The Crime of Being A Slut

[rocktivity]

Last edited Wed Jun 15, 2016, 10:41 AM - Edit history (3)

Our story so far (warning: Graphic/trigger): Boy meets girl. Boy leaves girl. Boy finds girl with another boy. Boy beats them both up. Boy runs away, but not before saying that he still loves girl. Boy gets arrested.

Girl does porn. Boy does porn when not doing pro mixed martial arts or doing hard time for assault. Boy gets blamed? Of course not.

Dr. Nerdlove.com: The implication, of course, is that Christy Mack shared responsibility for the beating at the hands of War Machine – deserved it even - because she supposedly cheated on him. Even War Machine insists that he went over to her place to surprise her – the home of an-ex girlfriend who lived more than 300 miles away from him, mind you – with the most honorable of intentions. Sadly, the shock and horror of seeing another man there – whether clothed or in bed – meant that he had to do something. Something that included stripping her naked, beating her face in, breaking her ribs, knocking out her teeth, sawing off her hair and kicking her so savagely that her liver burst...

...Every time, every time, we hear about a man beating a woman, there is inevitably a chorus that chimes in with some variation of “well, maybe the bitch deserved it.” We heard it from War Machine’s fans. We’ve heard it from Chris Brown’s fans after he assaulted Rihanna. We heard it when Charles Saatchi wrapped his hands around Nigella Lawson’s throat. We heard it when Charlie Sheen choked Capri Anderson and threatened to kill her. And we hear it time and time again on the individual level, when non-celebrities are abused by their partners. But it’s their own fault because “she should’ve known better.”

...We see this dismissive attitude towards sex-workers in almost every field from masseuses providing full-body sensual massage to dancers to escorts to porn-stars. If a woman mixes sex and money then she must be tainted goods by definition...But our ginned-up outrage and high dudgeon...allows us to enjoy the(ir) naughtiness even as we judge them safely from our moral high ground...The media fell all over themselves to remind us that Mack is a porn star. News outlet after news outlet led with titillating photos of Christy Mack in her underwear, posing provocatively next to text describing her horrific injuries. And of course, we hear over and over again that “well, yes it’s sad but you know…”

...Good girls may be alluring and desirable but they’re pure and innocent. They can be sexy, but not sexual. Bad girls on the other hand – women whose sexuality and conduct don’t conform strictly to the socially-approved standards - are sluts and whores and deserve whatever they have coming to them. A woman’s sexuality teeters on the razor’s edge of acceptability...(As) she tumbles from her pedestal into the pit...all manner of abuse is suddenly reasonable. And if she should happen to not just enjoy sex – especially sex outside of a committed, monogamous relationship...but somehow bring money into the mix…then she’s not just a slut but a whore, barely even human.

More


rocktivity

[Prophet 451]

1. He should be banned from the sport

MMA is already a sport that struggles to be seen as legitimate, it must show the world that it doesn't tolerate those who use their training against civilians. There is still only one circumstance that justifies hitting a woman, self-defence. Doesn't matter whether she's a sex worker or the madonna, doesn't matter how many drinks she's had or what drugs she might be on or how mad you are with her. Don't hit her unless she's actively trying to cause you physical injury and, even then, use minimal force (any martial artist knows ways to immobilize someone without hurting them).

[Chan790]

2. Should be, yes...but you're not serious, are you?

I'm not saying that he's not a despicable asshole or shouldn't be banned...I'm saying they'd never ban him for this. They're largely not seeing this as inappropriate or bad for the sport even.

One of my close friends is a lower-circuit MMA fighter...also an educator, writer, social critic, activist, and feminist. He posted on his wall about it, a well-thought-out essay about violence against women, how this incident reflects on his sport and him as a professional athlete in that sport...and promptly had to start banning lunkheads he trains and shares a gym with because they wanted to tell him how wrong he is, how awesome of a person War Machine is, how he's a hero to them for this, how he put that "b***h" (ed: asterisk mine, not in quote) in her place.

There are some very vocal about the issues of their sport and stand-up MMA fighters (and I want to acknowledge that they exist and not broad-brush them)...but there are a lot more misogynistic assholes; the appeal of the sport to MRA types seems not-coincidental. (They also tend to love Fight Club which I'm certain they don't understand.)

[Prophet 451]

3. Semi-serious

I come from a similar background to your friend: Amateur and semi-pro wrestling, a smattering of other martial arts (mainly stuff I could incorporate into wrestling). I also, while in college, taught self-defence to my housemate and most of her friends.

I'm serious that I think he should be banned but also, like you, I recognize that he almost certainly won't be. I will also add that I think that's a mistake, that it will simply add to the image of MMA fighters as nothing more than thugs and the sport as organized thuggery. If the sport wants to be seen as legitimate, it has to start banning those who misbehave (for lack of a better term).

Finally, I've noticed that most people don't understand Fight Club. Not sure if that's due to the changes from the book (the themes of societal superficiality, alienation from that society and alienation from a now irrelevant societal construction of masculinity are more pronounced in the book). The cynic in me (which is a pretty big part) thinks it's been largely consumed as a movie about dudes fighting and Brad Pitt saying some stuff that sounds deep, that the public have largely swallowed the packaging rather than it's uncomfortable message. Which is not unique to this particular film/book either. How many people unironically wear Guy Fawkes masks? And how few of them have read Alan Moore's book or understand why Moore's protagonist wears the mask of a religious terrorist?

[delete_bush]

4. "We heard it from War Machine’s fans"

No doubt an erudite group.

[rocktivity]

6. DUzy!

rocktivity

[rocktivity]

5. 9/2014 Update from Christy

Last edited Fri Apr 13, 2018, 11:51 AM - Edit history (5)

http://www.democraticunderground.com/?com=view_post&forum=1002&pid=5552926


rocktivity

[rocktivity]

7. 6/2017: War Machine Convicted

https://www.democraticunderground.com/?com=view_post&forum=1002&pid=10487108


rocktivity