Shit that Pissed me Off – 10/26/18
Man Gropes Woman on a Plane and Says it’s OK Because Trump
Now I understand that not every man who voted for Trump feels it is OK to grope women without consent. Some of them just think it is OK for Trump to do that but they would never imagine doing it themselves.
Well, OK, maybe they would imagine doing it themselves. But they would never actually do it unless there was absolutely no chance that they would be caught.
The thing is, our President has normalized sexual assault. He has turned victims into punch lines and perpetrators into supreme court justices. He has shown a lot of men in this country that you can do this kind of thing and get away with it.
Given rape culture in this country, that should actually not be a surprise. Thing is, when you have an admitted sexual predator in the white house (he’s on tape so shut up with your apologist bullshit), even the minor amount of stigma that existed before has been shredded.
Tell me more about how it’s a scary time for young men!
Sure, this guy was arrested and he’ll be fined or spend a few weeks in jail. He’s not going to stop thinking that what he did was OK.
And the biggest problem with Trump is that he’s popular with a subset of the American public because he represents all that deeply felt awfulness in each one of us. He releases the national desire to be a bunch of fucking unapologetic assholes.
So congratulations, women of America! You already had to deal with ten million other problems. Now you have a bunch of white dudes who have been told that actions don’t have consequences.
Shit that Pissed Me Off – 9/19
Canadian Judge Asked Rape Victim why She Didn’t Just Keep her Knees Together
If your plans in the event of a Donald Trump Presidency include moving to Canada, let me just remind you that there are a few assholes north of the border and at least one of them is a judge. For now.
Federal Judge Robin Camp is currently in a hearing to determine if he should keep his job. When you learn a little more about how he has been executing his job, you might wonder why the review is needed.
In addition to asking a nineteen year old rape victim why she didn’t just keep her knees together, he also mused that “Young women want to have sex, particularly if they are drunk.” He also suggested that sex and pain go together so maybe it isn’t so bad that her rape was painful. Because, I guess, that’s how sex is supposed to be. Consensual or not.
In the end, he let the accused walk free and told the rapist he needs to be “more careful.”
The ruling was overturned on appeal.
I wish that these kinds of judicial appeals were heard by Judge Judy.
Which is the only thing about this that makes sense.
I’ll tell you another thing that doesn’t make sense. This happened two years ago.
Judge Camp is originally from South Africa and his basic argument seems to be “I was really new at criminal law so I blew it because I didn’t really understand how to be a caring human being and a judge.”
I hope the first question they ask him in the hearing is “when you first thought about asking the victim why she had been such a victim, why couldn’t you just hold your lips together?” Read More…
Shit that Pissed Me Off – 6/10
Judge Sentences Convicted Rapist to Six Months Because He Was Drunk
In a case that involved a brutal sexual assault, the rapist has said he’s going to do everything he can to educate people about the dangers of the drinking culture on College campuses.
As his victim pointed out in an eloquent statement she read in court, he doesn’t seem to have any desire to speak out on the subject of stopping sexual assault. He seems convinced that if people stop drinking the sexual assault will go away.
The rapist’s father also made a statement in which he argued that his son should not be punished for the rest of his life after “20 minutes of action.”
I’m just going to point out that this young man was apparently a star swimmer and that means he was regularly rewarded for just a few minutes’ work. Somehow, however, he should not be punished for twenty.
The judge listened to the boy’s father and the victim’s statement and decided that the father was the one who was mostly in the right and a young man who sexually assaulted a woman behind a dumpster so violently that she had pine needles in her vagina is going to jail for – at most – six months. Probably more like three.
And his lawyer is appealing.
The concern voiced by the father and the judge has everything to do with the “ruined” life of the rapist. It has literally nothing to do with the ruined life of the victim. But who cares about her, right?
She wasn’t the one on trial.
Except, in our justice system, she actually was. Read More…
Shit that Pissed Me Off – 11/6
What the Fuck is Wrong with you, Houston?
