Dora ([info]sigelphoenix) wrote,
@ 2006-11-19 13:27:00
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Current mood: pissed
Entry tags:anti-racism and racial privilege, feminism and sexism, sex and body issues

Brief rant
You know what's sexist? White guys who see Asian women as exotic sex objects, something they can use in their porn-based fantasies about "sideways" vaginas. Why? Because everything about me is obscured by my sexual utility for them - they are attempting to define MY identity through THEIR penis.

You know what's ALSO sexist? Asian guys who think that Asian women aren't "Asian" enough if they don't exclusively date Asian men. Why? Because ONCE AGAIN my identity is being defined by a man's penis.

Look. I don't hold with the fringe view that women can only be feminists if they're lesbians, as if having sex with other women was the only way to be in solidarity with them. This is because women can have meaningful and supportive relationships with people that aren't characterized by what goes into their vaginas. Get it? WHAT I do, WHO I am, and WHAT I believe are not determined by whom I choose to fuck.

Oh, wait - that would be who fucks me, because clearly these perspectives treat women as passive sexual receptacles that can only have sex happen to them.

Stop exerting male privilege over me to make yourselves feel more important. Just stop. I don't care if you've got layers of privilege coming out your ass and this is just one more way for you to oppress people; I don't care if you're disadvantaged because of your color or class or whatever, and penis-privilege is all you've got. You DO NOT have the right to lift yourself up by taking advantage of the power society gives you over me.

I have the right to define my identity in the way that I want. That means who I date, but that's just a tiny part of it. It also means: who my important relationships are with, how I spend my time, what I learn, how I challenge the power structures around me.

I also have the responsibility to be aware of how my choices about my romantic relationships - among all the millions of other important choices in my life - affect me. But that DOESN'T mean doling out my sexuality based on the color of a man's penis. Or lack of penis. Or anything else.

I am not defined based on which men do what to me. I am defined based on my mind, not random parts of my body. My body is not the important part of me and my activism. MY VAGINA DOES NOT CONTAIN A MAGIC WELLSPRING OF POLITICAL SOLIDARITY, THANK YOU.

This rant brought to you by the letter FUCKING MORONS WHO CAN'T SEPARATE A WOMAN'S VAGINA FROM HER PERSONHOOD.




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[info]tekanji
2006-11-19 11:28 pm UTC (link)
MY VAGINA DOES NOT CONTAIN A MAGIC WELLSPRING OF POLITICAL SOLIDARITY, THANK YOU.

You win at the intarnet.

Seriously, great rage. Any chance you'll x-post it on Shrub?

Do I even want to know what sparked it? (Part of me dreads to hear more about the incident(s) but the other part of me, the part of me that is a masochist, wants to feel more pain over the stupidity.)

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[info]sigelphoenix
2006-11-20 07:26 am UTC (link)
I'm also a masochist when it comes to this kind of thing, so I'll indulge your weakness. :P Jenn made a post on Reappropriate about a new webcomic called "Single Asian Female," criticizing it for (among other things) being written by an Asian-American man and portraying Asian-American women in a sexist way. Cue: torrent of comments from trolls attacking Jenn with the old "AAW must date only AAM for the sake of the race!" *rolls eyes*

I hesitate to put this on Shrub because it feels like more of a rant than an honest attempt at discussion ... I've just been feeling a lot of anger lately about sexism and racism, and I can't seem to find it in me to be more productive in my writing. I read your posts about the crap you're facing, and I just have no idea what to say. I feel like all I can do is nod and be enraged alongside you.

(I guess that's support, too, and it might have been helpful for you - sorry I didn't say it earlier. *nods and is enraged alongside you*)

However, I do think this is something that needs to be said, since there are still so many people who Just Don't Get It. I think I'll revise this to be more coherent and accessible, and then post it. I don't want to attract the same brand of troll that Jenn's facing. (And if you have any suggestions as to what additions or explanations might be helpful, please let me know.)

