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The Manketplace of Broideas! February 18, 2013

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Trigger Warning March 31, 2012

Posted by FCM in authors picks, books!, feminisms, prostitution, rape.
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i wrote most of this before the great cotton ceiling debacle of 2012 feminist emergency and ive been thinking about it on and off ever since, when i wasnt thinking or writing about trans.  tending to feminist emergencies is real work too, but the other stuff doesnt stop just because someones picked up the red phone and had good reason to use it.  ive been thinking about “trigger warnings” and going down the rabbit hole of what men are and what men do, and all the obstacles in front of us, preventing us from knowing the real, whole truth.  all of it.

allectos post on big porn inc has haunted me ever since i read it.  whenever i read stuff like that, stuff thats truly, truly “triggering” it changes me.  i dont know where this word “trigger” came from or what people think it means, perhaps especially what its supposed to mean when its used by those who arent being “triggered” (ie. men in feminist spaces mostly, if not exclusively) but i should think that “warning: you are about to be permanently changed by what you are about to know, and you are dangerously close to knowing it but still have the choice to know or not know at this point, its not too late to hold onto your ignorance of this one thing” would seem like a more accurate and honest descriptor, although its long and doesnt exactly roll off the tongue.  and…something to do with size.  like you think the world is the size it feels to you now, but theres actually much, much more to it than that, do you want the world to get bigger immediately?  yes/no?  if not, stop now.

and before you continue, there are no graphic depictions of anything in this post.  im talking about trigger warnings in a meta way, and discussing horrific sexualized violence in a general way.  not giving you an actual trigger warning.

the horrors that men perpetrate on women and children (and non-human animals) are literally beyond any of our (women’s) imagining, i think.  some of “us” and those among us have experienced some of this first hand, some of the horrors that really likely are a 10 on that scale, but even they, i dare say, cannot imagine the many, many other things that men do that are also a 10.  the horror and the magnitude of the horror registers and the memories are there, and the 10 has been acted out on bodies and minds but still, the details must evade us.  mustn’t they?  because men are extremely creative, when it comes to thinking up ways to harm, and actually harming women and children.  creative torturers and death-dealers.  if thats not the most necrophilic thing i have ever heard, then i dont know what is.  its also a reversal of the highest order.  they are destructive, in every way.

and in my travels, as i am sure has happened in most of yours, i have had cause to know about some extremely horrifying things that men do to girls and women.  there are no words to describe the atrocity of these things, not to mention the audacity of the perpetrators, and relaying “just the facts” would provide wanking material to some perv, so i wont do it.  but every single time i heard, saw or read about one of the many things men do to girls and women, it changed me.  the details were always different, and so each instance changed me in a new way.  the only thing that was constant was the horror and the misogyny, and the world getting bigger, and the fact that i identified, always, with the victim, because these things were always being done by men, to women and girls.  it is the truth, and i accept it as the truth.  and i resist and activate when and how i can, and i think my feminist-consciousness and all radical-feminist consciousness is reality-based.

10 was a big year for me. thanks nightly news (rape)! thanks disney version of swiss family robinson (gang rape reference)! thats rated G btw.

but.  i also know that there are things i dont know,  and that there are devils in the details.  and that there are millions, billions of details.  there are literally endless ways that men can harm girls and women, whether its planned beforehand, improvised at the time, or repeated or reenacted from somewhere else.  i suspect that during the throes of misogynistic violence that a kind of “creative” or reverse-creative energy is unleashed and men are able to come up with some truly unimaginable ideas and acts that a person who was not in the throes of misogynistic violence would literally be unable to imagine.  its as if they tap into a collective misogyny or hundreds of thousands of years of history, and coupled with their own sickness and the chemical torrent that accompanies this act and this being, they perpetrate atrocities that are literally beyond imagining.  and then they document it, and pass it along as a part of men-only oral and written history.  they never have to reinvent the wheel, unless they want to.  they can always take it further, and the next guy takes it even further than that.  its literally a kind of industry with its own industrial revolutions, and they are taking each other down that road with advancements in technologies and epistemologies and they are having breakthroughs and they have their own thinkers and geniuses and someone invented the equivalent of “gains from specialization” and another one came up with electricity and its entirely possible that things are getting worse.  from womens perspective anyway.

