This is an excellent piece. I have thought a lot about how obfuscating male criminals' sex could distort statistics, but I have thought less about how it distorts public opinion in the news in this way. I'm more convinced than ever that we need to hold our ground on the pronouns issue.
(Laila_Salem)
I have read parts of it aloud, switching the reported sex (female) of this person to the actual sex (male) and restoring Watkins' original name, and it is remarkable what effect the different readings have on my feelings about him. Try it yourself, and compare
I've been doing this, using the correct prounouns when reading any thing now, even a tweet. This made me understand the amount of gaslighting we are expected to accept. Also how media is a key factor in this attack on girls and women's rights.
(emptiedriver)
I've been doing this so long.. But it is a real problem. I get very frustrated in those situations where I simply can't figure out what has actually happened - when they use female pronouns but you can't help wondering if they are talking about a male, and sometimes even when there are pictures they're too blurry or far away or just borderline and you start to feel bad that you might be questioning whether a woman is a man just because she's sort of funny looking and did something criminal... Ugh. I just wish the news would stop being deceitful.
(Veneficca)
Excellent line about "women being saddled with a reputation for violence men have earned for themselves." That's one of the biggest reasons so many men love this ideology. This is DARVO's best friend.
6 comments
Confused?
So were we! You can find all of this, and more, on Fundies Say the Darndest Things!
To post a comment, you'll need to Sign in or Register. Making an account also allows you to claim credit for submitting quotes, and to vote on quotes and comments. You don't even need to give us your email address.
