Beyonce Backlash: Trollers, How I Love Thee!

So all of a sudden, the 'Unspoken Word' came to life after I made that post about Beyonce. Since then I have:

1. Rejoiced about the fact that I have trolls. Wow, the 'Unpoken Word' finally has some real blogosphere action.

2. Responded to the individuals that do not get my drifted and posted serious-sounding comments about me being a hater.

3. Downloaded the song (yes, I'm a pirate...aaaaargh) and listened to it over at least 30 times.

4. Had my inner-Destiny's-child-loving girl self rejoice about the fact that Beyonce is singing real female empowerment songs again that are not overly sexualized like some of the work she has delivered as a solo artist.

5. Danced around to this song pumping hard through my earphones.

6. Loved the hell out of the song, how she incorporates a South African dance style in the song for all the world to see and appreciate.

7. Had parts of the video play in my head in joyous recollection of how dope it is.

Now, I don't know where the trolls discovered something in my words to attack. It's just a case of subtle misunderstanding because this is quite obviously my new feminist chant.

But trolls, I love you. Reading your comments has brought back a new enthusiasm for blogging that died with along with my reader count.

All I have to say is, "Thank You" and please by all means, keep on trolling. What would the blogosphere be without you entertaining individuals?

Back to Bey....

WHO RUNS THE WORLD...GIRLS BEEEATCHES!!! YEAH!!

Next up: my discussions will revolve around an analysis of women's role in science and the general male response to their presence at all levels of the academia from Undergraduate, Graduate ("Toast to the college grads" - Beyonce) to Doctorate and Professorship level.

Some Femist Critique on "Inception"

Reading
Feminist Music Geek's review on Inception brought to light a slight issue I grappled with whilst watching the movie. The way in which the wife was represented. It smacks off that quintessential crazy male author's and directors tend to create within their female characters. Note: Laura's mother in The Glass Menagerie. Friend of mine thinks Tennessee Williams might have had some "mummy issues" - I think so. I always hear statements uttered by chauvinists around the order of "Women are crazy."  Well, I wonder where they've been getting these thoughts from. Back to the Inception commentary:

Rather, she plays as a manifestation of feminist film theory’s complaints against cinema’s conception of women and its applications of psychoanalytic thought via the scopophilic gaze. Cotillard does what she can with the role, but it feels like she’s representing, say, Tania Modeleski’s criticisms in The Women Who Knew Too Much: Hitchcock and Feminist Theory. This may have been Nolan’s intention, but by rendering Mal as an archetypical femme fatale who Cobb must overcome, he only enforces the notion that female movie characters are not fully realized as complex people but instead mere ideations from the auteur’s mind.

My thoughts exactly. Well almost exactly.

Quote for the Day

Taken from this essay I bumped into while randomly surfing the net.

Increasing numbers of African-American women doing rap and dance music are continuing the feminist approach set by the precedent-setting performers like Pat Benetar, Cyndi Lauper, Tina Turner, Madonna, Aretha Franklin, Eurythmics, and Janet Jackson. These artists show an ability not only to use pastiche to some extent in drawing attention to the exploitative traditions of videos, but contrary to Kaplan's theories, actually dismantle the male gaze through humor. By ridiculing the male gaze and male behavior, women liberate themselves from the male constructions of female as object.

Input to Varsity Newspaper

This is an article I just sent to the Opinions Section for the Varsity Newspaper. Hope they publish it. The whole thing that is! Here goes:

In response to Gosia Podgorska's succint article about the subtle ways in which chauvinism comes into play within our daily interactions with one another, I would like to expand on a number of points she made. But firstly, and this is by far the most important piece of news you will ever receive with regards the feminist movement: it is not an ideology that seeks to point men out as egregious rapists, wife-beaters and murderers. Quite clearly, there are plenty of men, young and old that each one of us can point out as not coming even nearly close to fitting this profile. But the truth of the matter is, on a broad scale, our world's collective society has evolved in such a way as to place the male gender on a higher position on the heirarchy. We see this manifestation in the wage-gap phenomenon (which is not much of a phenomenon when one begins to closely inspect the dynamics between genders). The fact that historically, women have been economically-repressed for centuries, by not being given access in the workplace, held back from seeking tertiary education, not being allowed ownership of property and land, disallowed from partaking in the public vote, being given titles in accordance with maritial status (which still happens today mind you) and others are plenty of cause for such a movement as feminism to have struck its climax during the 1970's and though some argue we now live in a post-feminist society (the same claim they would make with respect to race), I disagree. Put simply, until we reach a state of absolute equality between women and men in every sphere of society, feminism will still have its place in attempting to galvanise the notion that yes "Women are people".
To describe this pattern of degrading, dominating, controlling and humiliating women, I use the word misogyny. It's important to note that this word does not relate to the ways in which men view women but often times the ways in which society as a whole treats people who belong to the female gender. Women too can be guilty of it; I can bravely say that because our society is built on sexist beliefs pertaining to the gender-binary and chiefly subscribes to a notion that there are specific and clear-cut roles that women and men must play, the very language we speak, is a language of male chauvinism (upholding the false notion that men are superior to women).
From the ways women's bodies are commodified for media consumption and sexualized for the purpose of male erotic stimulus, it is no surprise that general "guy-talk" or what I would personally call "douchebag-talk" comprises of the excitement found in dominating a women sexually and then calling her a "slut" which relates to a very intrinsic manner in which society as a whole likes to compartmentalize female behaviour - you are either a "good-girl" or a "ho" (the virgin/whore dichotomy). Sexism often shows up in the dismissal of female intelligence and creative agency. Often times women are treated as if we are dumb and are in need of male instruction. It goes further, our ideas are often discredited despite the richness they may carry. In worse cases a male may even steal the idea and take credit for it knowing full well that people will have a better time believing in his intelligence rather than that of a woman. In asserting a gender-binary with regard to stereotyping, we all do ourselves a great disservice. I know for sure, there are young women out there who you'll probably find one afternoon sitting in front of the TV with beer in hand and Arsenal jersey getting aggravated about Fabregas missing the goal. Gender stereotypes are a fallacy, they are socially-constructed. We have effeminate men and tough chicks and plenty other types of personalities that bear to relation to the individual involved's gender whatsoever! What Gosia described is misogyny (hatred of females) in three acts. This perpetual need to re-affirm patriarchal masculinity by observing women as sex-toys, virgins, whores, crazy, uncontrolled, docile etc and not as the individual PEOPLE that they are. It's an attitude that unfortunately does prevail and for this reason, feminism is absolutely necessary in combating misogyny and deconstructing patriarchal definitions of masculinity.

Double Standard Disarray

Thank you Lady Gaga for pointing out what may sound cliche by now but should never cease to be spoken of. Double-standards when it comes to naming female and male sexuality differently. Why it becomes a conquest for the latter has plenty to do with once again, a very rigid definition of patriarchal masculinity.

This song is excellent for this topic by the way.

o-What am i not s'pposed to have an opinion?
Should i be quiet to speak because i'm a woman?
Call me a bitch (bitch) cause i speak what's on my mind
Guess it's easier for you to swallow if i sat and smiled

Compassion for the Plight of the "other"

Is perhaps one of the most incredible triumphs of human character to note. We don't realise it but recognising the humanity in those that are not like us is a challenge. Especially in a world that is so bent on forming divisions instead of breaking them through empathy and understanding.

These thoughts emanate from an article in the Saturday Star Canvas by Janet Smith. This month we celebrate women's lib or what we have of it. Though much needs to be done to obtain full equality, great strides have already been made. In comparison to women that lived half a century ago, we have many more opportunities to grow and progress as humans and not simply women. Ideas surrounding gender roles are much less rigid. Women can more or less do anything they want to. For that, it is a privilege to be a woman in the 21st century.

But it is a woman's location that makes all the difference. Muslim states in Africa and Asia still practice brutal genital mutilations. A clear act of pure unadultered misogyny which is accompanied by a myriad of other heinous acts.
I began this post with some talk about empathy. A recent movie which has struck plenty of controversy mainly owed to a scene in which a woman mutilates herself 'Antichrist' has left me wondering. The European public is so up in arms about this scene which is part of a movie and thus not real but less troubled by the reality of the many thousands of mutilations that take place. It serves to speak of how empathy breaks down almost immediately at the ethnic barrier. The West is somewhat indifferent to the suffering of those is less developed regions of the world because of this business of seeing only the "other" and not a fellow human being similar in a number of ways.
Otherization is something we have probably all been guilty of. Recognising that common humanity that binds us is one way forward toward a post-racial and post-sexist society and world.

Why Chauvinists Should Take Rape Seriously (will the poor things ever)

I could not have said it any better myself. The light-hearted way in which chauvinists treat the issue of rape. If I could write a constitution for the world it would entail a law that sends men who laugh at, mock or even blame rape victims to jail for a little experience of their own. See how they'll like that. Either way here's the post that struck my interest.

Tell me after reading this that women should just "sit back and enjoy the ride" when being forced to endure an event that will leave them emotional scarred for an immensely long time thereafter. It's not even about sex, it's about a heinous theft of power. But when "you're just a boy" how can you understand anything remotely close that level of insight and below-the-surface thinking.

