Rampant Rambling I'm Malina and you're offensive.
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The descriptors men and society use to describe women are so flawed in logic.
If a woman doesn’t have sex with you, she’s a bitch. If she has sex with anyone else, she’s a slut. The only way for her existence to be validated in your mind is if she sleeps with you and only you, if you can treat her like your property. So if you’re describing women are bitches and whores, more than any statement about them, you’re saying that you don’t really think women are independent people.
A woman’s place is in the house.
And the Senate.
And the Supreme Court.
And the Oval Office.
![[This is about Slutwalk, so trigger warning for rape]
So I said I’d blog about Slutwalk SF Bay, and now I am! It was an amazing experience, and if a city near you is holding one, they could really use your support. There were probably around 500 people marching, I’d guess, and they were such diverse human beings.
I got there around 10:30, since we stopped for coffee on our walk from the bart station. The coffee shop was also a video store, but my chai latte was super cheap and tasty. Aw yeah. They had these adorable rewards cards with animals drinking coffee on them (mine has a bunny). I’m looking forward to free drink #13!
The event was pretty quiet in the morning. I browsed the booths and talked to some really fascinating people. I bought a pin, and discovered Whore Magazine, which had this big article on Victoria Claflin Woodhull, a.k.a. my idol. I didn’t know if I could buy it and I was too awkward to ask, otherwise I’d definitely be flailing over it. The magazine was really cool though, and I wish I knew where I could buy it because it had pieces on self-defense, feminism, badass women, and vintage pin up. It also looked like it would cost a trillion dollars, though, so it’s probably best that I didn’t ask.
The speakers they brought in were incredible and truly passionate people. The MC of the event was really good at energizing the crowd with her passion and I honestly don’t know how to describe it, but she was, and is, an amazing woman. The first speaker, Dr. Carol Queen, talked about the importance of positive sex-education and cultivating good sexual experiences (if and when an individual wants to have sex). She was this middle-aged white lady wearing a shirt that said “I E> female orgasm” and she was the bossest bitch. The other of my two favorite speakers was a speaker from WORD (Women Organized to Resist and Defend), whose name, unfortunately, I don’t remember. She brought her kid up with her, and even though babies make me uncomfortable, I was really moved by what she said. She talked about a female judge in Arizona who said that women shouldn’t go to grocery stores after 10PM to avoid sexual violence. Which is such crap, because she as a judge and a woman should know better than to suggest that the responsibility to prevent rape rests on the victim and not on the perpetrator. Because it is so disgusting and lazy as a society to crack down on women’s “dangerous behaviors” rather than prosecute rapists and educate youth on sex to end rape. The point being, she is my role model. There was also a prostitute and sex workers advocate (so unlike what I was expecting. She was kind of a demure-looking middle-aged white woman), who really educated me on Prop 35 and how rape uniquely affects sex workers. Throughout the event, I encountered so many people — speakers, attendees, and passersby — who told me they were rape victims. And it was so disorienting to me as someone who’s never been the victim of violence, sexual or otherwise, that all these people you may pass by on the street could carry such darkness with them, and it really just strengthened my resolve to fight against victim-blaming, slut-shaming, and the legal system’s laziness in prosecuting rapists; any of those people could have just as easily have been me.
The march itself was pretty short. Honestly, it was probably a block, but aside from some ridiculously complex chants that I just could not master, it was so touching. Although at one point, my friends and I were walking next to a handsome young man when my friend oh-so-casually said that she would like to have consensual sex with him and his girlfriend totally heard her. Yoko wins A+ award for completely missing the point throughout the entire event.
At the end of the march, there was an open mic where people could come up and say whatever. It was harder to hear the speakers here, and a lot of them kind of rambled, so it wasn’t as moving for me. Not to mention we kept having to split up and regroup because Muni trains went right through the center of the crowd. This one man was completely naked, which I’m not going to lie, made me uncomfortable. It’s slutwalk, so I was completely expecting to see scantily clad people, but I think being completely naked is a different thing. I have no qualms with nudity, but we were at the intersection of two big streets, and there were children around. I don’t really know what he was going for, but I just felt it was inappropriate, especially considering the event was getting help from and cooperating with the police. Maybe I’m wrong about this though; it just felt strange to me.
