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“The yin and yang of intimate interpersonal relationships post, 17” (from the protein wisdom conceptual series)

yin: “Honey?  When you have a second, could you do me a favor and fetch that crate of fall sweaters down from the top shelf?  It’s a bit too heavy for me.”

yang: “I most certainly will not.  SEXIST!”*

100 Replies to ““The yin and yang of intimate interpersonal relationships post, 17” (from the protein wisdom conceptual series)”

  1. Fred says:

    I tried to follow that conversation over at the linked site, but without attribution for each post, it was a little difficult.  What am I missing, other than what appears to be a standard, humor-impaired dust up over very little?  Anything?

    My God, its good to live in an era where so many can get so exercised over such minutia.  Truly an era of material plenty.

  2. Tman says:

    God, you’re such a cunt Jeff….there I said it.

    BECAUSE OF THE HYPOCRISY!!!

  3. Paul Zrimsek says:

    We should conduct criminal investigations this way. We’ll just ask the accused if he’s searched his heart and whether his conscience is clear.

    Ilyka means to come back not just as any old man, but specifically as Ken Starr.

  4. Jeff Goldstein says:

    I think the implication is I’m a filthy sexist for attributing to Shannon Elizabeth the “bimbo” ad hominem against Jill of Feministe.  The only instance where that word is permitted is when someone with Ilyka’s bona fides uses it to rail against the sexists who use it. 

    And what’s so egregious about my sexism, further, is that I pretend to be against identity politics, when in reality I’m just…icky, maybe?  I don’t know.

    I wrote Ilyka an email explaining the thinking behind it—which, if anything, was making fun of faux-intellectualism and, as a secondary consideration (in keeping wiht yesterday’s motif) an attempt to goad the feministes into changing the subject of the argument onto my “gendered” language.

    I had no idea I’d be successful in doing something similar to Hubris and Ilyka.

    But for what it’s worth, I DID apologize to Jill, in her comments, if she took offense.  I just didn’t feel the need to publicize it, which would have appeared self-serving.  Plus, I’m not really apologizing for the post, which I kinda liked.

  5. Matt Moore says:

    That blog’s formatting (text all the way across screen, big line breaks to seperate paragraphs) makes it almost unreadable. Her not getting links has a lot more to do with that than some sort of sexism.

  6. Fred says:

    Well, I liked it too.  Anything that reminds me to hit Google images with a search for pics of Shannon is all good from where I’m sitting.

    Does that make me sexist?

  7. Jeff Goldstein says:

    Eh, I’ve linked her before.  She’s smart and a good writer. Just something of a self-righteous scold and, when it comes to feminist issues, a bit of a PC ideologue.

    The ironic thing about this

    We should conduct criminal investigations this way. We’ll just ask the accused if he’s searched his heart and whether his conscience is clear.

    Is that she’s talking about a fictional character mouthing those words.

    Maybe she thinks it appropriate to put John Updike on the stand for the actions of Harry Angstrom, but I find it all very fucking silly.

  8. BumperStickerist says:

    fwiw – Dennis Leary covered Jeff’s flank on sexism/gendeed language topic extraordinarily well in the recent episode of ‘Rescue Me’ … the whole ‘Twat, Twunt?, Sensitivity Session’ arc was *mwa* magnificent.

    Not that Jeff needs his flanks covered or anything.

  9. OHNOES says:

    OOH MY BLATANT SEXISM MADE THE POST! That part where “Can I be your stalker?” THAT’S ME!

    Pfft, I guess it is only fair of me to ask, “Jeff, I want to be your stalker and your gay lover. Can I?”

    Jeff, Jill took personal offense to Andrea’s comments (In fact, made them the entire crusade. It seems like that much is being made out of what is in the comments. These days. PW and “Malkin = THAT WORD.”, Feministe and “quadracial children” or what not, and Ilyka’s “different languages” quote.). Maybe she’s hypersensitive about her son? I dunno, from that perspective, I could feel for her, but, she is STILL missing the point.

    Jeff, on a side note, Ilyka brought up Jeff’s supposed Jewishness again, and I GOTTA know for sure, once and for all, Jeff, are the Jews trying to take over the world? You’d HAVE to be involved. If they were, I’m totally cool with it, we could definitely have worse world leaders.

