a little off topic: Sexist parade of comic covers

[Lost Clown]

There are a slew of incredibly effed up and sexist comic covers lately that have gotten the fangirls talking.

you can see my take on it here: http://angryforareason.blogspot.com/2007/06/whiny-feminists-and-comics.html

[bluecoat28]

I HATE THOSE IMAGES and I love that you wrote about it on that post! I'm doing a project about hentai this summer and I'm going to show it to Dr. Gail Dines. It's ANNOYING as hell to look at hentai though... It's almost overwhelming to me, and after a half hour or so of looking at it, I am somewhat "worn out" by it. She told me to set a time limit in this project, because she doesn't want me to harm myself, but I told her that I was numb to it at this point (lie?). We'll see. I guess we need people in this world who teach people about these images critically. Dr. Dines says that it will help my mind if I think of the images critically.

[Lost Clown]

Thank you.

I have no idea how you can look at Hentai, though I did awhile back look through porn as research and it definitely wore on me. Good luck, I'd like to read whatever you wrote about it.

[Cellycel]

Bluecoat, I would love to see what you have to say in your project about hentai. Recently I found hentai on my boyfriends computer, we got in a very big fight over it, where he deleted it and told me that if it made me that upset then he won't look at it anymore, but I think he's only not going to look at it because it makes me feel bad, I don't think he thinks there's anything else wrong with it, and I didn't do the best job convincing him that it really is that bad.

I've been looking for something for him to read about why it's so bad, but I've not found anything yet, so... I don't know, maybe your project might help me...

>.>
<.<

[bluecoat28]

Bluecoat, I would love to see what you have to say in your project about hentai. Recently I found hentai on my boyfriends computer, we got in a very big fight over it, where he deleted it and told me that if it made me that upset then he won't look at it anymore, but I think he's only not going to look at it because it makes me feel bad, I don't think he thinks there's anything else wrong with it, and I didn't do the best job convincing him that it really is that bad.

I've been looking for something for him to read about why it's so bad, but I've not found anything yet, so... I don't know, maybe your project might help me...

hi celly, I do and don't want to make my project about "why it's so bad" (I don't want people accusing me of "imposing morality" on them; I DO believe people SHOULD be moral... sheesh, what is so bad about having morals/ being a good person?!). Basically, I want to show through my analysis of the images why it is bad, but I don't want to say outright, "hentai is bad"... I want to write critically about how the women's and girl's bodies are designed for maximal arousal and how hentai is a subgenre of pornography that I want feminists to pay more attention to. Hentai females have breasts of all sizes, but they are often disproportionately large, and they are eroticized girls------- the hairlessness of the bodies, child-like faces, no body fat. I want to have a full analysis of what hentai is, so I understand how it warps the sexual imagination and makes sexual assault sexy. There are a few (two?) anti-hentai webrings I found online... it's nothing compared to the numbers of hentai sites out there, but it is heartwarming to me to see that there ARE antipornstitutioners who might not yet realize they are antipornstitutioners yet. I believe being anti-hentai is anti-pornstitution/anti-rape, because "sex" in hentai is often rape. I think my antiporn position came more from being mad about hentai, rather than "real" pornography. Anti-antihentai sites exist as well . I am going to the National Women's Studies Association Conference in Chicago until July 1st (so 3 days at the conference) and hopefully I'll learn about what the association has to say about antipornstitution. If I hear anything, I'll post it here.

After reading that someone wore an "I heart hentai" shirt, I wanted to make a shirt that said, "I loathe hentai", but I don't know if I have the guts to wear it yet... I wouldn't want to spark a pro-hentai fool's obsession with drawings of rape. I don't want them to think I'm attacking their "right" to hentai. I'm twenty-two years old right now... maybe I will write a critical analysis of hentai during my lifetime and you all can read it. We'll see. hehe that would be nice if I accomplished that.

[Lost Clown]

After reading that someone wore an "I heart hentai" shirt, I wanted to make a shirt that said, "I loathe hentai", but I don't know if I have the guts to wear it yet... I wouldn't want to spark a pro-hentai fool's obsession with drawings of rape. I don't want them to think I'm attacking their "right" to hentai. I'm twenty-two years old right now... maybe I will write a critical analysis of hentai during my lifetime and you all can read it. We'll see. hehe that would be nice if I accomplished that.

If that's the one I mentioned, he was a teenage boy, and I suggest growling at them. Worked for me

[bluecoat28]

Oh Joy. I've decided to begin my "hentai-awareness for antipornstars" project tonight! Sometimes I don't think there is a PURPOSE in me doing this project, because hentai is so overthetop obviously pedophilic and mysoginistic... I GUESS I will continue with it though and show my findings to National Feminist Antipornography Movement members on July 21st's antiporn potluck... If any of you are around Massachussetts that date, send me a private message and I can give you more info about the event. The person who's in charge of it wants it to be women-only.

[KatetheGreat]

Oh Joy. I've decided to begin my "hentai-awareness for antipornstars" project tonight! Sometimes I don't think there is a PURPOSE in me doing this project, because hentai is so overthetop obviously pedophilic and mysoginistic... I GUESS I will continue with it though and show my findings to National Feminist Antipornography Movement members on July 21st's antiporn potluck... If any of you are around Massachussetts that date, send me a private message and I can give you more info about the event. The person who's in charge of it wants it to be women-only.

There is definately a purpose for it bluecoat, if a recent discussion at the livejournal's anti-porn group is any indication. One member posts:

"How do you feel about 'cartoon porn'? Maybe I'm questioning how much control I have over myself, I'd be worried about giving this up. I felt really good about limiting myself solely to cartoon porn, and it clearly helped reverse some of the desentisation porn had given me. I am a bit confused over where I stand on everything."

"It just takes over your head less. Maybe it all merges more, more relaxed because no real people. So the positive and negative shares more of the space, to be simplistic. I'm just thinking aloud. It's true they have spy bots and suchlike, not even going that far they put you into a seperate stream really. I find it so much less about the bodies and more the situations. And it's pretty easy practically and psychologically to go towards some decent stuff. some of the bdsm of male domination etc has women depicted really un-tackily, actually explores different ideas of a woman or situation a submissive male would find erotic.
Also my gf can accept it, even enjoys them too, when I haven't just let my mind rot like watching crap on tv.
I am leaning more towards totally giving up all porn though, perhaps it's the one place where my principles are obliged to take precedence. (Especially after the dream I had last night. I was like a preacher come down from the mountains, pushing people to reconsider their stance on porn and porn-like things (a sort of BDSM Big Brother, after reading about the pornification of our society, one of the links on oneangrygirl). not long later i ended up in a bath in a shitty public changing place with an unpredictable gang of lads stamping about)"



I have a harder time visiting that group than I do this one because many of the members are a little insecure about their stance because of all of the peer pressure to accept it; they want to appear like they're not sexually uptight. Some members find it genuinely difficult to stay away from porn and write about the times they lapse, which is angering for obvious reasons.
But I will give it credit, because there are some great posts there and some members who are very committed, but the level of insecurity on the board doesn't make it feel like a movement.
That's why I give props to Genderberg. This place has restored my sanity on more than 5 occasions.

So in short bluecoat, yes it's needed; Because people have difficulty figuring out why it may be sexist when there are no real women involved - even well-meaning anti-porners.

[bluecoat28]

Thanks Kate.

[bluecoat28]

I created a rough draft of my "hentai-awareness for antiporn stars" powerpoint slideshow. If any1 wants me to send you a copy, PM me.