tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3253516949261298537.post6240015549293512949..comments2023-10-24T01:06:54.102-07:00Comments on I'm skeerdy: Statement of (Self-Absorbed) PurposeAnon, A Mousehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02783872862621609977noreply@blogger.comBlogger7125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3253516949261298537.post-19144715609052155472007-11-27T11:11:00.000-08:002007-11-27T11:11:00.000-08:00"You say that feminists should change comics by pa..."You say that feminists should change comics by participating in their creation."<BR/><BR/>I couldn't exactly put my finger on what was wrong with this statement at first, I had to mull this one over a bit.<BR/><BR/>But now, let me clarify: I'm not saying that feminists themselves should get involved in creating comics, although they certainly can, if they're so inclined. This isn't at all a "if you don't like it make your own" statement.<BR/><BR/>What I believe is that if there were more women making comics in the first place, and a greater representation of women creators in the mainstream, I think many feminists' concerns would be addressed just by virtue of having a wider and more diverse talent pool. If the complaint is that there should be more superhero comics written and drawn with more consideration to female viewpoints, it seems fairly plain to me that getting more women in the creative end of the mainstream would go much further to reaching that goal than trying to somehow shame some hated male creator into changing their ways. That does NOT necessarily mean it's the fangirl feminists themselves who need to step up and fill those shoes; the skills needed to write angry rants on Teh Intarwub do not automatically translate well to composing a compelling fiction. (How preachy would you want your superheroes, anyway...?)<BR/><BR/>I'm not even exactly sure just how they'd go about doing this, mind you, but if the energy spent blasting away at specific nuggets of perceived injustice could somehow be directed at improving women's participation in the industry itself, I think that would be a far more efficient and fruitful way to effect some sort of actual change in the industry.Anon, A Mousehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02783872862621609977noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3253516949261298537.post-22653991107749855952007-11-27T08:14:00.000-08:002007-11-27T08:14:00.000-08:00"As it is - you're scoring pretty high on the trol..."As it is - you're scoring pretty high on the trollometer, what with all of those posts where you talk about how very feminist you are and how much you dislike the tone of all the feminists."<BR/><BR/>Well, for one thing, I'm only "feminist" in so much as there are some points of view we have in common. Since we do have them in common, there's not a whole lot of need to sort them out, is there?<BR/><BR/>And isn't that more the job of actually espoused feminists, to get the word out about female creators and female-friendly books? If they need my help doing that, their own efforts must be less than efficient.<BR/><BR/>I did try to give a thumbs-up to Brave and Bold; response was at best lukewarm.<BR/><BR/>For another thing, if I worried THAT much about whether people think I'm a troll, I wouldn't bother to write anything in opposition at all. I can merely claim I am not and then let everyone else out there deal with their own interpretations.Anon, A Mousehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02783872862621609977noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3253516949261298537.post-19157262727195154372007-11-27T00:35:00.000-08:002007-11-27T00:35:00.000-08:00I just went back through this blog and found numer...I just went back through this blog and found numerous posts where you criticized feminist bloggers while saying you espouse their viewpoint but none where you actually espoused their viewpoint.<BR/><BR/>You say that feminists should change comics by participating in their creation. I say that you should follow your own advice: Change feminist comics blogging by participating in it. Blog about female creators or positive female stories. Get the word out on new female-created comics. You'll change the current course feminist comics blogging is taking and you won't get any people accusing you of concern trolling.<BR/><BR/>As it is - you're scoring pretty high on the trollometer, what with all of those posts where you talk about how very feminist you are and how much you dislike the tone of all the feminists.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3253516949261298537.post-52580571239783936962007-11-26T22:53:00.000-08:002007-11-26T22:53:00.000-08:00"Basically, you're saying I don't like the extremi..."Basically, you're saying I don't like the extremist elements of a group, so I won't join it. That's like saying I like Islam, but I disagree with terrorism, so I won't convert."