    Jeff, you’re a sexist because a woman calls you sexist.

    See also racist.

  10. ahem says:

    Have you seen his flanks?

  11. OHNOES says:

    Don’t really know where I was going with the third paragraph. I think I wanted to mean that apologizing to her wasn’t really going to hit the mark, but, then again, we poke fun at snide-pseudo-apologies from people like Durbin. So the apology was probably on some level warranted.

    Doesn’t make you any less sexist, though, but I’m sure the effort is appreciated.

  12. mojo says:

    “Fuck ‘em if they can’t take a joke”, as my old (sexist, patriarchial oppressor) Dad used to say.

    SB: outside

    giggling like a schoolgirl

  13. 3rd_Bird says:

    Jeff,

    Ever thought of adding “Dice” to your name.

  14. BLT in CO says:

    Jeff: exactly.  Or blaming Alex Haley for the things he has ‘Kunta Kinte’ say in the book/movie “Roots”.  RACIST!

    You write (or channel) the voice of a number of luminaries, both living and dead.  If you were going to write as Shannon Elisabeth, but use Jeff Goldstein’s voice, characteristics, sensibilities, and manner, that’d be what exactly?  Really weird, for one.

    I’m trying to imagine your interviews with Ted Kennedy without, you know, having ‘Ted’ there.  It’d be a stretch to call that an interview with Ted Kennedy, I’m thinking.

    So would Ms. Elisabeth actually use the word “bimbo” to describe someone?  Find me one English-speaking person that HASN’T used that word at some point out of frustration or anger.

    No, the outrage here is manufactured simply for the purpose of not addressing the underlying argument.  “He called me a name so I won’t respond.” Whatever.  Characters both real and fictional have called all of us worse things in print and movies as long as books and film have existed.  Let’s all pout and claim that we’re being oppressed.

    Victimhood is so ennobling.

  15. greg says:

    So after the sex change Ilyka’s coming back as a woman. Interesting.

  16. Jeff Goldstein says:

    I can live with being called an -ist.  I got used to it as an academic who criticized identity politics, race-based affirmative action, proportionality statutes (like Title IX), and response theoretics.

    But it’s the criticism of the Shannon Elizabeth posts not being at all funny—that’s what really stings.

  17. MC says:

    *Sigh* …

    I once offended Ilyka with an androgynous appellation during blog awards season last year.

    She wasn’t pleased.

    Now that she will be a woman, blogging as a man, with demonstrable virtual dick swinging (which I suppose means that she will show us how to do sexism the right way), does my aforementioned windmill tilting seem prescient?

    Jeff: Do you know Ilyka?

    MC: Not really, but, you know, I think Ilyka.

    Jeff: What?

  18. Hubris says:

    Interesting framing of the issue in the comments.

    When Ilyka has a problem with the “bimbo” joke, it’s victimhood.  When we and Jeff attack anti-Semitic remarks people make about Jeff, is that victimhood?

    I’m not going for cheap grace (a phrase that Jeff G has applied quite accurately in many contexts), i.e., I’m not trying to claim that I have some extra level of sensitivity/understanding on this issue.  I simply imagine that just as it gets old to hear the Jew remarks thrown in when someone disagrees with you, it probably gets pretty freaking old to have gender-based epithets tossed your way when you’re a woman and someone disagrees with you.

    Ironic?  Why can’t the women just take a joke?  I guess it all depends on whether you’re the target of the joke as to whether it seems very funny.  Do you guys love the “irony” of when leftists make fun of Malkin’s ethnicity (and toss in her maiden name of Maglalang for good measure) because it’s all ironic and just meant to get a rise out of her because she’s allegedly a racist?  Fuck, I don’t even like Malkin, and it really rubs me the wrong way when I see that shit. 

    Maybe I’m just too sensitive, and irony-impaired.  And I should just accept the joke:  It’s okay when it’s directed at a feminist identity politics site–because of the hypocrisy.

  19. BumperStickerist says:

    fwiw, I assign female (and, to be fair, feminine) bloggers a ‘cat’ rating

    – the question being “How many cats will they have at any one time after passing through ‘the change’?”

