Misogyny or just the way to do business?

Misogyny or smart business practice?http://www.cnn.com/video/#/video/offbeat/2007/07/22/douglas.bikini.lawn.affl

For those of you who can’t see the video, it’s a lawn-care service that features women doing yard work in bikinis. The concept here is to sell sex appeal, of course. As patriarchy would have it, the person in charge of the operation is an old, white man.

I don’t know, to me, there’s something pretty sick about posing women in bikinis to do yard work, as a way to make money for your business. I also wonder who is more at fault: the guy who runs this company, the people who come to these women for yard work, or the women themselves for working for this company?

Better yet, CNN passes this off as a story that's lighthearted. But, a discussion and showing to a few feminist friends of mine produced red flags all over the place. I wonder how an organization like CNN can run a story like this, in a satirical kind of way, and not actually ask the "hard" questions as the reported claimed he needed to ask.

I'd like to write CNN.

Rise of violence against women

I don't know if you've noticed the same trends, but I am very disturbed that in the past weeks, there seems to be a rise in violence against women. The college student in New York who was abducted and killed, the man who killed his family and shot himself on the freeway in middle America, the police officer who killed his pregnant wife, and now, the professional wrestler who supposedly (and allegedly) killed his wife and child - there seems to be a rise in violence against women.

In all these news stories, the focus is always on the "investigation," but never is feminist thought applied to this - asking why the rise in violence against women? Or, perhaps, is it that the media is merely focusing more on these cases now, being bored with Iraq and having nothing to report about the violations of the Bush Administration?

I assert this: violence against women can be blamed by the culture in which we live in, the one that eroticizes violence and misogyny. Take a look around you - the magazine ads that feature women in the trunk of a vehicle, diamonds that are depicting women lying on the floor with phrases like "to die for," video games that feature violence against women, television shows that show women being murdered.

Do a quick online search and you'll find a host of Web sites devoted to "erotica" that's devoted to rape and forced sex. All of these factors, I think, seap into our conciousness and tell us, as a people, that they're all "natural." No matter how intellectual, advanced and intelligent a society, such thoughts will become socially accepted norms.

One thing I've learned, as a feminist scholar, is that what is "natural" has to be challenged, its agency put into question - with us asking the questions of who the creators of these rules were, and more importantly, why these rules exist.I don't know how to deal with the prevelance of sex and violence on TV. Some parts of me, a more primal, animalistic part, still thinks the idea of being able to "reach out and touch somebody" with an M-16, being 500 meters away, as something that is powerful. In the bedroom, I still think certain mutually erotic pleasures, are still acceptable. But where do we draw the line?

Do we like these things because they are natural - true to the teeth natural, or are we buying into a violent, misogynistic society's product -- a product that, in the end, hurts one half of our human population? I could easily say "fuck it" and just try to be a good person. But our obligation in life is one that's not just for ourselves and our families, but our community and our nation. What then, shall we do, as "enlightened" feminists, when it comes to sex and violence?Marc

The military and sexism

I've always known how sexist the military can be -- I am a part of it, but always assumed such rampant sexism was left to your younger, uneducated servicemembers. But earlier this morning, I had a conversation that made me realize that even the "old timers" can be extremely exist. Standing outside at the smoke deck (I don't smoke, but like to get fresh air while I drink my Red Bulls), I had a conversation with a man who's been in the military for about 20 years. We were talking about summer, and drinking and relaxing.

He'd mentioned that once, when he was 19, he was put in jail for hitting a high ranking officer in the face. It turns out he did so because he'd received a "dear John" phone call and was upset.Looking at this guy, I said, "Isn't it amazing the stupid shit we do for love when we're young?" To which, of course, he responded."They say money is the root of all evil. It's really not. It's women. Them bitches can ruin your life."I really didn't know what to say to that. I am a feminist, I love women in both romantic and platonic sense. Yet, my life has never, ever be ruined. No one has ever "done me wrong."

I realized that these men who blame their downfalls on women are the same ones who just couldn't quite make it in life. Perhaps he was dumped because he was a loser, and not because she was evil.

At times like those, I wonder what my role is as a feminist. At school, I am outspoken. At meetings, even more so. I am known as the "feminist guy" on campus. But what of my role in the military? Do I stand up and speak out against such silly sexism, or is it really a moot point? Do I have an obligation to speak up? How much, really, is too much to do as a feminist? Even if this guy is sexist, and I believe he is, what can one guy really affect the plight of women negatively or positively? Sometimes, I just don't have all the answers as a feminist.

Feminism and love?

Anyhow, this is the first post. A great majority of the posts will have to do with feminism, and politics, others will not.

The intent, I think, is to create a space in which feminism and conciousness raising, as well as theory discussions can be put to good use. I hope to, from this blog, create a bridge between feminism and feminism activism, which -- at this point, are not on the same page.

So, without further delay, here is your first post:

I apologize in advance for the cheesiness of this note. So cheesy, you could make nachos out of it, and still have leftovers for something else.

So, feminism and love: it's been the topic in my head the last week or so, because of what we're reading in class and all. I want to get your opinion on whether we can love and still be feminists.I used to think it was impossible, because love, for what it's worth, upholds patriarchy. It leads to "family," and "wife" and "husband," all of which are problematic in its own sphere, because of society's definition.In fact, since my transformation/mutation/metamorphis into a feminist, I've rejected relationships and love, seeing it as weak and patriarchal.But, in reading "To Be Real," I realized that, indeed, love and feminism can exist.

While society's view of love, it seems, is based on inequality, feminists can indeed take such institution (love) and transform it into something powerful.Love, for the feminist, isn't about being weak or feeling "out-of-control" love, but it's a decision. It's a decision based on us having a choice -- in that we love someone for choosing us, and we choose someone for loving us. That decision to love is not because we are forced to, as is often the case with the general public, but because we choose to, and we feel like it.

For the feminist, love is about shared values and ideals, beliefs and dreams, knowing damned well that we are completely fine alone; but that we're better together.For the feminist, love isn't about someone completing us, making two halves into a whole -- but rather, two wholes joining.In fact, for the feminist, love isn't about someone making us better people, as the cliche goes (idealistically, you should already be good enough when entering a relationship), but rather -- joining forces to make something, someone, some agency, some group, some institution better.

Maybe I am all wrong. Maybe we feminists should just settle for casual sex, because anything else that can lead to a family might be patriarchal, but then again, maybe I am onto something here.After all, we feminists don't need a trophy partner or a suppoter, what we need are allies. As my favorite poem goes, and I think it applies here, "I don't want to build my life around you, but I want to include you in the building of my life." That, for me, is how love ought to be for feminists.

Marc