Skip to main content

Making a joke of women

Flashback Friday, a column on feminist notions...

An email doing the rounds, I received this from a Facebook connection - but via the email:

A pornographic movie is being shot and is intended to show up in America soon, which shows Jesus and his disciples as homosexuals. This is similar to a play that has been in the Theatre halls for a while. It’s called Corpus Christi “ which means “The Body of Christ”. It is a revolting joke of our Lord. But we can make a difference, that’s why I’m sending this e-mail to all of you. Could you, please, add your name to this e-mail’s list’s end? If you do so, together we may be able to ban this movie from being shown in America . Apparently, some regions from Europe have banned the movie already. All we need is a lot of signatures! Remember, Jesus said: “That he who denies Me before men, I will also deny Him before my Father which is in heaven.” Please, do not simply forward, put your name at the end of the list and send to all your contacts. When the signatures get to 500 names, whoever is the 500th name, please, forward this email to: (deleted by me so that their box doesn't get spammed, I am too nice sometimes). And then start it all over again

...
My response, which I returned to the sender:

I don’t agree.

You live in a country where free speech counts. If you don’t like what you are hearing, don’t listen. Turn off the TV, boycott the film en masse, vocally if you must - but taking away OTHER’S right to free speech and freedom of assembly and freedom of movement - was called APARTHEID - and thanks to you we still have it. You now have a personal responsibility because you are prepared to ACT against OTHERS. You can’t censor the voices you don’t want to hear and allow the ones you do want to hear - that is how wars are built, that is how prejudice is built.

If you don’t like porn, and you don’t like gay porn - then don’t watch it. If other people want to see the porn to formulate their own opinion, don't take that opportunity away - that is saying we have to take your word for it. You are disallowing us the opportunity to think freely and critically.

If you are worried about your children, provide a context for your children, so that they understand why it is not a good thing for Jesus to be portrayed in this way - but don’t teach your children that it is OK to enforce your bigotry on others - that is MORE dangerous. It is also MORE dangerous that your children learn to take what people say and apply no critical thinking to it. Take this opportunity to teach your children some critical thinking.

Try sending this email around on Facebook and you will see that action will be taken against you. Because sane people have to be protected from this sort of bigotry.

...
Cinnamon Gurl sparked this off. Thanks. Each week the Flashback Friday: Feminist Edition will feature a story that has something to do with being or becoming a woman or feminist. This series will continue until I run out of stories. I love having guest bloggers. If you have a story you want to tell and you want to be a guest blogger here, please email me; or feel free to link to your own story in the comments.

Comments

Johannes said…
I think the alleged movie is a known hoax that gets recycles every 75 years or something. But I agree with your analysis. Separate yourself from things you don't agree with, by all means. Speak up against abuse, teach and practice discernment. But promoting intolerance will be counter-productive to those efforts. You'll end up trying to censor the backlash as well.

Popular posts from this blog

Richard Dawkins on militant atheism

Dawkins has become outspoken in his atheism , coining the word "bright" (as an alternate to atheist), and encouraging fellow non-believers to stand up and be identified. intelligent design is creationism redressed creationists are right that evolution is hostile to evolution statistical improbability of the complexity of design - intelligent design but the intelligent designer wouldn't have made such a hash - why would the designer be bothered with disapproving of our sex lives, favor our side in the war Dawkins suggest rocking the boat - attack religion as a whole taboo of speaking ill about religion - Douglas Adams said, sacred ideas at the heart of religion, holy cows, you can support any operating system you want, but the challenge of religious ideas is off limits science and religion are corrosive to each other - religious explanations are trivial and improbably, teaches people to accept authoritarianism takes the example of famous scientists and imagines

VHEMT (Vehement) is a anti-procreation movement

"Here's a novel idea to save the planet: Remove the main cause of its woes - homo sapiens. The Voluntary Human Extinction Movement (VHEMT - pronounced "vehement") proposes the phasing out the human race. "When every human chooses to stop breeding, Earth's biosphere will be allowed to return to its former glory, and all remaining creatures will be free to live, die, and evolve (if they believe in evolution)," offers the movement's website. But 'it's going to take all of us going'." See www.vhemt.org SOURCE: Email invite. I thought I was the only one who thought like this. Everyone I know thanks the universe that I didn't study microbiology. I would have developed a human-specific killer virus. WE are the vermin.

Poem: I have biracial hair by Zora Howard

See the performance on YouTube I have bi-racial hair Pantene Pro-V waves on the top Easy to style, comb, rock- Until-I encounter my naps, I’m not talking about those-cute detangle with the spray naps. I’m talking about those, slave naps, like, No comb, brush, or man can handle the kind of naps I got- like, No way you are touching my hair-naps like Back 10 feet up, or we can dance naps Those naps like- DAMN! I have bi-racial hair, Those smooth and silk rafts hanging all through my mane, Until you get to the back, and encounter the jungle, in which you can find Tarzan and Jane. In the front you forget and relax in the pleasure, Until you get to the back and remember pain Baby hair slicked back with that good 4 dollar pomade, That goes with roots and tangles, Soaked with that same olive oil; mixed with that spaghetti sauce momade. I have bi-racial hair, Combs run freely through my fine breezy, just to the part, the most you can make, Until it gets to the back and