Wow, ran across the Feminist Current and Meghan Murphy is knocking them out of the park with great articles such as this one tearing into one of Canada’s national newspapers, the Globe and Mail, for taking the well travelled low road of misogyny. I just have the highlights here, but you should go read Megan’s entire post, it is well worth your time.
“One of the things we’ve learned from feminism is that, while men have long enjoyed arguing that biology accounts for misogyny, having used scientific arguments to “prove” that, for example, male dominance, rape, male violence and of course, the objectified, sexualized female body is “natural”, things are not quite so clear cut. Similar arguments have been used by white men to justify racism and slavery. As such, it seems reasonable to assume that those doing the “science” and those communicating to society what is and is not “natural” based on said science have some level of control over what we come to believe, as a society, is true, factual and, of course, “natural.”
[…]
Though Brown claims that the intent of his article is to “investigat[e] the famous male gaze,” he has zero understanding of it. The male gaze is a concept which was explored initially within feminist film theory and has since extended into an explanation and analysis of the objectifying, disempowering male gaze. So when a 58 year old man decides that a 20 year old woman is a beautiful flower which exists in order for him to look at, he dehumanizes her. And, as many of us know already, dehumanizing a human being is a dangerous thing. It means we no longer need to treat said human being with respect. A body part is just a body part, not a whole, complex being with thoughts and feelings.
One of the most minor consequences of the male gaze is that, and I will speak from personal experience here, a lifetime of being looked at makes you feel as though your self-worth is largely dependent on your ability to be desired by men. This is not a good thing. It is something many women fight at every turn. Yet we still internalize that male gaze. This means that many women see themselves through male eyes. We also believe, to a certain extent, that we exist for your viewing pleasure. Should women really have to fight to believe that their value exists outside your desire?
I won’t speak for any other woman aside from myself at this point, but “Hi, Ian Brown! I am a woman and I don’t want you to look at my ass. It doesn’t feel flattering, it feels creepy. It makes me feel self-conscious and it makes me not want to leave my house. I may be too old for you at 32 (gross!), but many old men stare at me regardless. I hate it. It makes me want to punch them. So stop. Please. I guarantee your penis will survive.”
The fact that men believe women exist for their viewing pleasure IS A PROBLEM. It doesn’t matter how much men like it. I should be able to leave my house without feeling watched.
[…]
I am not your right. No woman is. No matter how beautiful she is. You have no right to her. She is more than just body parts. Allow me to confirm what I assume was the fear which led you to write this piece, Ian Brown, you are a perv. Stop staring at us. We have the ability to exist without your eyes on our asses.”
10 comments
April 17, 2013 at 6:25 am
john zande
This will get your hairs up.
http://cocacolafiend.wordpress.com/2013/04/16/god-needs-to-learn-some-grammar/
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April 17, 2013 at 8:17 am
cocacolafiend
I hate, hate, hate it when people insinuate you’re a snob because you don’t want to be touched by someone. I’m sick of hearing the line, “Oh, I’m just being friendly,” and then they make out you’re so full of yourself. It’s not just men. Women judge you too.
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April 17, 2013 at 10:16 am
syrbal
I am not beautiful, I was always the “cute little blonde”. But I became positively immune to the male stare….and likewise immune to being told how cute I was. Good thing, otherwise, I think I might have committed murder.
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April 17, 2013 at 10:23 am
The Arbourist
@CCF
How dare *you* have a problem with them violating your boundaries, obviously it is your fault. *headdeskforever*
This is the kind of stuff that just goes under the radar for people who are not the targets of it, must be nice to be oblivious to this sort of harm. :/
Internalized misogyny can be great eh? They can take the abuse, why can’t you?
Unthinking people can do such horrible things, I’m sorry that you have to put up with crappy behaviour you mentioned, it must use a lot of resources. :/
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April 17, 2013 at 10:26 am
The Arbourist
@JZ
Wow. If we could just get how benevolent patriarchy is for women, all would be good. I’d probably get my own unicorn to ride as well….
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April 17, 2013 at 10:29 am
john zande
Careful, didn’t you know, Unicorns are real!
“And the UNICORNS shall come down with them, and the bullocks with the bulls; and their land shall be soaked with blood, and their dust made fat with fatness.” Isaiah 34:7
Now make me a sandwich… god has commanded it :)
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April 17, 2013 at 10:31 am
The Arbourist
@Syrbal
Wouldn’t it be amazing if some of the douche-canoes, instead of spouting their gibberish, just sat and listened to people and their life experiences?
Listening is such a huge part of being a decent human being and so many people just don’t frakking get it. :/
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April 17, 2013 at 10:37 am
The Arbourist
@JZ
Lol.
Funny we don’t see so many biblical scholars(?) arguing for the unicorn. It would be nice for them to know that rational people have the exact same reaction when they bust out some biblical pooplet of a quote and expect to be taken seriously.
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April 17, 2013 at 10:37 am
syrbal
I sometimes wonder if there isn’t some non-physical impairment to listening. I mean, I KNOW that sometimes there is; various kinds of traumas set triggers of “tune out” for people on some topics.
It always reminds me of how really truly solitary we all actually are because something in our nature and nurture seems to conspire to keep us living in our own heads, hearing only our own voices.
Perhaps that is why, almost the closest idea I have to humanity reaching a deity-like state depends on their ability to actually step PERMANENTLY outside of themselves?
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April 17, 2013 at 10:54 am
The Arbourist
@Syrbal
One could point to social conditioning and what not, because having your very important opinions taken seriously, by default(?) tends to turn off the listeny part of your brain.
IBTP.
Lofty goal Syrbal. I’d just be happy if people would learn that empathy is not a dirty word and start practicing it. Stat.
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