A person shouldn't be judged by whether or not they write excellent stories.
Lately a certain author on several TG websites has come under attack for his clumsy efforts.
Sure, his writing is pathetic in that it lacks any degree of normal structure, but is that adequate reason to bury him under scorn?
Some seem to think he's insensitive because he writes about rape as if it's on a par with your ice cream come melting before you can eat it. Isn't it possible that the author is trying to establish irony? Or, maybe he's developed an alternate universe in which it's perfectly okay to commit odious crimes . . . a world where victims can put grievances into the past by simply involving themselves in a shopping excursion.
I would ask that those who assail this author imagine what it must be like for him. Such treatment should be reserved for people who prey on the innocent.
Jill
Comments
I myself operate on the
I myself operate on the principal "If i can't say anything nice, i don't say anything at all."
I have to wonder why so many read stories they know are not going to be very good, especially when there is little hope of them actually improving. There is too much else here to read. But to read just to point out how poorly a person writes... I've got better things to do with my time.
That being said, I applaud all efforts at trying to write, as it is not an easy task. We all do it for different reasons, and clearly some are better then others at it.
Though there are variances in tastes, as I personally don't care for some of the most popular stories on this and other sites, it's just the chocolate and vanilla situation.
Hugs,
Kristy
I'm With You Kristine
One of the many great things about this site is that attacks aren't tolerated. I appreciate every author that posts here. I may not read them all, but I'm glad they are here.
Hmmm...
I have been following this exchange of ideas regarding an author and the criticism of him, and his 'writings'. I have found that much of what he writes is demeaning, insulting, belittling and degrading to women (including anyone who enjoys even the faintest side of their femininity).
Rape and sexual assault can be cured buy having a gender change and going shopping? To truly be a woman, one must have a 'shopping gene'? Having a gender change requires nothing more than using a mobile object(there is no thought process involved at all)? How completely chauvanistic!
To those who write that one doesn't have to read his stories I say that the author doesn't have to read his reviews! If any author doesn't like what his critics are writing, than perhaps he should go back into his little closet and find something more exciting to do with his hands!
What this author is writing is not due to a lack of social graces or ignorance if he reads what others say and ignores, or refuses, to understand the hurt he is inflicting by his characterization of women. There was another author who caught all shades of negative reviews with her recurring themes of FemDom. Even though her scenerios were between two consenting adults, the animosity shown her was nothing sort of appalling. Yet there were no reviews erased and no critiques removed, and nobody went crying to Mama about the mean people who didn't like the theme.
Part of what makes this site so appealing is that these things can be discussed without censorship. Those of us who feel that writings by any author are offensive should have the right to say so without having 'BIG SISTER' looking over our backs!
One last comment on all of this crap. Because someone doesn't write shouldn't exclude them from giving a negative review or criticising a writer. One doesn't have to play a piano to know the performer sucks or that the piano is out of tune. After all...who are we writing for anyway? Are we only wanting to see our names on a web site and rack up the numbers of stories we've written?
Mea the Magnificent
You know, I too have been
You know, I too have been following this, and the bottom line is this. The person that you all are referring to, appears to be emotionally crippled.
I doubt seriously there is any comprehension of any of what you are trying to get across to this person, and there never will be, because I suspect he is not emotionally or mentally capable of it, as there is clearly a deficiancy there.
You are tilting against windmills.
This person has just as much right to write as you have to read or not read. This is primarily a writing board, so yes if you want to comment on the quality of the writing and offer recommendations on how to improve, feel free, that is what we are supposed to do. But it is suppossed to be constructive, at least on this board, direct attacks against people, and attacks against specific kinds of stories are supposed to be off limits. This is not a wide open board like the mosh pit. There are rules of engagement, and keeping civil is number 1.
The fact is whatever the issues this particular author has, this is one way he has of attempting to express himself. That you find it offensive is unfortunate. That you continue to put yourself in line to be offended is personal choice. I'm afraid I don't see how raising your blood pressure does you any good, and it certainly isn't doing the author in question any good.
You can certainly continue to try and educate the masses on the serious nature and traumatic effects of rape. Blog on it, write stories if you can, or encourage those here that do. That has some small chance of being able to eventually reach the person as opposed to the personal attacks or any form of direct comments on his stories.
