We were thinking about this TBogg-Althouse brouhaha. So TBogg rips ninnywagon Althouse for being the most vacuous and boring hoary albino guitar legend there can be, but expresses it using the “Althouse not gonna get a second date” terminology. So Althouse suggests sexism, while Altmouse blabbers on here. See if you can tell the difference.
We were thinking about it a little bit. Since the Patriarchy is ever pervasive, permeating all things, yes there is maybe an eensy but of sexism, more in the fact that the accurate insults expressed about Ms. Althouse, that she is such a damned ninnywagon, were coupled with the proverbial “second date” not coming to pass anytime soon. The sexism wasn’t in the actual insult, but was in the expression. While the “not gonna get laid” insult is used on both men and women, it usually seems to imply that for men there is a lack of an action occuring, where for women it is made to sound like they are less than human if they do or don’t get laid.
What I was really thinking about was the extreme cartoon that is Pamela from Atlas Shrugs, and how deserved abuse heaped upon her most often is given in undeserved sex-specific language. This is problematic to no end. We ourselves at this very webpage have labeled her right and left boobs “Bock’s Car” and “Enola Gay” after the bombers responsible for nuking Nagasaki and Hiroshima, respectively, and her penchant for advocating extreme military force against any and all enemies. Of course, her incompetence and irrationality, and the fact that she responds healthily to provocations render her a popular target of liberal blog-gamesmanship. Additionally, she behaves like a deranged groupie around individuals like US “Ambassador” to the UN John “I’m molesting you with my mustache AND eyes” Bolton. Wolcott is a fine purveyor of full-body Pam-cupuncture. To top it the knob, she has a picture of herself with what seems like a spray-painted on Supergirl costume and rack to back it up. UPDATE it is spray painted- it’s one of those things you put your head through, yet this is the image that overrides almost all forms of invective against Ms. Pam. So the jiggle jokes, the fake tits jokes, everything based on one very unfortunate picture.
So this is what draws attention when the multidudes look for a handle in placing their abuse. Her boobs (her not even real fake boobs- her fake real boobs), her sexually suggestive pose, her whatever. The defenses for such insults seem like they would always be “look at what she’s wearing”, “she put the picture up”, “she’s asking for it”. And of what do those things remind us? Nothing good, let’s put it that way. We will keep our WMD metaphor for Ms. Pam’s assets, but we will refrain from slut, skank, etc. and try to keep our attacks on her focused on her oblivious foreign policy machinations, her abstaining brain , and obvious insanity. Since she has been extra-crazy lately it seems she has drawn extra-vitriolic fire, much of it in terms that really are not defensible.
i just sigh, marvel at the crappy photoshop boob job, and click the little X whenever i mistakenly land on that page. it;s better that way.
Off topic (*gasp* I know, for real), but I’ve gotten so used to the little link-hover messages that when a link doesn’t have one it’s like a dark cloud momentarily obscuring the sun, causing a brief shudder and sense of profound despair. Just FYI.
Phew! For a second there I thought you were naming one of her boobs after that OMD song, and that would make no sense.
While you were thinking about the politics of gender and language Pam was thinking about all sorts of crazy shit. Because she’s a woman? Nah because she’s insane! Because she has large breasts? Nah because she lacks basic human compassion and critical thinking skills.
So yes, we should be more careful with our language, and we need to minimize the couching of our thoughts about our women nemeses in terms of sex and gender. But when the discourse slips to those lower depths, as it inevitably will, don’t degrade yourself too much unless you’re being truly unoriginal or unfunny, which you seldom are. Stirring this pot is something conservatives do to keep us busy while they busily screw up the world.
PS.
I think it’s telling to see how Tbogg treats his daughter and his wife in his blog. There’s a lot of love and respect in his writing about them.
Tbogg really does nail it like Digby would regarding Ann’s incredible boringosity. I never really thought about it too much until he wrote it but she really is an insufferable bore.
The root of most of the mockery of Jonah Goldberg is questioning his manhood.
As for boob mocking, if I posted a picture on my blog with explicit, exaggerated testicle cleavage, wouldn’t that be subject for mockery? I see boobs as no different.
However, I agree with using terms that tend to demean women in a behavior-specific way, unless the women is clearly behaving in that specific way. I mean, if you’re fellating John Bolton’s mustache, your gender is not really the issue.
Also, if I’ve learned anything from watching MTV’s “Next,” it’s that men can be bigger skanks than women.
Yeah what the hell did AG ghostwrite this?
Oh, and um, boobies… Hee hee.
OK seriously though: conveniently sexist remarks aside, I’ve noticed a startling similarity between Pam and Ann Coulter when comparing stills of them. There’s something off about both women, in the same way, a sort of panicked, rabid gleam to the eye, and a sort of “on-edge” cast to their faces. Too bad the Left doesn’t have its own version of Dr. Sanity or Dr. BLT — I’d really like a mental health professional to weigh in on possible diagnoses. These women exhibit something very alarming in their dispositions, but I don’t dare try to put my finger on it.
I think it’s a good rule of thumb not to give wingnuts (female or male) ammunition that even their fumbling fingers can load – see Malkin, Michelle, Magalogogoaglog. Plus, it’s a sign of talent to comedically skewer them without resorting to the easiest jokes.
Glancing at the Tbogg stuff, I think the ‘first date’ structure is pretty tame and doesn’t strike me as crossing the line.
Demogenes, well said on the rule of thumb. I try to explain that all the time, but nobody seems to get it.
Except, of course, those who do, like our Pinko here.
Sorry for my jedmundslike absence of late. Work and life have been…hectic to say the least. The 3Bulls! and friends are never far from my thoughts, except when they are, which is a healthy amount of time, but not healthy enough to offend you dear, dear people.
Hey A- I was just thinking about you- I hope things have been OK- hows the new place- we have gotten 50 spams today. Three B is popular that way.
I live the polite backhandedness.
Hey, whens the best time to visit the Roaacease or whatever the hell its called City.
(the one where Malkins Watch is secretly headquartered)
i can’t read my computer when it is in 256 color mode. When I’m running an archaic program to shoot lazers at crystals I have to use it like that. I think I was asking about the Roseanna City or whatever the hell it is called.
Well, if you like monsoon-like conditions, visit this week. I think the ski hills are still open for another month or two (Timberline stays open all year) if that’s what you’re into. I’m not anymore due to my impoverished status.
For cheesy ass tourist stuff (which I admittedly always get into) it’s the Roseanne Roseannadanna Festival in June.
From the end of June through August the weather is beautiful for the most part (and yes, the Rosetta Stones are in full bloom) and there’s always lots of crap going on downtown.
And we have meth available year round.
Oh and I didn’t intend backhandedness in any way…
But… when did the right care so much about being PC?
“Oh and I didn’t intend backhandedness in any way…”
NEVER apologise for that HERE.
My patriarchy detector went off at Tbogg’s place back when he let the “whiney little bitch” comments about everyone’s favorite figure skater slide. Several comments in that thread were grossly heterosexist, and we all know what that’s a variety of. (Hint – it starts with “patri” and ends in “archy”.)
Patriotic Anarchy?
Thanks for sharing this. Keep up the great work. I love Google.