Tuesday, September 19, 2006
Hahahaboobs. All else is commentary.
I turn my back for a minute and the whole blogworld goes batshit crazy.
Everyone's had a lot to say about the whole exprezbloglunch, and all said more eloquently than I can. I mean, it's been a real gift to the blogosphere - everyone can find something to complain about!
Amananta said what I would have said if I were more light-on-my-feet and timely:
How can men expect us to take them seriously when they so consistently try to draw attention to their genitals? Surely if these guys didn’t want to sexualize themselves, they would have in some way tucked themselves so they wouldn’t have that unsightly bulge, right? Clearly they want to be objectified in hopes of stealing the thunder from the intelligent and appropriately dressed women around them. They know they aren’t decent writers and thus it is only by striking these voguish poses that they can hope to win any attention or recognition. But who do they think they’re kidding - they aren’t even all that attractive. They should cover themselves up more, no woman wants to be tormented by the sight of their old, flabby bodies. What, do they think if they show off their crotch bulges we won’t care about how they write? Show some self-respect, dudes!
But I have to mention once more, in my function as Queen Goddess High Commissioner of the Ministry of Civility, Niceness Police Division, that the whole problem with Ann Althouse's series of posts is that her message:
"Jessica at Feministing does not represent the whole universe of feminism, does not represent me, does not speak for me, ought not to be interpreted as speaking for all feminists everywhere, is not the representation of contemporary american feminism in the blogosphere as THE WORLD WOULD REALIZE IF ONLY CLINTON PICKED ME, ANN ALTHOUSE, THE TRUE REPRESENTATION OF THE AMERICAN FEMINIST BLOGOSPHERE!"
gets all up in her medium:
"Oh-my-god, Becky, just look at that girl's boobs! hahahaboobs."
Seriously - dog-only-knows how much innocent bandwidth was sacrificed so that Ann Whatzerface could go "hahahaboobs", when what she really meant was "damn, I wish someone would recognize me for the unique snowflake and amazing voice I truly am, and stop giving that other girl attention that should be MINE!"
Now, most of us learn in elementary school that making comments about someone's personal appearance is considered rude, un-civil, not nice. And really, such behavior is not worth commenting on.
But you know, if you think that you're not being represented fairly (or at all); if you perceive inaccuracies or misinformation out there that you feel should be corrected; if you feel like shouting to the skies "HEY! THAT'S NOT FAIR!" - that's all okay to do. It's not just "okay", but healthy and positive, because that's what's true and honest. And more importantly, that's what's real.
Why discuss Jessica and her chest, when such discussion a) isn't going to diminish Jessica's cup size, nor should it, b) doesn't really address what's really going on, which is how Ann Althouse feels about being overlooked, c)obscures other issues of importance, such as how it happened that no Bloggers-Of-Color were included in the lunch, and d) makes you look like a big rude jerk?
This is just another example of why being civil is important, to my mind.
I turn my back for a minute and the whole blogworld goes batshit crazy.
Everyone's had a lot to say about the whole exprezbloglunch, and all said more eloquently than I can. I mean, it's been a real gift to the blogosphere - everyone can find something to complain about!
Amananta said what I would have said if I were more light-on-my-feet and timely:
How can men expect us to take them seriously when they so consistently try to draw attention to their genitals? Surely if these guys didn’t want to sexualize themselves, they would have in some way tucked themselves so they wouldn’t have that unsightly bulge, right? Clearly they want to be objectified in hopes of stealing the thunder from the intelligent and appropriately dressed women around them. They know they aren’t decent writers and thus it is only by striking these voguish poses that they can hope to win any attention or recognition. But who do they think they’re kidding - they aren’t even all that attractive. They should cover themselves up more, no woman wants to be tormented by the sight of their old, flabby bodies. What, do they think if they show off their crotch bulges we won’t care about how they write? Show some self-respect, dudes!
