block the rest of the world out to satisfy their impulses. katara is able to pull back at the last moment in “the southern raiders” in a beautiful culmination of her internal character arc, but the entire build-up to this moment sort of showcases the ways in which they might not be great for each other as a couple. but people will do some incredible mental gymnastics to explain why they are nonetheless always right about everything, and why aang and sokka are always wrong and don’t understand katara at all. also, fwiw, reducing “the southern raiders” to who is right vs who is wrong when it’s actually about how various characters approach and process their grief in a deliberately subjective way is just. god. exhausting. i’m exhausted.
the thing about atla is that it is a well-written show, especially as far as its main characters are concerned. katara is so dear and special to me specifically because she is allowed to be so flawed and three dimensional and realistically human. and ignoring zuko’s myriad flaws means ignoring the depth that apparently makes him the most interesting character to 90% of atla fans. there really isn’t a need to editorialize and reduce canon to fit a neat little narrative, when the narrative that already exists is just. already really solid. and the thing is, i don’t even think you should have to change canon all that much to justify this ship, because it’s one of the central dynamics of the entire show. and yet, people still do. they really do. so i think that’s telling, don’t you?
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drbased · 1 month
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Does it ever make you ever feel depressed that men have more variation in IQ? That means even though there will always be more male idiots, there will also be more male geniuses. So women can excel in any field, but a man will almost always be the "best" in it. It just makes me feel inferior every time I think about it, way more than strength difference does. Not only that, but they also have higher variation in all types of brain structure. That would mean men are naturally more diverse, personality-wise.
Sometimes I get into these negative thought processes about stupid shit and it totally consumes me. This is my latest one... Please help
Hmm.
Well firstly, IQ is a completely fake concept designed specifically for eugenicist purposes. You can train for an IQ test, your score can change depending on the day, and your score doesn’t mean anything apart from how good you are at IQ tests. It’s not a measure of intelligence, and ‘intelligence’ isn’t real anyway - as in, there is no such quality of uniform intelligence. I think it stands to reason that the highest IQ scores will be from men, because the tests are constructed around a fundamentally male world-view and value system as well as a white one. And that is what depresses me more - that ‘intelligence’ is viewed as some innate quality that only oppressors can possess so they can prove that they deserve their place in a meritocracy. It’s like that controversy about men winning more at Jeopardy than women - the world is structured around male interests and values, so men achieve in mainstream contests and use that to retroactively justify the legitimacy of those values and interests in the culture.
I’m less interested in the concept of a man beating a woman at certain activities because of him being smarter than her, than I am about him beating her because he's socialised from a young age into enjoying and valuing those activities - but also often regardless of his actual performance, he's also by default assumed to be better and more competent than her purely because he's a man. Take for example that study where when they did blind auditions for orchestras, men still got in more than women, but when they put carpeting down so women's heels couldn't be heard, there was finally a more equal ratio of women getting in. Or those studies where identical CVs given out and names that are typical of women, black people etc. get seen as less competent than those with male and white names.
We don't live in a world where we can objectively measure men's 'natural' abilities at anything psychological. But we do live in a world where we know that women's skills are massively undervalued - women have all sorts of intelligences that make the world run round; we're excellent negotiators, we're less violent, we're great at remembering, we have greater compassion, we make good leaders, we are more responsible, we have greater tact, we are safer in the workplace, we're more conscious of social issues and the environment, etc. etc. And none of what we have is seen as 'intelligence'; in fact, quite the opposite - many of our intelligences are dismissed outright as sentimentality and pearl-clutching.
Once again, though, I don't believe these traits are uniform across all women, or that they're 'natural' to us, just as men's traits aren't 'natural' to them. In the nature-nurture debate, there are too many factors in nurture that can't be realistically measured - and I have a suspicion that for many, feminists included, simply saying that men and women naturally possess certain traits is an easier narrative to swallow, because for many women the fear exists that if men can be socialised to be better, then dismissing them as evil would be morally wrong. But I don't think people need to be intrinsically, ontologically evil for us to dismiss them as oppressors - I simply judge by behaviour, which is more measurable.