    Andrea … 2

    Ilyaka … 6

    the bloggers at Feministe?  They’re going to be in Shambala territory

  20. OHNOES says:

    Ilyka, original post link.

    Which is a polite way of saying I’ve been a lot more logically consistent than some of you have been.

    Given MC’s revelations…

  21. OHNOES says:

    Hubris, your statement is quite fair, but I don’t think it follows Jeff’s framing of his own statement. I could be wrong.

  22. SarahW says:

    The Shannon Elizabeth joke was funny, because Shannon was calling the chick from Feministe an uninformed bimbo when that’s just what they would have called Shannon (if she had voted for BUSH and said Flight 93 deserved a war memorial or anything else they didn’t think women ought to believe.) Even though Jill et al.Feministe are supposed to be against that sort of remark.

    And also Shannon probably is a little dim, (at least the blog-construct Shannon, if not the actual Shannon, though its amusingly probably both of them) which is funny, and her saying what she did is a such total burn on Jill, which is funny.

    Also it made them all huffy and mad, and rail about Jeff Goldstein oppressing them with words and that’s STILL funny.

    Hickory Dickory Dock

    HOw about that lame war in Iraq

    The Clock struck two

    I don’t enjoy Godfather II

    Jeff Opresses me with his COCK!

    COCK! COCK!

  23. ss says:

    Jeff reminds me of Ilyka when he goes all off like, “I’m Jewish, hear me roar!”

    “Judaism is the radical concept that Jews are people.”

    “Gentiles are all the same.”

    “Jews need Gentiles like a fish needs a bicycle.”

    “I’m going to wring my filthy severed foreskin at those nasty Gentiles!”

    “Jew Power!”

    “Why do keep noticing I’m Jewish? Racist.”

    “I’m off to get me a virtual foreskin. I intend to swing that fucker like you wouldn’t believe.”

  24. Hubris says:

    The Shannon Elizabeth joke was funny, because Shannon was calling the chick from Feministe an uninformed bimbo when that’s just what they would have called Shannon…

    To me, that pretty much sounds like the “BECAUSE OF THE HYPOCRISY” leftist argument that has been lampooned here many times.

  25. SarahW says:

    Maybe I should use spell check when I stay up for 24 hours straight.

  26. Jeff Goldstein says:

    Let me get this straight:  anti-semitic remarks directed at me by REAL people, generally anonymous, who are, y’know, actually anti-semitic is the same thing as using “Shannon Elizabeth”— a bimbo construct used here on may occasions to show just how much MORE stupid are some of the things said and done by politicians or pundits—to make a joke that points out just HOW stupid Jill’s argument was?

    Okay.

    Maybe I should tell Robert Byrd’s hood to lay off the kike jokes.  Or having Robert Byrd comment on the news by talking about “darkies.”

    Because, you know, those all reflect my beliefs, and I must learn to hide MY HATE better.

  27. SarahW says:

    Hubris, that’s part of the joke.  Hypocrite haters deftly revealed as hypocrites…

    It makes jokes funnier when you explain them, doesn’t it.  Especially recursive humor.

  28. Hubris says:

    Maybe I should tell Robert Byrd’s hood to lay off the kike jokes.  Or having Robert Byrd comment on the news by talking about “darkies.”

    It isn’t about the terms, it’s about how they’re used.  Fundamental difference with those jokes:  You’re making fun of Byrd’s history of racism.  You’re not calling Jews “kikes” or blacks “darkies.”

    With the subject post in this case, it just had the effect of calling the feministe blogger a stupid bimbo through use of a fictional proxy, unless the main point was making fun of Elizabeth herself and I somehow missed it.

    The explanation is the “irony,” which as I indicated, seems like a “because of the hypocrisy” excuse (with no irony attached to the phrase, in this case).

  29. Hubris says:

    SarahW,

    First, a line of cocaine will do wonders on the 24-hours-awake thing.  Trust me.

    Would it be funny if the joke were a fictional Clarence Thomas saying about a black blogger:  “Gosh, and I thought I was a dumb n***er?” Because of the left’s hypocrisy with respect to Thomas?

