December 3, 2012

Waiting for someone to post that old people fantasize all the time about beatings

So that means they really want it deep down and it's okay to beat them.

A few people will probably understand what I mean by this post....

October 25, 2012

More efforts to get out the "women shouldn't be allowed to vote" meme (I think.)

http://www.theatlanticwire.com/politics/2012/10/cnn-retracts-story-about-hormonal-women-voters/58335/#

In a matter of hours, CNN published and removed a story about how hormones influence women voters, one that made claims about how women tend to lean liberal when ovulating because they "feel sexier." The story was based on an unpublished scientific study -- insert scare quotes as needed -- from researchers at the University of Texas, San Antonio that looked at the political tendencies of 275 women at various stages of their menstrual cycle. Broadly speaking, the study concluded that, yes, women's voting patterns do vary based on their hormones, and CNN galvanized the idea with a blog post flanked by pictures of Dr. Sanjay Gupta. Or, in the words of Jezebel, "CNN Thinks Crazy Ladies Can't Help Voting With Their Vaginas Instead of Their Brains."

Jezebel was not alone in criticizing CNN's coverage of the study. The Washington Post's Alexandra Petri sounded a little more than sarcastic when she wrote, "What if there’s an accident at the hormone factory and we wind up electing Michael Fassbender and doing unspeakable things to Medicaid?" New York Magazine's Kat Stoeffel quipped, "Female voters! Kindly tell Nate Silver the date of your last period and your relationship status so he can figure out once and for all who's gonna win this thing November 6." MSNBC's Jamil Smith tweeted, "CNN should be embarrassed for even asking whether hormones drive women's votes, much less publishing a post about it." There's plenty more where that came from.

Well, the obvious solution to publishing something unpopular is to unpublish it, right? That's what CNN did on Wednesday evening. "After further review it was determined that some elements of the story did not meet the editorial standards of CNN," the network said. The story's author, Elizabeth Landau rose to her own defense in the meantime, explaining on Twitter that she "was reporting on a study to be published in a peer-reviewed journal & included skepticism" in her coverage. "I did not conduct the study," she said. That's sort of like publishing a story about the other people justifying white supremacists and then explaining, "I didn't say those racist things."

Edited to add another link, an editorial about this article: http://jezebel.com/5954617/cnn-thinks-crazy-ladies-cant-help-voting-with-their-vaginas-instead-of-their-brains

June 25, 2012

They do seem to be pushing for banning us.

I know I make many uncomfortable when I tell the truth of what I've experienced, but I choose to tell the truth in the hopes that our society will change for the better.

I long for a world where 1 in 3 girls are not molested before they turn 18. I long for a world where there aren't as many female soldiers being raped. I long for a world where domestic violence isn't such a common occurence.

If that makes me a bad DU'er then so be it.

June 21, 2012

Speaking only for myself, I have no wish to ban porn (except for kiddy porn.)

I only wanted to talk about specific types of porn that upset me, because I am a survivor of rape and abuse. Seeing rape and abuse porn being such big sellers, it makes me wonder, do the majority of men get off on violence being done to women? And when I wonder that, I feel less safe, and it triggers my PTSD that is due to having been raped as a child and again as a grown woman (along with other non-sexual assaults.)

I didn't come out in an effort to shame men who like porn. I like porn myself - the type that doesn't involve causing physical harm to women, anyway.

But porn that says it's okay to hit women or cause her severe physical harm....that upsets me and unless people are being deliberately obtuse, they must surely understand why.

I'm not even calling for a ban on rape porn. I'm a supporter of the first amendment, free speech.

I'm asking to be heard. I'm hoping to be understood.

I'm asking whatever men consume violent types of porn, to think about how they would feel if their mothers, daughters, sisters, wives, lovers, were treated like that. Not asking you to stop watching the porn. Just asking you to reflect on it for a little while.

That is all I was trying to do.

And right now I feel like I came out of the porn wars with 3rd degree burns all over me.

And here I go again, I guess, ready to be ridiculed again. But still just pleading for someone to hear me, and to understand.

June 20, 2012

It's hard to avoid a culture that you are swimming in.

I grew up being raped, starting from the age of five, because "that's what girls are for, and that's what men do to girls."

I grew up awake all night after each rape session, in too much pain to sleep.

I grew to be a loner, convinced that there was something dirty about me that caused the abuse. To this day, my abusers don't feel any shame, that I can see. But I do. I feel shame for being born female.

I was raped when I served in the Army, by a fellow Officer I was foolish enough to trust. More trauma.