<BR/><BR/>In a simplistic sort of way, yes, that is what I'm saying, although I don't think your Islam comparison is entirely apt. As I understand it, there are sects and denominations within Islam that have differing interpretations of the Koran, and differing opinions of the appropriateness of terrorism. Like Christianity, there are subdivisions within Islam that fight each other, sometimes with deadly force.<BR/><BR/>It would then be possible to be a Muslim and not also be strongly bound to a pro-or-anti terrorism stance by proxy, just as a common Christianity didn't prevent Irish Catholics and Protestants from killing the crap out of each other. (Though, stereotypes may make others think all Muslims are by default suicide bombers.)<BR/><BR/>By comparison, I don't see a lot of sharp division within the collective of "animal rights groups", and I'll admit that I may be utterly oblivious to any divisions, since I really don't track these groups closely at all.<BR/><BR/>But when, say, the Animal Liberation Front does something like break into a lab, wreck the place, let the animals free and wreak some measure of havoc, I don't ever recall seeing PETA following up with any statement condemning the use of vandalism and burglary to further animal rights goals. If any statement is given, it's usually carefully worded, breaking down to "that's not something we would do, but we support the idea that animals should be free at any cost", you know, neither condemning nor openly endorsing the ALF.<BR/><BR/>This could be either because their respective viewpoints really aren't that dissimilar, and that the extremism of the ALF isn't actually that much of a problem for PETA (though for legal reasons they may wish to distance themselves); OR if they do oppose the ALF's extremism, they don't want to admit it in order to maintain a solidarity between like-minded groups, and project a sense of unity to the non-animal-rights world.<BR/><BR/>So if I were to align myself with PETA I would be not only supporting them (and that's unlikely, since even PETA's own party line has stances I disagree with) but by proxy supporting similarly-aligned groups that may take things even further than I like. If I were to find a group that shares my particular views on animal rights, I would expect them to not only espouse their own position, but also speak up when another organization goes beyond what this theoretical "we" considers reasonable.Anon, A Mousehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02783872862621609977noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3253516949261298537.post-48221852970758402362007-11-26T14:46:00.000-08:002007-11-26T14:46:00.000-08:00Coming form a vegetarian feminist, so I may be a b...Coming form a vegetarian feminist, so I may be a bit biased.<BR/><BR/>Your argument makes no sense to me. Basically, you're saying I don't like the extremist elements of a group, so I won't join it. That's like saying I like Islam, but I disagree with terrorism, so I won't convert.<BR/><BR/>The was pretty reasonable though.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3253516949261298537.post-43432734947164200272007-11-26T09:05:00.000-08:002007-11-26T09:05:00.000-08:00I understand all that. Though your post and the en...I understand all that. Though your post and the ensuing discussion were what inspired me to make this post, the post wasn't specifically about you, since you're hardly the first one to suggest that WFA not give any "air time" to dissent that seems deliberately antagonistic, or even any dissent at all. I haven't been around all that long myself, and I've seen a few posts from different people along those lines (and read someone from WFA re-explaining their position each time).<BR/><BR/>I do think you were mistaken about the person you singled out as "attacking feminists for kicks", though. Mad Thinker Scott may anger a lot of feminists with his refusal to go along with the accepted wisdom, but you'll hardly find a more logical or thoughtful voice on that side of the fence. "For kicks" seems to me to be the last reason he ever makes posts which critique feminism, even when it's a more personal type of criticism.Anon, A Mousehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02783872862621609977noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3253516949261298537.post-11708989069936074122007-11-26T06:35:00.000-08:002007-11-26T06:35:00.000-08:00The purpose of my "musing" was not to attempt to s...The purpose of my "musing" was not to attempt to say that people who criticize feminists are baiting them--rather, I was annoyed that a couple select individuals seemed to do little more than post things to piss feminists off and it didn't seem particularly constructive, in my view, to give them attention. As I mentioned in the beginning of my blog post, I didn't mind the criticisms being posted, but just attacking feminists for kicks doesn't seem worth the effort to put up to me. I was disagreed with, and I took that to heart because WFA has their own thing that I probably misunderstood even though I've been a fan a long time of the site.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com