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  • MONDAY OCTOBER 8 2007 4:00 PM

Try Reading a Book



Apparently the head of Warner Brothers has declared that WB won't be making any more movies with women in the lead. And you all thought this systemic sexism thing was just a myth! Ha! (Notice that the url is "catfight with girls" and the headline uses the word "bitchslaps"--one could probably come up with a more dismissively sexist way to title the story but it would take some thought). Gloria Allread summarizes the issue in a nutshell:

when movies with men as the lead fail, no one says we'll stop making movies with men in the lead.


Obviously all decent human beings will be boycotting the WB. On the upside, it's fall, and we should all be catching up on our reading instead.

So by way of making this task easier for everyone--because I am nothing if not a giver--here are a few links to Recommended Feminist Reading for all of you. I hereby declare that no one is qualified to argue about feminism unless and until they've read everything on these lists, okay?

First, normal British women talk about their favorite formative feminist reading. Biggest winner? Simone de Beauvoir, specifically The Second Sex, which badly needs a new and better translation but is nonetheless my own personal favorite feminist book in the entire world.

Second, a forthcoming book that, for once, looks at rape from the rapist's point of view: Joanna Bourke's new Rape: Sex, Violence, History. (If you're at all interested in cultural studies, her other books are excellent, by the way). From a review in the Guardian:

"men should step up to the plate. Women are told how to fight back, to get good locks for our doors, to be sensible. It has become our responsibility to make sure 'they' don't do something to 'us'. And when you know that a lot of rapes are committed by husbands, boyfriends and acquaintances - well, it's outrageous. I can't work out why people aren't more outraged. But this epidemic of sexual violence doesn't do men any favours either. Not normalising it, not naturalising it, making it seem abhorrent - that's one of the ways forward."


Just in case it isn't clear, not naturalizing rape means not talking about it as if it's just some force of nature that will inevitably "happen" to women if they aren't careful enough. Someone is doing the raping. That someone is usually men. Stopping rape means dealing with rapists, not victims. The end.

But not really; I've got one more book to recommend. I'm looking forward to reading Sisterhood, Interrupted, which is a history of the women's movement that, according to reviews I've read, puts to rest the idea that somehow there's a new generational divide that's somehow destroying or disrupting feminism. Deborah Siegel's book reportedly shows how feminist disagreement over supposedly "new" issues (e.g. sex) has been around since the beginning of the movement, and how anti-feminist critics have picked up on these conversations to present them as "infighting" in order to misrepresent and undermine feminism as a whole. If you're inclined to buy into the argument that so-called Radical Feminazis (or whatever you want to call them) are ruining the movement for the Good Feminists Who Don't Hate Men, you really should pick up this book.

Because like I said, I forbid you from discussing feminism until you have.

Bitch_PhD is TOTALLY NOT KIDDING. And yes, this will be on the test.

 

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mattacme

mattacme

Calistoga, CA
February 2006

OCT 09, 2007 07:45 PM

I would be remiss without adding that I am opposed to the idea that women ought to be given (or seek) special treatment because they are women. Women are exactly one half (no more, no less) of the human equation and are due equal status and treatment, as are men. I anticipate that most are in agreement, though interested to hear otherwise.

DeadBilly

DeadBilly

Burnt Cabins, PA
February 2004

OCT 09, 2007 07:49 PM

mattacme said:
I would be remiss without adding that I am opposed to the idea that women ought to be given (or seek) special treatment because they are women. Women are exactly one half (no more, no less) of the human equation and are due equal status and treatment, as are men. I anticipate that most are in agreement, though interested to hear otherwise.



I despise MacKinnon based on her attempts at censorship. Nothing more or less.

emperorreagan

emperorreagan

Baltimore, MD
January 2004

OCT 09, 2007 08:14 PM

WB already only puts out about 1-2 watchable movies a year, anyway.

If I start boycotting WB now, I won't have to spend a day in the theater crying when I see what they do to Watchmen...

mattacme

mattacme

Calistoga, CA
February 2006

OCT 09, 2007 08:17 PM

KilledByLenore said:

mattacme said:
You are probably familiar with Catherine A. MacKinnon



puke

Sorry to soil your shoes. Reflex



No need to apologize, though I thank you nonetheless.

I suppose you have a dislike for any sort of rule by which one is responsible for what he or she expresses because that would be a limit on the freedom of speech, would that be correct? That seems a gross mis-interpretation of the bill of rights. The press is free to publish as they see fit, but are still bound by the laws of the land and subject to prosecution should they violate them (slander, prevarication, etc.). Personally I do not find Ms. MacKinnon to be so awful and there is much merit in her writing. I'm sorry you have found none.