Houston voters repealing an LGBT rights ordinance was only one of several shit results from Tuesday’s election.
What’s that? You didn’t know there was an election on Tuesday?
That’s because it was an off year and even though city councils and school boards have a lot more impact on our day to day life, most of us can’t be bothered to get off of our asses and take the ten minutes required to go to our polling place and cast a vote. Call it twenty minutes if you actually want to do some research before you get there.
I don’t know anything about the candidates! If only there was something that could allow me to locate that information quickly and efficiently!
In Houston, they had passed an ordinance protecting the rights of the LGBT community and a bunch of paranoid, prude, fuckwits turned the debate into a question about whether or not you wanted your daughter to be in the same bathroom with a trans woman.
By putting it on the ballot in an off year, they ensured they could get a whole bunch of other paranoid, prude, fuckwits to the polls to make sure trans women used the men’s room because that’s where they belong! Also trans men have to keep using the ladies room but something tells me nobody is nearly as concerned about that.
Here’s a lesson to every apathetic voter everywhere – the people who show up can get things done. And in Houston, the people who showed up told the trans community to go fuck itself while a whole bunch of other people stayed home and figured they weren’t trans so who gives a shit.
In Afghanistan, They Stoned a Woman to Death for Adultery
They dug a hole in the ground and men threw rocks at her head until she died.
Because she had been forced into a loveless marriage and tried to escape with another man. No word on what happened to the man. I’m betting he’s still alive because fuck women.
For every guy who complains about feminism, there is a story like this one that points out women worldwide have to deal with shit guys simply don’t. Not only that, but if a woman breaks the rules society places upon them, a bunch of guys literally get to throw rocks at her head.
This isn’t a metaphor.
A bunch of men decided she deserved to die for being in love with a man she hadn’t been forced to marry and then another bunch of men willingly killed her.
So, dear men trying to convince me that your life is tough too and why doesn’t anyone respect you for all your sacrifices, you need to shut the fuck up.
Here’s a Meme that Pissed me Off!
I love this one because it is filled with half truths and also makes a whole bunch of bullshit assumptions. Shall we begin?
All right Mrs. Smug self righteous defender of the underpaid military, let’s start with the obvious.
Even if the military is underpaid, and while they get health care, lodging, food, and other benefits a McDonald’s hourly employee does not, I still agree that they are not paid well, that doesn’t mean a McDonald’s employee is not also underpaid.
Wages aren’t a continuum where you decide how important a job is to you personally (because it’s all about you) and then decide how much that person should be paid relative to the amount someone else with a different job should be paid.
And seriously person who probably doesn’t flip burgers for a living, the value you place on flipping burgers really shows how much of an elitist jackass you are. I’m willing to bet you don’t want to flip burgers. I know I don’t want that job. It sucks. So before you decry people for being unskilled labor, you need to think about the fact that you wouldn’t flip burgers for any amount of money. They could pay you $100,000 a year and you still wouldn’t want to stand over a hot griddle for 40 hours a week listening to entitled fucks (like you) telling you that you are overpaid and I said NO ketchup (or catsup) you illiterate idiot! OF COURSE I want fries with that!
You know the other thing about the military? When most people enter the military, they are also unskilled labor! The military spends a lot of time and money training them to be skilled labor.
So how about we all stop judging people for wanting to be paid more. Because everyone wants to be paid more. I’ll bet judgy mcjudgerton Facebook lady also wants to be paid more for what she does. And she’d probably think some lawyer was a jackass if he posted some bullshit Facebook update about how she doesn’t deserve a raise.
In all honesty though, I’m not really annoyed at elitist Facebook lady. I’m annoyed at all the people who shared her post because they don’t get it either.
A Small Town in Missouri is Totally Punishing a Young Woman Because she was Raped by a Guy they Like
Everyone says Darren Paden is a great guy.
He’s a great guy who raped a girl at least 200 times starting when she was five years old. Sounds like a pillar of the community.