In the end, just about every person on this board has some issues they have to deal with. Some have had truly traumatic events that are almost beyond comprehension. There are those that have other problems that are less obvious, but just as difficult life challenges for them personally, even though we may not understand them.
And that is the way life is.
Finally, Rape is horrible. There is no question of that, and nobody recovers from it easily, regardless of gender. I am sorry that so many of our community have experienced this ultimate violation, many of whom will never really get over it. It is sad that this author is not able to emotionally understand your comments on rape. Regardless of why he focus's so much on it, which really isn't relevant to this discussion, it is his way of coping with something in his life.
And ultimately That is what this board is all about.
Kristy
Angela...dearest (in truth)...
Out of the 25% of the women in this country that have been sexually assaulted, only 0.376% are 'cured' by shopping and none have been found to have the 'shopping gene'. The statistic, while horribly correct, in fact, it does not include an accurate reflection of those males who might have been sexually assaulted and therefore leaves open the possiblity that shopping and hormonal treatments, as well as blessings from angels and gods of various faiths and design, cures all.
I think that because the definition and numbers of male rapes are an unknown factor, we cannot preclude these things from truly occuring. Therefore, we should, by all means, weather the unbelievably poor taste and writing of this 'unmentionalble idiot' of an author and cheer on his obviously male view of rape. After all, they were simply asking for it, right?
Mea the Magnificent
BTW...When I die, I want to be reincarnated as you, if that's okay?
Can All Those Juries and Prosecutors Be Wrong?
You betcha!
Angela Rasch (Jill M I)
Angela Rasch (Jill M I)
While this person is free to write . . .
What I do find extremely dismaying is that same person 'editing' other writer's work. I hate to see a new author's work denigrated simply because it was poorly edited by this helpful soul. Help like this is akin to throwing an anchor to a drowning man.
Commentator
Visit my Caption Blog: Dawn's Girly Site
Visit my Amazon Page: D R Jehs
Oh Wow!!!
I really would prefer chocolate ice cream with my brutal a35 f&*king if that's okay. And when I stop bleeding from my various orafices, I will definately go out shopping for another gown to wear when I need to ask for it. My God, some people are sooo male!!!
Hugs and Good Things Only,
Trisha
The phrase the I keep coming back to
"Such treatment should be reserved for people who prey on the innocent."
I keep thinking....Stalkers rape, rapists stalk, and online stalkers...?
There could be a lot more underlying issues than purely bad writing if someone on multiple sites is being treated as you describe.
As to someone else's comment about a male point of view on rape. I didn't know there was a male POV. I'm male and believe it is an act of violence and should be punished severely. Regardless of if the victim is a woman, girl, boy, or another man. Maybe I'm the exception to a rule, but I don't believe anyone ever asks for it or that it is ever justified.
{{Hugs}}
What's wrong
Is that this individual had steadfastly ignored advice from all the "experts" (some of whom haven't even posted any work by themselves) and has ruffled a few feathers. In response, some people over there (and on BC, sad to say) have taken to piling on him for his lack of social graces.
Jeez, not everybody is born with an innate knowledge of all the whys and wherefores that make up proper writing etiquette! He is a bit like a well-meaning, bumbling Great Dane in a china shop. He tries his best, and by God he is going to do it HIS way, come hell or high water.
I might give him an "F" for his efforts, but he is trying, which is more than I can say about some of his naysayers over there.
Karen J.
PS, I'll add that some of the snide comments here on BC are for his attempts to make appreciative comments on stories. And it's not the authors of the stories doing it, it's other commenters. He is trying to say something nice, which is more than the vast majority of readers take the time to do! I would think any positive comment would be a good thing!
"Being a girl is wonderful and to torture someone into that would be like the exact opposite of what it's like. I don’t know how anyone could act that way." College Girl - poetheather
“When a clown moves into a palace, he doesn’t become a king. The palace becomes a circus.” - Turkish Proverb
I really
find stories with rape scenes in them a volatile thing. I don't like a lot of aspects in these but if written right they can be used to tell part of the story. I have read some though where there's too much detail. To me if that's what you want to write then please there are fetish story sites out there. To me glorification of it is just sick and wrong.
If the persons a shitty writer then we should tell him please stop writing this, we're trying to read your story to give you a chance as an author/authoress but this is disturbing, if you can't find something else to write about then please don't post them here. We can only ask or then ignore due to freedom of expression ethics.