Going back to intelligence, I think it's also worth saying here that women are socialised into not recognised or appreciating our skills, and to partake in behaviours that psychologically hobble us. Take for example in that orchestra study - under a feminist lens, wearing heels is a form of hobbling that's both literal and psychological. The woman is performing a feminine ritual, wearing a physically debilitating item that submissively marks her as a woman. Not to say that she would be respected more if she was gnc, but I find it interesting how women accidentally lost their spot on the orchestra in the study because their performative clothing made them noisier and easier to recognise as women. And on top of that, we have stereotype threat - there was a study done where men and women were performing some sort of test, and in one half they were in normal clothes, and the second they were in swimwear. In the second one, women performed more poorly than they did in the first, and men saw no change. Once again, we have two inexorably interlinked factors at play, here - women's swimwear is not built for utility but rather to be sexy, and women's bodies are considered inherently sexual; that's not to say that if women were wearing men's swimwear they'd do better at the test, but rather women are socialised to be self-conscious of themselves but also expected to show more skin - we're expected to dumb ourselves down in the name of being sexy.
The upside in all of this is that the moment you recognise that these things aren't set in stone, and rather that these are all skills you can develop if you gain confidence in yourself, you develop a robust sense of self that you can be comfortable and happy with regardless of external measure of male-approved success. I, for example, found confidence in myself and my writing, and now I'm finding success and getting praise online by women on tumblr. It seems you're best finding yourself environments surrounded by other women, especially feminist-minded women who are consciously choosing to fight against established biases by valuing the skills of women that are undervalued by society. Devaluing male interests and achievements in your own head is something you can also do, and I once again recommend feminist spaces as an excellent opportunity to de-program (obligatory plug for my side blog @learningwomanhood where I do exactly that).
For me, the biggest wisdom to be gained from feminism is the psychological distancing yourself from male thought - the more things you reject that you once unthinkingly believed to be normal, the more you feel that you can truly be human, vibrant, unconstrained; and the more silly the whole enterprise of patriarchy looks. It's not nice that rejecting patriarchy means rejecting mainstream society, but the older you get the more you realise that you simply can't dwell on these things and instead have to do what benefits you within it; nobody is owed a perfect existence, and once you realise that you have to choose a life for yourself and choose to be happy with that, your life will be much more comfortable. In the end, life is all about the gestures of love you make to yourself and others. When you realise that it's your job to be your own best friend, you can carry that energy with you your whole life; you will be inpenetrable because all that matters to you, no matter what situation you're going through or what hell you're in, is that you made decisions that showed love to yourself. That could be considered a form of intelligence - perhaps wisdom itself is a form of intelligence that is devalued specifically because it's female-coded. But wisdom sounds like nothing until you internalise it - all the language in the world can't seem to really get to its essence until something inside you clicks and you understand it.
One thing I would like to say is that those negative thought processes you have are not stupid: they are a valuable part of your processing of the world and are worth attention. We have this cultural idea that with regards to mental health, the parts of us that are 'real' and 'valid' and 'truly us' are all the good parts, and the negative thought processes and patterns of behaviour are like cancerous tumours that need to be artifically removed. One of the best things I ever did for myself is to take myself seriously - because that's my prerogative, as myself and my own best friend. The only thing 'bad' thing about those thought processes is that they cause you distress; that's it. So, then, it's up to you to decide how much you want to indulge in them. I find the best way to really tackle unpleasant behavioural patterns is to simply do them shamelessly, because clearly a part of you wants to do them anyway; one of the first ways I got out of my depressive spirals was to decide that I was going to do all the depressive actions (stay in bed, eat junk food etc.) but simply embrace that those are things I want to do and not feel guilty or sad about it. That way, the depression hasn't consumed me and instead I have made a choice - I have reformed my relationship with myself as an active agent and a made a choice to show love for myself through the gesture of taking my desires seriously, not dismissing them as 'mentally ill'. I could go on but the point is that all of your head is necessarily you - as in, it doesn't come from anywhere else but you, and therefore all of it should be respected and valued. Mainstream society won't tell you that - there's always supposed to be a limit, there's always something that's 'unhealthy' in some sort of metaphysical sense, there's always a part of you that's supposed to be beholden to some external standard, that keeps you feeling insecure and needing validation. But there is no true objective measure of a healthy mind; the only thing that matters is if you're comfortable with yourself, and you can always make gestures of love to yourself regardless of your situation.
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https://www.tumblr.com/ecoterrorist-katara/743680863675580416?source=share
I know that you have already talked about the "female gaze" more than once, but what do you say about this?
Let's get the easier parts out of the way:
1 - The showrunners consider Aang the angel on Katara's shoulder on The Southern Raiders because Avatar is a kids show and the moral of the episode was "Hey, kids, even if you ever meet a truly horrible person don't immediately respond with violence, it could backfire horribly or push you to do something you'd regret later" not because they think she's an object that Aang gets to posses and control - hence them having Aang give her advice on what to do, but not try to prevent her from leaving nor judging her for not forgiving her mother's killer.
