Digby points to this, which points to this.
All I can say is, the most vicious online attacks are always the ones aimed at women. Although I haven’t had the actual physical threats or much creepy stalking (maybe because people sense that I’m the kind who will hunt you down first*), I’ve had an occasional taste of the “fat dyke” or “no one would fuck you without a bag over your head” variety, always from the wingnuts.
But that stuff? Relatively easy to brush off. (After all: Wingnuts! Usually very religious wingnuts!) Believe it or not, I’m a lot more bothered by the condescending “I’m a progressive man and that means I know more than you” variety. I mean, it’s fine when a man doesn’t agree with me, but when he lists a bunch of reasons that have no basis in reality as justification, and then attacks me after I point that out, it seems to come down to the Power of the Penis. Namely, “I have one, you don’t, shut up and sit down – or else.” I don’t play well with that kind of thing.
I’m always little surprised that so many people like that still exist on our side, but they do. It was especially obvious during the Great Primary Wars of 2007. Why the personal attacks on female bloggers simply for backing one moderate candidate over another? There was something very weird going on there, and I still don’t trust most of the bloggers who took part in it.
But you know: Chicks! Always bitching about something! That time of the month, menopause, don’t worry your little heads, etc. Go buy a hat, sweetheart, you’ll feel better. I’ve heard statements meant to diminish women all my life. I expect I’ll hear them to the day I die.
*Back in the days before caller ID and I used to get the occasional obscene call from some maladjusted type, I’d listen patiently and then I’d say, “Listen, does your mom know you’re using the phone?” Or: “Why don’t you stick to something you know? Hang up and play with yourself!” I always got them to hang up on me.
I remember once walking down the local avenue with my mother and some smarmy guy said, “Hey honey, how much do you charge?” I looked at him and said, “Well, I usually charge by the inch, so I’m guessing you’re a freebie.” (My mom, of course, was more upset with me than she was with the asshole.)
By the way: Great blog, written by a woman who was formerly an extreme fundamentalist, which spells out the kind of harm religious patriarchy taken to its logical extreme.
I’m used to the patronizing and dismissive remarks and attitudes. I don’t get upset by them anymore. They are like bad drivers on the road, just a fact of life, so drive defensively. But I was shocked when Hillary Clinton was running for president by the viciousness and rage of some on-line commenters. I’ll never forget someone calling her and her supporters ‘the dry c-nt club’. It brought home to me that this isn’t about an assumption of male privilege, but that there are some men out there who really hate and fear women.
Hmmm. The problem with the Democratic Party today is its Clinton wing. We can thank ‘Scoop’ Jackson’s neo-cons (Hillary is one of those) and the conservative DLC (Progressive Policy Institute) for these Blue Dog Democrats (Hillary is one of those as well.) Once the Clintonites are jettisoned from the party the Democrats can resume their forward-looking, progressive march toward Peace, and social and economic justice for all.
So your position is that sexist behavior by Obama-supporting men was caused by Hillary Clinton, and not by the men themselves?
Hillary’s a Scoop Jackson girl? I don’t think so. Some of her earliest political contacts were from her day’s in the McGovern Campaign in 1972 …. and she sure wasn’t in Scoop’s camp then!!
Well, they do drive jacked-up de-engineered suburban assault vehicles with tires the size of a Volkswagen and the hood ornament a perfect rendition of the human female reproductive system (y,ictp). Freebies too.
jeebus christ.
here we go again.
FACE SCRATCH!
what a fucking joke.
Of course “Hillary” was a “Goldwater Girl” before she ever supported McGovern.
PS
BILL RICHARDSON 4 LIFE!!!
Well yes, to all you commenters of this particular post. So while we’re discussing the denigration of womanhood in this country, has anyone dared to notice the bigoted comments hurled at Mrs.Obama of late? Limbaugh has been particularly aggressive and racist with his comments about the First Lady : I’d love to catch his fat, greasy, drug-addicted ass in a very dark alley one fine evening…………
Frankly, I blame the motherfucking patriarchy and pray it have an ignominious and painful death.
But I repeat myself.