This is the sort of thing that Liberal Dude Nation would say is
unimportant - that it has no effect on reality, these glamorized images of
torture.
Bullshit. The whole premise that TV and movies and records and
pornography have no effect on reality is just preposterous. Humans are
cultural animals. TV/movies/records/pornography are a means of cultural
transmission, just like any other medium or form of communication. Nowadays, in
fact, these are our primary means of cultural transmission.
And everybody knows that. That's why people object to racist depictions or
homophobia or even the absence of positive onscreen role models for minorities.
Because all that's part of our cultural transmission, part of how we share and
exchange and teach values and ideas.
This knowledge mysteriously evaporates, however, when the subject is
something dear to one's heart like pornography or violence or bimbotastic
portrayals of women. Then, magically, the movies and porn are said to exist in
some kind of otherworld vacuum: no cultural transmission, no values, no impact
whatsoever on the humans consuming. It's fucking ludicrous.
Octogalore replied, "Violet, your 11:45 is a great insight. I haven't seen that
argument come up in the various debates on this topic that misogynist images
don't exist in a media-vacuum any more than racist or homophobic ones do."
Actually, I have been making this same argument for years, and various
formulations of it are scattered throughout the 29,365 comments that have been
posted to this blog. But that's the problem: it's in the comments. I'm not sure
I've ever stated it in a post.
So here it is. An official communiqué from the Smoking Lounge.
Octogalore also said, "I can't help wondering what our friends at the big
`feminist' websites would do with that one."
It depends. I think most feminists would probably agree, as long as the subject
is movies, TV, magazines, or music. If the subject is porn, though, then
amazing things happen.
For example, A Pro-Porn Feminist Blogger Who Shall Remain Nameless makes the
argument that misogynist porn simply reflects a misogynist society. Create a
better society, says she, and the porn will be better. But doesn't the
misogynist porn also contribute to the misogynist society, one asks? No, she
says; it only reflects. One-way mirror. Movies and TV and radio and magazines
all influence our behavior and fill our heads with ideas, but pornography is
magic. It only reflects. No influence at all.
Magic all around.
"Official statement from the Smoking Lounge regarding the role of media
(including pornography) in the cultural construction and maintenance of sexism
and misogyny"
By Violet · Wednesday, October 21st, 2009
http://snipurl.com/snaon
http://www.reclusiveleftist.com/2009/10/21/official-statement-from-the-smoking-lounge-regarding-the-role-of-media-including-pornography-in-the-cultural-construction-and-maintenance-of-sexism-and-misogyny/
--- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, "raunchydog" <raunchy...@...> wrote:
>
>
> Thank God the music industry is doing its part to de-glamorize violence
> against women:
>
> [russianroulette_5151]
>
> That's the artwork for Rihanna's new single, "Russian
> Roulette." MTV
> <http://newsroom.mtv.com/2009/10/20/rihanna-russian-roulette-artwork/>
> is thrilled by what it calls the "racy" cover, featuring the pop
> singer's "provocative barbed wire-wrapped torso." Racy.
> Provocative. You know what it reminds me of? Those crime scene photos of
> women who have been kidnapped and tortured to death, their breasts
> bitten by barbed wire, dead eyes open in an endless scream. Racy.
> Provocative.
>
> How fitting that Rihanna, of all people, should be the emissary for this
> latest hate-note from the patriarchy. "Russian Roulette" is the
> first track she's released since being beaten to a bloody pulp by
> Chris Brown, and people seem determined to find something empowerfuling
> about it. "Rihanna is the heroine here," says the LA Times
> <http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/music_blog/2009/10/rihanna-reveals-russ\
> ian-roulette.html> :
>
> "So just pull the trigger," she tosses off in the cut's
> final moments, all swagger and confidence.
>
> Swagger, confidence
.what? What the fuck? This isn't heroism or
> empowerment or any kind of rising above. It's just pornography.
> Rihanna is simply doing what women are told they are supposed to do in
> response to every situation: make it sexy. Victim of domestic
> violence? Make it sexy! Breast cancer
> <http://www.reclusiveleftist.com/2009/10/10/the-pornification-of-breast-\
> cancer/> ? Make it sexy! Shopping for
> <http://stilettorevolt.com/2009/09/whats-sex-got-to-do-with-it/> a
> funeral casket
> <http://stilettorevolt.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/09/italian-cofani-fun\
> ebri.jpg> ? Make it sexy!
>
> I want to move to another planet now.
> Because torture is so sexy
> <http://www.reclusiveleftist.com/2009/10/20/because-torture-is-so-sexy/>
> By Violet <http://www.reclusiveleftist.com/author/violet/> ·
> Tuesday, October 20th, 2009
>