2 - Katara's point was NOT central to Zuko in that episode, at least not at first. By the end of the episode he understood and felt compassion for her and her family, but at the start he was only looking for a cheat-code to make Katara stop hating him because it reminded him of his screw ups. It was Zuko being entitled and trying to avoid consequences.
3 - "This thing is like the PLATONIC version of a thing that sometimes happens in romance" If it's platonic (you said it, not me) then it's not a "win" for your OTP. Zuko and Iroh's falling out after Ba Sing Se has lots of dramatic, super intense and heartbreaking moments, just like romances do - but their storyline is obviously not a romance and they are explicitly treated by the narrative as father and son.
4 - "Katara isn't hiding any side of her personality from Zuko" Katara doesn't hide any side of her personality for ANYONE - family, friends, rivals, enemies, strangers. Highlighing that she is herself with Zuko is pointless because she is herself with everyone, including people she does not like, which was the category Zuko fit into at the moment.
Now, onto yet another absurdly long take by this annoyed feminist that has had enough to the "Male Gaze VS Female Gaze" bullshit.
(Check this previous post before reading the rant in case you don't know these terms or what they mean/were supposed to mean)
Zutarians gotta learn that just because a trope is popular, that doesn't mean it is present in every story, and that NO TROPE appeals to a whole group of people, no matter how much they keep insisting that their ship is the "female gaze" - like that thing could ever even exist.
To give a practical exemple so people understand what I mean: Imagine that a woman wrote screenplay about a lesbian romance, which is then filmed by a female director, and edited by a woman. The actresses playing the lead roles also have their own perspective on the story and characters. The movie is then shown to 200 women, every single one of them has their own opinion on it.
Which of the women I mentioned above is going to speak FOR HER ENTIRE GENDER, and decide if that romance fits "the female gaze"? Do we take a survey and whatever points are repeated the most are taken as objectively correct due to being how the majority feels, and thus any differing opinion is treated as lesser and "not what women like" regardless of how many women feel that way? Do we only listen to the proffessional criticts in that audience of women and completely disregard the opinion of any woman that didn't study anything regarding cinema and writting?
Even if somehow it is decided that the movie fits into the "female gaze" - if all those women rewatch the movie years later and some of them feel differently about it, would that affect the definition? If their grand-daughters watch it 50 years later and don't agree with their grandmother's takes on it, does the definition change? If the movie is shown to other groups of women, from different countries, and they all have their own opinion on it that is radically different from that of the first group, which group of women gets to say "OUR culture's way of interpreting this story is the TRUE way women feel about it, everyone else doesn't count"?
If the movie is then shown to 200 men and they all like it, does that turn it from "female gaze" to "unisex gaze"? Does it become "Male Gaze" if the guys get aroused by it, even if the movie was designed to appeal to women and not to them AND there was no exploitation involved? If the 200 women then watch a movie that has scenes that are considered as having been made to appeal to guys, but some or all of them ALSO enjoy it (story of my life), does that make it change from "male gaze" to "Female Gaze"?
Gender is simply ONE out of many, many, many things that can impact how one views fiction - and it doesn't exist in isolation, being affected by generation, culture, language, religion, class, etc. The "Female Gaze" doesn't exist. It CAN'T exist because humans are more complicated than that. It is a concept that is almost fully divorced from reality.
Also I can't help but notice that, because of the way these terms work in the assumption of absolutes, no room for nuance, "MALE Gaze" is meant to describe lazy writting/film-making that is sexist towards women and cases of full on exploitation and abuse in which men were the abusers, and sometimes the label even gets attached to harmless things as a form of bad faith criticism just because guys like it - but "FEMALE Gaze" is NOT about lazy writting/film-making that is sexist towards men (say stories that full on say that a guy hitting a woman is bad, but a woman hitting a man is funny, or using "guys always want it" as justification for scenes of female characters forcing themselves on the male characters).
Instead, Female Gaze is meant to either neutral or POSITIVE. "This appeals to women" is used for praise, "this appeals to men" is used as criticism. Women are harmless, men are dangerous. Women are helpless victims, men are evil abusers. Women need to be protected and put on pedestal, men need to be hated and feared. Female desire is inherently pure, male desire is inherently objectifying. And, of course, any woman that disagrees is bad and a traitor and needs to be "called out for being anti-feminist" (aka be condescended to or full on attacked).
This is sexism, pure and simple. Anyone can be a victim, anyone can be an abuser. Anyone can like any kind of story, trope, genre, ship, etc. Desire is a morally neutral thing, and it doesn't become "pure" or "inherently corrupt" depending on the gender of the person who feels it.