  30. SarahW says:

    I laughed ( among other reasons) because Shannon’s name-call was calling the blog on its name-calling.

  31. Jeff Goldstein says:

    Actually, it was “uninformed bimbo,” and no, it was never the point to make fun of Elizabeth herself, but rather to use the bimbo persona of Elizabeth to highlight the uninformed nature of Jill’s post.  E

    You choose to linger on the “bimbo” part; I was more interested in the “uninformed” part, and only used the bimbo part to jokingly tweak the feminists.  I don’t think “bimbo” carries a hundreth the emotional weight of “nigger.” It’s a silly comparison.  And its a dishonest one, because I bet you know the two aren’t comparable, either.

    But whatever.  I’m sick of arguing this.  I’m sick of fighting off trolls and arguing the finer points of irony, getting called racist, sexist, classist, moronic, a liar, a propagandist, an apologist—just tired of it.

    Going to eat some dinner and go drink a few beers.  I promise not to pinch the waitresses ass.  Unless the little harlot is dressed like she’s asking for it.

  32. SarahW says:

    Hubris-

    Heck no, It wouldn’t be funny. Clarence Thomas is really smart.

    I think you can still get some pseudoephedrine in this town…

  33. Hubris says:

    I agree that the emotional weight of the terms is different, but I don’t think it’s a silly comparison:  It illustrates the issues inherent to using the tweaking/hypocrisy justification.  While not a precise analogy, the higher emotional weight highlights the problem, I think.

    I don’t know if you’re classifying me with the trolls, but I don’t think I fit that definition given my history here.  I’ve also been careful to criticize what you said, not you as a person.

    I’ll leave the thread, I don’t have anything else to say on the issue.

  34. Fred says:

    But whatever.  I’m sick of arguing this.  I’m sick of fighting off trolls and arguing the finer points of irony, getting called racist, sexist, classist, moronic, a liar, a propagandist, an apologist—just tired of it.

    No fucking shit.

  35. SarahW says:

    I should have qualified it is I who is amused by the idea that Shannon Elizabeth is anything like her blog persona.  But I’m catty that way about the pretty girls.

  36. Jeff Goldstein says:

    No, Hubris, I’m not lumping you in with the trolls.  Just saying that I’ve had an awful lot of them over the last two weeks ripping at me and on me for the Katrina stuff.  And I’m tired of defending myself.

    Which is why the last thing I want to do is defend myself over something so fucking stunningly absurd.

    Here, leave it at this:  anybody who wishes to is free to think me sexist.  I surrender to their judgments.

  37. MayBee says:

    Urrggh!

    If there’s one thing I hate about women, it’s when we whine about guys treating us like they treat other guys. 

    On this blog I’ve seen guys call other guys putz, asshat, retard, and kos diarists.  Yet make a joke about a stupid comment and and uninformed bimbo, and suddenly it isn’t about equality.  We are feministes and our delicate sensibilities must be treated with kid gloves.  But not in an unequal way.  In a fierce way.

    I am a woman.  If (when) I say something that is uninformed, I might get called on it.  And whether it is a gender-neutral comment on my lack of knowledge or a gender-specific comment on my lack of knowledge, the problem I need to focus on is that I am uninformed.

    BTW, I’d rather be a bimbo than a putz.

  38. Nathan says:

    I guess the thing I find most…painful, perhaps, is that she complains about her femininity being an issue to some detractors, but she goes out of her way to make it an issue if someone doesn’t recognize her femininity.

    …a little Cyrano de Bergerac problem, it seems.

    She’s apparently got this weird idea of what it must like to be a man, and she seems obsessed with it…to the point that it affects her view of what it means to be a woman.  Sad.

    …and since I’m talking about male/female identity issues, my turing word is “couple”.

  39. BumperStickerist says:

    Cowperson up, Jeff.

  40. Lauren says:

    The Shannon Elizabeth joke was funny, because Shannon was calling the chick from Feministe an uninformed bimbo when that’s just what they would have called Shannon (if she had voted for BUSH and said Flight 93 deserved a war memorial or anything else they didn’t think women ought to believe.) Even though Jill et al.Feministe are supposed to be against that sort of remark.

    Would have called?  I’ve seen this argument twice. 

