The Origin of Homophobia, and a practice in objectivity

[Katherine Brengle]

Cross-posting from GD:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=389&topic_id=1882419&mesg_id=1882419

I'm sure some or all of you will recognize the excerpt, I would appreciate leaving the author's name off for a bit to see how DU reacts to a collection of words without a target of blame.

:)

[La Lioness Priyanka]

1. all that siring and ma'aming is causing me brain pain

[Katherine Brengle]

2. Just reading it caused me brain pain lol.

[noamnety]

3. Sir and Ma'am

Us vs. Them.

Endless labeling and divisions into categories as a requirement for addressing a person.

[gollygee]

8. I now have four people on my ignore list

Life is too short to read all that condescending "ma'am" bullshit.

[mrreowwr_kittty]

4. I've shown people some of her stuff without identifying her

Most of them will agree that it is powerful, moving, and persuasive stuff. Unfortunately, so many people can't/won't get past her name and all the bullshit that's been associated with it. It's like the blinders go on and the walls go up immediately. I guess I'm guilty of that too with certain authors.

[Katherine Brengle]

5. It's really fucking sad, isn't it?

Unfortunately a couple of asshats picked her off immediately and turned it into "that discussion" instead of the one intended, completely ignoring the damn point.

Why do I even bother...

[ThomCat]

13. Of course they did. Character assassination is so much

easier than actually discussing her work. Finding excuses to totally dismiss anything she may ever has said is far easier than actually considering what she has to say.
x(

[gaspee]

6. Huh

I have a lot of people posting on that thread on ignore. That tells me a lot right there.

[ismnotwasm]

7. "Yes I've read her work"

Bullshit. Not even good bullshit. Just a need to hate I guess.

[Katherine Brengle]

10. Right?

A few paragraphs on the internet you wandered into off a Wiki link isn't exactly taking a good look at a person's life work.

Argh.

[ThomCat]

11. I don't gamble.

But I'd bet good money that all the bashers on that thread have only read commentary About Andrea Dworkin. I'll bet they've read hostile rebutals, and anti-feminist rants. And because they're read her work second-hand they think they've read her writing.

A lot of those posts have that feel to them.

[Katherine Brengle]

12. Exactly. Willful ignorance, gotta love it.

[La Lioness Priyanka]

9. the comment on butch girls, is the perfect example of male entitlement

i dont understand it, so it must be wrong. cos clearly i am the fucking be all and end all of the universe

[raccoon]

14. Some good comments in that thread, such as,

"the sexuality of woman is considered irrelevant in society
except in that it pleasures men..."