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CBC radio 2 still has goodness left in it, witness the Signature Series. A string of programs that explore popular conceptions of music written in specific key signatures. Today’s interlude will feature the key of G minor and songs that are written in that specific key. The downside to this series is that the musical bits do not embed in wordpress properly, so you will have to go the CBC to listen to the music and enjoy the commentary. However, I can steal what is written about each key signature from the blog. Hence the copypasta below:
G minor: The Contrarian (follow link to play)
Also known as:
The Moody Teenager.
The Complicated Man.
G minors you might know:
Captain Ahab from Moby Dick.
Holden Caulfield from The Catcher in the Rye.
Pete Campbell from Mad Men.
The notes: G – A – B♭ – C – D – E♭ – F♯ – G.
Number of flats: two.
Relative major: B-flat major.
What they said about G minor in the 18th century:
“Discontent, uneasiness, worry about a failed scheme; bad-tempered gnashing of teeth; in a word: resentment and dislike.” – Christian Schubart, 1784
“It is suited to frenzy, despair, agitation.” – Francesco Galeazzi, 1796
More G minor listening:
Dido’s Lament from Dido and Aeneas by Henry Purcell.
Der Erlkönig by Franz Schubert.
The Canadian connection:
“Your Rocky Spine” by Great Lake Swimmers.
This from Can you Relate, a helpful guide to Rape Prevention.
Ten rape prevention tips:
1. Don’t put drugs in women’s drinks.
2. When you see a woman walking by herself, leave her alone.
3. If you pull over to help a woman whose car has broken down, remember not to rape her.
4. If you are in an elevator and a woman gets in, don’t rape her.
5. When you encounter a woman who is asleep, the safest course of action is to not rape her.
6. Never creep into a woman’s home through an unlocked door or window, or spring out at her from between parked cars, or rape her.
7. Remember, people go to the laundry room to do their laundry. Do not attempt to molest someone who is alone in a laundry room.
8. Use the Buddy System! If it is inconvenient for you to stop yourself from raping women, ask a trusted friend to accompany you at all times.
9. Carry a rape whistle. If you find that you are about to rape someone, blow the whistle until someone comes to stop you.
10. Don’t forget: Honesty is the best policy. When asking a woman out on a date, don’t pretend that you are interested in her as a person; tell her straight up that you expect to be raping her later. If you don’t communicate your intentions, the woman may take it as a sign that you do not plan to rape her.
My co-worker recently created this list, inspired by sites like this. As I was reading, I couldn’t decide if I should laugh or be horrified by the reality that violence prevention tips are always aimed at what the targeted person should do (judgment strongly implied) to protect themselves.
In the past two weeks, headlines about rape have flooded the news—CBS Reporter Recounts a ‘Merciless’ Assault, Congo study sets estimates of rape much higher , Peace Corps volunteer speaks out on rape. And, of course, IMF Chief charged with rape. I am glad to see people speaking out about rape. But raising awareness isn’t enough. How do we actually change perpetrators’ thoughts and convince them not to rape?
If you experienced rape as a reporter, a Peace Corps volunteer, a war survivor, a hotel maid, or by your partner, you don’t need rape prevention tips. It is the rapist and the culture around us that excuses, supports, and looks away that we must change.
Other than libertarian or misogynistic concerns, both that are as useless as pants on on giraffe, I don’t see what the problem is. Women win, their partners win and society wins.
The manosphere welcomes you and your sparkling brethren.
The red pen of justice is vibrating in anticipation of this particular post. Admittedly, when going into the “Manosphere” it makes it shamefully easy to brandish the RPJ. I again make mention of the insipid nature of the WordPress reader function because it takes me to some really horrible sites on the internet, usually engaging cringe reaction followed by my SIWOTI reaction and then usually, hilarity ensues.
(update October 2014 – This douche weasel deleted his blog, so I linked to what was captured in the Internet Way Back Machine instead.)
The hilarity this week will be a natty new site called The New Patriarchy – A Gender Manifesto for the Next Generation. (Pro-Tip: If you don’t want your MRA bullshite deconstructed and laid bare to the world don’t use the feminism tag in your post) The title of the blog should have been enough. Red flags! Warning! Warning! Inversion of reality alert! Raise Shields! You know, all that jazz.
