Wednesday, March 24, 2010

Fidelbogen is an Antifeminist Asshole who actually says this: 'The statement that "men can stop rape" is an incoherent semantic muddle, and no person who wishes to be taken seriously ought to say such a thing.' Really, Fidelbogen says this--and means it!

[image is http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_LiB8itD3Iec/SAIyM1PzB9I/AAAAAAAAAEo/YEXHMhWtbK4/S210/MEN_CAN_STOP_RAPE1.giffrom here]

Don't know Fidelbogen? Good. You're lucky. But for those who do wish to know about him and his, errrm, irrational/misogynistic and antifeminist political perspectives and allegiances with uberprivileged whiteboys, see here and here. The latter blog is called... get ready to laugh:

"The Counter-Feminist"
The description is as follows:

"The female-supremacist hate movement called 'feminism' must be opened to the disinfecting sunlight of the world's gaze and held to a stern accounting for its grievous transgressions."

The other blog is called "Counter-Feminist Information" or:

"CFI"
and its description is:

"Making a revolution by pitching the sugar-and-spice cargo overboard!"

He also pals around with the men of a rather bizarre collection of privileged and unapologetically and virulently racist, homophobic, misogynist, pro-patriarchal jerks at an online venue called "antimisandry.com". If that isn't reason enough to find someone politically illiterate and incompetent to comprehend horrible atrocities as such, well, you don't know what goes on at antimisandry.com. And good if you don't. It's a cesspool of political irrationality and intellectual illogic over there. You're about to witness some of that below, out of one of its members.
With his two blogs and his participation on that woman-hating website, you might better understand my lack of respect for anything this guy says.

[Note: below, Fidelbogen's writing is not in bold. My replies to him are in bold. We begin with Fidelbogen's opening remark:]

First off, this: "Men" do not rape. Men who rape, rape.

Fidelbogen, you're one stoopid fuck, let me tell you. If you knew how to read and comprehend the simplest things, this would help matters a lot. When radical feminists and this one radical profeminist writes "men rape" we mean, men--not women--rape. We mean the problem of RAPE belongs to MEN; that rape ought not be a matter for WOMEN to solve or stop. We mean RAPE is MEN'S responsibility, not WOMEN's. Got it? Is that clear enough for you?  You're semantically absurd revision isn't even on point. So according to your "logic", it's not men who commit warfare it's the men who commit warfare who are the men who commit warfare? So no one gets to notice that, well, MEN commit warfare? Please.


That is a critically important distinction,

For YOU, yes, because you don't fucking want to deal with the fact that it is OUR gender that rapes, and it is only OUR gender that can STOP rape. You'd rather segregate out "men who rape" as separate from the category "men". Sorry. That shit doesn't fly.

but it tends to get lost in the shuffle whenever a heated discussion is under way.

That's nonsense. For example, C. A. MacKinnon's writing on rape is as rational, reasoned, and clear as anyone's, and you and your white het male supremacist buddies just don't know how to read her correctly, because probably all you've read of her are three quotes making the rounds by fools like you, and at least one of them was never even stated by her.


Next: The statement that "men can stop rape" is an incoherent semantic muddle, and no person who wishes to be taken seriously ought to say such a thing.

I do, and I did, Fidelbogen. And if you don't want to take me seriously, well, big fucking deal. I don't respect you anyway.

More honesty and circumspection in the use of language is needed here.

Circumspection? You're breaking out the fifty cent words, eh? Is that supposed to make you sound... what? Reasonable? Rational? Smart? It does none of the above, because you've already shown yourself to be incapable of grasping the most basic things about radical feminist writings, out of willful ignorance, I'd wager.

Hint: try untwisting and parsing out the multiple threads of meaning contained in the phrase "men can stop rape." Then, decide exactly WHICH of those threads corresponds to what you are actually trying to say. Then. . . SAY it! Clearly, honestly, succinctly, unequivocally, unambiguously.

Okay. Here we go: MEN rape, not women. MEN who are fathers RAPE their daughters. MEN who organise for "FATHER'S RIGHTS" don't organise to stop men from raping their daughters. MEN who rape, often don't think they've done anything different than when they "have sex". Curious, eh? MEN are goddamned dishonest about what we do that IS RAPE, because we want to believe stoopid-ass CRAP like 99.99% of men DON'T rape. Which, if it weren't so ignorant and pro-atrocity, would just be laughable.

If you ever met ME, in the flesh, in the real world, I guarantee that you would absolutely NOT ATTEMPT the kind of mindfuck games that you routinely play behind the protection of your little cyber-mask.