In a story it should be a part of it, just a piece not a focus for the most part for me. If the story is based on surviving such then it's as integral to the plot as a murder can be in a mystery. It's a very serious subject and should be treated and written in the right respects.
For those of you that are disgusted by it, I'm with you for the most part just like I hate a lot of these femdom-manhating-forced fem stories. I might not be making friends saying it but the ones who get off on writing and enjoying that are the same. Getting off on the power, pain and the suffering of others.
Bailey Summers
Keywords and synopsis
As far as I can remember, he has not failed to make it plain that the stories contain those scenes. I get a lot of grief every time I plead for accurate use of those items so the reader knows what they are getting. Well, this is why. The stories are labeled, so then it's up to the reader to decide to read or not. If you read a story plainly labeled Rape and Physical Assault, then there is no reason to whine because the rape and assault scenes are not to your liking.
BTW Bailey, I'm not referring to you specifically. I made this mistake early on in my membership here, and hurt the author badly. I was wrong to do so, and I freely admit it. I just hope to help others not to make the same mistake I did.
Karen J.
"Being a girl is wonderful and to torture someone into that would be like the exact opposite of what it's like. I don’t know how anyone could act that way." College Girl - poetheather
“When a clown moves into a palace, he doesn’t become a king. The palace becomes a circus.” - Turkish Proverb
No offense taken
I think I explained my position wrongly. I have no problem in it being a part of a story, or even the main focus of it but I just have a huge problem with the stories that seem the writer is getting off on a power trip by really doing terrible things. I don't mean just this author but there are many others around that write this stuff. I'm aware of this being fiction but I'm just saying there are other sites for that kind of...foulness.
I love your quote BTW it's kind of exactly what I'm talking about.
I've read just recently further down the post line and I have no clue to the person who was being discussed, I haven't a clue to the name or read the story in question. I just have a strong opinion of the people who write to glorify the violence or dehumanizing story arcs. I'll freely admit that AR's description in the post led me to a conclusion not in line with others in the discussion.
It's kinda like commenting in a room of people who all kind of have this inside conversation/Joke going and while I joined in I'm just sticking out because I really apparently had no clue as to what was really going on.
I'm going to bow out of this now.
Bailey Summers
If this is about
the particular author I think it's about, then I took care of that problem on my end a long time ago by utilizing the "block posts" feature shortly after it was first introduced. Even then, I get enough idea of what they say just from reading responses to their comments, and that's more than enough for me.
Having said that...
While I personally have a huge problem with the idea of rape being glorified, especially on a site such as this where detractors will take every opportunity to dig through and find the worst possible examples to present as evidence of just what kind of 'deviants' visit the site, unless Miss Erin specifically bans writers or types of content I know I don't really have a say in whether they can stay or not. That doesn't mean I have to LIKE it, but I do have to tolerate its presence until such a time as the site admins decide to take a stand on it themselves. It reminds me of the situation over on Storysite a few months ago, when the ever-so-infamous story started all the discussions of what exactly the ToS allowed and banned (though I will add that, due to the site administrator's childish and unreasonable ire at her readers, as well as her disregard for discussing the issue logically, I have sadly had to stop visiting that site.)
Most issues with this type of material are going to end up having to fall under the 'if you don't like it then just don't read it' category of problems if for no other reason than to prevent the situation escalating until it's out of control. No, I don't believe that censorship is necessarily a bad thing -- in fact, I have argued FOR it in the past -- and for a place like BC I see it as much more viable than for other sites like FM or StorySite, but even with that you have to deal with the problem of equality. After all, some would argue that if stories that 'glorify' rape are banned from the site, or forced into certain restrictions as far as what's allowed and what isn't, then those same restrictions have to apply to other genres which a majority of the site sees no issue with. It ends up being a situation where every reader will have a differing opinion of what is fair and unfair to be said in or about stories.
Aaand... that was pretty much completely off topic, wasn't it?
Anyhow, as far as bad writing goes, I try not to let it get to me because, frankly, I doubt my writing's much better. I still don't read what he writes, though, yet again, if it's the person I'm thinking it is.
Melanie E.
It is a sad way the world has turned.
In the "good old days" which probably weren't so great at the time... it was okay to whistle, hum, even sing poorly.
It was common for songs to be sung outside of a water closet.
Now we're ridiculed for even trying. Those who 'can sing' or 'can write' are idolized and those who aren't are demonized.