*sigh* – I could not resist and was drawn into the swirling vortex of pants-on-head stupid… Oh well, I tried keeping it over there, but the conversation quickly drew to close.
Battered with inconvenient facts, you know like women are people, the Patriarchy is actually a bad thing, egalitarianism is not the devil et cetera – Transcendiaryknight flames out and flounces in his own comment section.
Awesome.
I’m going to repost his last comment on the thread, annotated with the RPJ, of course. But here, gentle reader, is where I ask you to join me in the fun and find your own red pen of justice and post your own response to Mr.DairyKnight and his noble launch into the “manosphere“. Post your work in the comment section or link to this post with your replies.
Okay, lets get busy! Mr. DairyKnight front and centre please… [TW for Strong Language]
“I don’t have time to go through all the points in your response,[Oh! All those contrary facts! They highlight how shallow and crappy my arguments are. These criticisms are harshing my delusional-MRA mellow!] but I have dealt with people like you [You mean people who call you on your shitty arguments and thinly disguised misogyny?] before and its not worth the time[because my precious man fee-fees trump reality dontcha-know, and arguing against strawfeminsim is soooo much easier]. You will continue to reject everything I say[because it so amazingly wrong, as in fractally wrong.] because you feel insulted[projection much?] because my beliefs and experience[like your beliefs and experiences give you the right to say horribly stupid shite and expect not to get called on it? I guess the Manosphere provides training wheels for hard things like arguing cogently.] do not match closely with yours[Indeed, I think women should be treated as autonomous human beings that deserve full rights in society]. I am not interested in arguing [oh that was abundantly clear early on]with arrogance[someone who took your bad arguments and showed you how bad they actually are].
Just because you can provide internet links to someone who may have the same opinion as you as “evidence”, does not make you right either[ no, there is no default I win button for linking to sites, but, linking to sites that provide evidence and definitions that support my arguments is how adults argue, cupcake].
My main concern with feminism[as defined by cupcake] is that a growing percentage of sex-starved[oh wow, you went there – so thats what you launch into the “manosphere” is all about; women not being fuck-toilets for your manly seed] beta males[which is code for “I’m a lecherous creeper”] (sex-starved due to women’s abundant sexual choice[certainly not because you’re insinuating that women should be your fuck-toilets] are starting to drop out of society[Really? Taking your balls and going home?] like flies (witness the economy crashing around you[that would be due to the increasingly corporate nature of governance – but hey I could be wrong]) and focussing on ‘hunting’ women for sex[Oh so rather than getting jobs sex starved beta males are setting up the Creepy McPerv-Stalking Society, so they can get all rapey-sexy on the evil women that have emasculated them? What an shining example of pro-social behaviour.] rather than trying to ‘buy’ a woman with his ability to earn[WTF? How about treating women like human beings and appealing to them with your good qualities. Of course then you’d have to admit they deserve rights and equality, we certainly can’t have uppity fucktoilets around now can we?] – why else would should[ed. “she”] be with him [Wow its almost like you know what all women want, it totally isn’t like you set up an imaginary straw-woman and argue your woman-hating points against it] when there are an endless supply of stronger alpha males[because human society is completely like a wolf-pack, btw that alpha/beta wolfpack shite is out of date, and is not how wolf society works, but misrepresenting science is the least of your concerns, trust me cupcake.] who she can fuck[What is with all the fucking? Why do you reduce women to fuckable objects, unless of course that is what you think they are only good for…] on demand?
Men have found another way of getting laid and it doesn’t involve working long hours just to have some bitch use [It’s nice when MRA’s finally dispense with any sort of subtly and let their irrational hatred stand in the spotlight] and manipulate you[oh you mean being a respectable, ethical, hard-working human being is just right out! ]! This mass exodus of men from the workforce obviously[only to you and the rest of the “manosphere”] has some pretty big implications[more creepy stalkers, wheeeee!] for society and needs to be considered[yes, this argument is considered to be bunk].