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[info]tekanji
2006-11-20 11:13 am UTC (link)
Reappropriate is down right now ._. Although I think I can imagine the kinds of responses; she got similar ones the last time she got uppity about AAM privilege. What was she, a mere AAF, thinking questioning her betters? Clearly she got what she deserved! *rolls eyes*

I hesitate to put this on Shrub because it feels like more of a rant than an honest attempt at discussion

Because I would neeeeeeever just put up rants. *buries some of her most recent posts out in the backyard*

(I guess that's support, too, and it might have been helpful for you - sorry I didn't say it earlier. *nods and is enraged alongside you*)

Yes, be ashamed that you did not offer your support on my timetable!!! Ashaaaaaaaamed! (Translation: Thanks for the support! I appreciate it muchly.)

I think I'll revise this to be more coherent and accessible, and then post it. I don't want to attract the same brand of troll that Jenn's facing.

Yay for posting! Though keep in mind that even if you do attract the trolls, they won't get through 'cause by their very nature they'll be violating the discussion rules. One of the perks of having moderated comments. Though that doesn't save us the pain of having to read it. My eyes will never stop bleeding.

And if you have any suggestions as to what additions or explanations might be helpful, please let me know.

Links are always nice. Truth be told I'm happy with the way it is. ^^;;;; Although I'm sure whatever changes you make to it will be great :D

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[info]sigelphoenix
2006-11-20 06:33 pm UTC (link)
Yeah, pretty much. I only skimmed the comments, and I recognized a lot of the sentiments from the last time she made a post about AAM male privilege (which I wish I could find again, because those commenters need to read it).

I see your point about the rants. XD I'll definitely add in a link to Jenn's post - I hope that won't add more fuel to the fire, and that it might get more sane people commenting over there.

And, hey, I'm sure it'll be nice to get some variety in the trollish comments at Shrub. We've had straight-up male privilege for so long, now we'll get to see some tasty "I'm oppressed in this way so I can't be an oppressor in that way" diatribes! /sarcasm

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[info]sigelphoenix
2006-11-20 08:27 pm UTC (link)
Wow. I just published the post a few minutes ago and I've already got the most virulent troll from Jenn's post. I do so love your moderated comment policy~~

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[info]tekanji
2006-11-20 10:38 pm UTC (link)
You know, the first comment of his (they get mailed to me, joy!) I was like, "This has got to be sarcasm. Then I saw his second comment and was like, 'Gods above and below, save me from the idiocy!'" I don't know why that guy hasn't eradicated himself from existence already he's so bleedingly dumb.

Part of me wants to post it to my LJ so others can share in the mockery. I am a mean, mean person.

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[info]sigelphoenix
2006-11-21 12:32 am UTC (link)
I know! The first comment of his on Jenn's post was so classically trollish I thought he had to be one of those hit-and-run commenters who throw in some inane insult and never return. But then he kept. coming. back. He even tried to pull a, "Oh, I don't take any of this seriously, I just like to cause trouble, haw!" Except that's kind of contradicted by the obsessive way he follows the comment thread.

I don't think that would be mean. The post would be locked, after all. And theoretically, he was submitting his comments for public posting anyway ...

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[info]tekanji
2006-11-21 09:22 am UTC (link)
He would frighten me except that he's too stupid to hurt anyone but himself.

I don't think that would be mean. The post would be locked, after all. And theoretically, he was submitting his comments for public posting anyway ...

I did it. I couldn't help myself.

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[info]sigelphoenix
2006-11-22 12:41 am UTC (link)
I do love that, once it was clear he wasn't getting to hijack the comments, he just quit. No whining about suppression of free speech, no "I bet you're too scared to let my comment through" challenges. I don't know how much he even cares about this topic. I think he was just a very, very bored guy.

Yay! The hilarity can be shared.

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[info]tekanji
2006-11-22 07:11 am UTC (link)
Yeah, I gotta agree with you on that. But he's not as overtly vicious as the "omg free speech!11" posters; I'm not even sure I can assign him malicious intent. I think he's just that stupid. Which kind of makes me feel sorry for him until I re-read his comments and re-live the racism.

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[info]sigelphoenix
2006-11-22 07:18 pm UTC (link)
The weird thing is, since he's one of the "AAWs should only date AAMs" crowd, I don't know why he's accusing other people of being obsessed with racist oppression. It might make sense to him, in some twisted way - but I'm not brave enough to wade through all his comments in Jenn's thread to find out. :P

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(Anonymous)
2006-11-22 10:27 pm UTC (link)
The guy was trying to make the argument that Gengis Khan sexually liberated European women. If that makes logical sense to him, I think that anything can.