Why don't you SAY WHAT YOU MEAN, Fidelbogen. Are you saying you're a fucking bully? What ARE you saying, EXACTLY? Hint: try untwisting and parsing out the multiple threads of meaning contained in the phrase "If you ever met ME, in the flesh, in the real world, I guarantee that you would absolutely NOT ATTEMPT the kind of mindfuck games that you routinely play behind the protection of your little cyber-mask." Then, decide exactly WHICH of those threads corresponds to what you are actually trying to say. Then. . . SAY it! Clearly, honestly, succinctly, unequivocally, unambiguously.

Now, on to your big 47 dollar question: "What don't father's rights groups do...etc.?" My answer is, that I have absolutely no idea why they don't do what you want them to do.

That's brilliant. Thanks for that clarification.

Why should they? Why don't you ask them yourself?

They can't read text on this blog and answer the question? If the likes of you found your way here, surely you can lead them here, yes? Oh, but you're too busy--what with the "counter-feminism" work and all. (Cough.)

Let's try this: Why don't YOU organise to stop MEN from raping WOMEN? Let's start with you.

But to venture a guess, I would say 1.)it never occurred to them because their political focus is different

Yes, "their political focus is different" as in "utterly self-centered, self-involved, whiny, oh-woe-is-the-plight-of-white-het-men wrapped up in protecting unearned privileges and unjust entitlements". Got it. "Different", yes. They, and you, btw, focus on being utterly callous and astoundingly oblivious to what MEN do that is atrociously harmful, degrading, violating, and oppressive to WOMEN. And you all pretend that what is done to class-privileged white het men is just as bad or worse. And the Jews oppressed the Nazis during HaShoah, right? And African Americans oppress whites in the U.S., right? And Indigenous people in North America are engaging in genocide against white people like you, right? And gay men and lesbian women control the civil rights of heterosexuals like you, right? Wrong.

and 2.) because they don't share your personal obsession with those issues in particular.

Anti-rape work isn't exactly my personal obsession. But you seeing it that way reveals a lot about your inability to see political work as anything other than "psychological". This would mean that your antifeminist work is also "a personal obsession" yes? 


Rape--men's rape of women and girls--is a serious matter, like white men's genocide against Indigenous people on North America. Those that are concerned about rape and genocide are people with a heart and soul. Are you in that population? I sure hope so. So far, though, you give no evidence of this being true. You present yourself as a politically unaware fool. Is that your intention?

After all, the world is a big place, full of problems large and small, and . . . we can't all do everything!

And is white het men playing sports, and working to make more millions in bonuses, working to get women drunk so as to be better able to fuck them, working on finding that right pic of a raped woman to reach orgasm to, working to get better at that warfare or crime drama video game, working to get out of paying alimony and child support, working to shoot animals in the woods for sport, working to rip off Indigenous culture, working to be homophobic, racist bigots more important than working to ending rape, Fidelbogen? Why don't you tell me what's more important to work on. Why don't you tell me what you do, in your work life, that is way more important than working to end rape.

Can we? ;)

No, you and your Blanched Homosocial Brethren can't do everything. You can't really do much of anything, other than being oppressive assholes, by the looks of what you do. But it would be good, socially, morally, and politically, if you could do ONE thing: end rape. 

White het men fuck up so much that you guys attempt to do (and pretend to be oh-so-very good at, with "good" here meaning "moral and effective"): like run transnational corporations with all kinds of tax loopholes so the poor and working people have to pay for your crimes against humanity; run corrupt capitalist financial institutions; run greedy, inhumane, callous insurance companies; rule oppressive countries, states, and cities. You--the white het men who do this--are "good" at all that, but NOT in any moral way. 

So how's about you gather up all your white het male buddies, and work to end rape? Given that you are the most sexist-racist-homophobic and overall destructive demographic, why don't you stop rape? Against women, transgendered people, girls, and boys of many colors and ethnicities. Why don't you, Fidelbogen? What is it that is so much more important that you've got to do with your time?

Oppression, Privilege, and Resistance: Theoretical Perspectives on Racism, Sexism, and Heterosexism

[image is from here]
Hey folks,

I haven't read this, but have read some of what's in it, and it looks good. I thought I'd put info about it here on the ol' blog. More than many collections of primarily North American writers, this volume is a quite richly multi-cultural and multi-ethnic collection of contributors/theorists/activists. Perhaps weakest in representing people of Asian ethnicities, this book does far more to be inclusive of people of color including a few outside of the U.S. It is written for those with a post-high school level education, and for those who speak English, which obviously leaves out a lot of people. However, this looks to be an excellent anthology on the topics in the title.