The "Male Gaze VS Female Gaze" thing is nonsensical at best and perpetuates a dangerous double standard at worse, and I'm so fucking tired of it never being questioned because people are afraid of being labelled misogynistic.
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jenhoneys · 2 years
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fave autistic-coded sitcom characters
abed nadir (community) -- a fan favourite, a must love, if you will. also his special interest is refreshingly films and videography (like me !1!1!) instead of anything stem related.
frankie dart (community) -- look, if abed is on this list, frankie needs to be too. lesbian queen. strong principles. tells it like it is (but in an autistic way). is the only character to explicitly be shown to understand abed's view of life and the way he exists in the world.
jessica huang (fresh off the boat) -- if you don't think jessica huang is on the spectrum, have you even watched the show? doesn't understand the 'rituals' that people partake in when making friends (as an autistic immigrant who grew up in a white neighbourhood, i can relate), needs a schedule for Everything, hates when things don't go her way, is honest to a fault. special interest: stephen king, murder mysteries + christmas.
mary (bbc ghosts) -- love her, little ray of sunshine who has been through too much. her stims are everywhere and she never feels the need to hide them <3 plus she's played by queen katy wix (who is also autistic!)
gregory eddie (abbott elementary) -- a relatively new addition to the sitcom family, but instantly iconic. i love the way he talks about his relationship with food.
orla mccool (derry girls) -- peak Weird Girl representation. unapologetically herself and into her special interests, takes things so literally in a way that frames her as charming instead of stupid, and covers her ears when people are yelling/being too loud <3 also nb.
adrian mallory (space force) -- just a stubborn, 'sassy' man who loves space and has a very, very rigid moral compass.
keeley jones (ted lasso) -- stunner, icon, bicon, all around amazing person. also she's autistic. the Teeth thing, obsession with the colour pink (in EVERYTHING, not just her wardrobe), needs clarification a lot. doesn't feel jealousy for other women in a Strong Feminist way, a bisexual way, and an autistic way. no i do not take criticism.
coach beard (ted lasso) -- is incredibly knowledgeable about the things he is interested in, has a vast compartment of fun facts (to the extent that ted always asks when he needs more information). extremely observant, king of the deadpan face, is mostly non-verbal. special interests: chess + coaching.
tina belcher (bob's burgers) -- i don't personally watch bb, but i can dig it.
maurice moss (the IT crowd) -- like sheldon cooper, but better, but unfortunately british.
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papirouge · 6 months
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You'd think conservatives, who usually love bringing up male abuse to silence compete against feminists revendications, would be remotely moved by the images of Hamas/Palestine civilians chained like cattle half naked in the middle of the desert, but it would need for them to have actual moral consistency & basic compassion for other human beings ¯⁠\⁠_⁠(⁠ツ⁠)⁠_⁠/⁠¯
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nothorses · 8 months
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About your post about Educating People, it also means you have to give clear examples of how privilege, bigotry, and stereotypes actually work, because you can't be morally uppity that ignorant people can't fully grasp it.
So much online discourse makes me exhausted, because I see a post on my dashboard, and then immediately several posts talking about why that post is problematic, often without clear explanations.
Ironically, it was Writing With Color, a blog listing a bunch of stereotypes and actually engaging in discussion about the historical roots of why they exist, that helped me dismantle my racism, antiblackness, and sexism. I'm not white by the way! Far from it. But Writing with Color helped so much more in me understanding fandom racism than something like End OTW racism that seeks to moderate the fics of a goddamn archive, lmao.
I feel so many people assign a Moral Factor or Threshold you have to meet before you get to call yourself anti-ableist, anti-racist, a feminist, etcetera. And these same people often say, "Unlearning systemic oppression is a lifelong journey so just shut up and learn and stop your white fragility." (A valid point! But when someone makes a mistake that's likely stemming from extremely subconscious belief, they say, "Are you really an anti-racist, etcetera." )
I'm just tired of the guilt tripping, the gatekeeping. Leftism is being learned through scrambled social media condemning certain behaviors without connecting to the larger movement, and people are angry when others make the resulting mistakes. There is barely any kindness, lmao, or real education.
Yes, exactly!
Education is necessarily about community. In order to effectively educate people, you have to understand what and how they need to learn; where they're starting from, what the next steps might be, and how to engage them in that process.
You need to help them avoid shutting down, either because they feel overwhelmed or don't know where to start, or because they feel guilty and ashamed, or like they can't trust their teachers and mentors enough that they're able to open themselves up, ask for the help and clarity they need, and put their time and energy into the learning process for and with them.
