November 28, 2007
From Feministing:
| More in misogynist pencil products (who knew?) |
|
Apparently there's more than one woman-hating pencil product out there. First there was the headless doggie-style sharpener, and now Shakes shows us this: Lusty Linda the pen holder. You'll note from the packaging that Lusty Linda can utter "8 lusty sayings," which fall into one of two categories—"good mood" or "bad mood," controlled by the click of a switch. Says one site (screen cap) that sells Lusty Linda, "too bad all women did not have such a switch." Ho ho ho! Her "bad mood" sayings include "Ow," "Help, Help!" and "Get out you, you dirty old man." You know, because rape is hilarious. Recently "men's rights activists" scoffed at the idea that we were offended by the pencil sharpener, which blogger Glenn Sacks wrote "depicts a conventional, common sex act which women enjoy." (What woman enjoys fucking without her head, I don't know.) I wonder if they'll find more excuses as to how "Help!" and "Ow!" are actually cries of unabashed pleasure. This promotes rape. If you buy one of these things, you are promoting rape. If you laugh at one of these things, you are promoting rape. If you don’t laugh but still think that it’s a harmless joke, you are promoting rape. If one of your friends has one, or thinks it’s funny, and you don’t say anything about it, you are promoting rape. How many more times do we have to say it? Rape is not funny. (Personal aside: I do give Glenn-referenced above-credit for stating the pencil sharpener is offensive. The knife block pictured on his site is also offensive. However, I do take exception to the implication that the knife block's offensiveness somehow takes away the offensiveness of the pencil sharpener. Also, Glenn, many men enjoy that position as well. Does that mean it would be okay if there was a pencil sharpener depicting it? I'm thinking no.) |
4 comments:
I'm honestly not sure of the line between poor taste and offensive.
I find all of the items in poor taste, but I don't find them offensive. To me, if I take offense at something I would want to see some action taken to remove the offense.
For better or worse, these items are "speech" and I truly don't want anything to remove the ability for someone to not be able to make this sort of speech.
I would not purchase any of these items, but I differ from you and Sacks in that I think the items can actually be seen as being funny without having to mean the person that sees them as funny hates women or men. Do "eyes popping" stress dolls mean that the holder hates their boss, or husband or wife and wish to crush them?
We have lots of items that indicate a sense of cruelty and harm towards others.
I am also not convinced the original pencil sharpener is an actual item for sale -- I haven't seen anyone post any links to any site that offers to sell it. I may be way offbase, but I think the item is in such debatable taste precisely because it is not a real object of commerce, but an object of art, intended to have us ask these questions.
I think you have an excellent point about free speech. I think though that too many people who are offended by this kind of thing don't exercise their free speech enough.
I think the reason I find this offensive is the fact that this thing supposedly says, "Help!" If it weren't for that I would merely find it disgusting and go about my day and forget I'd ever seen it. But I find it really disturbing that there is some allusion to rape there, and that its done in a way that tries to make rape funny.
It perpetuates a myth about women and a bad stereotype about men.
And you may be right about the first one...I had not really thought of it that way, and I'm not sure that's right, but it is a new way to think about it.
Thanks for stopping by!
I think you have an excellent point about free speech. I think though that too many people who are offended by this kind of thing don't exercise their free speech enough.
I think the reason I find this offensive is the fact that this thing supposedly says, "Help!" If it weren't for that I would merely find it disgusting and go about my day and forget I'd ever seen it. But I find it really disturbing that there is some allusion to rape there, and that its done in a way that tries to make rape funny.
It perpetuates a myth about women and a bad stereotype about men.
And you may be right about the first one...I had not really thought of it that way, and I'm not sure that's right, but it is a new way to think about it.
Thanks for stopping by!
The pencil thing is so not funny. I'm all for twisted humour but that is beyond.
As art? I still wouldn't like it but generally you get a bit of commentary with the controversial pieces. I'd like to know what the thought process was behind it.
Post a Comment