Its a symptom of our lifestyle.
Personally I feel if you want to publish a story or sing then go ahead!, but be prepared for the reprecussions.
If you want to be accepted as a writer you need to practice, and you need to educate yourself on what is required to be a successful writer (successful means with little or no condemnation and maybe even some accolades) then you need to hone your skills.
The hardest part of writing is editing the crap you just poured your heart out to get on paper. It tears you up inside when every word is precious and every scene lovingly padded with details.
I never used to like writing until I got a computer. I discovered you could erase something by copy/pasting it to another document (yes you can have two or more open at a time) and saving it for later without having to erase it and type/hand write it again! Oooh the convenience.
So I say write every thing write well or badly but write, but be wary of publishing for there be monsters out there.
If you are happy that you did the best you can and have a good story then go for it. If someone rips your story to bits,
questions you're mother's decision not to beat you against a rock and generally ridicule your genetic heritage...then
maybe you should publish another story but this time... look for what they said you did wrong... before sticking your head in
that barrel of pirahnas.
Having said that... sometimes reviewers are really over reacting... dont' take what they say as personal...
Maybe you're not really a perverted freak. Perhaps they are using the internet to express themselves in ways that they would
never do if they had to say it to you in such a way that you could punch them in the nose.
Here is an example of how ugly the internet has changed people. People read the obituaries and create facebook pages for the deceased and start posting messages by the hundreds about how the person died, their stupidity, their sexual proclivities, and much worse. They do this because without an internal moral compass pointing to "if I say this someone will beat my face in..." they get perverse joy out of being MEAN and UGLY on your ass.
Anyways... I can tell I'm rambling because I just wanna go on and on. This is my favourite "what's wrong with the world" topic.
Nobody,
Sing...Sing a song....don't worry if its not good enough just sing.... sing a song!....
I admit
To having a bad day a few times and taking it out on authors like the one you mentioned above mew. I usually apologize though, and sometimes when someone makes a suggestion about a certain series that already exists like an anime or manga, I admit if it's something I know I can get defensive. But telling them to read it or watch it before commenting, when it concerns that certain anime or manga, I don't think is a bad thing, heck my best friend Katrine tells me that all the time xD Get thee to the library is one of her favorite phrases xD
I know who I am, I am me, and I like me ^^
Bisexual, transsexual, gamer girl, princess, furry that writes horror stories and proud ^^
I know who I am, I am me, and I like me ^^
Transgender, Gamer, Little, Princess, Therian and proud :D
It's probably me
I mean I don't read the stories, the comments make me cross-eyed at times, yet I make no effort to help. Guess I'm just not that giving. I have my own troubles and really have no wish to step into someone elses tar pit.
However, lack of grace or fumbling ineptitude are not I would hope cause to revert to the worst of the school-yard mentality. I hated the 'make yourself feel better by putting someone lower' attitude then and I don't like it now. People have told me I write reasonably well, some I suspect would rather I never went near a keyboard again, so it goes. Most fall in the middle I guess, somewhere between indifference and curiosity.
We might roll our eyes at what we perceive to be gauche misperception or lack of understanding or empathy, yet I have never seen a cross word or anything but support albeit clumsy, from said author. Why some feel the need to belittle and insult at every opportunity I don't understand. There are surely more worthy causes. Why make another 'Margarette Jeanette' (?sp) on FM, as surely trying to understand is better than not. I'm not Shakespeare or even a distant cousin, so who am I...
Don't read if you don't like. Making snide comments does not make you look good, just the opposite. You cannot change that which does not wish to change, so ignore it. If you try and get met with a blank stare, shrug and move on. Life's too damn short.
Kristina
Whoa! Chill dudes and dudettes... And here's my 2 cents
From the *hints* at who the author is I am confident I know who is being refereed to. However, irrespective of that I have a couple things I must say. I will try to keep the hyperbole and silliness to a minimum. This is a serious subject here and deserves a serious answer.
One: Though I admit I have not read all this person's stories or their comments, as far as I recall the subject of rape is used as a *trial by fire* for the heroines in the stories, something they overcome and rise above. Rather like a parable or fable style tale IMHO. I cannot recall rape being glorified or the victim being shown as *asking for it.*
Two: even if the stories argued the victim *asked for it* or in some way made rape appear defensible -- neither case is true here so far as I can determine ---this is fiction after all. Though being a privately owned site it is well and properly within the owner's right to censure such writings or anything found offensive. Period. That Erin and her assistants have not censured this writer's work tells me it has not *crossed the line*.
