Reasons I Am Not Approving Your Post

Anyone who read my article in the Prospect yesterday can guess that this here very blog has attracted its share of sports misogyny apologists in the last few days. Which might make you wonder – how come I can’t see ‘em in the comments?

Well, here’s the thing. They have the rest of the interwebs to spout off, so I really don’t see why we have to give ‘em air here. Plus, WordPress (the free version, anyhow) has this weird thing where you can’t ban commenters. You can only approve or not approve them the FIRST time they post. Once you’ve approved one post, they’re free to run roughshod over your blog and there’s little you can do to stop them. Therefore I’m pretty cautious about approving even the posts that might be from jackholes, and might just be from dumb people who lack reading comprehension. I don’t want to find out the difference later when it’s too late.

That said, some people are downright IRATE that I haven’t approved their posts. Fortunately no one has accused me of iminging on their freedom of speech yet, but I thought I might clear some things up before it gets to that point.

So, without further ado, your (possible) trolls and my responses to them. Jump in in the comments section and add whatever I left out:

Isnt there two sides to every story? The fact that you used Ben rothlisberger, a story that all the facts are not known completely ruins your argument. There are girls out there who will use such accusations to get money from rich people. Im not saying that he did not rape her, I am saying that we do not know what happened. Doesn’t it make you wonder why the police are not bringing up charges? I’m sure police they would if there really was something that happened. Shit they dragged Michael Jackson into court for ever just because they thought he was molesting children. Sexism works both ways and you are promoting it.

The Swedish Model and its discontents

This law is decidedly UNfeminist. One can’t watch this video and think the Swedes are progressive. It is so regressive! Imagine substituting “sex work” for “acting”. Or any other job. How dehumanizing and infantilizing. Is the answer really to shut women up? Honestly. Does anyone still believe that?

“We want to save you! And if you dont appreciate it you will be punished!”

Shut the Subaltern up! And if you can’t do that, deride her.

Partially cross-posted at community.feministing.com

I was appalled to read Donna Hughes’s opinion piece in the Providence Journal entitled “R.I.’s Carnival of Prostitution ,” where she resorts to ad hominem attacks on women who speak for themselves about their experiences in the sex industry. She is an endowed chair at the University of Rhode Island’s Women’s Studies Program, and I am forced to wonder what her students are learning. She condescendingly refers to one woman as “tattooed,” and derides another (while constantly mentioning her ethnicity) for referring to her profession as “it.” As one commenter pointed out,

That never ever ever happens with other professions, right? I mean who, when asked if they enjoyed teaching women’s studies for example, would say “oh yes, I love IT.”

It has been a long-standing issue with sex workers that we are silenced by the media and others; spoken for and about but never with . People even caution others to not listen to us, as we are under “false consciousness” about what we choose to do with our bodies. Now we are being derided by the very people who proclaim to wish to “rescue” us.

Sadly, both the RI house and senate have decided that it is a good thing to criminalize sex workers.

Someday, folks will realize that sex workers are people too, and that we have a voice. And they may just one day begin to listen to us.

And the YMY Oscar goes to…

Tilda Swinton, for the following quote in her tribute to Marisa Tomei’s performance in The Wrestler: “…a stripper need never take off her dignity with her clothes.”

I also award YMY Oscars to Milk screenwriter Dustin Lance Black & Milk star Sean Penn, who were so moving and passionate in their real Oscar speeches, defending lgbt humanity and equality and shaming those who oppose it. Here’s Black:

…if Harvey had not been taken from us 30 years ago, I think he would want me to say to all of the gay and lesbian kids out there tonight who have been told that they are less than by their churches or by the government or by their families, that you are beautiful, wonderful creatures of value, and that no matter what anyone tells you God does love you and that very soon I promise you, you will have equal rights federally across this great nation of ours.

And Penn:

I think that it is a good time for those who voted for the ban against gay marraige to sit and reflect and anticipate their great shame and the shame in their grandchildren’s eyes if they continue that way in their support.

And, finally, a YMY Oscar to Tina Fey, just because.

Who would you give a YMY Oscar to?

Quick hit: One of These Things Is Not Like The Other

On Hannity & Colmes , Coulter continues attack on single motherhood, calling it “a recipe to create criminals, strippers, rapists, murderers.”

Wow. I haven’t got time to respond to this properly, but I have to say something here.

Put aside for a moment the egregious attack on single mothers, which is a staple of the Right’s efforts to shame women into letting men/government control our bodies and sexualities.

Because the other thing she’s saying here is strippers = criminals, rapists & murderers. Which… well, just wow.

h/t Stacy Nunnally

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