    Jill and I don’t call people bimbos.  We don’t call people cunts either.  A commenter did, not Jill, not I.

    Which is why I took issue with Andrea’s oh-so-innocent attack against my child and didn’t take issue with Jeff… for her statement.

    Holding us responsible for what our commenters say is rather disingenuous, especially since one commenter, spurred on my Jeff’s and Andrea’s name-calling, also called my son an “Oreo.” Is that offensive to anyone but me?

    Certainly this isn’t so hard to understand. 

    Ironic?  Why can’t the women just take a joke?  I guess it all depends on whether you’re the target of the joke as to whether it seems very funny.  Do you guys love the “irony” of when leftists make fun of Malkin’s ethnicity (and toss in her maiden name of Maglalang for good measure) because it’s all ironic and just meant to get a rise out of her because she’s allegedly a racist?  Fuck, I don’t even like Malkin, and it really rubs me the wrong way when I see that shit.

    It rubs me the wrong way too.  Call me uninformed.  Call me stupid.  Call me anything you want. 

    I too would rather be “uninformed” than a “bimbo.” At least you’re attacking my ideas and not the vag.

  41. Lauren says:

    “spurred on by”

    Carry on.

  42. alppuccino says:

    Sorry guys…

    Catch me up.

    Which one has the really huge boobs?

  43. Carin says:

    You know, I wouldn’t get upset unless someone used the “C” word. And then, only because it’s so crass.

    But, you know – if the “C” word is used, chances are you deserved it.

  44. Jeff Goldstein says:

    You think I’m a sexist, Lauren? Fine. I can live with that, given that you probably think bananas are oppressing you, or that trains going through mountain passes are sinister, installation art pieces meant to passively reinforce male power fantasies.

    But do me a favor and say it here. I hate finding you on other blogs saying that I “use” Shannon Elizabeth to call anybody anything.  I use Shannon Elizabeth as a character, not as a proxy. That’s what fiction writers do.

  45. Lauren says:

    Have I used the word sexist?

    I use Shannon Elizabeth as a character, not as a proxy.

    I understand that.  Further bringing the funny, you say that she said it, not you. 

    Thank you for your apologies to Jill.  I genuinely appreciate someone who will apologize for something that gets out of hand as this did.

    Still, you’re putting words in our mouths that don’t belong.  I feel far more comfortable discussing this with people who will address me on the basis of what I do say, not for what I have explicitly not said. 

    I can live with being called a bimbo myself.  It’s not the first time and probably won’t be the last.  I’ll remember to add that to my Helpful Guide to Words That Do Not Hurt.

  46. MayBee says:

    I too would rather be “uninformed” than a “bimbo.” At least you’re attacking my ideas and not the vag.

    But it isn’t like the vag is unimpeachable.  A guy can be a putz or a dick, and I’ve never seen them crying that we are attacking their manhood.  I think it just makes women look like we are hiding behind our womanhood if we want to make gender-specific criticism offlimits, especially in humor.

    I mean, if we’re willing to have good terms that invoke our femininity used on us, we can’t put all bad terms off limits, can we?

  47. Lauren says:

    I mean, if we’re willing to have good terms that invoke our femininity used on us, we can’t put all bad terms off limits, can we?

    Oh God no.  I’m quite fond of “turdblossom” myself.

  48. Lauren says:

    My bad.  Turdblossom is gender-neutral.  Moving along…

  49. Jeff Goldstein says:

    Still, you’re putting words in our mouths that don’t belong.  I feel far more comfortable discussing this with people who will address me on the basis of what I do say, not for what I have explicitly not said.

    Is this you in the comments?

    Pssst. Shannon Elizabeth is an actress. It’s Jeff’s alter-ego that he uses to call women bimbos and get away with it.

    So you’re not calling me sexist. You’re just saying I hide behind a persona to denigrate women and get away with it.

    Got it.

  50. Jeff Goldstein says:

    You know who IS sexist? John Bolton’s mustache.  That’s who’s sexist.

  51. ss says:

    I’m tempted to slam Lauren, but she’s hot, so I won’t.

  52. Paul Zrimsek says:

    Sh’yeah. Next you’re gonna tell us that the armadillo isn’t really you either. Weasel!

