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deathpixieFunny how things travel in coincidences. Not a couple of days after a conversation with a friend about the way women are viewed as manipulative and somehow evil, Joss Whedon shares his thoughts.
I'm not entirely sure of the Womb Envy theory - my presonal theory is that it's a function of fear, of men in general (not any one specific man or group of men) being afraid of the impact women have on them, on their behaviour and the control they can weild through sex that leads to the 'evil' tag, but again, that's just a vague opinion and nothing to do with any of the actual men I know (with a couple of exceptions). It's something to think about, any way, the fact that 50% of the population is not only targeted as weak and morally reprehensible, but that that 50% also buys into it.
The article also raises for me the question of the power of the modern media in our society, and whether, with the glut of reality TV, we've become so used to viewing things as part of a giant television show or movie or game, that we don't stop to considering the actual reality of it. The empathy of it.
Heavy thinking before heading off for the traditional May 2-4 BBQ, this time at Johnny's place where we don't have to get caught in the rain. I'll leave you to it.
I'm not entirely sure of the Womb Envy theory - my presonal theory is that it's a function of fear, of men in general (not any one specific man or group of men) being afraid of the impact women have on them, on their behaviour and the control they can weild through sex that leads to the 'evil' tag, but again, that's just a vague opinion and nothing to do with any of the actual men I know (with a couple of exceptions). It's something to think about, any way, the fact that 50% of the population is not only targeted as weak and morally reprehensible, but that that 50% also buys into it.
The article also raises for me the question of the power of the modern media in our society, and whether, with the glut of reality TV, we've become so used to viewing things as part of a giant television show or movie or game, that we don't stop to considering the actual reality of it. The empathy of it.
Heavy thinking before heading off for the traditional May 2-4 BBQ, this time at Johnny's place where we don't have to get caught in the rain. I'll leave you to it.
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Date: 2007-05-20 09:51 pm (UTC)Things I've noticed:
Men being raised to believe that their own sex drives are evil - how many generations of people belived that masturbation was self-abuse?
The divide between perceptions of sexuality. Lesbians are hot, gay men are gross. Women who have a lot of sex are sluts, and women who are attractive have nothing else to offer but their sex drives - and women who are intelligent shouldn't want to be attractive, they're already 'good enough' - the "The pretty one, the smart one" divide between siblings, for example.
Sex as a point-based game. The more sex you have, the 'better' you are - virginity isn't considered a personal decision, it's a flaw - or a trait to be admired. People who aren't having sex are losers, people who are having sex are 'easy' or 'sluts'.
"such a woman' or 'such a girl' used as an insult. I've heard it myself, even as a women. "God, stop being such a GIRL." - wtf? What's wrong with being a girl anyway? and it's used when calling someone weak or emotional.
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Date: 2007-05-21 03:09 pm (UTC)The sex=bad construct is responsible for a lot - men are taught to fear their sexual drives as being something that makes them out of control and animalistic, and it being part of the male psyche and response to internal conflict, they seek an outside avenue to blame - women, who are able to elicit such responses in them. Women make men lose control, therefore they are manipulative, either taunting men with their sexuality, or withholding it from them entirely and using the male response to control them. Which, given the mixed messages about sexuality women have, is a catch-22 - give it up, and you're a slut, withold it and you're a frigid bitch. Again, related to the sex = bad thing - men feel contempt for a woman who engages in sex purely for sex and not for reproduction, because sex is a dirty thing, for all that we're all obsessed with it.