Healing Our World Requires Healing Ourselves

Last week I spoke Robert Jensen, who is a wonderfully radical author, organizer, and associate professor at University of Texas at Austin.

Jensen has written a new book entitled, Getting Off: Pornography and the End of Masculinity. In it he examines the effect that porn has on us as consumers, and the effect that it has on the pervasiveness of violence against women in our current culture. He also examines how gender role socialization keeps men from being fully human, and ensure isolation, over compassion-- conquest over passion.

He makes a very compelling case, the new "gonzo" extreme porn is hardly the campy stuff I watched with friends, feeling all manner of libertine. This stuff is a not even veiled glorification (let alone reinforcement) of violence against women, and the cruelly detached macho guy persona. I would argue that this new porn really has little to do with sex and arousal, but much more to do with power over women, and assertion of male dominance. Why else would scenes end with women having their heads stuck in toilets that are flushed while the guy ejaculates on her back--- I ask what is sexy about that? And I ask this as someone who is not, by just about any stretch of the imagination, a prude--- just a compassion human being, who is concerned about what it says when men jerk off to images of women's heads being flushed.

He argues that it is a cycle of disconnection. That as we feel isolated, men may hold onto that one thing that started this cycle, and hold on tightly, they may not be able to feel tenderness, love, empathy, but at least they are a real man, prized in our society for being invulnerable, strong, and all those other things that go into "masculine".

He quotes men in the industry, and consumers of porn talking about how when they view porn they want to see a woman hurt, because they can fantasize that it's that bitch that hurt him, slighted him, rejected him--- and now she will pay.

Right--- I am disturbed by this.

I have often shied away from a public discussion on violence against women in porn, as there is always a rush of acceptance from a part of the movement that is steeped in puritanism. And this is not where I am coming from.

As I mentioned earlier, I do tend towards the libertine. I argue that sexuality, sensuality and pleasure are deeply personal things, and what works for some, does not have to work for all, and certainly do not require anyone's approval. As a bisexual gal, I didn't fit neatly into categories, and since my attraction is primarily to women, I have often accepted the term dyke, both for short hand, and for shock value. Besides, I have often found that "bisexual woman" in this culture too often is interpreted as "will sleep with a girl for her boyfriend's fantasies", at least by men.

As a radical feminist, I continued to break through stereotypes when I openly acknowledged that I enjoy SM play, as one of many ways of sexual expression. This was a center of raging debate at the Michigan Women's Music Festival, during my years as a worker-- I remember friends looking at me sadly, asking why I wanted to perpetuate the patriarchy (um, that just wasn't what was going through my head when I was, well, playing).

As a free speech advocate, I am very hesitant to engage in attempting legislation to limit what can be produced. When the first of such laws were enacted in Canada in the 1980s, the Canadian police raided a queer bookstore, and confiscated lesbian s/m erotica. I learned from that example--- the state has no interest in actually fighting patriarchy; their attempts to do so are comparable to the U$ fighting for freedom abroad, while actually spreading imperialism, and internalizing repression at home.

So what to do? How do we stop this cycle of disconnection and subjugation, without trying to legislate morality, or allowing another's morals to dictate my own practice?

At root, is getting over the enforced hierarchies assigned in our culture. Getting over the labels of masculine / feminine, getting over the dichotomous thinking that restricts our interactions to those of superior/inferior, and keeps us pitted against one another. Rigid gender role socialization continues. I still hear kids get fag baited-- boys who might actually show sensitivity being told that if they continue, they will be labeled a fag, and that comes with an inherent understanding that you are lesser, and that you could be beaten, or killed, for your transgressions. Did I mention that nationwide, violence against queers is up over 20% in the last year? As progressives, as caring and thinking people, we must decry the roots of this hierarchy, we must work to end gender socialization, and work to end homophobic violence that enforces the system.

It means a lot of honest introspection about what we have been taught. There are still a lot of people believing that the difference between rape and seduction is a sales job. We have a lot of un-learning to do, and that can best be done together, when we engage in honest conversation, as human beings, trying to live lives of empathy, empowerment and compassion.

