zvi likes tv

So, I was not going to read about Supernatural and misogyny, because I don't watch the show. [I hated four out of the three complete and two partial episodes I watched. (The one episode I liked, fandom hated.) ]

But when Someone Is Wrong On The Internet, I just can't turn away.

And the thing that is killing me in the debates about Supernatural and the treatment of women is the people who are saying that sexist jerk != misogynist. I don't understand the distinction being drawn between sexism and misogyny, either from a straightforward definitional standpoint or the utility for me, as a woman, to say this is sexist but not misogynist. Because sexism is bad for me, what with having lady parts. I want sexism to stop, just as much (if not more) as I want misogyny to stop. Because if sexism is the bad behavior of people I might find worthwhile human beings, don't I want those human beings to be better, instead of thoughtlessly poking me in the eye because they've forgotten that I, too, am a human being?

I feel like I am having that conversation about 'what can we call racism', where some people seem to feel that, "If it's not cross-burning or lynching or using the word nigger, it's not real racism!" My position is, if one is saying or doing something which implies that a person of color is not a normal human being because of their race or ethnicity, one is hurting people of color. Even if one really does know and even love plenty of people of color who are super-swell and they love one back.

And, likewise, if one says and does things that imply that women are not normal human beings, that female is bad in some way, one is hurting women. And one should cut that shit out.

ETA: I allow anonymous posting, but you must sign your comments with a pseudonymn, so I can keep different anonymice straight.

Saeva posted that she hates the fannish usage of the word pimp and she wants people to stop. Several people chime in in comments that this creeps them out, too.

Myself, I'm not bothered by the use of the word pimp. (Possibly because I think well-regulated sex work is not intrinsically evil, or possibly because I don't know any street-level prostitutes who would be dealing with pimps as opposed to madams.)

On the other hand, I'm not attached to pimp. Pimp's chief useful attributes for my purposes — it's short and fandom is the only language sphere in which I see it used (when not referring to the sex trade or competitive/casual sexual relations) — could be replicated by some other word.

Saeva fails to come up with that word, and no one in comments does any better than PROMOTE, which fails on both counts.

So, somebody come up with some short, relatively unique verb to replace pimp in the fannish lexicon, and I'll use it, and I hope you will, too.

( extraneous bitching not on point )

A little while ago I said that I was going to call those fandom metastorms on race, religion, etc. imbroglio. coffeeandink recently posted that she too wants people to stop using the word wank to describe said large-scale discussions, but that she felt imbroglio lacks intentionality and responsibility. Below is my comment to her explaining a bit of my reasoning.

I like imbroglio for a number of different reasons.

Two of the most important ones are: 1) it is not part of everyday speech but it is not, I think, unknown to most well-educated native speakers; i.e. it is free to be adopted for a particular fannish meaning, but its dictionary definition means that people coming across it for the first time will understand what we're talking about in a way that they wouldn't necessarily with a term of art like slash and 2) it has a sound which pleases me, and I would be happy to hear and say repeatedly.

Another reason I like imbroglio is that it covers the full-spectrum of behaviors involved, from thoughtless offense, to well-intentioned disagreement, all the way through to deliberate insult and 'my friends will beat up your friends.'

I also like it because it doesn't mean that the instant case started up as an exchange of hostilities in the same way that argument or fight implies.

And last, I like it because it implies connection, which I hope people take to mean that all of the subjects for imbroglio — race, religion, class, nationality, ethnicity, sexuality, gender — are connected (i.e. intersectionality) but also that the participants in the imbroglio are inextricably intertwined (i.e. we're all in this fandom thing together, like it or not.)

Last but not least, the meme "don't call it a wank" is starting to propagate, but I think part of the reason it has failed to spread as far and fast as one might hope is because there is no, "call it X instead." Imbroglio seemed like an X people wouldn't have too many problems with. Alas, you^* do not like it!

^*coffeeandink