On Shiny Suds
Off topic: I need a good "rant" LJ Icon.
I don't stick my head into online or public discussions on feminist issues that often any more. I've found the entire subject too overwhelming for me for the most part. I am, for starters, male. It is difficult for me to put myself in the perspective of a woman and it takes me an equal amount of effort to construct logical, well built arguments. I also find that most people react to said arguments without logic or outright ignore key points in favor of throwing around the same couple of arguments.
Today, I was linked to a wonderful little gem on the internet by my friend logansrogue. For those of you who don't feel like clicking the link, I'll paraphrase.
Steven Hall over on AdGabber is reacting with outrage over a decision by Method to pull their Shiny Suds commercial. The commercial, which depicted soap suds sexually harassing a naked woman taking a shower, received complaints from feminist groups that the ad was condoning rape. Steven Hall, in his reaction, provides four wonderful gems that show the kind of human being he is. His reaction to comments then do well to underscore this.
Of his four points, his fourth is by far crossing a line that should not be crossed.
1. Just for fun, Dow should hire an army of men in Scrubbing Bubbles costumes, send them to BlogHer (and the rest of the female conference circuit) and have them ejaculate foamy white stuff all over attendees. That ought to get some panties in a bunch.
If this was all Mr. Hall had to say on the matter, I might have passed over this with an eye roll. However, Mr. Hall has decided that interacting with commenters who take offense or disagree with him is worth his time. To someone stating they were done with AdGabber over this level of misogyny, he had this gem to add:
Well thank God I'm not like this is real life. Otherwise I'd have been castrated/hung/murdered long ago:)
There are two things about this response that are telling. His opinion on women and their reactions are revealed with his "castrated" statement. Aside from the ever so rare Lorena Bobbitt out there, it is rare for women to inflict this kind of harm on women. Thus it is pretty safe to say that Mr. Hall either feels that women have violent tendencies inside them or he thinks of this matter as nothing more than a joke. I think it is fairly safe to say that Mr. Hall's position on women is in the joke category.
The other telling part to his statement is claiming he is nothing like that in real life. He uses the "real life" line in another response to criticism.
I was, indeed, a treat to work with. You'd like me in real life. Honest.
Here lies the heart of the matter and, perhaps, the greatest issue with men and legitimate women's issues. Mr. Hall insists that the way he comes across online is nothing like he is in real life. However, what Mr. Hall seems to forget is that the internet is real life. His perception of himself is that he has two personas. He has the online persona that is Mr. Douche that laughs at groups that bring down triggering commercials. And there is Mr. Real World that is a fun, loving guy. But I bet that "in the real world" Mr. Hall would not go up to a women who is afraid to get in the shower now because of the Shiny Suds commercial and say the same thing he said online:
2. Everyone with a stick up their ass over this should promptly shove it all the way through until it pops out the top of their head. Hopefully they'll die and allow the rest of us to "use the loofa" without feeling like we're being gang raped in the shower. (Where the hell do people come up with this crap?)
The reason why Mr. Hall won't say this is pretty simple. There are a lot of men that simply do no understand what it means to be raped and the kind of trauma it causes. For thousands of years, men haven't understood this concept. For thousands of years, most men have kept their mouths shut about this because of public respect. However, the internet has come and given these people a magic soap box of anonymity. People like Mr. Hall can hide behind the internet and throw out the respect that social courtesy would otherwise expect of them.
In other words. Mr. Steve Hall is a fucking coward by his own admission.
I don't stick my head into online or public discussions on feminist issues that often any more. I've found the entire subject too overwhelming for me for the most part. I am, for starters, male. It is difficult for me to put myself in the perspective of a woman and it takes me an equal amount of effort to construct logical, well built arguments. I also find that most people react to said arguments without logic or outright ignore key points in favor of throwing around the same couple of arguments.
Today, I was linked to a wonderful little gem on the internet by my friend logansrogue. For those of you who don't feel like clicking the link, I'll paraphrase.
Steven Hall over on AdGabber is reacting with outrage over a decision by Method to pull their Shiny Suds commercial. The commercial, which depicted soap suds sexually harassing a naked woman taking a shower, received complaints from feminist groups that the ad was condoning rape. Steven Hall, in his reaction, provides four wonderful gems that show the kind of human being he is. His reaction to comments then do well to underscore this.
Of his four points, his fourth is by far crossing a line that should not be crossed.
1. Just for fun, Dow should hire an army of men in Scrubbing Bubbles costumes, send them to BlogHer (and the rest of the female conference circuit) and have them ejaculate foamy white stuff all over attendees. That ought to get some panties in a bunch.
If this was all Mr. Hall had to say on the matter, I might have passed over this with an eye roll. However, Mr. Hall has decided that interacting with commenters who take offense or disagree with him is worth his time. To someone stating they were done with AdGabber over this level of misogyny, he had this gem to add:
Well thank God I'm not like this is real life. Otherwise I'd have been castrated/hung/murdered long ago:)
There are two things about this response that are telling. His opinion on women and their reactions are revealed with his "castrated" statement. Aside from the ever so rare Lorena Bobbitt out there, it is rare for women to inflict this kind of harm on women. Thus it is pretty safe to say that Mr. Hall either feels that women have violent tendencies inside them or he thinks of this matter as nothing more than a joke. I think it is fairly safe to say that Mr. Hall's position on women is in the joke category.
The other telling part to his statement is claiming he is nothing like that in real life. He uses the "real life" line in another response to criticism.
I was, indeed, a treat to work with. You'd like me in real life. Honest.
Here lies the heart of the matter and, perhaps, the greatest issue with men and legitimate women's issues. Mr. Hall insists that the way he comes across online is nothing like he is in real life. However, what Mr. Hall seems to forget is that the internet is real life. His perception of himself is that he has two personas. He has the online persona that is Mr. Douche that laughs at groups that bring down triggering commercials. And there is Mr. Real World that is a fun, loving guy. But I bet that "in the real world" Mr. Hall would not go up to a women who is afraid to get in the shower now because of the Shiny Suds commercial and say the same thing he said online:
2. Everyone with a stick up their ass over this should promptly shove it all the way through until it pops out the top of their head. Hopefully they'll die and allow the rest of us to "use the loofa" without feeling like we're being gang raped in the shower. (Where the hell do people come up with this crap?)
The reason why Mr. Hall won't say this is pretty simple. There are a lot of men that simply do no understand what it means to be raped and the kind of trauma it causes. For thousands of years, men haven't understood this concept. For thousands of years, most men have kept their mouths shut about this because of public respect. However, the internet has come and given these people a magic soap box of anonymity. People like Mr. Hall can hide behind the internet and throw out the respect that social courtesy would otherwise expect of them.
In other words. Mr. Steve Hall is a fucking coward by his own admission.