I’m Not Allowed There
Published by Antigone June 27th, 2008 in Punkass!, CultureThe other day, one of my friends was looking through my bookmarks, and remarked that I had a lot of feminist blogs linked. I responded, somewhat off-handedly, that “Yeah, the feminist blogsphere is pretty much the only place on the internet where I can read the comment threads”. He responded to that “Oh, so you’re looking for an echo chamber.”
We then had to go off to do something, so I couldn’t respond, but the comment really bugged me. It bugs me on multiple levels: the first one being that the feminist blogsphere is not “an echo chamber”. Anybody who has spent any length of time on the feminists blogs realize that there is a lot of disagreement, and differing opinnions and that there are vibrant debates that go on.
But, that’s not just what made me so upset. I was upset at the comment because I’m not allowed any where else on the internet. I would love to be able to go on YouTube and have a discussion about “Hi, I’m a Marvel. And I’m a DC“, or go on Fark.com and share some punny statments about people who jump off cliffs with cardboard wings, or talk about the recent Supreme Court cases at LawBlogs, or hell, even go on supposedly “progressive” websites like DailyKos and get some ideas about non-directly feminist stuff. But, I can’t, because inevitably, people start throwing out the “stupid bitches” the condescending language, the invitations to perform sex acts upon them, and the sexists “jokes” about Ann Coulter being a “tranny”. And I can not live with that, day in day out.
I am pushed out of these spaces by misgynony. And, according to this thread at Shakesville, I’m not the only one.
There will be, inevitably, voices that say it’s my own fault for not being able to “take the heat”, which I’m going to preemptively call shannigans on. I’ve been in heated debates before, strong ones where the person and I arguing had almost nothing in common. I like a good debate on what makes what: debate crystallizes beliefs, and helps us all arrive to a good conclusion. But, as a general point, I am not going to debate my existence as a human being deserving respect. It’s counter-productive, and soul-searing. But this means that I’m left out of what should be a public space.
I totally agree.
(If you wanted an echo chamber, it would be posts at non-feminist blogs you’d have trouble reading, not comment threads.)
I can imagine. Ugh.
I love how he’s assuming that the misogynist blogosphere is not an ‘echo chamber’.
(I have the same problem, which is why I rarely read CiF these days. Well, and CiF is full of right-wing trolls - last time I left a comment there, it was about electoral fraud in the USA, and I mentioned I was an emigree. The next comment said ‘Shame on you for not being pathetically grateful to be living in the Land of the Free!’ in more or less as many words. Gah).
I’m afraid I’m not familiar with CiF.
Oh, and I always figured immigrants were “more” of an American, because they went and actually had to do something in order to be an American. I always figured for the rest of us the bumper sticker “Fortunate to be an American” was more appropriate than “Proud”.
CiF = CommentIsFree, the Grauniad’s blog community section. Many good posts, many trainwreck threads.
And I think it’s that perception that the ‘Shame on you!’ comments arise from; surely I came all this way to get here because I recognise America as being flawless and wonderful and inherently, effortlessly superior? I mean, if people who were just born here have their quibbles, there’s no help for that, but if someone made all that effort but is not grateful to the Glorious Shrub, without whose grace they would not even be here, what’s wrong with them?
That…doesn’t make the least bit of sense.
What is this “Glorious Shrub” and how may I go about donating them all of my money and any future children?
The Shrub=the smaller of the two Georges Bush.
Antigone - no, no, it doesn’t, but the trolls keep throwing it at me in spite of that.
Huh. I thought it was an allusion to moses.
Money and children: donated.
I know how you feel. I hate when someone makes an aggressively dumb comment and I’m momentarily too boggled by the stupidity to think of an answer until it’s too late and the conversation has already moved on. Thank god for blogs and extended response-time windows.