Slutwalk, a feminist protest event and excuse to get half-nekkid and compare cellulite is in Hamilton on June 1, 2013.
I am going to be there to call them on the horse shit. After all, Hamilton is my backyard.
I did some looking into Slutwalk Hamilton. Their website has the usual trivialities; what they claim to be up to and who is coming out to support them, etc; things any person who reports on events or an organization would say.
I started by looking around their facebook page I discovered one of their supporters is a group called ‘Hollaback Hamilton‘. Curious, I decided I would look at Hollaback’s twitter feed.
This is what I discovered:
You think slut shaming = flirting? Well, then my drink in your face = a hug. #unslut
Now I have to admit this re-tweeted statement by Hollaback from an organization called the ‘UnSlutProject’ got me fairly irate and a little confused.
Are these women sluts or un-unsluts?
No time to ponder that one, nor do I care to ponder it. They’re women, some like sex a lot some don’t, just like, you know, men. Some humans like sex a lot some don’t.
I wondered if these two feminist organizations realized how the advice they were tweeting was going to help increase hostility and violence toward women, rather than reduce it.
I decided to engage them, realizing the futility but wanting to try. The reason; what these feminists are advocating for is going to get some women hurt, and land some men in jail with a pending court date.
Slut-shaming is just that, shaming someone. It does not involve laying your hands on someone, or threatening them. It certainly doesn’t warrant Hollaback’s suggested response, which is a crime as defined under 265 of the Criminal Code of Canada — assault.
However in the minds of the Hollaback feminists a verbal insult entitles them to commit a physical response.
And feminist say males have ‘privilege.’
I tweeted Hollaback informing them of their irrational reaction to verbal insult.
Here is that exchange.
From the screen grab I took you can see I first point out the error in their thought process. And they immediately became confused. Just like 1,2,3. One, they promoted the idea of throwing a drink in someone’s face as a response to being verbally insulted. Two, I pointed out that this was violence advocacy. Three, they said. “Uh, what?”
Gender studies, anyone?
Anyway, I pointed them to the law which codifies the crime they were advocating women to engage in.
Then the feminist follies began, conflating the topic of verbal slut-shaming with a person being actually being attacked. Hollabck claimed we have to look at the context.
What context? An insult is just that, an insult, nothing more.
I again informed them of the situation, but true to form the Hollaback folks wanted to maintain their privilege of escalating an embarrassing comment into a physical one by changing it from an insult to a threat.
The two literally have nothing to do with each other.
Either some person said something that pointed out you are dressed rather poorly and called you something you found to be shamful, or they made a threat against you. And while I admit that there is a possibility the two events can be tied together, shaming language combined with a threat, common sense tells us that unless you are drinking hydrochloric acid, throwing your drink in a criminal’s face is not going to stop them.
In fact there is a very strong probability that it will increase their hostility and make matters worse for the victim.
But that’s not what their tweet indicates in plain English. Their tweet put forth the idea that when a woman is insulted (slut-shaming) and it involves their outward appearance, a valid response is to increase things by engaging in a crime.
So, Hollaback feminists, if that is the way you want to engage in equality, how do you feel about every man you call a creep throwing a drink in your face?
It is pretty shameful for a man to be called creep, among other male shaming language employed by women.
How about calling a man who displeased you a dick? Would it be OK for that male to then throw his drink in your face?
What do you think any woman today would do after having a drink thrown in her face?
I can tell what happened to a friend of mine who after being slapped in the face by a woman and his response was to employ the drink in the face tactic. He got to enjoy 3 hots and a cot at the local jail. And then got to go through about a years worth of probation. And he didn’t even initiate the situation.
What that also illustrates is that throwing your drink in someones face is a crime. And if you’re a male the self-defense claim, even when it is real, doesn’t matter.
So, Hollaback Feminists, I have a question for you.
If I see you at Slutwalk Hamilton and I say something to displease you or shame you can I expect to be assaulted? Or for that matter can any man expected to be assaulted for simply insulting your slatternly ways and attire?