Erynn

Erynn

Birmingham, AL
May 2007

OCT 09, 2007 10:57 PM

i'm very very sad now. i can do without tv and movies for the most part, and it shouldn't be too hard to avoid the WB... but what about Harry Potter? i'm an absolute Potter freak, and WB produces the movies, dammit. i guess i'll just have to stick to pirated versions so they don't get any of the money, lol

Markus001

Markus001

United Kingdom
November 2004

OCT 10, 2007 02:13 AM

KilledByLenore said:

Markus001 said:

Actually, I thought the rape scene was laughable. It was badly filmed, appallingly edited, used stupid sound effects and was just plain embarassing. It didn't present rape as a horrible crime (Irreversible did that) but more as a 'film event' to justify mass murder.



Have you seen the full unedited version? Last time I hard, the UK version is still missing about 15 minutes of footage, which could explain the bad editing. But yeah, you're right about Irreversible. That was another horrific scene.



I believe the version I saw was unedited, so it said on the box. Sorry, I mean Uncut. Sorry, that was a bit catty wasn't it? wink Still, all things considered, it's still a pretty awful film. I suppose I don't like the idea that it's a revenge fantasy spawned out of rape. Plus, it's got no logic.

'Yeah, we raped you some years ago, but let bygones be bygones, eh? Sure, I'll fall for your seduction!'

It makes no sense they'd actually BELIEVE she wasn't there to kick the shit out of them. I suppose its lack of actual psychological consequences made it all a bit shlocky and unpleasantly titillating.

DeadBilly

DeadBilly

Burnt Cabins, PA
February 2004

OCT 10, 2007 06:26 AM

Markus001 said:
I believe the version I saw was unedited, so it said on the box. Sorry, I mean Uncut. Sorry, that was a bit catty wasn't it? wink



More petty than catty, but ymmv.

Markus001 said:
Still, all things considered, it's still a pretty awful film. I suppose I don't like the idea that it's a revenge fantasy spawned out of rape. Plus, it's got no logic.
...
It makes no sense they'd actually BELIEVE she wasn't there to kick the shit out of them.



Awful yes. But so were 99.9% of the grindhouse films. Many of the films featured women raped and murdered, often with the rapist going free. It was interesting to see a film with another ending. The only real problem I had was the rape lasted 40 minutes, but her revenge (on 5 guys) latest about 15 minutes total. But again, part of the grindhouse draw was to shock and sicken the audience and Day of the Woman more than does that.

DeadBilly

DeadBilly

Burnt Cabins, PA
February 2004

OCT 10, 2007 06:27 AM

Erynn said:
i'm very very sad now. i can do without tv and movies for the most part, and it shouldn't be too hard to avoid the WB... but what about Harry Potter? i'm an absolute Potter freak, and WB produces the movies, dammit. i guess i'll just have to stick to pirated versions so they don't get any of the money, lol



Or boycott the stupid boycott and watch whatever you want.

Cigarette

Cigarette

Cleveland, OH
April 2004

OCT 10, 2007 09:03 AM

synielle said:
I think that the actresses are the ones that should be doing the boycotting from having ANY roles in their films.



Yes, if there is one group of people who can easily pick and choose what jobs to accept, it's actors. Now pardon me while I go polish my golden poodle collection as forty virgins feed me grapes.

CancerSticker

CancerSticker

Austin, TX
February 2007

OCT 11, 2007 04:21 AM

Vestril said:
Is there a feminist version of Godwin's law that states that any large discussion of feminism will ultimately involve rape?



I think so... I think there's also a clause somewhere in there that says any time sex isn't perfect and magical it's automatically a heinous case of rape.

Gringo

Gringo

Spokane, WA
May 2006

OCT 11, 2007 10:36 AM

For what it's worth, Nikki Finke has published a follow-up story.

LINK

I really wish she would get quotes from the people who claim Robinov said that he wouldn't make any more movies where a female was a lead.

I don't know that industry well enough to understand its politics.

On Monday, another movie industry reporter investigated the story.

I don't know how reliable he is as a reporter, but he seemed to have been the only person phoning the studio for an answer (and posting it).

emotedcreations

emotedcreations

Germany
July 2006

OCT 11, 2007 08:53 PM

TheGringo, haven't you realized yet that nobody cares about facts?

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