so anyway, about the details.  every single time i hear of another variation on this theme, it changes me.  the world gets bigger.  and in a very traumatic way.  if i were to force myself to know every detail, for one thing, i couldnt: there would always be something that was unknowable, and advances happening in mens horrific industry of misogyny and sexualized violence all the time so that some of the details would always be out of my reach.  but.   imagine that i dedicated my life to knowing the truth, the whole truth about men and what they do to girls and women, and that the whole truth included the details.  because it does.

i would be changed a hundred times a day, or once for every detail i learned.  every single one, every single time.  the world would get bigger every time, where one second i literally hadnt realized that the world i inhabit is the same world in which that happens, and now i know.  those worlds are the same.  this expanding world would expand infinitely, there would be no end of it.  because of the details.  and where that kind of change would be happening to any of us daily, if we made the commitment to know about it, about the details, everything else would be required to remain the same.  same job.  same dick-pleasing job requirements.  same schedule.  same clothes.  most of our patriarchally-defined worlds are not compatible with this much, or this kind of change.  this is deliberate.

this world could keep expanding forever. do you want it to? why/why not?

you cant stay up all night crying, or your eyes will be all puffy the next day and you really need your sleep because you cant be late; you cant stop eating (or start to eat too much) even temporarily out of the sheer horror of what youve seen, because then your clothes wont fit; you cant call in sick no matter how sick you feel, and how sick you are from the knowing.  you cant.  nothing else would change, but you.  nothing would get bigger except your world.  which is everything, from your perspective; but thats just you.

so, i guess i would suggest that we might start thinking about that, if we havent already; and perhaps even zeroing in on the details of how to create a world for ourselves and other women that is compatible with this kind of constant change, and consistent with knowing the truth, the whole, entire truth about what men do to women and girls.  because what we have right now isnt.  and men benefit from women not knowing.  they probably even depend on it.

On Consumerism (Prophylactic Goods and Sexxxay Services) October 26, 2011

Posted by FCM in health, international, liberal dickwads, PIV, politics, pop culture, porn, prostitution, WTF?.
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theres a lot of talk about the economy lately isnt there?  and i once heard someone say something about the environment too!  you know, just in passing.  but what i have never heard (at least not yet) is anyone besides radfems seriously considering the implications of PIV and PIV-centric sexuality on both.  which means they arent really taking any of this seriously.  or more to the point, if it gets in the way of anyones precious PIV, its not an option: if a solution to any problem comes at the price of decreased sexxxay, the cost is simply too high.

heres one example of someone (kinda-sorta) going down that road and stopping abruptly: when discussing so-called “eco-sexuality” or “green sexuality” the best they can come up with is biodegradable lube and green vibrators.  what the fuck?  they hint at a female-centered sexuality and one thats good for the planet, yet they never come out and say that noone should be engaging in PIV because its male-centric and destructive.  they dont seem to care at all that if you have to purchase a product to engage in it, whatever you are doing is consumerist and supports profit-driven economies.  and that these things are not sustainable, and make already rich and powerful men even richer and more powerful-er.  biodegradable lube?  really?  how about the effects of overpopulation on the planet, as the direct result of mandatory PIV and unwanted and ambivalent pregnancies?  they dont say.

heres another example: at nopornnorthhampton they stress the importance of sustainable sex, which sounds really good!  since the average professional longevity of a female porn actor is a few months to a couple of years for example, its very easy to see that a certain kind of “sex” and sexuality is not sustainable for women, and indeed is not compatible with life for women.  while NPNH advocates for the abolition of porn and prostitution, it doesnt seem to care that PIV itself is not sustainable for women, if for no other reason than the vaginal changes that occur at menopause (not to mention all the stress, spending and consumption that comes with it).  heres how they see it:

Green sexuality is sustainable sexuality. It is characterized by long-term, mutually respectful relationships that enhance the lives of the lovers and the wider world. Green relationships look more like erotica and less like porn. Green sexuality is a union between two equals, embracing both heterosexual and homosexual bonds but excluding polygamy, adult-child sexual relations and bestiality.