Free speech is not a easy freedom to defend at times though in this case IMHO I believe some are over reacting. Mind you rape pushes a lot of buttons as does forced fem, mind control, identity death, and so on. IE violations of basic human rights, even fictionally, are disturbing.
Three: as vexing to me as some author's efforts are, misspelling, punctuation, poor grammar, monolithic blocks of text and so on I must applaud their trying, their attempt to post their hearts effort. Even if you disagree with their comments or stories you must admit the person is making an effort. If you like it, great, if not, so be it but still the effort is worthy of praise or respect even if you feel the *product* is not.
I hope to post some fiction of my own here again in the near future and I freely admit I get a lot of help from others to make it palatable. Who knows, with time this writer we have been bandering about here may become a fondly thought of mainstay here. Hey, even the greats had to write some real clunkers until they hit their stride. If a writer makes errors that make the reading difficult or confusing, PM them about it but be constructive in being a critic. If you can't stand the subject or story, stay quiet as that old *saw* another here mentions so advises.
I value the diversity here and like the occasion verbal skirmishes here about various topics but do be polite always. Erin and her *gang* have enough on their hands as it is without us giving them greif.
'Nuf said.
John in Wauwatosa
John in Wauwatosa
Disgraceful!
I don't know who is being pilloried here, and to be honest, I don't want to know.
But I do feel that if people are so intent upon conducting a campaign against someone who posts on this site, they should have the courage to mention his or her name. At the very least, they can then defend themselves against the charges. BC should not be a vehicle for a whispering campaign against certain writers.
What is happening here is disgraceful.
Nothing being hidden
The comments, both here and on FM, have been extremely detailed as to who is being attacked and who is doing it. I imagine Angela is not naming names for much the same reason I'm not - a desire to not cause any embarrassment to the attackers (putting them on the defensive) or add to the victim's burden. One of the cruel commenters here is actually an author who is normally noted for her kind heart and Christian-based stories, someone I was proud to call a friend. As I said, I've been guilty myself of the same error, and I suppose my hope is that these people will see themselves in the mirror AR has held up and at least moderate their behavior.
I have no such hope for the ones on FM. They feel a righteous justification for vilifying this person. One said she is a professional writer (couldn't prove by me, she has no works of her own posted on any TG/TS fiction websites as far as I know) and for her to ignore these stories is the same as agreeing with them. (I didn't realize she was the doyen of TG fiction to whom everybody looked for the final word on a story's suitability.) She and the other person, who has now set herself up as THE arbiter of what's suitable to post on the hyperboard (even though the Hyperboard moderator has ruled against her) have taken it on themselves to harass this person at every turn. This is what AR was talking about in her original post.
The Hyperboard gets nasty, I know that. The comments on stories on FM can be vicious, I know that also. I'm afraid that if the trend continues here on BC, it could push Erin's buttons to the point of turning things off here. Do any of us want that to happen? I certainly hope not.
I'll be blunt: we all need to cool our jets. Just because we don't like somebody, doesn't mean we have to attack them at every turn. I saw a comment awhile back, from one person on here who was proud of the fact that she had not put anybody on her Ignore User list. I'm very judgmental, I've got many names on mine. And by having their works and comments hidden from my view I don't get riled up enough to say something I'd regret later. So if you can't stand person A, their stories and/or their comments on stories, click "Ignore User" and be done with it. Don't do like I did to a very good author on here, and drive her to leave for awhile. It's not right, it's not fair, and Erin shouldn't have to put up with the crap.
Karen J.
"Being a girl is wonderful and to torture someone into that would be like the exact opposite of what it's like. I don’t know how anyone could act that way." College Girl - poetheather
“When a clown moves into a palace, he doesn’t become a king. The palace becomes a circus.” - Turkish Proverb
You should all be ashamed!
The comments, both here and on FM, have been extremely detailed as to who is being attacked and who is doing it. I imagine Angela is not naming names for much the same reason I'm not - a desire to not cause any embarrassment to the attackers
I'm sorry Karen, you contradict yourself in your first paragraph. It appears that everyone (apart from me, but presumably including the victim) knows who is being vilified but you are all trying to protect them from embarrassment! I can't think of anything much worse than to be shamed like this without anyone having the guts to say it outright.
