This is Rape Culture

On Tuesday November 18th, the National Post published a story on their website about Andrew Bettencourt, an Ottawa man who abducted his 18-year-old ex-girlfriend at knife point, raped her twice, and was finally arrested 6 hours later. You can read the story here.

One of the things that jumped out at me about how the National Post decided to represent this story was that they do not, at any time, refer to her being sexually assaulted. Instead, they chose to report that the two “had sex”.

Ladies and gentlemen, this is what rape culture looks like. Last I checked, a person cannot give consent at knife-point. So then why is the National Post printing that the two “had sex”?

Shame on you, National Post.

The Acceptable Feminist

So, I ran into this image on facebook yesterday, and really all I have to say about it is:

Basically the image boils down to, “I like Feminists, but only if they know their place as dictated by the current problematic standards, are viewed by men as “fuckable”, and are quiet and apologetic. No, just no.

The implication that a “real” Feminist only tackles issues of “women living in disadvantaged areas of the globe” works to derail any critique of sexism here at home by essentially denying that it exists at all. It’s the same bullshit Feminists have been dealing with forever. This “Feminism light” that has been bandied around in pop culture recently doesn’t actually do anything to help Feminism as a legitimate socio-political, grassroots movement, because it’s only aim is to make women conform and fit into convenient little boxes where they can’t cause trouble.

Remember guys, you’re only a real Feminist if you’re pretty, white, allow other people to dictate what you should do with your own body, and let others dictate what rape is.

The thing with any movement committed to fostering change is that it isn’t convenient, or pretty, and it doesn’t smile when you tell it to. My Feminism will not be dictated to me, and I don’t care if that upsets anybody.

Inherited Culture

When I talk about Feminism and male privilege, I’m not saying that men are all gathering together in a board room somewhere, wringing their hands, and saying, “gentleman! We need to decide exactly how we’re going to subjugate women this week!” I’m not saying that men are actively engineering a culture in which women are at a disadvantage, I’m saying that we inherited our culture. Like a well-worn pair of boots from an older sibling, with every scuff, every dent, and every layer of polish, we inherited them as is.

A culture is something that has to be examined. Its suppositions questioned. Its norms doubted. Like the boots, it has to be worn, and all the bumps and dents left by the previous owner have to be moulded, and shaped, and in some cases, stamped out entirely.

We inherited a useful pair of boots, but it’s up to us to wear them, and walk in them, and shape them how we want them to be shaped.