Green relationships are mindful of the impact of sexual choices on physical and mental health. They value integrity, wholeness and communication and avoid exploitation, abuse, promiscuity, infidelity and prostitution.

Green sexuality is consistent with the principles of the larger green movement, emphasizing long-term thinking, respect for other people, and an awareness of the consequences of personal choices. The green lover avoids mindless excess. By giving up superficial, fleeting, unsatisfying experiences, green relationships cultivate a finer, deeper, richer and more robust way of living.

at least they are willing to exclude certain things, bravely venturing into sex-negative “prude” territory by rejecting bestiality (!) and “avoiding” prostitution and abuse (is that the same as excluding them outright?  if so, why make the distinction here between what they “exclude” versus what they merely avoid?  im just asking).  well im sorry but thats not good enough.  anyone who is considering the long-term health and wellbeing of women and sustainable sexuality for women must address the problems of short-term payoff versus long-term consequences of PIV, and must perform this analysis separately when examining the practice from the perspective and experience of men versus the perspective and experience of women.  this is obvious when so many women report that there really is no short-term payout for them from PIV at all, and that they dont even like it.

but nobodys going there are they?  because going there means having to examine PIV for reals, which quickly and obviously exposes it as a harmful cultural practice that benefits men at womens expense.  and to admit that this is the case, and that so many men continue to do it anyway, casts men in a very unflattering light.  even the allegedly “good ones” who would otherwise not harm a fucking fly.  how very fortunate to be a fly, then.  meanwhile, men and women are advancing and advocating for green movements generally that dont even have womens or the environments best interests at heart, ignoring womens specific and unique concerns (as approximately half the population of the planet, give or take) and failing to consider real solutions if it would mean putting an end to PIV.  this, they cannot have.  even at the obvious cost of successfully achieving the very result they say they are aiming for.  which means they are lying about what they really want, does it not?  i mean really.  the refusal to examine certain practices and solutions out-of-hand is highly suspicious.

and women are participating in progressive movements generally alongside men who refuse to give up their precious sexxxay, including PIV and porn, and alongside men who are actually having PIV with actual women on the ground in the middle of the actual protest itself, with people having to step over them, and creating a market for novelty condoms to celebrate (and mitigate the harms of) all of this, without seeing or caring that there is a very serious problem with that for women.  and that its all very consumerist to boot.

theres a big old pot of steaming reality brewing on the radfem blogs, for anyone whos interested in fully waking from this nightmare.  of course, everyone reading here already knows that.  and once again, radfems are putting it all on the line and creating community for women who wake up from all of this alone, and finding themselves very suddenly unsupported by their protesty PIV-entitled bretheren and the women who make excuses for them, with nowhere else to go.  but DAMN its so fucking aggravating.  and its so BORING.  lets go to the ends of our thoughts, people.  its called intellectual honesty, and internal consistency.  and its not too much to ask.

and PS.  porn is a consumer product.  DUH.

Fun-Fem Roundup: Long Island Serial Killer May 14, 2011

Posted by FCM in entertainment, feminisms, meta, pop culture, prostitution, trans, WTF?.
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as many of you are probably aware, law enforcement on long island, new york has a serial killer on its hands.  and when i say “serial killer” in this case (and as is often the case) i mean a mass-murderer of prostituted women.  and a man is doing this, obviously.  although we all have to pretend that it might be a woman doing it, until we know for sure right?

this isnt the first time this has happened in the area.  long island was also the birthplace of one “Joel Rifkin, a Long Island resident who killed at least nine prostitutes in New York City between 1989 and 1993.”  bold mine.  and those nine (nine!) are just the ones we know about, and represent half of his total known-vicitm count which appears to be 18.  in the current case, 10 bodies have been found decomposing on a long island beach in the last year; four have been identified as prostituted women who found johns on craigslist.