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[info]sigelphoenix
2006-11-22 11:32 pm UTC (link)
Point. O_o

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[info]jennifergearing
2006-11-20 12:02 am UTC (link)
Yeah, I'm with tekanji. You win internets. And aforementioned fucking morons must forfeit all previously won internets to you. Or something.

(I am also part-masochist).

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[info]sigelphoenix
2006-11-20 07:29 am UTC (link)
Thanks! Would it mean that they have to leave the Internet? :P

See my reply to tekanji for the link, if you can stand it. >_< I didn't even read all of the comments, because there's over 150, a large chunk of them from a stubborn troll who likes to pull out the "best" in Internet debate techniques - like pulling a random part of your comment out to pick on, or ad hominem attacks. Whee!

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[info]jennifergearing
2006-11-20 10:31 am UTC (link)
I wish it did. *chuckle*

Ahh. I had a feeling it might've been that thread. I stayed right away from that, particularly when someone started with the "you don't look Asian, you're not pure, what would you know!?" stuff, because, well, um. Yeah, I can understand being frustrated with multiracial people, particularly those with white heritage (hi) who don't acknowledge the white privilege they do have, but the purity stuff really creeps me out, funnily enough.

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[info]sigelphoenix
2006-11-20 06:23 pm UTC (link)
"you don't look Asian, you're not pure, what would you know!?"

Augh, I missed that one. >_< Did you see that the target of that comment has an LJ? His post is a nice, sane commentary about the comic that actually addresses the issue at hand. (I'm also glad to see an AAM speak up against male privilege among the train wreck that is this comment thread.)

The animosity directed toward multiracial people is pretty revealing - on the one hand, these guys are saying that an AAF's actions are what determine her "Asian-ness," which means her racial identity is voluntary. Yet they turn right around and say that a multiracial person, by default, can't be a "true" Asian, regardless of what s/he does. Which makes it clear that they think of racial identity as something only they can define because they're "real" enough (and male enough).

For what it's worth, I don't think of you or your identity in terms of half/part-Asian or whatever. Like, what, you're only Asian for half of your life? Is it a six-month rotation during the year, like half the time you're an evil oppressor and the other half you can be a good little oppressed person? Or maybe racism is only supposed to inflict half the damage on you? :P

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[info]tekanji
2006-11-20 11:07 pm UTC (link)
Is it a six-month rotation during the year, like half the time you're an evil oppressor and the other half you can be a good little oppressed person?

Woah, can I sign up for that? I'm feeling like my soil is a little dry and my Oppression Roots just aren't growing like they used to. Maybe if I was on crop rotation I could get back to some good, old-fashioned oppressing.

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[info]sigelphoenix
2006-11-21 12:25 am UTC (link)
Sure, it's probably time for you to trade in your Oppressed status for Oppressor now. It's not like, you know, the two ever intersect. I mean, look at those poor Asian men! They're racially oppressed, so they couldn't possibly be gender oppressors!

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[info]tekanji
2006-11-21 09:07 am UTC (link)
Well, I mean I, as a white woman, know that very well. My womanness precludes me from ever being racist. Because I'm OMG SO OPPRESSED.

By the way, if you don't agree with my take on things you are OMG REVERSE RACIST!!!!

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[info]jennifergearing
2006-11-21 03:57 am UTC (link)
Is it a six-month rotation during the year, like half the time you're an evil oppressor and the other half you can be a good little oppressed person?

Seriously, I'm running out of intarwebs for you to win. *grin*

'Sorry, I'm being an Oppressor this month, return with the racist insults next month when I'm being an Oppressed person again.'

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[info]sigelphoenix
2006-11-22 12:46 am UTC (link)
Seriously, I'm running out of intarwebs for you to win. *grin*

*feels warm and fuzzy*

Seriously, snark is the best way I have to deal with stuff that pisses me off like this, so I'm glad you approve. :D

Speaking of snark, my partner and I determined last night that the AAMs who say we have to date them in order to be 'true' Asians must have special Asian Solidarity juice in their semen. They just ejaculate it into us, and bam! We're good Asian American women. 8D

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[info]jennifergearing
2006-11-22 01:15 am UTC (link)
BAHAHAHAHAHA. Oh, that's just glorious. I nearly fell out of my chair.

Asian Solidarity Juice. Priceless.

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