As for your comment about my arguments being at odds with reality[the evidence presented would back this particular claim], I suppose that depends on what your perspective of reality looks like[Yeah, empirical reality – facts matter cupcake and you don’t get to play all po-mo relativistic dude] and I’m sure its vastly different from mine[oh you did go all po-mo, full marks for fuckwittery].
Ps. for your own sake and mine, please don’t waste your time replying[Absolutely! Now I will dedicate my time to showing how atrocious you are at arguing and how shitty your arguments actually are here on my blog] as I’m done with this argument[that is because outside of the “manosphere” your arguments are considered by rational people to be baseless, unsupportable shite, that can be boiled down to your hatred of women and the ways that ‘evil women’ ruin your life]. Go and prove your ‘evidence based’ theories to someone else [Okay, that is exactly what I am doing here Cupcake. Welcome to the internet…oh..and of course the “Manosphere!“].”
Ah, another RPJ post in the books. I always feel better after the final edit is done :) Oh, and don’t forget to write your own RPJ – riff off of the above or go to the fiery nexus of fail in person and glean some of your own MRA “wisdom” to dismember(there is a second post just as ripe as the Launch, trust me) and deride.
If it happens down south, you know who is next in line. Support this video, reblog it, post it everywhere. The rights of women are threatened, take action and don’t let the bad guys (aka republicans) win.
This comment jumped out at me from a thread I was perusing at Captain Awkward.com. I commiserate with the author to a certain extent, as the post as it describes so much of the frustration I have to put up with attempting to educate people about basic facts of our culture. My frustration is nothing though compared with people who have to deal with this sorta crap everday. Post-Feminism my ass. There is still such a long way to go toward achieving equality and recognition of women as fully human, fully autonomous beings. Oh, and go read the whole thread over there, it is well worth your time.
“I don’t want to dogpile or anything. But I just feel like I should say this.
Every single person, IRL, to whom I have said the words “Rape Culture,” has been hearing it for the first time from me. It is possible that one or two of the women at Food Not Bombs mentioned it, but I don’t remember. One of my closest friends – first time*. My close female friend in highschool – first time. Any of my best friends, honestly. Most of the geeky fannish writing group I hang out with online – a handful of exceptions, there. Not many. My dad, first time (and ye gods, what was I thinking?). My brother, first time. My sister, first time. Every single one of her friends**. First time ever hearing the words “Rape Culture.”
The way we’re going to make headway as a culture is by addressing this stuff head-on, and making it clear this shit is no longer tolerable. The way we can make headway as a culture to stop Rape Culture is to popularize this struggle. To make it clear that society is not going to put up with this shit anymore. To get comics to realize that it’s not “edgy.” To get guys to realize that it’s not acceptable damage.
Look, I’m tired of being Angry Social Justice Girl. I want to go back to being Cheerful Carefree Artist Girl. I want to stop muttering under my breath at the movie theatre (Oooh, another movie about how Evil Desert People are trying to destroy us! That’s not exploiting a rift or marginalizing anyone!), I want to stop complaining about three out of every four commercials (“With this toothpaste, you won’t just be the ex, you’ll be the one that got away,” yeah fuck you), I want to enjoy comics without feeling less-than-human because I’m a short androgynous girl, not a massive-boobed rubber-spined stiletto-heeled long-haired pinup model (Do less-than-sex-objects girls even exist in comicsland?), I don’t want to be outraged.
I am so very, very tired of being angry. I wish that being happy and peaceful and politely asking people to please, thank you, maybe treat us a little more like human beings if you would kindly… worked. It doesn’t. That gets you a pat on the head.
This went on a lot longer than I intended, and I apologize. It’s just – the only reason it seems like this is a big cultural thing is because we’re here, surrounded by people who get it. The rest of the world is not so understanding. The rest of the world is indifferent, for the most part, and actively hostile at times. That has to change, and the only way it’s going to happen is if we refuse to back down when this stuff goes down.
We still have far to go as civilization, when half the population is subject to shite like this.
bleatmop
Mystro
Dead Wild Roses 
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