Props to Feminist Lyrics

Now, let me say this first - these two do not even pitch close when it comes to my top 50 list of favourite artists but lately they've caught my attention.
The latest from Ms Beyonce and Britney both having a nice little bash at men and their problems with them. I'd like to see more of this but for once, there's less sex and more addressing of feminist issues in Beyonce and Britney. Plus the men in the videos are very yummy I must say.

Beyonce - If I Were A Boy




Britney - Womanizer




Speaking of videos, I'm loving the new one from Kanye - "Love Lockdown". It is visually and artistically astounding not to mention original. She just excels above the boundaries of the norm and brings us something fresh everytime. It's good to see when you have the likes of Lil' Wayne and 50 with the same old redundant shit that just bores and bores and bores. Here it is.

Zapiro...my man!

Whilst this nation is slowly being sucked into a gravitational vortex of increased inflation, endless power cuts, stadiums that aren't going to be ready in time to host the world's biggest football event, there is even more to be anxious about. If all goes according to plan, this already ailing country is going to be served with a God-only-knows-how-long jail sentence which will be Zuma's term(s) in office. Tragedy! An alleged rapist, a man who advises civilians residing in a country with the highest HIV/AIDS infection rate on the planet to take a shower after having sex with a possible carrier in order to avoid personal infection, the bloody arm's deal man! On top of that we have idiot Malema proclaiming that his comrades and him will be more than zealous to kill for Zuma, already bad enough considering the never-ending 'Umshini Wami' chant we're forceably subjected to every night on the news.

Where is this country going? Sometimes it seems the best thing you can do for yourself is switch off to it all and try, I mean just try and act as though really it's all good back at base camp but that's a hard thing to do man because the governance of the nation will affect you in the long run anyway no matter how hard you try to alienate yourself from current affairs.

But all the praise to this iconic cartoonist we have come to know for his shameless way of sucking some humour out of the disturbing and difficult-to-digest truths about our tragic nation. Zapiro is the man (for lack of a better way of expressing the gratitude and admiration tantamount in many of those that get a read of the Sunday Times Canvas every week). This was nothing more than genius at work. Raping the justice system - his corrupt manipulation and disregard for the consitution of a country he wishes to lead in a year's time; then of course we have the commentary on what we saw as a absolute chauvinism in his approach during the rape trial in 2006. Now, chauvinism and patriarchy are undeniable traits of African tradition no doubt about that but what strikes me as even more tragic is the internalized chauvinism prevalent in the mindsets of Africa women. During the rape trial instead of witnessing outrage from the female majority at the fact that such a prominent leader in ANC politics would be involved in such a crude exploitation of women's rights (especially considering that the affected was an African female herself), we saw a support and oh my goodness, even a defense and sympathy for Zuma's judicial plight. Have these men got these women's brains manipulated so bad that they have gotten to the point of viewing the rapist (as many times is the case) as a victim of some woman's cruelty in dismissal. How truly sickening!

Then you have the camp of so-called feminists round here accusing Zapiro of being insensitive towards the many rape victims in the country by portraying a cartoon in which the theme of rape is manifest. This is silly logic and I'll say this with assertion because if anything, the cartoon's central focus was villifying Zuma's credibility as a political leader and not a form of portraying women in a chauvinistic light once more. Zuma is the misogynist not Zapiro. Zzz zzz. Haha. Know what, Zapiro is kind of suffering racism right now. Black people are now looking for a way of averting our scornful attention from the perpetrator of the moment. Let me tell ya, it sure aint Zapiro. If anything this man is doing good deed for us by exposing this sham of a leader we have been forced to embrace as the new ANC president and a very plausible future president for our country.

The Problem with being a Female Critic of Female Objectification and Misogyny

From the several individuals I've chatted with about these issues lately, I've received some negative feedback pertaining to common perceptions about women who counterattack topics of chauvinism, gender equality, misogyny and female objectification in mainstream media. It's often personal attacks about feminists especially from members of the species with understandably very little understanding of the seriousness of these issues owed to the fact that they not only benefit from this kind of exploitation of the female form but also revel in its advantages. It's simply not a problem for them so they fail to understand why feminists are feminists and lull themselves to the twisted logic of assuming that feminists are just a bunch of ugly women who can't hook up. (Sigh at the tragedy of anti-intellectualism)

I got this from my brother who assumed after admitting my disdain to the above concerns that I say this because I think I am unattractive. What do personal looks have to do with anything. I then realised how shallow and very "surfacey" my brother and furthermore any other members of the species who reduce themselves to this highly uninformed mindset are.

