There have been 2 news reports in the past 24 hours that have really, really disturbed me regarding feminism. And by really disturbed, I mean "Wtf? This stuff simply cannot be real!" The Afghan rape law that did not go into affect was definitely worse than either of these 2 stories, though. Update from HuffPo yesterday:
In an interview for Bloomberg TV's "Political Capital with Al Hunt" today, Afghani Ambassador Said Jawad declared outright that the notorious "rape law" legislation is unconstitutional, and thus will not be passed into law. In Jawad's words, "Definitely not. This is not the law yet, and it will not become the law, because it contradicts some important principles of the Afghan constitution."
Thank you for applying the pressure, President Obama! Afghani women needed this like they needed another hole in their heads. Oy.
Alright, first up, we have the Alaska Disasta, Sarah Palin, who apparently is going to fill the empty Attorney General seat in her fair state with a real winner of a man named Wayne Anthony Ross. (h/t to RobinElliot and Scarce for the heads up last night in OpenThread.) To say that this guy is a total pig would be a step up. Mr. Ross appears to be sexist in the extreme:
Numerous comments were made that were appalling, not the least of which were remarks by Mr. Ross which included the following: "If a guy can’t rape his wife, who’s he gonna rape?" and "There wouldn’t be an issue with domestic violence if women would learn to keep their mouths shut."
OK. Somebody please tell me why Mrs. Palin felt the need to fill the AG position with this douchebag? Really, people. Ross' views are antiquated and beyond sickening. It's too bad I'm not on an airplane right now, because I could surely use a barf bag.
Ross also said this in an article from 1995, and I'm glad to know where he stands on this issue:
Though widely known for his gun-rights stand, Ross has been active for 23 years -- on both a personal level and as a lawyer -- with Alaska Right to Life, lead organization in the anti-abortion movement. A devout Catholic, Ross believes his big remaining task on Earth is to help stop abortion, a practice he sums up as ''killing kids.''
"I feel I have a good relationship with the good Lord (but) if I could overturn Roe vs. Wade, I figure I got my ticket," he said.
Fabulous. Women everywhere thank you for your kind and compassionate views regarding their right to free choice and free thought.
According to another Alaskan attorney, Allison Mendel, Wayne also gave us some truly progressive thoughts about Teh Gays:
During a fight several years ago over gay rights, Mendel helped organize Anchorage lawyers in support of an anti- discrimination ordinance. Ross wrote a nasty letter to the Bar Association newsletter, using words like "immoral," "perversion" and "degenerates." The language went way beyond reasonable disagreement, Mendel and others said.
Yeah. Anytime a group of awesome Alaskans wants to flood the Governor's office with phone calls and letters of outrage about Wayne Anthony Ross, please do. I would even go so far as to say that Mr. Ross is a menace to society. Overcompensating for the something, are we, Wayne? This article also tells us some really interesting (read: disgusting) things about Ross. He's using the AG position as a stepping-stone to run for the Governor of Alaska, which scares the bejesus out of me. (He's already made bids for that job in '98 and '02. Yikes.)
Next up, we have a movie just released yesterday with one of my favorite actors, Seth Rogen. Seth reminds me of an ex-boyfriend of sorts, whom I still consider warmly and with affection, but his current acting gig in Observe and Report has me a bit more than simply miffed. Seth stars as a bipolar character named Ronnie, and the fantastic Anna Faris is the snooty Brandi. I'm sure many people have already heard about the backlash regarding this movie but, if not, here ya go:
After Ronnie coerces Brandi into going on a date with him, during which she consumes numerous cocktails and takes too many pills, he grinds away at her in bed as she lies still beneath him, seemingly unconscious, a trail of spit-up trickling down her pillow. He pauses briefly to make sure she's not comatose, and she momentarily perks up, urging him not to stop.
The intended point of hilarity here must be that what Ronnie is doing is almost date rape, but phew! not quite. Brandi knows what he's doing, and she's OK with it -- because she's really just sort of a sleazy girl to begin with, right? Even if you just write the gag off as a sick joke, it's no fun to see Anna Faris used this way.
Ugh. Really, Seth? Really, Anna? C'mon, you guys are much better than this and you both know it. The reviewer of Observe and Report notes that director/writer Jody Hill's modus operandi appears to be "How disturbing can we make this shit?" No kidding. Me and all of my girlfriends think that date rape is an effin' good time! (Pun intended.)
I see a major wave of protest brewing about this flick, and Rogen particularly is going to have a lot of explaining to do. This is going to tarnish his reputation and possibly cost him future jobs. It's kind of sad to me when actors, who start out really self-depracating and sweet, begin to believe their own press releases after fame and fortune come calling and trip over themselves in the process.
As Tracy Clark-Flory says:
Maybe the actual movie is far less offensive and far more witty than the preview and reviews make it seem, but I can't say I'll ever bother to find out firsthand.
Word. I'm not giving that film any of my fuckin' money. Jeebus.
Don't Wayne Anthony Ross and Seth Rogen have mothers, sisters, daughters, girlfriends, etc.? What truly makes any of this OK, ever?
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UPDATE: OK, OK. :) I was just shooting from the hip with this diary and didn't think it would make the Rec List (holy!) or anything, so I kinda forgot to include the quote by Seth Rogen that puts him in "Aww hellz nah!" category. Maybe this will explain why I'm quite upset about his new movie:
"You can literally feel the audience thinking, like, how the fuck are they going to make this okay? Like, what can possibly be said or done that I’m not going to walk out of the movie theater in the next thirty seconds? ... And then she says, like, the one thing that makes it all okay."
No, Seth, that's called "date rape" and, in fact, it's not okay. The New York Times also buys this load of bullshit:
"He forces himself on a makeup-counter saleswoman after a date of heavy drinking and drug use. (Before the scene is over she indicates that she had given her consent.)"
Uhm, not when she's totally wasted on liquor, pills, and essentially passed out, buddy. She is blackout drunk and you think that's giving "consent"? No.
NO!