How can the person respond to your accusations, except by admitting they recognise themselves by the accusations made, and that therefore they must all be true?
The only option open to them is to creep under a stone and hope the criticisms will go away.
Is that what this site is about? You should all be ashamed!
Include yourself
No. I do not. The people creating the problem on FM are not the ones doing it here, and I choose not to start the name-calling here on BC.
As for what I expect, I expect nothing. By doing so I am seldom disappointed in the behavior of others. For you, I will make an exception. By your statements above, I will add you to the list of commenters on FM who have displayed such boorishness.
What I hope, on the other hand, is that the people will think twice about what they are doing and stop. Nothing more. No public mea culpas required. If this idea is too tough for you, ask somebody to explain it to you, I'm done.
But be ashamed, be very ashamed.
Karen J.
"Being a girl is wonderful and to torture someone into that would be like the exact opposite of what it's like. I don’t know how anyone could act that way." College Girl - poetheather
“When a clown moves into a palace, he doesn’t become a king. The palace becomes a circus.” - Turkish Proverb
Rape as Male Fantasy
What do all these things have in common?
The answer, of course, is rape.
Rape is the defining metaphor of gender relationships in Western literature.
Men's virtue is defined along a moral scale which roughly rises along a "grading curve" which goes from Rapist ===> Defender of Women
Women, in contrast, are defined along a scale which varies from Passive (Willing?) Victim ===> I'd Rather Die.
How many of us remember seeing one or more films in which the staunch "defenders of women" solemnly vow to "save the last bullet" to "save" the woman (there's almost always just one) from a "fate worse than death"?
Indeed, Catharine MacKinnon has argued that in Western culture the definition of "woman" necessarily includes her objective vulnerability to rape, and is part of the general patriarchal theme of control of women's bodies, and of the issue of those bodies, as transmitters of intergenerational wealth. In this sense the rapist (or seducer -- in popular narrative, there's little difference) is an entrepreneur who attempts to impregnate a woman so that his child has a share in inherited wealth. In this viewpoint, rape (or seduction) is robbery and theft*. From the point of view of the "entrepreneur," however, it's more like piracy, with a certain glamourous allure. It's not for nothing that Robin Hood, Jesse James, and Don Juan are all cult figures in Western Discourse.
The classic male rape fantasy is that "women like it," so the victim in these stories is always an enthusiastic participant by the time the rape is well under way.
One of the films on the above list, Virgin Spring, was, in fact, excoriated because the victim is shown having an orgasm, although further exploration is precluded because, just as in The Lovely Bones, the rape victim is also murdered.
The first item, The Sheik, was a classic "forced seduction" novel that eventually spawned the movie of the same name and sparked the film career of Rudolph Valentino.
The second, Salt, is an iconic SciFi novel in which one's perceptions are distorted exactly by our own cultural expectations. The man is a free spirit, egalitarian, committed to liberal values, sensitive to a fault, whilst the woman is a vicious predator, the representative of a savage culture dedicated to the cruel suppression and exploitation of "lesser" cultures and the idea that "wealth makes right." Votes, in their "democracy," in fact, are weighted by the size of one's bank account. The man, through an inherently generous nature, volunteers to help the woman cross the barren wastes to return to her home. Along the way, he rapes her. But does he? Our perceptions change in an instant, and the man, formerly appearing gentle and kind, is now "clearly" a monster, whilst the woman, who exemplifies a monstrous culture, is suddenly an "innocent" "victim." Think of the film Avatar and visualise the noble indigenous peoples (American Indians) suddenly turn out to be cannibals. As it turns out, the man is still a "nice guy" and the woman is still a nasty piece of work, and their perceptions of the interaction are as different as any two viewpoints in Rashomon. I highly recommend this story. It was nominated for the 2000 Arthur C Clarke Award.
The third and fourth, Inversions and Use of Weapons, are notable for the vastly different narratives of the two protagonists, one male, and one female, despite being written by the same author. Both are raped. For the man, his rape is just one more assault in a brutal life, forgotten as easily as any punch in the nose. For the woman, the rape is the central narrative of the rest of the book, which is surely interesting.