So while folks in Dearborn, MO are totally bummed that this guy is about to go to jail forever (after a guilty plea), they are pretty annoyed at the girl who accused him. She recently was turned down for an apartment because she was repeatedly raped by this great guy.
We can’t have rape victims here! You’d just attract sexual predators!
They say his confession was coerced. The poor guy was forced to admit to serial rape by this horrible seventeen year old girl who will never lead a truly normal life. Clearly she had it out for him.
Look, I knew a guy who did this sort of thing once. Everyone said he was a great guy.
He wasn’t. He raped a kid. And he went to jail. Just like this asshole.
Did You Hear the One about the Rock Star Who Can’t Record an Album
I’m not a big fan of Ke$ha. I’m not into her music. But you know what? She ought to be able to record an album if she wants. And apparently, she would really like to record an album.
Why can’t she?
Because her contract states that she can’t record an album without Dr. Luke (holy fuck music people and their “cool” names) and he apparently has been sexually harassing her for years. So she’d really rather record her album with – you know – someone who isn’t a toad.
What???? I said “toad,” not “frog!”
It seems fair but a contract is a contract and that means endless litigation just so she doesn’t have to be around a sleaze. Which also means she hasn’t put out a new album in three years in an industry where you need to keep producing work or face irrelevancy and endless casino concerts.
Now I don’t know anything about her contract or about whether or not she was actually sexually harassed (she almost certainly was) but seriously, it sucks that her career is stuck in the courts. Someone should get this shit settled because artists should be allowed to make art.
Shit that Pissed Me Off – 1/30
Oklahoma Works to Make Same-Sex Marriage Harder
They lost in the courts so now some legislators are trying to make same-sex marriage harder by preventing judges from signing marriage certificates. Instead, Representative Todd Russ wants to ensure that only priests or “ecclesiastical dignitaries” will be able to sign marriage certificates.
In case you were wondering if “ecclesiastical” could refer to anyone who wasn’t a Christian, it can’t.
This bill, most likely, has no chance of becoming law so it isn’t really worth a lot of bile.
And yet we see the ugliness in the desire to prevent gay people from entering into a legally binding marriage. Not only would this bill prevent homosexuals from being married unless they could find a supportive Christian minister, it would prevent Muslims, Jews, atheists and every other group from legal marriage.
Before I say the homily, I just wanted to welcome all the same-sex, atheist, Jewish and Hindu couples who have suddenly converted to Catholicism.
He’s willing to discriminate against everyone to make sure gays can’t get married.
But don’t call him a homophobe because that’s offensive.
Shit that Pissed me off – 1/16
Pope Says we Shouldn’t Insult Others’ Faith
I know this new Pope is cool and all but he seems to be swayed by Bill Donahue and the Catholic league in regards to Charlie Hebdo. This week he has suggested that freedom of expression should be limited when it is directed at religion. He stopped short of blaming the victim, as Donahue did, so full credit for avoiding that rhetorical pitfall.
Now I understand there need to be certain limits to freedom of expression. If your idea of freedom of expression is to get pictures of yourself peeing on local sports players in the middle of a game, that shouldn’t be allowed.
If, however, you want to make a cartoon criticizing religion or, as I do, regularly criticize religion in a blog, that freedom should absolutely be allowed and welcomed.
For instance, here is a drawing I made of Mohammed moving a mountain WITH HIS MIND!!!!
Religion is an institution. Like politics. Nobody argues that we should stop making fun of politicians because we might offend someone who voted for them, do they?
Yet a religion should be afforded a special right? We should limit those who would make fun of religion because…why? God can’t take it? Mohammed can’t take it?
Sorry, Francis. Charlie Hebdo’s satire may not be your cup of tea but freedom of expression means they have as much right to do what they do as you have to criticize it.
Shit that Pissed me Off – 12/12
Thanks to Michelle Duggar, Fayetteville Arkansas is That Much Less Safe for the GLBT Community
Duggar, who thinks her rights to free speech are being infringed every time someone disagrees with her, characterized transgender women as “males with past child predator convictions that claim they are female to have a legal right to enter private areas that are reserved for women and girls.”