Learning involves a lot of vulnerability! You're admitting things you don't know, you're asking for help, and you're trusting someone else to guide you in something you can't navigate alone.
Educating is difficult and taxing, and educators take on a lot of risk and harm in the process, too. But if we can't honor the vulnerability we're being trusted with, and we can't value the learning process, we're not going to be able to educate at all.
And if we want to see our values, knowledge, skills, and wisdom reflected in our communities, we need to engage in this process. We need to educate, and we need to learn.
And that's gonna take a lot of work, vulnerability, and trust that a lot of us, being very often traumatized people, are going to struggle with- which means it's that much more crucial that we share our progress by supporting others in making it as well. We need to trust people, forgive their mistakes, and initiate positive learning interactions ourselves. We need to show our communities patience and compassion, and we need to do it even (and especially) when it's not given to us first.
Change doesn't happen passively, and you can't destroy your way into creating something better.
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faggotflint · 3 months
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Help decide the fate of Night City
(A Cyberpunk RED TTRPG poll for my partner and I's home game, propaganda below the cut, and please reblog for a larger sample size)
Help decide the fate of Night City by voting for the new mayor of Night City. You can choose to read the propaganda or cast your vote randomly, but only you can decide the fate of my dear friends
Night City hasn't had a mayor in 19 years, instead, it has been run by a Council of Representatives of each of the major brands that own a share of the city, but recently there's been a call for an election for a singular body to be at the head of the city, as the people of Night City have come to believe the council to be corrupt (and yeah, they think electing one of those said corrupt fucks into office will fix things, but are you really one to judge right now?)
So, let's meet the contenders shall we
First up we have Phillip Roland, Phillip, care to say a few words?
"A Vote for Roland is a Vote for family values. Night City has become an unsafe place to raise our children. Philip Roland understands that if you want to do something the right way, you should do it the old-fashioned way. I promise to establish a foundation for public safety and truly earn the NC's title of 'The City of Dreams'"
Right, and your official corporate sponsor is?
"Petro-Chem"
Alright, thank you, Mr. Roland, next up we have Gerald Albertsun, Mr. Albertsun, a few words?
"A+ for Albertsun, give it already! When the people watch me stream on the Net, they don't think; "Oh, he's gonna fund another war with Croatia" no, they see a guy who screams in his underwear, who also got his start by making Company Garrison 2 tutorial videos, betcha didn't know that!
Uh-huh, right, and uh, your corporate sponsor?
"Danger Gal"
Wonderful, next up we have the Representative of the Hot Zone Hadel Greene
"Let me ask you something, when you look up at the sunset, what do you think of? I think that it's a red sky we all live under, rich or poor. That's why if I'm voted in, I can assure the people that union houses will be built, they will be full, and ready to meet the demands of the-" *mic cuts out*
Wow, that is wonderful, thank you for that Mr. Greene, and, your sponsor is?
*A dubbed voice over an image of Hadel Greene says* "Rocklin Augmentics"
Thanks again Mr. Greene, Now let's move on to Vogel Grill, care to say a few words Mr. Grill?
"Let's get real, the shareholders of Night City know what's best for the people! You don't think the drug addicts on the streets know what to do if you gave them a house, a car, or even a job right? That's why if I'm voted in, I'll ensure the equity of Night City commerce to exceed expectations!"
Wonderful, thank you Mr. Grill, and your sponsor is?
"SovOil"
Right, now, next up is Turanga Ogawa, the Official Arasaka sponsee in this race *interviewer winks at the camera knowingly*
"Arasaka has been the moral compass to which I've lived my life by, they have never steered me wrong. They were so gracious to give people employment, including my fellow candidate Hadel, after the terrible attack in 2023. That is why, when I am sworn in, I shall uphold the same values as I was raised with."
Alright, now, lets take a look at the other side of the gender line here, starting with the fiercest feminist you know, Mrs. Karen Horvolt
"When I'm in charge of Night City, I'm going to ensure it's by women for women, too many men have and abuse too many positions of power, that's why we need to have a feminine perspective. A reset if you will, why don't we make them stay at home and cook and clean for us? Honestly what else are they good for?"
Wonderful, and who is your sponsor in this race?
"See, this is what I mean by men being useless, my sponsor is Continental Brands"
And last, but Certainly not Least, we have Ms. Esperalda Rodrigues
"All this talk of protecting Night City, and no one here has been deployed save for me. Too many unruly characters are let through customs both on to the East and West, why do you think we have such a high rate of violence? You need someone with Military expertise to put people in their place whether they like it or not, that's what I'll do for you Night City."