  53. MayBee says:

    You know who IS sexist? John Bolton’s mustache.  That’s who’s sexist

    Yeah, and soon we’ll be seeing a bunch of male bloggers railing against you for your insensitivity in your portrayal of MEN.  Cause it is off-limits to negatively invoke the ‘stache.

  54. Defense Guy says:

    What Protein Wisdom really needs at this point is a rimshot, to really hammer home the idea of satire, even when it is based on reality, as all satire is.

    Oh, and wet t-shirt contests.

    There must be some plugin for the drum riff, but the t-shirt thing might be more problematic.

    TW – spirit, in the spirit of fairness I suppose Jeff should be soaked first.

  55. Lauren says:

    Pssst. Shannon Elizabeth is an actress. It’s Jeff’s alter-ego that he uses to call women bimbos and get away with it.

    Do I not tell the truth?

  56. Jeff Goldstein says:

    No.

  57. Nathan says:

    Feminism: When all you’ve got is a hammer, everying starts looking like nails…

  58. McGehee says:

    Jeez. I got called a faggot in an earlier thread, and you didn’t see my throwing any hissy fits. I just told the guy he needed to perform a cranio-rectal extraction. But I thought that even before he took such hysterical notice of me for calling him a “silly twit.”

    And having read Andrea’s comment referenced as “Andrea’s oh-so-innocent attack against my child” I can only say, “WTF???”

  59. ss says:

    Whoa. Lauren almost got Jeff on that one. But like a seasoned and brilliant attorney poised for confirmation to the highest court in the land, pressed to the limits of human endurance by petulant, ideology-driven, glory hogs, he feints deftly, as the blow misses its intended mark.

  60. OHNOES says:

    McGehee, remember though, only women can call people sexists. It is the same for blacks and racists.

    Also, I’ve read Feministe a bit and commented even less. In it, Jill somehow has some kind of complex where she takes EVERY attack against her (Anything that steps beyond the issues and one or two that don’t.) as a personal and deeply sexist attack. She frames attacks against her in ways that are dogmatic at best as a matter of course. McGehee, I’d be surprised if she DIDN’T take Andrea’s comment that way.

  61. Farmer Joe says:

    I think the reaction Jeff provoked with the original post pretty much demonstrates that post’s point.

    TW: Horse. Beating. Dead. A.

  62. OHNOES says:

    Excuse me, black people and caling racists. See Jackson v. Bush re: Katrina. The imagery I keep invoking when I run that phrase through my head is respectable NON-race-hustling black leaders whose good work to heal race relations are largely being undone by the likes of Jackson and Sharpton.

    Yes, I’m talking about Dave Chapelle.

    KEKEKE.

    But the FIRST paragraph of this is sincere and non-sarcastic.

  63. Lauren says:

    OHNOES, Jill and I are separate people. 

    Considering that blogging is one big game, I’m assuming that no one here is really upset about what’s going on.  But I find the eagerness for someone to insult a child to insult a parent by proxy is rather troublesome. 

    McGeehee, this argument is pretty silly considering some of the other insults we get thrown our way.  I’ll take bimbo over the rape threats anyday.

  64. OHNOES says:

    Is it just me, or have Turing word jokes gotten worse since I have been here… Farmer Joe’s has been nice, but the recent ones… bleh.

    Regarding Ilyka, I actually went to and read her blog because I really liked her writing. While it was kinda wishy-washy generic bunny-bashing of radicals or making easy points in the politics, she was enjoyable to read. I also stayed because she was a woman. The logic was “I like well-written smart blogs, and women are my favorite gender, so a well-written smart blog lady MUST BE AWESOME.”

    And now she’s quitting it because she’s a woman and what not.

    There’s irony here, but I cannot find it.

  65. MayBee says:

    to call women bimbos

    But he didn’t call women bimbos.  Not in the sense that he dismisses all women as bimbos.  That’s what sexism is.

    Instead, he used humor to point out that a woman was perhaps exhibiting bimbo-like qualities, as she was uninformed.

    I have a feeling that had his Shannon Elizabeth said “And I thought I was the hottest chick around” there would be no problem here, because it’s a gender-specific compliment.

