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Misogyny by any other name...
Mar. 5th, 2012 11:21 am...is still misogyny.
I understand there are some progressive/liberal dudes out there who hate what Limbaugh said (or just hate Limbaugh in general because there's so much to hate about the shit that comes out of his mouth), and I understand the desire to call Limbaugh out on his non-apology apology (which still ignores the fact that Limbaugh didn't just call Sandra Fluke a slut, he demanded she post videos of her engaging in sexual activity online so that he could watch it). However, there are some right ways and some wrong ways to go about it, and this is definitely the worst way possible.
If you want to try to be funny and sling insults Limbaugh's way, liberal comedian John Fuglesang posted a pretty decent zinger to Twitter this morning: "BTW Rush Limbaugh was just mad that some people want to get meds by using actual prescriptions."
See that? No misogyny, no insults about Limbaugh's appearance. Instead we get someone calling Limbaugh out for his past brushes with the law over prescription medication (notably Oxycontin, but also Viagra), which in turn points out Limbaugh's inherent hypocrisy for going off on Sandra Fluke.
Being ostensibly on the right (har har!) side of this political argument does not give you a blanket excuse to use the same language as your opponent. In fact, it lessens the impact of what he said and makes it seem like the misogyny and sexism aren't that big of a deal. By all means, let Limbaugh know that what he said was not okay, not one bit, but please--please consider how you call him out. The other side will say "Well, if you (cis white men) use those words, what was so wrong with him (another cis white man) using them?" And then we get into the bickering over how certain words are only "okay" if group A or B says them and we lose sight of the real issue here.
And finally, to progressive males out there who call out sexism and misogyny, remember this one truth: Sandra Fluke doesn't need your protection. Any woman who is attacked publicly like she has been for speaking out on women's issues doesn't need you to charge in and save the day. What Fluke and other women like her need is your support. Yes, there is a distinction there, one of them acts as though women can't accomplish anything without men to aid her, the other recognizes the woman can stand on her own two feet and benefits from having others stand behind her in solidarity.
P.S.: Another thing that needs to be discussed is why we suddenly care to go after Rush Limbaugh. He's been saying shit like this for decades. Why hasn't there been an organized effort to take him down before now?
I understand there are some progressive/liberal dudes out there who hate what Limbaugh said (or just hate Limbaugh in general because there's so much to hate about the shit that comes out of his mouth), and I understand the desire to call Limbaugh out on his non-apology apology (which still ignores the fact that Limbaugh didn't just call Sandra Fluke a slut, he demanded she post videos of her engaging in sexual activity online so that he could watch it). However, there are some right ways and some wrong ways to go about it, and this is definitely the worst way possible.
If you want to try to be funny and sling insults Limbaugh's way, liberal comedian John Fuglesang posted a pretty decent zinger to Twitter this morning: "BTW Rush Limbaugh was just mad that some people want to get meds by using actual prescriptions."
See that? No misogyny, no insults about Limbaugh's appearance. Instead we get someone calling Limbaugh out for his past brushes with the law over prescription medication (notably Oxycontin, but also Viagra), which in turn points out Limbaugh's inherent hypocrisy for going off on Sandra Fluke.
Being ostensibly on the right (har har!) side of this political argument does not give you a blanket excuse to use the same language as your opponent. In fact, it lessens the impact of what he said and makes it seem like the misogyny and sexism aren't that big of a deal. By all means, let Limbaugh know that what he said was not okay, not one bit, but please--please consider how you call him out. The other side will say "Well, if you (cis white men) use those words, what was so wrong with him (another cis white man) using them?" And then we get into the bickering over how certain words are only "okay" if group A or B says them and we lose sight of the real issue here.
And finally, to progressive males out there who call out sexism and misogyny, remember this one truth: Sandra Fluke doesn't need your protection. Any woman who is attacked publicly like she has been for speaking out on women's issues doesn't need you to charge in and save the day. What Fluke and other women like her need is your support. Yes, there is a distinction there, one of them acts as though women can't accomplish anything without men to aid her, the other recognizes the woman can stand on her own two feet and benefits from having others stand behind her in solidarity.
P.S.: Another thing that needs to be discussed is why we suddenly care to go after Rush Limbaugh. He's been saying shit like this for decades. Why hasn't there been an organized effort to take him down before now?