I see, well, thank you Ms. Rodriguez, and your Sponsor Ma'am
"Militech"
Alright, well, I hope this has helped you to learn a little bit more about each of the candidates and what they can offer Night City, please don't forget to cast your vote this September 11th at your local Night City Polling Station
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If there is one thing I am sure of within suicide, it is that I have no idea why men do it. And neither do you.
Even those closest to those lost; parents, partners, friends and family, are left never really knowing ‘why?’
Heartbreaking and impossible questions, that may never be fully answered, by anyone.
And yet, somehow an entire army of social justice warriors, moral guardians and cereal box psychologists, seem entitled to present their own one word answer to ‘why men do it’ anyway.
That’s right.
The devastated partner has no idea, and yet some asshole on Instagram has the answer.
Not just the answer for one man, but all men, all doing it for the same reason, apparently.
So we arrive at ‘toxic’ this, and ‘patriarchy’ that; each slogan doing its best to pathologise masculinity, and provide simple and meaningless answers, without evidence, to impossibly complex, individual problems.
And it’s not good enough.
What’s more, as a man, I have learnt to sit down and listen when it comes to women talking about women’s issues.
I agree, discussion for women, must be led by women.
So the same is true for men.
Discussion on men, and particularly male suicide, must be led by men and boys, and bereaved families, and not gate kept by bogus feminist theory.
Suicidal men, and the families of those who have lost loved ones, must be our eternal point of reference for male suicide advocacy and research. It is where we must start, and continually return to, forever and always.
More than any other, #malesuicide is not the place to make bigoted blanket assertions about masculinity or men. It is a place to listen, without judgement, and with compassion.
So let’s do that now.
Let’s ask the men dealing with suicidality, how it feels, and what we can do to help.
~
Study: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4611172/
==
There's always a scramble to cast male suicide as a flaw of men, or maleness itself. This seems to function as a way to deny that there could be external factors that disproportionately affect men. You know, except the mythical dragon of "tHe pAtRiArChY."
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possibleblonde · 5 months
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My Thoughts on Poor Things
This movie was beautiful, and I was mesmerized by nearly every shot; oddly enough, the wide-angle and fish eye shots were my favorite. The unique landscape and vibrant, contrasted world was incredible to see. In some ways the world reminded me of Beau is Afraid, though with a little more garnish whimsy and less outright terror. The fashion, the cinematography, the settings, the score oh my god; technically, this movie is one of my all time favorites
Mark Ruffalo’s character was incredible and he should receive every accolade for his performance. Though I did find it funny to lean over to my sister and say “Hulk SMASH” every time he got into a fight, his embodiment of the character at play was perfect; he felt truly tangible throughout the story. By far, he was my favorite character in the entire movie (his actions despicable, his moral compass disgusting, his arc so fun and nearly theater-esque—“BELLAAA” was one of my favorite scenes, and one I wish lingered longer)
Similarly, Emma Stone’s performance was indescribable. Her physicality and embodiment of Bella was unlike something I’ve ever seen. She was completely believable at every stage in Bella’s journey, and her movement reflected that. Bella’s growing up was so subtle, yet noticeable all at once; by the end of the movie, it was hard to remember where it began.
I can appreciate the subtextual critique of the Born Sexy Yesterday trope, and the feminist themes for what they are. Overall, it was satisfying to see Bella “win” at the end of the day and take control of her narrative. 
However, however.
This trope, this story, is such a unique and powerful metaphor for what women, what girls, go through in their life and in coming to terms with their sexuality, and I was so disappointed by the narrative the movie ended up pushing.
It was so heavy handed at moments when it wanted us to understand what it was trying to tell. When Bella was at the Brothel, after she saw the cruelty in Alexandria, the characters’ practically told us what they wanted us to hear; we nearly had fourth-wall breaks in some of the emotional climaxes of the story.
I wish, I wish, that at any point—towards the end, when Bella learned what she was, towards the beginning, with the proposal of marriage, in the middle, in the climax, during the end credits—that it was a little more directly addressed that these men were in love with a child. Perhaps the absurdity of Mark Ruffalo’s character and his satirical fall to madness, his comedic portrayal and garish nature, was meant as a metaphor to laugh at these men for falling in love with a child. Yet, her true final husband, God’s assistant, is shown in an entirely sympathetic, forgiving and nearly hero-istic light, but he had no qualms with sleeping with her as a child. No, he had issue with sleeping with her out of wedlock. And she is forgiving, understanding, and loving of him (maybe because he doesn’t just love her for her body—but still).