It's nothing personal. I now see that this is the problem with critiquing gender ideals when you are a woman. Your OBJECTIVE views will always be stripped down (if not by comforming ladies) by members of the species to a point where it is seen as an opinion influenced by personal experience and not the experience or the treatment of the collective female group on a universal scale.

By Mere Association Alone

So after watching The Showbiz Report tonight. Hip hop video director Little X answered this after being questioned about the level of female objectification in music videos. As a result of imperfect memory and a brain cluttered with all sorts of other stuff, I will have to paraphrase his sentiments. He mentioned that the whole thing often times has nothing to do with him. He is just the director and the artists are the ones who are responsible for the lyrical content and ideas propagated. So that is to say he is excusing himself from the whole stuff. Now this argument does not help much. Because by mere association he is showing that he does agree with this kind of mindset. If you are not okay with associating yourself with some kind of notion then there is no paycheck in the world that convince you to sell your soul and partner with the brutes. This is why one must be stubborne about what they stand for and avoid associating themselves with brutes. Whatever the cost. Be radical and leave the sheep be.

Typical Male Thinks With His Dick

I love this song...thank you Ms Jones. It seems members of the species (you know which one I'm talking about) and I HATE to generalise. To all the loving, sensitive, caring, intelligent men out there. Sorry that you are being misrepresented by a bunch of loonies but unfortunately the cookie seems to be crumbling this way. In mainstream culture and what is one to do to combat this all encompassing force. It's driving us all down into a vortex of debauchery and sheer stupidity. I am not a misandrist despite much motivation to become one, I refuse to see all badness and negativity in the species because I have a father who is such a sweetheart, he's like a gigantic teddy bear and a brother, who although smokes, has a beer belly and yells for no apparent reason sometimes is a kind person with a lot of potential to be a stable father. Then there's my other brother who might have some issues with his childhood and having a deadbeat dad is really down, sensitive and compassionate.

My brother and I had a little debate. All I said was the majority of perps and criminals out there who make life difficult for women and children are men. He started going off about how men themselves are victimised a lot more...obviously this member of the species doesn't have his head screwed on correctly. Minor adjustments must be made. One only has to look at statistics. Then he related this little anecdote about how some women went driving around in a gang raping men in KwaZulu Natal...wow, that makes such an impact when every six minutes a woman is raped in this country. These incidents are so isolated so much so that a story like this would probably be good for a laugh, although it really shouldn't. As far as I'm concerned double standards shouldn't exist at all.

Here are the song lyrics I was talking about, they are so true... double standards! When will the madness ever end...I guess to even think that there is a possible end to it would be wishful thinking. This may be a surly conclusion but the way I view it, there can never be harmony between the sexes. Rape is not a sex crime, its a political crime, it's a power trip...or perhaps a robber thereof, an expression of pure misogyny. How closely related violence and sex are I am coming to realise. The evil of a man's heart...ah, humans - truly a sick bunch!

THE LYRICS...Typical male,
Thinks with his dick,
D.I.C.K

The continuing saga, of male control and domination,
Psycho, sexual,and female manipulation in our society
Typical male thinks with his dick.
Thats how he rationalizes shallow sexual conquests
as a means of self expression and fulfillment in a world of alienation,
and emptiness under moraling (?) capitalism
The typical male considers a similarly promiscuous woman
a whore, a slut, or a sleaze.
However a women who seeks respect and commitment in a relationship,
will often face rejection
By the typical male.

Typical male,
Thinks with his dick.

Historically some of the characteristics of the typical male
are as follows:
There is the stereotypical, bruteful (?), insulting, barbaric male.

We also have what is known as the sensitive rapist
who wants a woman to feel that there is a mutual understanding
before he entraps the woman in a cycle of co-dependence and sexual service.

Then there is the pseudo-feminist.
He may be involved in the woman's movement
but still represses by imposing his own male agenda
on women's equality.
The typical male is an everyday ?? religion and cutthroat

Typical male,
Thinks with his dick,

Typical male listens to a woman from the position
of dominance or privilege.
What that means for the woman
is that the typical male does not listen!
The typical male convinces women to blame themselves for a failing relationship or male infidelity.
typical males have a reactionary and a conservative ??
a klansman standing on a ???
typical male is also a liberal
he support world force and why not
he impregnates women and cannot deal
with the consequences of her ?????
All men are the typical male.

In a society where incidents of rape and sexual assault are staggering
the typical male will still say
"If she don't want to get pregnant
she shouldn't spread her legs."
In the us alone where 4 women are killed a day by their male partners
Where 80 women are raped every hour
Where every 18 seconds a woman is battered
The typical male still defines sexism and misogyny a form of good
behavior.
In a potentially sexual situation,
The typical male still thinks
NO MEANS YES!"

