Back at the beginning of the month, I
espoused a plan for dealing with offensive art. Not so much the
“ewww, I shouldn't have to see that”, pictures of people crapping
on the sidewalk type of offensive, but the kind of morally repugnant
bullshit that can end up with people being hurt. The kind of art that
continues a cultural tradition of subjugation. My response was
simple, make new, better art that reflects the direction our culture
should go. Now, a recent development has proven a marvelous example
of what I'm talking about and where I hope things like this will go
in the future.
If you've been online lately, you're
probably aware of the Above The Game kickstarter debacle. If you
aren't, here's the skinny: the kickstarter is to fund a how-to guide
for men that espouses the “women want a man who takes charge”
attitude, to the extent of coming across more than a bit rapey. It's
the kind of thing I could've pictured Maddox doing back in the day,
only with no tongue and no cheek. Beyond appearing to be childish,
amateurish and rather stupid, most of the complaints center on the
idea that this supports and continues a culture in which women are
treated as things for men to place their desires upon. Calls have
been made for Kickstarter to take it down and revoke the funding for it.
This response has made me a tad
uncomfortable for previously stated reasons (I refer you back to
Tycho: If you start to think that less art is the
answer, start over. That’s not the side you want to be on.).
Yep, the guy's a douche who should be smacked numerous
times. He definitely should be told that what he is saying is appalling and moronic. I kinda hope he never gets to feel the gentle caress of
femininity
again. However, this is merely an expression of the culture we exist in and I don't
think that censorship is the way to change that culture. If nothing
else, it allows the asshole to play the victim.
Instead,
look at what John Cheese does with this cracked article (“5 WaysRegular Guys Ruin Their First Impression With Women”). He comes
across simply, witty, entertaining and stands very firmly against the
kind of thing Ken Hoinsky espouses. Whether intentionally or not, he
is engaging that culture on the same field. Creating a reasoned
dialog instead of angry invective. It isn't about just tearing down
the old, bad ways, but showing another way and showing why that way
is better. That is how you fucking do it.
I
sincerely hope to see more like it.
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