You can click here at Powell Books, or on the text title just below to link to its location on Amazon.com, which has a "search this book" feature. Be well. -- Julian

Oppression, Privilege, and Resistance: Theoretical Perspectives on Racism, Sexism, and Heterosexism

This anthology is a philosophical reader on racism, sexism, heterosexism, and classism with a distinct theoretical framework that provides coherence and cohesion to the readings. The book is framed by a model of racism, sexism, heterosexism, and classism that understands these phenomena as interlocking systems of oppression. Resting upon this oppression model are two sets of theories, one concerned with the phenomenon of privilege--the companion of oppression--and the other with resistance--the response to oppression.

The book is unique in that a significant number of readings address the different forms that resistance takes. This section is perhaps the most important part of the book for students, struggling with the questions "what is being done?" and "what can I do?"

A philosophical approach to these phenomena raises some particular kinds of questions that often are not easily raised in nonphilosophical texts. The readings pose ontological questions ("What is race?"), metaphysical ones ("How is an individual's self-identity formed in a social world?"), epistemological ones ("What do members of marginalized groups need to know about dominant groups?"), ethical ones ("What responsibilities do members of privileged groups have not to participate in oppressive practices") and political ones ("What can people do to resist or undermine oppressive systems?") These are the questions that students come into the class asking, though perhaps in slightly different form and not using these philosophical categories. The readings in this anthology give students the language and the thinking tools that enable them to unearth, articulate, and explore those questions for themselves.

This anthology is based on a distinct theoretical framework that provides coherence and cohesion to the readings included, presenting the phenomena of racism, sexism, heterosexism, and classism as interlocking systems of oppression. Resting upon this oppression model are two sets of theories, one concerned with the phenomenon of privilege--the companion of oppression--and the other with resistance--the response to oppression.

The significant number of readings addressing the different forms that resistance takes are perhaps the most important part of the book for students struggling with the questions "What is being done?" and "What can I do?"

Lisa Heldke is Associate Professor of Philosophy at Gustavus Adolphus College, where she also teaches in the Womens Studies Program. She is the author of Exotic Appetites: Ruminations of a Food Adventurer (Routledge 2003) and co-editor of Cooking, Eating, Thinking: Transformative Philosophies of Food (Indiana University Press, 1992).Lisa Heldke and Peg OConnor are co-editors of Philosophers on Holiday, a quarterly ‘zine in the philosophical travel/leisure genre.Peg OConnor is Associate Professor of Womens Studies at Gustavus Adolphus College, where she also teaches in the Department of Philosophy. She is the author of Oppression and Responsibility: A Wittgensteinian Approach to Social Practices and Moral Theory (The Pennsylvania State University Press, 2003) and co-editor of Feminist Interpretations of Ludwig Wittgenstein (The Pennsylvania State University Press, 2003).Lisa Heldke and Peg OConnor are co-editors of Philosophers on Holiday, a quarterly ‘zine in the philosophical travel/leisure genre.