On dates, I have had men force anal sex on me when I was not prepared for it, cum in my eyes on purpose before I could jerk away, and I can't even describe how many times I've heard, "don't be a pussy" or "she probably liked it" when men speak of rape, even rape of children.

It's everywhere. I can't avoid the culture I live in.

I am not offended or frightened by sex or naked people.

I am offended by and frightened of rape and abuse and a culture that seems to condone it and celebrate it in some types of porn and some advertising (like the link that talks about models sporting black eyes, split lips as "fashion.&quot

And this is the last I will speak with you about this issue.

June 15, 2012

I think we need to talk about the hatred of women.

It has escalated in our society to the point where it is becoming truly toxic, and not just among the right-wingers, either.

Take a look at the posts on this board today. Let's take a look at ourselves, shall we?

Is it okay to express hatred towards women here? And call it a joke?

June 15, 2012

I do not enjoy being a victim, nor do I see myself that way.

I see myself instead as a fighter. When I was told that "girls don't become Army Officers," I decided to become one. When I was told, "Airborne school is too hard for you, girls don't jump out of airplanes...." I did what it took to qualify for the U.S. Army Infantry Airborne School. I served in theater during the Gulf War. I took everything in stride, including being raped. Without complaining, without pressing charges, without neglecting my duties as a soldier.

When I learned of one of my soldiers getting molested by a dentist at Ft. Huachuca, I fought back. When I learned that this was being covered up, I went to the press. When a new post commander took over, and the press came applying pressure, the dentist and his entire chain of command were gone. Like, overnight retired. Not a victim, a fucking FIGHTER.

I was raped as a child. I was raped as a grown woman. I was beaten by a man who was at that time my husband. In every situation I survived, triumphed, and went on to fight for others in similar circumstances.

I am still fighting today. Not for myself, but for all women.

Don't fucking call me someone who enjoys wallowing in victimhood.

I do not. And I am not a victim, I am a fighter, and damn proud of it.

And I do not hate men, nor am I a lesbian, to ward off the next round of insults likely to be heard from you.

I am someone who is aware of how the world treats women and am fighting back against it.

At the same time, I thank men and other women who try to make this world a better place instead of excusing the harm done. I am married to a terrific man who respects women...and have been married over 20 years now. Not that I should even have to be proving to you that I don't hate men.

What I hate is discrimination and patriarchy and abuse. It harms men as well as women. And I will ALWAYS speak up and fight back against it, no matter what you or anyone else of your ilk has to say about it.

June 15, 2012

Thank you for speaking up.

I'm sure since this was not hidden, we will see much more of this kind of behavior on DU and I would imagine it will get far worse.

I honestly am thinking these days that the powers that be - including all politicians - realize the amount of anger out there, and don't want it directed against the 1% or politicians themselves....but the anger has to go somewhere, the violence has to go somewhere...why not against women? Every man can have his own woman to verbally abuse, on sites like this or in real life, and to rape, and to hack up and kill....and the people who are in positions of power to do something about it, will just look away.

I don't like what I see here, and I don't like what I see in the nation politically etc. in the war against women, and I don't like knowing what is coming down the road as the war against women picks up steam and provides a nice outlet for all that built up anger.

June 15, 2012

Yup. I still remember working at a defense agency back in 1980 and I protested against

the Hustler and Playboy centerfolds taped to the wall where we all worked (large open space.)

I was told then I was being too sensitive too - even by some women. And we aren't talking just bare breasts, we are talking they were the gynecological shots posted on the wall. With some of the men giggling every time one of us women walked by and looked away, clearly enjoying our discomfort.

But there were a couple of women who disagreed with those of us who protested (and won.) They said we made too big a deal of it and boys will be boys.

My own mother told me that I made too big a deal out of the fact that my older brother raped me starting when I was five years old. Said "it takes two to tango." And, "It happened a long time ago, it doesn't matter now, don't be silly."

I've seen this before.

I've seen too much in my lifetime I think of ALL of this and by this point I'm just about out of my fucking mind with rage....

June 15, 2012

Let the men define what respect for women means.

It might mean teaching us wifely skills at four years old like sucking dick, it might mean being beaten by your husband if he's in a bad mood, it might mean taking away the right to vote...all those things can mean respect for women if a man SAYS they mean respect!

Don't you get it, women? Your feelings about things don't matter. YOU don't matter. Only men matter. If THEY say it's not abuse, then it's not abuse and shut your dick-sucking mouth already about it already!

(Sarcasm)