recently it was discovered that the area has been used as a body-dumping ground for awhile; in addition to the four women who were advertising on craiglist (which are believed to have been killed by the same man i mean genderless, sexless human, possibly female) the other bodies are now believed to include other known prostituted women who have been missing for years, and one man and a female child.

so those are the facts, and of course this has made national news.  so what do the fun-fems have to say about all this?  about the safety of prostituted women in the face of the predictable, normalized and routine violence of their johns; about the inherent harms of PIV-centric sexuality to women (okay thats a stretch, and its not like they will ever come clean about that one will they?) or about the fact that we are related to, living next to and partnering with male-bodied persons who believe that prostituted women are essentially warm meat, to be killed and consumed (or consumed, then killed) and thrown away?  or that the cops dont really care about it, because nobody really cares about prostituted women, or any woman?

and how about…the acceptance and persistence of male PIV-entitlement that runs so deep and wide that essentially all women and all men everywhere believe that men are absolutely entitled to PIV-on-demand from any and all women, all the time?  and that raping and killing (or killing then raping) prostitutes is the way some men “have sex”?

welp…see for yourselves.  when i searched the ever-popular fun-fem blog feministe for “long island serial killer” this is what i found:

one result, and its not even about the long island serial killer.  its about “lost.”  the TV show.  and some ads.  now thats good feminist commentary!

next, i performed the same search over at the fun-fem hub itself, feministing.  heres what was returned:*

two hits.  one is about the polar bear club (WTF?) and the other actually does pertain to the long island serial killer!  yay!  so feministing is doing better than feministe, but not by much.  when i read the article, however, this is what i found.  from “Protect Don’t Prosecute: Amnesty for Long Island Sex-Workers“:

Many of you may have heard the the [sic] awful details of a case on Long Island in which the remains of a total of ten people who were killed while apparently doing sex work were discovered on a beach in Long Island. Four identified bodies were women, but they haven’t disclosed the sex of the remaining six bodies.  [yes!  because some of the victims might be men i mean they might actually be human.  one of them *might* even be a transwoman, or a male prostitute, which seems especially compelling now that one of the victims has apparently been identified as a young man.  now that would be worth writing about!]

[some fun-fem] has launched a campaign requesting amnesty for all prostitution related offenses. Amnesty needs to be promised for all sex workers for people to be able to come forward with information about this case.  [see how sneaky that is?  all prostitution-related offenses.  not all prostituted women.  this includes amnesty for johns too!  yay!]

bold, red, italics and brackets mine.  this is feministings summation of the issue:  its “awful,” (at least they didnt say it was “shocking” i guess?) that some “people” (not women) were “killed” (not murdered by men) while they were “working” (yep, just another day at the salt mines!)  and…amnesty for johns!

so help me out here people: should i even bother going to the curvature?  sure ok why not.

i really did save this one for last, i wasnt even going to go, and i wrote this entire piece without knowing.  but in the end was this:

no results found.  could it be any more obvious that an active, experienced radical feminist HUB is desperately needed, and that people seeking out feminist commentary, including (but not limited to) commentary on current events need an alternative?  no.  no, it probably could not.

*since writing this piece, i see that feministing has added one!  when i searched “long island serial killer” on feministing today, 5/14/11, a third hit appeared which is a transcript of a speech given by “friend of feministing” [some fun fem] to rile up the crowd for slutwalk.  heres the phrase that returned this post as a hit to my keyword search:  “Right now, there’s a serial killer loose on Long Island, and the police aren’t doing fuck all about it because he’s mostly killing sex workers.”   okay!  and this unfortunate sidenote i mean gratuitous reference to a decidedly sexxxay current news item is going to be remedied or even affected at all by slutwalk, how, again?

