Letters to the Editor
June Brockwell
Published Letters: 11 Editor's Choice: 2
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Hear Hear,Softdog.
[Read the article: My failed lesbian romance]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]Well said.
I don't need a strum and drang session of navel gazing self analysis either, but where others see subtlety,I see a garishness. At it's core, the writer chose another co-dependent relationship, with everyone around her - with the exception of the happy lesbian archetypes - slightly diminished.
Next week will we read of a failed older man relationship? A failed person with an orthodox religious relationship? Where she it slowly dawns on her that individuals who abuse drink come in every shape, size and color? And for that matter, so do co-dependents.
I don't see the level of awareness that others do. I sense she is aware, but is not taking personal responsibility for what is occurring. Even the language in the tag line would be different: Not: Then I fell in love with Gisele, and things got really complicated, But: Then I fell in love with Gisele, and *I made things really complicated*.
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If you're not a particular race, religion, etc., it would help that you take your extra special be careful pills before jumping headfirst into 'thought provoking satire' of that race, religion, etc.
[Read the article: Rush Limbaugh was right]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]Three things:
1. Can we please *stop* calling individuals who didn't find this satire their cup of tea "Idiots", "Cowed sheep", etc? It really doesn't forward the discussion.
2. Amity, I believe your comment "Kamiya misses the point" was both eloquent and spot on. I can't believe that your letter wasn't starred while 5 "thank you, thank you, Gary!" letters were,so I'll just mention my favorite part:
"To satirize a stereotype, one must somehow satirize those who believe it — not just repeat the stereotype straight-facedly. That's like taking just the first half of a Stephen Colbert routine, and leaving out the reductio ad absurdum that is his trademark punchline.
Straight-facedly repeating propaganda in order to make fun of those who promulgate it is ... not satire. It may be ironic, but those are not equivalent!"
3. Finally, the issue in this cartoon isn't the fact that it's 'not okay to be a muslim' - it's that whenever muslims are depicted, there is an insinuation, flat out statement -or, ok, satirical image of - a gun, a burning flag and/or a picture of Osama Bin Laden. I'm not saying we should sensor free speech, I'm just saying that if you're not a particular race, religion, etc., it would help that you take your extra special be careful pills before jumping headfirst into 'thought provoking satire' of that race, religion, etc.
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...yet what was unexpected was the seven of you skipping down the giddy, self congratulatory, yellow brick low road.
[Read the article: Sneak peek: The Palin porno]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]Wow ladies,
" Hustler's much-buzzed-about "Nailin' Paylin" has hit the Web -- and it's just as bad as expected."
....yet what was unexpected was the four of you skipping down the giddy, self congratulatory, yellow brick low road. Long time lover of your commentary and insight ladies, but really, not one of you thought about including commentary about how sad and wrong it is that someone thinks its okay to put a possible first woman president in a porno. Seriously. Nobody thought whoa, stop? For that, you get a serious side eye, ladies.
Because as a black woman, if someone put B. Obama in some sort of Amos and Andy/Birth of a Nation parody, I wouldn't be anywhere near chuckling around with black friends, giving floral commentary like "Fools! That man doesn't even LOOK like Barack. He's much hotter!", "Degrading slave stereotypes, Bo-ring!", "This is just a poor man's Roots", or "Geez, the stepin-fetchit phrasing was just *so* cliche, so shockingly bad, but I did giggle at that bit about watermelon."
Oh no. Somebody here would be getting a sociological, psychological race theory verbal break-it-down smackdown, Somebody here wouldn't be trying to assume that we are *so* past this, that we're able leave it at some catty mocking. We aren't that past it.
Porn, like most things, is about intention. And the intention of this piece of work isn't about sexuality, it was to degrade Sarah Palin. If this was really about how we're so liberated, or irony, this would be some variation of, I don't know - Pailin as a kick ass strong woman sexually, making the world free by bringing world leaders under her spell with the democracy of the 69. And you know, if it was that, I'd probably leave it alone. But there is something about the use of 'nailing' her, that implies stripping of her of her power, and stripping her because she's a woman. Because even if you are the most powerful woman in the world, it doesn't mean I can't f*ck you into submission. Sigh. Why aren't we past this yet?
Cause the real question screaming out here is: WHO THOUGHT IT WAS OKAY TO PORTRAY SARAH PALIN IN A DEGRADING MANNER IN A PORN FLICK? And how do we respond to that? Who here is going to say: No. No. No. You're not going to sexually degrade women. Not even women I don't like. (*Note: On the other hand, if you like sexually submissive roleplay or whatever, and/or you choose it, that's one thing. But Mrs. Palin didn't get a choice here.)
Now, I don't particularly care for Mrs. Palin. She sort of strikes me as the type that would strip me of every civil right I had before I could say "you betcha". But still, I was kind of hoping you ladies would go for a little something different here in your response. Something other than channeling Mean Girls, as one of the other posters said.
Your response reminds me of women in clubs dancing away to rap or hip hop lyrics that repeatedly degrade women, and when you ask them about it, they claim that the rapper isn't talking about them. He means those "hos" over there, and she points to other women. Women who look just like her. Good grief. Where is Shaka Khan singing "I'm every woman" when you need her? This probably won't get through to any of you, but I feel better saying it anyway. Thanks for reading.
*exits, stage right, shaking my head and mumbling: "I've got to start visiting jezebel.com more often."*