It's been a while since I read Amanda Marcotte's stuff on Pandagon, but all this business with conservatives and their irrational hatred of climate science has managed to pull me back over. And, since Marc gave me a column, I thought join him on his hobby horse.
I don't really have much to add, but here's a teaser from Marcotte's excellent post on Twilight and the state of feminism:
Jonathan Zimmerman has a theory about why the Twilight series is so popular: because feminism is so bad for women, amirite? We’ve all heard this story before, about how the double standard that shamed women for sexual activity but lauded men is actually good for women (at least the slim minority that escape being labeled sluts, feeling ashamed because they masturbate, or being tied to a table in a maternity home to deliver a baby you’ll never get to look at), because withholding sex is the only way for women to get precious, precious male attention. But what I really liked about this piece is how up front Zimmerman is about the reason that he believes that women should hold out on sex in exchange for commitment from men: because women are so fucking loathsome, that it’s ridiculous to even consider the idea that a man might choose their company for pleasure. And that the only way for a woman to get male attention is to use sex as a tool to get men to pretend that they like you.In other words, it’s a female fantasy. It’s also every boy’s nightmare. After all, the hooking-up deal works pretty well for guys. Lots and lots of sex, without all that messy relationship stuff? What’s not to like?
What fascinates me is how much this belief smuggles in a larger belief about male superiority. Basically, the gulf between men and women, in this worldview, is this: Male company is desirable, female company is repellent. In fact, men are so wonderful, perfect, and amazing that women will vie for their attention, even if it’s insincere and condescending, because of course, no man could actually like, much less love, a woman. But that’s how great men are. They could kick you in the shins, and you’d be begging for more. They can pretend to like you to your face while trying to get you in bed while mocking you to your friends, and you’ll be eager to suck it up, because men are so much better than you. Really, they’re gods, and pathetic, loathsome women should be grateful for whatever scraps we can obtain. And we can only obtain scraps from our gods in the traditional way: sacrifice. Sacrifice of dignity, self-worth, and of course, of your own sexual desires.
It's a good post, and I suggest you read it. But in the interest of fun, you might want to read Zimmerman's idiotic post in The Chicago Tribune, too. It's so bad it hurts.
I mean, let's be honest, even the premise is funny. You know, who knows about the "emerging sexuality" of fourteen-year-old girls better than Zimmerman?!
Eh, that's a cheap shot. But, since it's apparently okay for op-eds in major newspapers to be based almost entirely on poorly-sourced anecdotal evidence, I need some way to make it clear that he's the professional, and I'm the dirty blogger.
|