Maybe it is from personal experience, from my own traumatic dealings with sexual assault at a younger age, of my body being treated older than I was in mind, that I find such fault with the message (that I ultimately took away) of “women should be allowed to do what they want with their bodies” and “men should not take advantage of women and treat them as things to be had”. It was a story of one women’s fight for her autonomy; yet at the end, she had no anger, no rage nor hate; she was told by her employer at the brothel that this was the way of things, essentially; she does say at one point that she feels rage—but I don’t think we saw any of that. I think we saw a young woman having a lot of sex in a shitty situation and coming to terms with it, and eventually, making her own way in the world and getting revenge in the ways she could. 
But I wanted to see her cut Mark Ruffalo’s dick off. I wanted to see her scream. I wanted to see her cry tears for her body. I wanted to see her feel something—anything—for the way her autonomy had been taken from her in a tangible way once she came to understand it.
Maybe that was Yorgos’s attempt in the third act, but it was so heavy handed it nearly felt absurd (and not in a good way)—her old husband tried to mutilate her, she turned him into a goat. Girl Power.
This story had such a ripe metaphor for grooming and the sexual exploitation of young girls that it was bursting at the seams. It’s essential to her character the moment she first meets Ruffalo. It is part of her journey, part of her growth; rarely is it addressed directly by the film.
This movie could have been radical, could have been bolder and braver in its message; it had all the makings to do so. It could have been such a moving and empathetic story about the exploitation of young women, of how men have oft viewed girls, of the pain and anger and betrayal of being groomed. And yet, in the third act, it fell flat in the name of a feministic tale it feels has been told through movies throughout time—Barbie, this year, or even Emma Stone’s Easy A. And while these stories are not at fault for their message, and their themes should be shown and are valuable as they are, this movie just had so much potential to do more.
Maybe it is my fault for identifying with aspects of Bella’s character that I felt unexplored. Perhaps it is my undoing that I saw my trauma in hers, that I wanted her to feel the pain that I did when I came to terms with my own experiences. It is possible that I have asserted myself onto Bella, in a lack of feeling that these stories have not been shown so brutally and honestly (as they could’ve been here) before.
Yet I feel it is undeniable that women who have been groomed can watch this movie without seeing Bella, in many ways, as a metaphor of themselves. And it is hurtful that her trauma was left with passive acceptance and forgiveness by all who were there to witness it, that only a man in her past life (a life we did not see) faced true consequence, that at no point in the movie, like other messages, was it directly addressed. Had other themes not been outwardly spoken by the characters so obviously, maybe I would be more forgiving that this one was left to be pieced together.
It is a beautiful and wonderful film that should be awarded for what it is. But I am disappointed for what it could’ve been, and for that it feels hollow. It saddens me more that this metaphor now feels as though it has been used up by this story when it could have been explored for so much more. And now I am left with the feeling that it is my bearing to forgive what I have endured; in many ways this is true, but I somehow leave feeling guilty all the same.
In the end, I am grateful to have watched Poor Things. I would recommend it to the occasionally sexist film buff friend. But I would not recommend it to my youngest sister; though for her, I hope she can watch it and never feel the same as I did. 
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drbased · 6 months
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TRAs see my eloquence and compassion and go 'have you thought about the fact that you're supporting evil??' My dear, do you think the reason I'm able to speak like this is despite the ideological position I hold? I'm like this because of radical feminism. I wouldn't be able to be as coherent in my analysis, or as morally logical and consistent as I am without the firm groundwork laid by women/feminists today and before me. I am actually a whole person, my politics and morals and logic are firmly aligned and are water-tight. Sorry you can't see that, but your patronising 'it might be worth thinking about x' is really irksome especially when it displays your complete ignorance towards me. When any TRA who asks me to 'think about x', I invite them to follow me and read my extensive thoughts on the subject, and they never respond.
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maya what is your favorite philosopher??
Hii thank you for asking. My favorite philosopher is Immanuel Kant. I find his ideas to be particularly powerful and insight-provoking. His thoughts on morality, logic, and metaphysics have been incredibly influential in my own life and thoughts. He provided a framework for understanding things like autonomy, duty, freedom, and enlightenment that I find really inspiring and thought-provoking.
Kant's theories have been transformative for me in terms of how I think about morality and its ethical implications. He proposed that morality should be based on treating people as ends in themselves, not mere means to an end. This has given me a useful framework for making decisions in my own life and understanding how my actions affect others. Additionally, Kant's concepts of transcendental idealism influenced my thinking about how we understand reality and the power of the human mind to interpret life.
But I also adore many others that I’ll list here.
First up on my list is Baruch Spinoza, a 17th century Dutch philosopher. He was an uncompromising rationalist who believed that all phenomena can be explained by reference to their natural causes. He also held that the universe is an infinitely extended substance that can neither be created nor destroyed.