Seems like she was speaking freely right there.
And her fear mongering worked as Fayetteville voters overturned an ordinance meant to protect those dudes with past child predator convictions who, in fact, don’t have any convictions for being child predators.
This is Susan Smith. She murdered her children. Since she is not a convicted predator, I presume Michelle Duggar would not have an issue if Smith shared a bathroom with her daughters.
Fuck you transgender people! Michelle Duggar is uncomfortable with the idea that one of you might be peeing in the stall next to her so she made up some shit about you being a pedophile.
And it worked.
Let’s be fair, though. She didn’t make that shit up. Someone else did. She just affixed her name to it because, apparently, she agreed.
Man, I hope one of her kids is gay or transgender. She needs to hate someone close to her so she can truly understand what kind of person she is.
Shit That Pissed me Off – 6/20
Sound Design Eliminated From the Tony Awards
I missed this one last week. Bad form for a theatre person.
The awards were eliminated because, apparently, the people voting had no idea what sound design actually is or how to evaluate it. So sort of like Oscar voters and Best original song. Except nobody in the Academy gives a shit that none of them have any taste in music.
We all know “Let it Go” won simply because it was the only song any of them had heard. Right?
So instead of recognizing artists who contribute to theatrical production, they threw up their hands and told everyone that figuring out what a sound designer does is too hard. We can’t give them an award if we don’t understand what they do.
Now, the folks running the Tonys have said they will be giving out special awards since they understand sound design better than the voters.
Last thing you would like to do is teach people what a sound designer does. Better to just tell them you’ll handle it yourself.
MISCHIEF MANAGED!
Shit That Pissed Me Off – 6/13
George Will Is Unsurprisingly Tone Deaf When It Comes To Rape
Nobody expected anything less from Mr. Will, right? When he writes about rape on college campuses, he’s not going to come off as particularly sympathetic to the victims, right?
Well, he sure doesn’t. He gives an example of a rape story he thinks is a false accusation and when I read it, I see an example of a young woman being raped.
I know, I know. I say “tomato” and George Will says “tomato.” I say “rape” and George Will says “Sexual Misunderstanding.”
Why is rape insensitivity primarily a conservative trait? Is it just that conservatives are dumb enough to say it out loud? They always seem to be trying to find some way to ignore rape statistics. Will doesn’t believe the numbers so he goes through an analysis of one set of numbers to prove that they all must be wrong.
He’s a smart guy, right? He knows that the single set of numbers he’s using don’t actually constitute and kind of proof, right?
I don’t think he cares. He was looking to torpedo the Obama administration because he’s a conservative columnist and that’s what he’s paid to do. What he managed to do was tell every rape victim on college campuses that what happened to them isn’t so bad.
BTW, I don’t think most conservatives are rape apologists. They need to be telling the conservatives stepping up to the microphone to stop because I don’t think George Will is going to listen to me.
Shit that Pissed Me off – 2/21
Student Suspended For Pretending He Was Having Sex With a Teacher
What pisses me off is the simple fact that every time someone makes a false accusation, it is that much harder for someone who is actually a victim.
Now let’s be clear – this kid was making a joke. He was not trying to get anyone in trouble. What he didn’t realize is that his joke had real world consequences. He could have cost an innocent teacher her job.
Because even if everyone reading his tweet knew that he was telling a joke, law enforcement has to act as if he wasn’t. Because what if he wasn’t?
Excuse me, ma’am. I’m going to have to take you down to the station and scare the shit out of you because one of your students is an idiot.
This kid did something stupid and while his lengthy suspension may be a little bit severe, kids need to understand that what seems like an innocent joke to them can hurt people more than they could possibly imagine. Instead of standing up for him, his classmates should be standing up for the teacher who could have lost her job and gone to jail because of a joke.
And they also need to realize that he made it that much harder for someone who is actually suffering from abuse to be heard.
Grail Diary 