Hands by your sides at all times, GeekBoy!

[ishtar79]

Having been offline for a few days, I nearly missed this.

I’ve read people eloquent/analytical/intelligent posts. I *get* the anger, discomfort and feminist!rage, believe me. It’s just that in this instance, I can’t quite share in those feelings because I can’t get over how pathetic the whole thing is. Very much in the vein of “Watch me attempt to use Big Words and Pseudointellectual Arguments to justify my secret desire to have a RL Hugh Hefner experience.”

Seriously, this is the demographic that casting Sci-Fi babes in catsuits panders to. Have those ‘men’ ever actually been around a real, flesh and blood women outside a convention setting? And if so, how have they avoided being maced/beaten up/ torn limb from limb by an angry mob?

Bless. Perpetuating the “Geek men can never get even a little bit of sex” stereotype.

But before I go, three semi-serious points:

-There’s nothing radical or remotely original about the idea of men taking liberties with various body parts of female complete strangers. It’s happened to me a few times this year alone, and amazingly enough? It hasn’t showed me how Special And Incredible my body is or gotten me in touch with the source of my feminine power or some shit. It has gotten me in touch with the part of me that’s prone to unexpected violence and swearing like a sailor though, so that’s something.

-Others have pointed it out, but it cannot be said enough: a women acquiescing to a bigass crowd asking to fondle her tits does NOT equal consent! To illustrate with a personal anecdote, I once had the dubious pleasure to have my bottom patted by no fewer than 20 football fans coming out a game. The fact that I acted oblivious instead of cursing them out/hitting them over the head with my book-packed bag didn’t mean I wasn’t shaking with rage or secretely ‘flattered’ at their appreciation of my rear end or whatever. It only means that I let my self-preservation instinct at the face of a fucking mob quash all other impulses.

-And on that note, said crowd was mostly comprised of pimply teenagers that I know wouldn’t have attempted that shit had any of them run into me by themselves in the street, but were emboldened by the numbers, alcohol and testosterone and mob mentality. If you truly think that your little groups of emotionally stunted horny geeks going around on their breast-fondling mission won’t get ‘out of hand’, you’re not only as clueless about female psyche as you’ve aptly demonstrated, you’re also clueless about men.

Comments

[q-spade.livejournal.com]

I totally know what you mean re: self-preservation and dealing with XY chromosome mob psychology. That used to happen at club gigs & concerts all the fucking time, asshole guys feeling up female crowdsurfers or those of us up against the barrier at the front row. And the mentality is WELL YOU'RE THERE, AND YOU CAN'T STOP US, BITCH! It's angry, not sexual – it's about power, asserting dominance.

I cannot believe the entitlement issues this guy has – I'm so glad he's getting his arse handed back to him on a platter.

[ishtar79.livejournal.com]

It really *is* about power. And the self-preservation instinct totally takes over but oh, at times like this I almost wish I had some sekrit martial art skillz. Or superpowers.

[q-spade.livejournal.com]

And the thing is...this whole geeky fanboy "CAN I TOUCH YOUR BOOBS?" scenario is also about power. This ferret dude and his pals can pseudo-intellectualize and play the "socially awkward naiveté" card all they want – cons still tend to be very much a predominately male space, and this is just another way of marking territory. More and more women are attending, spending money at and even helping to organize cons these days; crap like this is an unfortunately predictable response from the old guard.

As for the females who were involved with this stupidity...WHATever. I learned a long time ago that some women will cut their own throats – not to mention those of any other woman in the vicinity! – in order to gain the tiniest scrap of male approval.

[ishtar79.livejournal.com]

cons still tend to be very much a predominately male space, and this is just another way of marking territory. More and more women are attending, spending money at and even helping to organize cons these days; crap like this is an unfortunately predictable response from the old guard.

That's one aspect I hadn't even *considered*, but it makes a lot of sense. Hm, I kind of wish I could attend one of those cons now. After years of walking around in dodgy streets both in Athens and Bulgaria and run-ins with truly scary people, they'd have their work cut out trying to intimidate me. I bet I could make at least one Geeky boy cry. ;)


As for the females who were involved with this stupidity...WHATever. I learned a long time ago that some women will cut their own throats – not to mention those of any other woman in the vicinity! – in order to gain the tiniest scrap of male approval.

As someone who's recently had some very frustrating online interactions in non-fandom spaces, may I offer you a slice of WordCake, topped with Wordsauce and a side of Wordcream?

It's like those women who *proudly* proclaim they are not like 'those feminists'. The pandering to the patriarchy, it makes the Baby Jesus cry!

[go-back-chief.livejournal.com]

Yeah, this post (http://giandujakiss.livejournal.com/404780.html) breaks down the whole power-issue excellently, IMO.

[jollityfarm.livejournal.com]

I just had a thought reading that post - when being adorned with these buttons, the women have (in a sense) turned themselves into commodities. Imagine a shelf full of cakes. Women are desserts to be sampled as the clientèle wishes. No wonder The Ferret was so reticent on the subject of men who wish to touch being given badges instead. Most people would rather be the consumer than the cake.

I guess that's what was being said about power and such. I must be tired, but I feel a bit like crying. Best go to bed now.

[go-back-chief.livejournal.com]

yeah, as she said, they have their breasts validated. He gets his personhood validated.

[ishtar79.livejournal.com]

There are no words!