People Who Have Expressed What I Think Most Articulately So That I Don't Have To

[alixtii]

Suzie at Echidne of the Snakes, on how Dollhouse is and isn't (and should and shouldn't be) feminist, here. (I think we may disagree on whether or not sex work is inherently anti-feminist--I don't think it is--but that obscures the more important point that, both in real life and on the show, the way sex work is actually conducted is pretty clearly

Comments

[tacky_tramp]

As much as I find the thoughtful discussion of literary theory and queering and the metaphysics of RPF and art-as-social-criticism fascinating, I still think it's deeply fucked up to create a sexually explicit depiction of someone without their consent and then shove it in their face. And fandom's inability to grasp that disturbs the hell out of me.

I would probably be mildly grossed out if someone made a manip like that of me or wrote explicit RPF about me without my consent, and then posted it to my journal or in reply to one of my comments. However, I don't assume that my reaction will be identical to everyone else's. It could be a deeply triggering experience for sexual abuse survivors, and we should never assume that someone is not a survivor just because s/he is engaging in sexist, homophobic, transphobic oppression.

[alixtii]

Yeah, there's a lot of potential concerns, like triggering, to be taken into account beyond what the action is in and of itself. And I'm on record that a writer has a moral obligation to avoid causing foreseeable harm that may be caused through her writing.

[tacky_tramp]

I think there's an interesting conversation to be had about the ethical responsibilities of the oppressed toward their oppressors. Am I ethically obligated to treat sexists and homophobes with dignity and respect? Do I have to concern myself with their comfort and sense of safety as I try to dismantle their power? No easy answers.

[alixtii]

No, easy answers are not to be had. I'd probably answer "no" to your two questions, but obviously there's some point (violence?) where the answer becomes "yes."