Albert Schweitzer is another of my favorite philosophers. He was a medical missionary and activist who strove to bring kindness and compassion to all of his interactions. He firmly believed that it is everyone's responsibility to make the world a better place and that it must start with taking care of ourselves and each other.
Lastly I have to mention my girl, Simone de Beauvoir. She was a French feminist writer and existentialist who wrote extensively about gender issues. She argued that society creates roles for men and women based on the idea of biological determinism, which is the idea that biology gives us predetermined roles and characteristics in life.
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phoenixkaptain · 1 year
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I saw someone call Legally Blonde sexist and it makes me honestly wonder if they even watched it???
Maybe the movie is wildly different, but the entire point of the musical is accepting yourself and being as feminine as you want because stereotypical femininity doesn’t make you any less intelligent or capable.
Elle’s entire story arc is going from thinking that she has to wait for Warner to propose to her, thinking that she can’t look too desparate to get married because that will make Warner look bad, to proposing to her boyfriend at the end of her graduation speech. She learns that she doesn’t have to wait for a man, she doesn’t have to make life decisions based on a man, she can make changes to her life and circumstances entirely of her own volition.
The entire point of the musical is staying true to oneself. Callahan, the literal villain, tells his students that they have to change themselves to be taken seriously. They have to change their moral compass, and they have to win every case by any means possible. He mocks them for thinking compassionately. He doesn’t even entertain the idea that a woman who teaches self defense didn’t murder her own husband. He teaches Elle that she has to change herself to be taken seriously in any context, but no matter how much she changes, she’ll still just be viewed by him as eye candy.
Meanwhile, the actual mentor figure is Emmett (at least when it comes to law). Emmett’s song is the antithesis of Blood in the Water. Chip on Your Shoulder is about sticking to your guns. Emmett tells Elle all about his motivations to be at Harvard law, and his motivations and backstory fuel his entire character. He grew up with just his mom and the men his mom dated, not very good men, and he became protective of his mom. He’s there to make his mom proud, he’s there to make his mom happy, he’s there because he made this chance for himself and he’s taking it.
Unlike Callahan’s point of changing yourself to be taken more seriously, Emmett’s is entirely about how Elle doesn’t have to change herself, she just has to actually start putting effort into studying. He doesn’t expect her to change anything about herself except for the amount of work she’s doing. He teases her, but he’s completely accepting of her interests.
Emmett is the one who inspires and teaches Elle to be passionate about school, not Callahan, and it’s because Emmett’s teaching methods involve staying true to your morals. Staying true to yourself.
More than that, the entire musical is built on Elle’s relationship with her female friends. The “Greek choir,” the female students, Paulette, Brook Wyndham, etc. Enid is one of my favourite examples, since she has this line: “I used to pray for the day you’d leave, swore and down you did not belong. But when I’m wrong, then I say I’m wrong, and I was wrong about you. So listen up! I see no end to what you’ll achieve, that’s only if you don’t turn and run. You proved it to me, now show everyone what you can do.”
Enid is a feminist and generally, in the beginning, is snide about Elle, but she learns from Elle that she doesn’t have to be afraid of showing her own femininity. Enid is in a highly male-dominated field and she’s a lesbian; she acts more masculine and tries to fit in with the boys, and she does this because she wants desperately to be taken seriously. Elle shows her that she doesn’t have to pretend. She goes from looking down on Elle to looking up to her, and the character arc is just super sweet.
Legally Blonde is about as far from sexist as it’s possible to be. Just because a few characters (who are literally antagonists or are misguided and grow and change over the course of the story) are sexist, that doesn’t make the core of the musical misogynistic. It’s not, and to look at it that way is incredibly diminutive.
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hyenaswine · 4 months
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doesn't Kathleen lean a bit you know terf-ish?' Her band did play michfest if I remember it right.
that was a long time ago & sources say she's since apologized & said she regrets it (even though she played michfest multiple times & its policy of excluding trans women has been known about forever), but i'm too lazy right now to find exact quotes. you can google around. basically i've come to find kathleen's politics to be pretty superficial & self-centered, but she's been a fixture in my life for a long time who was important to me when i was first developing a feminist consciousness. riot grrrl in MY opinion was always sort of accidentally transmisogynist rather than maliciously or deliberately so, which still isn't good ofc but a lot of the key figures of that movement have since evolved. tl;dr i don't think kathleen's a terf (in fact i know she's not - see below), i think she's just kind of lazy, & i do not look to her as a moral compass.
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