  66. OHNOES says:

    Lauren, I know that, and I was thinking of saying that you were better than Jill usually is on that, but I wasn’t 100% sure, especially considering the snippy remarks thrown by you over the matter

    I’m still not seeing the deliberate personal attack on Jill’s child the way you all are though.

  67. OHNOES says:

    LEVITY INJECTION TIME:

    I hope Ilyka doesn’t think she can get away with titling new MANLY BLOG *Summons DVDA – Now You’re a Man* Ilyka Daladies.

  68. john (lesser) says:

    One way to make this thread more interesting is to imagine Shannon Elizabeth reading it in her panties.

    attacking the vag

    Is this not the essence of identity politics? Is there not a single female on this planet deserving of the label bimbo?  If you call a woman a bimbo are you attacking every female?

  69. Lauren says:

    Okay, my last comment.  OHNOES: we’re talking about MY child.  Not Jill’s.

  70. OHNOES says:

    Dangit, John is right. Cannot BELIEVE I missed that BS call.

    Bimbo is not “attacking the vag.” It is calling the woman “a dumb woman.” The phrase itself really doesn’t hold the sort of hatred of those with two X chromosomes that you think it does.

  71. OHNOES says:

    Alright, well, in that quote, I’m CERTAINLY not seeing an attack on YOUR son, Andrea.

  72. Daniel says:

    This is what Shannon Elizabeth has been up to lately….

    Free registration is required. It’s worth it for the rest of the site, no matter where you live.

  73. Farmer Joe says:

    Farmer Joe’s has been nice

    Well thanks.

    (I won’t bother with the TW for this post. It’s not very interesting.)

  74. OHNOES says:

    Still, you’re putting words in our mouths that don’t belong.

    But you can keep doing that to Andrea… I mean, she’s just a non-feminist Rightie.

  75. kelly says:

    Lauren – let me say this slowly.

    I consider myself a feminist. Yet, funny enough, you are boring the FUCK out of me with your nitpicking.

    Please get off my favorite blog. Thank you.

    TW: extent, as in, “the extent to which the word cunt really annoys me and the word bimbo doesn’t”.

  76. kelly says:

    Oh, and before the “I didn’t use the word cunt” defense gets deployed? Correct me if I’m wrong… you are the one that moderates your comments, right?

  77. I’m assuming that no one here is really upset about what’s going on.

    I can’t speak for others, and I have no idea where “here” is, but I can attest to my lack of upset.  To the point of amusement.  Which, I think, may just be the point.

    I’m still confused about what “quadri-racial” means, and about how that applies to the child[ren] of anyone involved, but being a stupid guy reared (so to speak) in a male-dominated (um, this is getting uncomfortable) society, I’m not all that concerned.

  78. kelly says:

    Unlike Jeff, I mean.

  79. MayBee says:

    I do have to say, whether offense was meant or not…when you offend a parent in a conversation about their child, you just apologize.  Whether you feel you said the wrong thing or not, that’s a time when you just gotta back down.

  80. kelly says:

    Too right, MayBee. Only good manners.

  81. OTOH if your remark is clearly NOT about the kid in question, backing down would be stupid.  But, as I said, stupid, uncaring, sexist, hey, even racist: me.

  82. Shannon Elizabeth says:

    Fuck all of you assholes!

    <sob>

  83. You know what? I didn’t even realize Shannon Elizabeth was this actress. I thought she was a blogger or a commenter or something. I missed the whole joke. What can I say—I no longer watch any movies made after 1965.

    On the other hand, I got to insult everyone at Feministe, so it all turned out all right in the end. I take happy endings where I can get them.

  84. OHNOES says:

    Bah, Feministe still isn’t as bad as Pandagon.

  85. I’m gonna cook me up some sausage.

    Ummm.  Sausage.

  86. Dave Munger says:

    Haha, women are stupid! That was good, I think I’ll post that.

  87. The Real JeffS says:

    For what its worth, as a child, I had a (male) dog named Bimbo.  Really. confused

  88. Chrees says:

    OK, I’m going back to reading The Brother Karamazov. It’s a lot clearer than the politics of dick and vag are. And a hell of a lot funnier.