TRUTH HAS BEEN SPOKEN!!!

"

Les Misogynes Imbeciles...Zut!

Why do we sit back and allow the misogyny that saturates almost every existing form of media we have to seep in and infiltrate our minds with bullshit theories about male hegemony and female objectification.

It's a topic that pisses me off so much, I lose the ability to express my sentiments in a truly coherent way so excuse the probable lack of eloquence here but the shit just pisses me the hell off!! I am totally sick of it and I am yearning to see a change in these attitudes.

Let's start with the rap music. Siting some insight from an article regarding misogyny in rap music (http://www.uga.edu/~womanist/rhym2.1.htm) - it got me thinking about this, I mean big time. What is it with mainstream and gangsta rappers anyway? Things may have toned down quite sufficiently since the days of NWA but man, it doesn't mean the war is over. The most overt versions of it come in the form of a video pitch, story line - opening sequence: rapper climbs out of Rolls Royce Phantom in slow motion, sequence two: rapper pops crystal, tosses money etc etc blah blah bullshit nevertheless. And in between all the exhibitionist bravado and "Look at me I'm rich" we've got the 'hoes' climbing all over the guy, pulling faces to the camera, scantily clad and dancing a little too suggestively.

I refuse to be apologetic in my stance and I remain objective. It seems necessary to perpetuate in this fashion of portraying women in an overtly sexualized manner, women are there to be used as instruments to convey a man's social ranking, objects upon which a man's pleasure princiople is projected and not subjects, humans with utilitarian intellects.
Now, I want to delve deeper. Is the portrayal of women in such a hypersexualized light a form of evoke forth some kind of suppressed male fantasy in which women submit to sexual servitude, admire and thus validate a very thirsty ego. Made dry by the notion of being born into the world a lesser member of society, a second class citizen, by default a member of an underclass. Could it be that all of this is simply a machismo attempt to fill the torn gaps in the black man's self image brought about by a half-life of deprivation poverty and uh...female rejection. Are these sad little boys just mad at the fact that there was a time that their broke asses couldn't get "play".

The roots of misogyny are mysterious nonetheless. But simply because it is a phenomenon that can not be easily understood because of its very complex psychological implications, I stand firm in my annoyance at the prominence it carries in the mainstream media.

I just wish these video chicks could go out and delve into some feminist literatue. Perhaps then they'll realise how foolish they are, how they're acquiescence is the reason misogyny 'aint going no fucking where, how men will continue use their presence to justify the notion that women are brainless hoes out to get your money, how women will continue to be underrepresented in politics and science because the next generation of females is being conditioned into these submissive roles, how women will continue to be seen as sexual objects and not what they really are.

I know this because women are often only categorized into two subdivisions according to whether or not they are ready to willingly submit sexually i.e. 'available' or 'unavailable' and the synonyms are numerous of course. If you happen to be streamlined into the latter division, guess what, you're a bitch. Ego-shutdown if I ever saw it. It all boils down to the ego honey!

Something else that gets me irate. Your skills are overlooked in the consideration of your credibility for a particular job because if your employer is a male, the ma'f***er is more than likely going to hire you by some subconscious or conscious evaluation of your looks.

Just evaluating the situation, referencing real life examples of it and trying to keep my perspective objective is maddening. I am DISGUSTED by the way the media takes light of such issues as violence against women, sexual assault when these incidents happen to be one of the biggest killers of my sisters all over the world. Sisters are dying yet movies, television and music will continue to defame our integrity, reduce us to nothing more than a degraded biological underclass. On the topic of death, there's the AIDS. Women that are unwillingly infected through cultural subjugation, rape and sexual assault. It's a tragedy. You know, Eazy E died of AIDS after all his boasting bout the women he'd been with - his life terminated with immense shame. That's when I get scared, that's when things really start to disturb me. How sick have we become. That we glorify the same attitudes that are unecessarily killing lives daily. We protest against violence against women but when a rapper talks bout pimpin' and beatin' the sh*t out of his hoes, we buy the record. Women still continue to be objectified from the most explicit to the most subtle of ways. Even simply aacknowldeging to the statement that women are the weaker sex is chauvinism. A state of euqality needs to be affirmed. Contrasts are poison. If enough people get up and take a stand, things can transform. But that's all just wishful thinking. Within a scoiety that is anti-intellectual and sometimes just so stubbornely traditional about gender roles that this whole shit about times are changing is crap, preaching this kind of message is just talking to a mass of unthinking zombies lulled into passivity by the beelzebub of mainstream media.