I did go up and say something about what somebody in my gov class said on Friday about women who walk down the street late at night being partially responsible for what happens to them. Except I was super nervous the whole time, and I’m positive I sounded absolutely stupid. There was really no point to what I was saying besides I thought it was disgusting that somebody as young as I am has already been exposed to these misogynistic concepts.
Overall, though, it was a really empowering experience and I feel really blessed to have gotten the opportunity to be a part of this protest. Going again next year if circumstances will permit.](http://24.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_ma43y9z5r91qdi0iio1_500.jpg)
I just realized something. The opening lines to Taylor Swift’s “You Belong With Me” are “You’re on the phone with your girlfriend, She’s upset / She’s going off about something that you said / She doesnt get your humor like I do.”
Knowing Taylor Swift, and the inevitable short skirts/ T-shirt comparison that is to come, I totally bet that the guy made this horrible sexist joke [tw: rape just in case] like, “It’s not rape if she likes it,” and then his boss bitch hard femme girlfriend was like, “What the fuck is wrong with you?”
That’s totally what happened. In which case, I agree Taylor. He does belong with you.
I think the strange thing is that when a girl says, “I’m fat,” her friends’ immediate reactions are to say “No! You’re totally not,” or “What? You’re so skinny I wish I was as skinny as you!” — but really I think we should all be telling each other, “So what if you are?”
While I understand the argument that The Newsroom is misogynistic
I have to disagree.
A recent Huffington Post article highlighted issues with the female characters in Aaron Sorkin’s new show The Newsroom. I do understand the questions they raised, and I agree with some of what they say, but I still believe that Sorkin’s female characters are actually really empowering. Most of the issues seem to be with Mackenzie McHale and Maggie Jordan. Because Maggie is supposed to remind Mac of herself when she was younger, their characters are actually very similar. And yes, they tend to bumble a lot. But really, I know some incredibly intelligent people who make a lot of blunders or gaffes. Some people are just more graceful than others, and part of their characters is being a little wacky and unbelievable at times. Remember when Jim Harper hid behind a desk to avoid his angry date Lisa? Jim’s also run into a door more than once, tripped over Mac’s luggage, and generally embarrassed himself. It’s not a weaker sex thing, it’s a “this is a clumsy character” thing.
As for the argument that Mac is repeatedly berated for previous sexual misconduct, I’d like to point out that it’s only in Will’s eyes. Nobody else in the newsroom cares, because they see Mac as the whip-smart and talented EP that she is. Will keeps punishing Mac for this, but it’s made clear that this is a character flaw for Will, not Mackenzie. It shows his inability to forgive people, and his tendency to become a jerkwad. Because even though he’s the protagonist of the show, Will McAvoy is a bit of an ass. We like him because we see his intentions are good, but we also see that he does some incredibly cruel things.
The argument that The Newsroom is sexist almost always skips over the other female characters. And, as a feminist, I’d like to point out that I absolutely adore Sloan Sabbith. I love Sloan Sabbith. I relate to Sloan Sabbith. I aspire to be like Sloan Sabbith. Sloan is chosen to do an economics segment on Will’s show because, although she is also entirely qualified, she’s extremely attractive. And, as a result, she struggles to gain acceptance and be treated seriously as an economist. A lot of pretty female characters in television tend to manipulate their prettiness, but it’s clear that Sloan is actually really uncomfortable with being treated as a pretty face. In fact, her character is not that good with men at all. An extremely beautiful young woman is not that good with men. Do you know how rare a character like that is? Her desire to be taken seriously as an economist is, personally, really empowering, and Sorkin shows multiple times that she is super intelligent. Sloan doesn’t want to be a female economist; she wants to be an economist. Period.
I can see where people come from when they say that the Newsroom is sexist. I really do. But the overwhelming majority of interactions including female characters just highlight how intelligent and well-rounded they are. Sorkin doesn’t have them talking about stereotypically feminine things constantly, and at one point has Sloan give Mac a lesson on economics. Two women talk about economics independent of men on a popular TV show. Just let that sink in for a moment. From Maggie’s speech on the treatment of illegal immigrants, to Mac’s adamant opposition to covering the Casey Anthony trial, the women of the Newsroom show again and again that they’re to be respected. They don’t ask for respect, they demand it. And that’s what I really admire about this show.
Zoe Saldana talks about the gender divide in her career (Hint: she’s an actress.)