-----------
Atkins, Christine E. Reading Rape: The Rhetoric of Sexual Violence in American Literature and Culture, 1790-1990 (review)
College Literature - 30.4, Fall 2003, pp. 175-177
Cheers,
Puddin'
* In the Bible, the rape of an unmarried woman wasn't actually a crime, unless the man involved refused to pay her "bride price."
-
Cheers,
Puddin'
A tender heart is an asset to an editor: it helps us be ruthless in a tactful way.
--- The Chicago Manual of Style
as a victem of rape
i have a complicated relationship with stories that feature it. Sometimes, it hits my buttons, and i cannot enjoy the story, no matter how well written it is. As a general rule, i dont make negitive comments on anything, i think that if someone is brave enough to post their writing, the best i can do is either find something good to say, or keep my peace. As for how rape has been portayed in movies, there are a few movies where a woman is able to overcome or escape from being raped. I cant think of a movie where a male character has had to deal with the fallout of being raped, however.
Lawrence of Arabia
Although one has to note that the implication was subtle enough to get past the Movie Code.
There are a mort of them, though:
Deliverance
Midnight Cowboy
American History X
Sleepers
Capturing the Friedmans
Boy A
The Kite Runner
Pulp Fiction
Brubaker
Bad Santa
Scum
Thursday
Salo, or the 120 Days of Sodom
Killing Zoe
Step Brothers
Ken Park
Species
TwentyNine Palms
Just Married
There's an even twenty, but this is not an exhaustive list.
Cheers,
Puddin'
-
Cheers,
Puddin'
A tender heart is an asset to an editor: it helps us be ruthless in a tactful way.
--- The Chicago Manual of Style
Rape changes your reality ...
... in ways that someone who hasn't experienced it can only imagine. For some, it's a denial of your right to decide for yourself who has access to your body in an intimate way -- a date rape, someone who doesn't understand how a woman could really say no to them and mean it. For others, it's a way to feel powerful, by showing you just how powerless you truly are -- how useless and weak and easily controlled you are. Just a few threats with a weapon to show and you're nothing but a toy.
Rape rips apart your sense of self, your definition of who you are. It makes you believe you're weak, empty, nothing. It makes you ashamed, makes you wonder if you're even worth the space you take up.
Is it any wonder people get upset when it's treated with the same weight as a melted ice cream cone? It's like telling a man with his entrails hanging out to get up and "walk it off." No matter how far he walks, he'll just keep bleeding.
I'm not advocating censorship, but a little empathy would be appropriate. Because unless you've ever been held at knifepoint in an empty building and made to strip under threat of mutilation or death -- and do things for a stranger you HATE that you'd have to think long and hard about doing for someone you actually LOVED -- well, you don't really know how much being raped HURTS - body, mind, and soul.
Randa
Rape from the point of view of a genetic female.
While I always thought I was a girl, and have lived as one for over 5 years, and have been raped, I do not know if I would ever experience it at the same level of a genetic woman. Geeze, all I can remember of mine is the horrible terror and being so afraid, and worried because I could not remember it. As much as I try to convince myself that I am like a genetic woman, I will never actually know for sure, and I have not experienced an entire life as a woman.
In fact, I once was male, was drunk on testosterone and the sight of the right woman in the right situation made me hard. People just do not understand what T can do to you, nor how happy I am not to have it any more.
I have lived very closely with a few genetic women as a woman. Two of them had bee Raped, though neither of them have talked about it to me. I think that they tend to blame themselves.
K
Sometimes, there just aren't enough rocks
A line from Forrest Gump. I had a Jenny moment on Tuesday. You know the scene where she and Forrest are throwing rocks at her home; I mentioned this in a blog once.
My son is in a clinical internship for Radiography at the local hospital. With one car and three destinations, I have to get him back and forth. Monday through Thursday I have to drive by the apartment building where my uncle raped and sodomized my sister and me over three summers when we were little. I am reminded every day of the horror, and while my doctor and therapist say I'm doing better than anyone could expect, it still hurts. I sit at the light on the way there and hold in my tears because my son and sometimes my wife are in the car, but after he's dropped off, if I am alone, I weep at that same traffic light enough at times where I have to pull to the side of the road.
It was Joann's birthday on Tuesday; she would have been sixty-one. She endured what my uncle did, what my father did, and even a neighbor. It dramatically affected her self-image and she struggled all her life with the hurt, only getting peace finally the year before she died. I've had to endure that loss plus our loss of innocence.