But I have to mention once more, in my function as Queen Goddess High Commissioner of the Ministry of Civility, Niceness Police Division, that the whole problem with Ann Althouse's series of posts is that her message:
"Jessica at Feministing does not represent the whole universe of feminism, does not represent me, does not speak for me, ought not to be interpreted as speaking for all feminists everywhere, is not the representation of contemporary american feminism in the blogosphere as THE WORLD WOULD REALIZE IF ONLY CLINTON PICKED ME, ANN ALTHOUSE, THE TRUE REPRESENTATION OF THE AMERICAN FEMINIST BLOGOSPHERE!"
gets all up in her medium:
"Oh-my-god, Becky, just look at that girl's boobs! hahahaboobs."
Seriously - dog-only-knows how much innocent bandwidth was sacrificed so that Ann Whatzerface could go "hahahaboobs", when what she really meant was "damn, I wish someone would recognize me for the unique snowflake and amazing voice I truly am, and stop giving that other girl attention that should be MINE!"
Now, most of us learn in elementary school that making comments about someone's personal appearance is considered rude, un-civil, not nice. And really, such behavior is not worth commenting on.
But you know, if you think that you're not being represented fairly (or at all); if you perceive inaccuracies or misinformation out there that you feel should be corrected; if you feel like shouting to the skies "HEY! THAT'S NOT FAIR!" - that's all okay to do. It's not just "okay", but healthy and positive, because that's what's true and honest. And more importantly, that's what's real.
Why discuss Jessica and her chest, when such discussion a) isn't going to diminish Jessica's cup size, nor should it, b) doesn't really address what's really going on, which is how Ann Althouse feels about being overlooked, c)obscures other issues of importance, such as how it happened that no Bloggers-Of-Color were included in the lunch, and d) makes you look like a big rude jerk?
This is just another example of why being civil is important, to my mind.
# posted by antiprincess @ 5:24 AM 
Comments:
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I mean, there were a hundred different real issues that could have been discussed, which discussion could have led to real growth for all parties and progress and so forth.
but no, it's all ignored in favor of sniggering at some supposed dirty joke, the making of which is seen as cutting through everyone else's BS to the heart of discourse...which clearly it doesn't.
but no, it's all ignored in favor of sniggering at some supposed dirty joke, the making of which is seen as cutting through everyone else's BS to the heart of discourse...which clearly it doesn't.
now that I made that comment I realize that maybe it sounds like I am unaware of the ofcolorblogworld's response to all this. which I'm not.
if I were a blogger of color, I'd be damned indignant that I even had to point out that the focus of the controversy ought not to be about an individual's body shape.
if I were a blogger of color, I'd be damned indignant that I even had to point out that the focus of the controversy ought not to be about an individual's body shape.
>when what she really meant was "damn, I wish someone would recognize me for the unique snowflake and amazing voice I truly am, and stop giving that other girl attention that should be MINE!">
Nononono. She's concerned about the PRINCIPLE of the thing. She would -never- accepted such an invitation. NO. And if she had, by God, she'd have LEFT HER BREASTS AT HOME.
Nononono. She's concerned about the PRINCIPLE of the thing. She would -never- accepted such an invitation. NO. And if she had, by God, she'd have LEFT HER BREASTS AT HOME.
Yanno, I like 'em as much as the next heterosexual-most-of-the-time sensitive guy, but there's a part of me that can't wait for the Western world to get the hell over its collective boob obsession. I mean, really; it's like getting all worked up about noses.
"Hell, the tubby coat-wearin' motherfucker's got tits."
"Hell, the tubby coat-wearin' motherfucker's got tits."
I keep mentally returning to this passage from "Main Street" (Sinclair Lewis, written ca 1910, was it? pre-flapper era anyway) wherein the protagonist overhears a couple of town louts discussing her, leeringly:
"And some ankles she's got, heh, kid?"
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"And some ankles she's got, heh, kid?"
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