  89. Not Robin Williams says:

    Going to eat some dinner and go drink a few beers.  I promise not to pinch the waitresses ass.  Unless the little harlot is dressed like she’s asking for it.

    Arr Arr. Humor. I get it.

  90. For what its worth, as a child, I had a (male) dog named Bimbo.  Really.

    that reminds me, there’s large bakery/bread company in the area that uses that name.

  91. The Real JeffS says:

    We named Bimbo after an old Jim Reeves song.

    Jim Reeves must be politically incorrect.  Perhaps he should apologize?  Oh, wait, he’s a white American male.  And he’s dead.  That has to count for something.

  92. For engineering types, there’s this variant.  Bastards.

    This, however, is just confusing.

  93. B Moe says:

    http://www.bimbotown.de/de/

    This place is a trip, I was there in ‘96.  Looks like it is still going strong.

  94. ratan says:

    A good friend of mine named her dog “Queer.” She was only about eight when she did it, and yes, she said it named that because “he’s really gay.”

  95. ratan says:

    Just to point out, I was eight at the time as well.

  96. Jeff Goldstein says:

    Jeff’s searched his heart; his conscience is clear that he wasn’t demeaning women with his post.

    We should conduct criminal investigations this way. We’ll just ask the accused if he’s searched his heart and whether his conscience is clear. The best part?

    No more jury duty!

    Just thought I’d highlight this bit for those of you who couldn’t make it through Ilyka’s formatting to point out that, in her mind, what I said is best analogized as a “crime.” It was “hate speech,” you see, and it doesn’t matter what my intent was—the fact of the matter is, she was offended by it, and for that, I must be punished.  Or rather, my intent is not important; what is important is how my words can be construed—how Ilyka can refigure the utterance to take offense and demand I be punished for it.

    Try viewing this response through the prism of my other posts for that day.  Let me know what you think.

  97. Forbes says:

    Jeff:

    Such a prism regarding thoughts as crime is hardly any different than hate speech–it is the arbitrary path pursued by authoritarian regimes. And I guess it’s too trite to say any more that it’s shocking that those that fail to study history will repeat its’ excesses, but it is safe to say that there is nothing liberal about those on the political left, as they are following in the footsteps of Marx, Lenin, and Stalin. That we can be certain of.

  98. Jeff Goldstein says:

    If you read Ilyka on the war, she is a staunch, cool-headed defender of its logic and necessity. But then she sees the word bimbo used ironically and practically explodes into a shower of self-righteous feminist shrapnel.

    The mind boggles at this authoritarian impulse.  And it simply gets stronger every time it is successful at silencing someone.  Larry Summers is a good example. That he was made to grovel for what every honest person knows was precisely the kind of question we SHOULD be asking at universities—that is, if we’re really interesting in fixing the problem, rather than nurturing so that grievance mongers can be kept perpetually aggrieved (and so, employed)—is tragic.

    We need to stop apologizing and stand up to this bullshit.  Honestly.

    I told Jill I was sorry if she took offense at the term bimbo, when what was directed at her was the “uninformed” bit.  The bimbo part was the operable part of the Shannon Elizabeth joke. 

    But I’m not at all sorry for the post, which I liked, and which worked just as I hoped.  That certain responses to it have highlighted some of the linguistic issues I’ve been discussing is, to be honest, helpful.

  99. Hubris says:

    Jeff,

    I don’t think Ilyka said that it’s a “hate crime”; rather, it is saying that an act cannot be readily dismissed because of the actor’s declaration of benign intent.  Sorry to keep using analogies, but if someone says something that appears anti-Semitic or racist, the speaker declaring that the intent was not anti-Semitic or racist is not sufficient to draw a conclusion that it was fine for them to say what they said. 

    I’m not sure where you’re getting that Ilyka is demanding that you be punished.  That’s drawing the analogy beyond what she actually said, which is a bit ironic given your criticism of Ilyka allegedly reconfiguring your utterance.

    Forbes,

    Ilyka ain’t a leftist.

  100. Hubris says:

    How is it an authoritarian impulse to strongly object to something someone says?  You (and I) do that all the time.  Outrage for me, but not for thee?

Comments are closed.