I don't know why some folks feel compelled to write about this in a way that minimizes or trivializes or glosses over the pain. And I don't know why some folks don't understand, but like Randa said, if you haven't been through it, you really don't know how much it hurts.
She was born for all the wrong reasons but grew up for all the right ones.
Con grande amore e di affetto, Andrea Lena
Love, Andrea Lena
Knew The Horror But Not Why.
Andrea, as I sit here thinking I am getting better, still the tears come when we least expect them.
It's odd because all 12 aspects of my life seemed to hit the wall all at the same time. It is a chicken/eggs thing and I don't know which of them made the mass critical. I do remember the being dressed and raised as a girl; always had the girl name; born with it. I do remember the awful, terrifying beatings by my stepfather; making me "Man UP"; being taunted; kicked in the bottom; pushed when I was not fast enough; having my heels walked on; having my pants pulled down and tripped; the constant rejection by Mom; why weren't you a girl; trying to please her; being pushed away; being abandoned to that horrible animal by my older brothers when they left home; trying to kill him with a hatchet; having it taken away from me by him and being beaten with the flat side of it. Did you know that being hit with the flat side of a sword was the ultimate rejection and insult. Some say that it permanently marked their souls so deeply that it could never be taken away; they died thinking of it.
To this day, nearly 50 years later, I can't see into the black hole; no one can see into a black hole. I can feel the pain; the anguish; the disgrace; the fear; wondering what happened but not being able to think about it directly; can't reconstruct it; I'll go crazy if I try.
I read it when others talk of it; especially genetic women; wonder why I can't feel it; maybe part of my brain is dead. I've often felt that I do not feel at the depth of others; wonder what part of the brain "feels". I wonder how come my emotions feel blunted; why I lose an hour or three here and there; where did they go?
The other day I was sitting with my therapist, and suddenly hit the arm of my chair with my doubled up hand; just once. She smiled; now you are beginning to express your emotions! I don't want to get angry. I DON'T LIKE FEELING THAT WAY. I DON'T WANT IT! DOES ANYONE HEAR ME! DON'T THEY KNOW THAT PEOPLE WILL DIE IF I DO?
{Highlight to read} Why did I join this discussion? Now I feel awful. I just want it to go away; to not hurt any more. Some of us should not talk of the past. It's not good for us.
Gwen
Hmmm...
I have been following this exchange of ideas regarding an author and the criticism of him, and his 'writings'. I have found that much of what he writes is demeaning, insulting, belittling and degrading to women (including anyone who enjoys even the faintest side of their femininity).
Rape and sexual assault can be cured buy having a gender change and going shopping? To truly be a woman, one must have a 'shopping gene'? Having a gender change requires nothing more than using a mobile object(there is no thought process involved at all)? How completely chauvanistic!
To those who write that one doesn't have to read his stories I say that the author doesn't have to read his reviews! If any author doesn't like what his critics are writing, than perhaps he should go back into his little closet and find something more exciting to do with his hands!
What this author is writing is not due to a lack of social graces or ignorance if he reads what others say and ignores, or refuses, to understand the hurt he is inflicting by his characterization of women. There was another author who caught all shades of negative reviews with her recurring themes of FemDom. Even though her scenerios were between two consenting adults, the animosity shown her was nothing sort of appalling. Yet there were no reviews erased and no critiques removed, and nobody went crying to Mama about the mean people who didn't like the theme.
Part of what makes this site so appealing is that these things can be discussed without censorship. Those of us who feel that writings by any author are offensive should have the right to say so without having 'BIG SISTER' looking over our backs!
One last comment on all of this crap. Because someone doesn't write shouldn't exclude them from giving a negative review or criticising a writer. One doesn't have to play a piano to know the performer sucks or that the piano is out of tune. After all...who are we writing for anyway? Are we only wanting to see our names on a web site and rack up the numbers of stories we've written?
Mea the Magnificent
Meaghan...
You def have some valid points to share, but I don't understand why you're so angry. Even your 'picture' looks angry. BTW...I do love your freckles.
Trashy Trish
Nothing cute or appealing or fanciful about rape
If I wrote a story about the Holocaust and trivialized the pain, you can be sure people would be up in arms over my insensitivity, but somehow rape is excluded? I agree with Randa! You can't know how much it hurts unless you've been through it.