Ahh, but as products of this system ourselves, how can we do this work? It takes courage, and love-- love for yourself and for the lot of us.

Let's begin. Let's dismantle the patriarchy.

About Characteristics of Fascism and the US

About the Characteristics of Fascism and the US

Right, I've said it before, and unfortunately, I find myself saying it again-- the US is plodding down the road to fascism. Alert the media.... oh, that's right, the corporate owned press is part of the problem. As Bruce Fraser and Elliot D. Cohen write about in their book, The Last Days of Democracy: How Big Media and a Power Hungry Government are Turning America into a Dictatorship, the interlocking personnel and interests between the mega communications corporations, global PR concerns and the neo-con cabinet of the Bush/Cheney administration is one way that the ruling elite are getting away with the consolidation of power through the never ending war of terror.

Laurence Britt, Naomi Wolf and others have laid out the major characteristics of a fascist nation. Please, check these articles out, it behooves us to not be ahistorical. Examine these characteristics, and think about the fascistic regimes of history.

And while examining that, consider this: last week congress pass a resolution, entitled the Violent Radicalization and Homegrown Terrorism Prevention Act of 2007. That resolution passed the house last Friday, October 26th, with 404 yes votes, and 6 no votes. In case you are interested, all 6 of oregon's reps voted for it. Thats right:
..>..>
Oregon
Aye OR-1 Wu, David [D]
Aye OR-2 Walden, Greg [R]
Aye OR-3 Blumenauer, Earl [D]
Aye OR-4 DeFazio, Peter [D]
Aye OR-5 Hooley, Darlene [D]


Oh, yes, all of Washington's reps voted for it, too.The resolution's troubling aspects really begin for me with the definitions of terms. I quote from the resolution:

`SEC. 899A. DEFINITIONS.

`For purposes of this subtitle:

`(1) COMMISSION- The term `Commission' means the National Commission on the Prevention of Violent Radicalization and Homegrown Terrorism established under section 899C.

`(2) VIOLENT RADICALIZATION- The term `violent radicalization' means the process of adopting or promoting an extremist belief system for the purpose of facilitating ideologically based violence to advance political, religious, or social change.

`(3) HOMEGROWN TERRORISM- The term `homegrown terrorism' means the use, planned use, or threatened use, of force or violence by a group or individual born, raised, or based and operating primarily within the United States or any possession of the United States to intimidate or coerce the United States government, the civilian population of the United States, or any segment thereof, in furtherance of political or social objectives.

`(4) IDEOLOGICALLY BASED VIOLENCE- The term `ideologically based violence' means the use, planned use, or threatened use of force or violence by a group or individual to promote the group or individual's political, religious, or social beliefs.

Please note that violence and force are not defined in this section. Further note that force and violence are separated in the definition (4).


I interviewed Alan Graf about this act. He is a lawyer who has been involved with the National Lawyers Guild for many years. When I asked him what the difference was between force, as used in this resolution, and non-violent direct action used by peace and justice seeking activists, he paused for a moment, then said, "well, none".


You can read the text of the legislation on the Thomas.gov site. Search for HR 1955, and then choose the version that was passed by house, received by senate-- it's number 4. Read it for yourselves, please.

How can we continue to "fight the good fight", and not be overwhelmed? What strategies can we develop to maintain opposition in these draconian times--- when folks who are being nominated for attorney general aren't sure if waterboarding is a form of torture....

Okay, again I have to remind us all not to let fear overwhelm us into inaction. ACTION is the anti-dote to despair. The bumpersticker speaks truth when it reads "your silence will not protect you." How can we be a part of the solution, be the change that we want to see in the world?


How do we create and practice solidarity like our lives depend upon it?

How do we continue to seek out and experience joy, in the midst of this madness?


As we go through the unknown, remember to love each other, and dance, and laugh; even as we keep our eyes open, and resist the death cult.