I did not have the pleasure to witness the DKOS Civil War over Pie Fight. A recent diary has brought the issue of sexism, allegations of sexism, and all the ensuing nastiness to the forefront again. There are, it is plain to see, deeply differing personal perspectives within the DKOS community on sexism, what it is and what we should do about it.
Follow me below the fold for my four cents:
- Lust is not evil
It seems that on the issue of lust, certain feminists share the the Roman Catholic Church's position that lust is a sin. It is not. Lust is neither good nor bad. Lust is lust.
The attempt to slander lust a sin, to control sexuality in this way, is the beginning of evil. The societies with the greatest control over our sexuality are the most undemocratic and repressive. Our sexual freedom is as fundamental as our freedom of speech -- and should only be curtailed along the same strict conditions.
- The Line
I've seen much on the threads today of over the line, crossing the line, and such. I have two things to say about that:
a) It must be explicit, crude and demeaning to women (or men). Statements that offend do not cross the line, because I cannot be responsible for what offends you.
I saw some posters arguing that sexist insinuations of this and that are wrong. I cannot disagree more. Insinuation goes to intent. The Line does not depend on your inferences of what I write. If someone writes something you infer as sexist, that is not the same thing as that statement being sexist.
b) According the wiki Pie Fight Overview, KOS was quite clear on his stance on The Line
Markos' front page post that Sunday evening was not received well. He came down solidly on the side of the ad's defenders, denounced the ad's critics as part of the "sanctimonious women's studies set" and invited those who could not live with his opinion to find a more welcoming home in the blogosphere. Some of the ad's defenders felt emboldened by Markos' stance on the matter, cheering for "Bazongas" and ridiculing the "menstruating she-devils" who wanted the ad down. Meanwhile, many more than were initially upset at the advertisement were taken aback by Markos' tone and the tone of many other commenters, which was interpreted as dismissive of women in general, not just of the ad's original opponents. Accusations of misogyny and sexism became rampant.
Markos apologized for using too broad a brush in criticizing those who pursue women's studies, but remained resolved in his opinion, likening the ad's opponents to the right-wing's prudish anti-sex crusaders. He further explained that he had little patience for those who look for "signs of female subjugation under every rock". This did little to quell the uproar that had started.
Now, to the best of my knowledge, Markos is not the final arbiter of what is sexist. But he is the editor of this site. And that means quite a lot to what this community should tolerate.
- Looks Count
Looks count. Men an women judge each other by appearances. Lust is part of this. Pretending this ain't so is a lie. Promoting that lie is wrong. Promoting that lie to children is really wrong, because lying to children is wrong.
So don't expect much sympathy for your children from me if you lie to them about lust.
- Sexy, sassy, and smart
Palin and Coulter put their sexuality on the table. Its part of their appeal. Its fair game.
Not all women do. Palin and Coulter do. Its fair game with them. Its not fair game with all women.