On Feminist Writing May 3, 2011

Posted by FCM in books!, meta, pop culture, prostitution.
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i was inspired to write another “creativity” post after finishing joanna russ’s classic “how to suppress womens writing.”  i have been avoiding actually doing it though, because i am kinda sick of scanning pages out of books…but what do i know really?  i just work here.  and unfortunately, for anyone who hasnt heard, ms. russ died last week.  boo!  its just horrifying to me that so many elder feminists are dying recently…but thats probably another post.
anyway…joanna russ was a (relatively?) well-known feminist science fiction writer.  as a perfect (perfect!) example of that, heres the prologue to “how to suppress womens writing” in its entirety:

hello!  that first part is priceless isnt it?  russ apparently wrote this book, which is nearly pocket-sized although not exactly an effortless read, during a seven-month convalescence, and her intent was to “define patterns” that have persisted over a century or more, in mens minimizing, mischaracterizing, appropriating, ridiculing and erasing womens written work.  she identifies 9 general strategies by which this is accomplished, and gives examples of each.  now, i am not really that interested in literature, you know, which may have quite a lot to do with the fact that almost all of it has been written by misogynist dudes (though not all of it, as russ notes: it has been a common tactic of women writers to use male-sounding pen-names for example…producing profound works which were initially praised, then instantly downgraded and recategorized once the literary critics realized that women had written them.  wuthering heights being a prime example).

no, i am not interested in that kind of writing, not really.  what i am interested in is radical feminist commentary, addressing any and all subject matter, utilizing any and all media (currently, i am utilizing short essays and graphics, and am particularly fond of the silly-graphic, but serious ones are good too).  and what struck me when i was reading russ’s book is not only how women, as a sexual class, are not supposed to be writing at all, but that the subject matter long considered worthy of both writing and reading about has been pretty exclusively the sick empornulated fantasies (and realities) of misogynist men.  obviously, its not just who is doing the writing, its what they are writing about: in particular, “blood and guts and fucking whores and puking in the streets.”  fucking.  whores.  see?  a decidedly male point of view, on decidedly manly pursuits: mens first-, second-, and third-person accounts of actively destroying women.  this is the history (and the criteria) women writers are up against, when they put the pen to the paper, to write.

so russ enumerates the obstacles women writers stare down daily, and in the chapter describing the lack of female role models in academia and literature, largely due to the erasure of womens work (or minimizing and exceptionalizing it, for example, bookstores carrying only one title from a female author when she has actually written many) she describes her own experience as a writing student in college:

GAH!  how did she ever make it through school as an aspiring writer?  anyway, it occurs to me that, as radical feminist writers, not only are we women, and women-identified women writing from our perspective as women-identified women (this is who we are) we are also, too, in addition, creating and expounding on feminist subject matter that absolutely crucifies BOTH empornulated men, and empornulation-as-art.  and writing, specifically, was never meant to do this.  stringing words together was never meant to describe womens reality, and shine a bright light on the ways men actively annihilate us, what that looks like, and to insist that it matters.  never.  and producing written material for other peoples consumption was never supposed to trigger…womens recognition of a shared plight.  the revelation of mens lies.  descriptions and evocations of the ways men constantly, constantly harass, threaten, obliterate and annihilate women, and lists and pictures and tips and compassion and…humor.  we are laughing at them.  oh yes we are.

i almost think this has gotten away from them…could this be possible?  of course, as soon as putting the pen to paper to create strings of words meant to be consumed by other people starts to work for us, they will certainly shift the goalposts, and say that writing was never that great of a medium anyway, and video games are where its at!!!111!  you know, or something.  but look.  what is consistently ranked among the top 10–if not the number-one–inventions of all time?  everyone knows its the printing press.  its quite possibly the (the!) most important invention.  of all time.  men have been saying this for centuries, and the reason we know they think this (or at the very least we know they say it) is because its written down.  in print.  they cant deny it now.

so whats the deal?  did men not anticipate that womens reality is real?  that its real, and it can be described, using words?  and being that this is the case…women are now laughing and describing and evoking and calling shit on sick empornulated misogynist men, utilizing the written word.  this was not supposed to happen, i dont think.  but it is happening.

it is.