Preface

Part I: Theorizing Oppression

Introduction

Chapter 1: Oppression: General Theories

1. Paulo Freire, Pedagogy of the Oppressed

2. Sandra Lee Bartky, On Psychological Oppression

3. Iris Young, Five Faces of Oppression

Chapter 2: Oppression Axis One: Racism

4. Gloria Yamato, Something About the Subject Makes it Hard to Name

5. bell hooks, overcoming white supremacy: a comment

6. Gertrude Ezorsky, Overt and Institutional Racism

7. Rodolfo Acuna, Occupied America

8. Ward Churchill, Encountering the American Holocaust

9. Ward Churchill, Proposed Convention on Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide (1997)

10. Michael Omi and Howard Winant, Racial Formation

Chapter 3: Oppression Axis Two: Sexism

11. Heidi Hartmann, Towards a Definition of Patriarchy

12. Catharine A. MacKinnon, Difference and Dominance: On Sex Discrimination

13. Carole J. Sheffield, Sexual Terrorism: The Social Control of Women

14. Marilyn Frye, Oppression

15. Michael S. Kimmel, Inequality and Difference

Chapter 4: Oppression Axis Three: Heterosexism/Homophobia

16. Charlotte Bunch, Not for Lesbians Only

17. Timothy Beneke, Homophobia

18. Patrick D. Hopkins, Gender Treachery: Homophobia, Masculinity, and Threatened Identities

19. Cheryl Clarke, The Failure to Transform: Homophobia in the Black Community

20. Suzanne Pharr, Homophobia: A Weapon of Sexism

Chapter 5: Summing Up: Axes of Oppression

21. William Ryan, Blaming the Victim

22. Peg O'Connor, If Everyone Is Responsible, Then Nobody Is

Part II: Theorizing Privilege

Introduction

Chapter 6: Privilege: General Theories

23. Alison Bailey, Privilege: Expanding on Marilyn Frye's "Oppression"

Chapter 7: Privilege Axis One: White Privilege

24. Peggy McIntosh, White Privilege and Male Privilege

25. Doris Davenport, The Pathology of Racism: A Conversation with Third World Wimmin

26. Ruth Frankenberg, White Women, Race Matters

Chapter 8: Privilege Axis Two: Male Privilege

27. John Stoltenberg, How Men Have (a) Sex

28. Alex Walker, Coming Apart

Chapter 9: Privilege Axis Three: Heterosexual Privilege

29. Bruce Ryder, Straight Talk: Male Heterosexual Privilege

30. Devon Carbado, Straight Out of the Closet: Men, Feminism, and Male Heterosexual Privilege

Part III: Complicating Theories of Oppression and Privilege

Introduction

Chapter 10: Challenging Dichotomous Thinking

31. Lewis R. Gordon, Race, Biraciality, and Mixed Race--In Theory

32. Ana Castillo, A Countryless Woman

33. Lisa Tessman and Bat-Ami Bar On, The Other Colors of Whiteness: A Travelogue

34. Francisco Valdes, Notes on the Conflation of Sex, Gender, and Sexual Orientation

35. Anne Fausto Sterling, The Five Sexes: Why Male and Female Are Not Enough

Chapter 11: Recognizing Multiple Axes of Oppression

36. Elizabeth V. Spelman, GenderandRace: The Ampersand Problem in Feminist Thought

37. Edna Bonacich, Inequality in America

38. Marlon Riggs, Black Macho Revisited

39. June Jordan, Report from the Bahamas

Chapter 12: Being Both Privileged and Oppressed

40. Patricia Hill Collins, Toward a New Vision: Race, Class, and Gender as Categoris of Analysis and Connection

41. Timothy Beneke, Gay Sexism

42. Audre Lorde, Age, Race, Class, and Sex: Women Redefining Difference

Part IV: Theorizing Resistance

Introduction

Chapter 13: Resistance Strategy One: Education

43. Lawrence Blum, Antiracism, Multiculturalism, and Interracial Community

44. Katha Pollitt, Why We Read: Canon to the Right Of Me...

45. Tia Cross, Freada Klein, Barbara Smith, Beverly Smith, Face to Face, Day to Day--Racism CR

46. Paul Carlo Hornacek, Anti-Sexist Consciousness-Raising Groups for Men

47. Leonard Schein, Dangers with Men's Consciousness-Raising Groups

Chapter 14: Resistance Strategy Two: Disloyalty/Disobedience/Traitorousness

48. Noel Ignatiev, Treason to Whiteness Is Loyalty to Humanity

49. Vine Deloria, Jr., Indian Humor

Chapter 15: Resistance Strategy Three: Separatism and Identity Politics

50. James Boggs, Black Power: A Scientific Concept Whose Time Has Come

51. Cheryl Clarke, Lesbianism: An Act of Resistance

52. Combahee River Collective, A Black Feminist Statement

54. Marilyn Frye, Willful Virgin or Do You Have to Be a Lesbian to Be a Feminist?

Chapter 16: Resistance Strategy Four: Revolution

55. James Cone, Toward a Constructive Definition of Black Power

56. Pat Parker, Revolution: It's Not Neat or Pretty or Quick

57. bell hooks, Feminist Revolution: Development Through Struggle

58. Harry Hay, Toward the New Frontiers of Fairy Vision...

Chapter 17: Resistance Strategy Five: Coalition

59. Elly Bulkin, Breaking a Cycle

60. Manning Marable, Beyond Racial Identity Politics: Toward a Liberation Theory for Multicultural Democracy

61. Mari J. Matsuda, Standing Beside My Sister, Facing the Enemy

Chapter 18: Resistance Strategy Six: Neither/Nor

62. Gloria Anzaldua, La Consciencia de la Mestiza: Towards a New Consciousness

63. Harry Hay, Our Third Gender Responsibilities

64. Karin Baker, Bisexual Feminist Politics: Because Bisexuality Is not Enough

65. Kate Bornstein, This Quiet Revolution

Product Details

ISBN:
9780072882438
Subtitle:
Theoretical Perspectives on Racism, Sexism, and Heterosexism
Publisher:
McGraw-Hill Companies
Author:
O'Connor, Peg
Author:
Heldke, Lisa
Publication Date:
December 2003
Grade Level:
College/higher education:
Language:
English