Netroots Nation: 'Has Feminist Blogging Gone Mainstream?' Panel

Feminist blogging has gone mainstream. The women on the panel has been gracious enough to link to this blog. Samhita Mukhopadhyay is the only blogger I haven't communicate with. Lindsay Beyerstein helped me immensely on the "Faith In Teaching is A Paper Nonprofit". The feminist bloggers deserve credit for having open dialogues and linking to smaller bloggers like myself.

Check out their blogs.

Feministe
Feministing
Majikthise
Pam's House Blend
Pandagon

Update: Jill mentions the infamous pie fight. FYI: Daily Kos ran a Blogad that feautured two women dressed as Mary Ann and Ginger from Gilligan's Island. Many people found the ad tasteless. I was a part of the pie fight. My old post reprinted.

Markos Moulitsas Zúniga: Proud Member of the Men's Studies Set 2005-06-09

As far as I'm concerned, Kos can write whatever pleases him. I support free speech. That means I have to support the right for people to say things I don't necessary agree with. Kos should follow the same credo.

So over the weekend, certain segments of the community have erupted in anger over the TBS ad for their reality show, the Real Gilligan's Island. Apparently, having two women throw pies at each other, wrestle each other in a sexy, lesbianic manner, then having water splashed on their ample, fake bosoms is degrading to women. Or something like that.
Whatever. Feel free to be offended. I find such humorless, knee-jerk reactions, to be tedious at best, sanctimonious and arrogant at worst. I don't care for such sanctimony from Joe Lieberman, I don't care for it from anyone else. Some people find such content offensive. Some people find it arousing. Some people find it funny. To each his or her own.

But I am not Lieberman. I won't sit there and judge pop culture and act as gatekeeper to what I think is "appropriate", and what isn't.

And I certainly won't let the sanctimonious women's studies set play that role on this site. Feel free to be offended. Feel free to claim that I'm somehow abandoning "progressive principles" by running the ad. It's a free country. Feel free to storm off in a huff. Other deserving bloggers could use the patronage.

Me, I'll focus on the important shit.

Many that complained about the ad were women. I personally don't have a problem with things like porn. News flash: I've seen a few in my time. I do wonder why Markos feels so threatened that he has to lash out at his female readers and call them the "women's studies set."

Glenn Reynolds ran the same blogad on his site. I don't expect his readership to complain. Most of Instapundit's readers fear gays getting married. I don't expect him to stand up for the rights of women. Progressives are different and are not going to hang on to every word by Markos as if it is the gospel truth.

I too worry about pop culture becoming censored by the likes of James Dobson. Markos could have kindly said he needed to run the ad to pay for the bandwidth for his site. Instead, he lashed out at women. Not cool. It's a matter of tone. There a difference between saying, "please pass me the salt," and "gimme the fucking salt bitch!"

Here is reactions from female bloggers.

Dru Blood

I think comrade Kos should be commended for bringing his sexist thoughts out into an open forum, thus encouraging the other cockroaches to crawl out from the patriarchal rock they were hiding under. Next time, it might be a better idea to wave a tentacle or two, rather than swinging yr weenie around like you own the place.

Lauren

Is the ad in and of itself offensive? Not necessarily. What is offensive is Kos’ dismissal of feminist complaint, concern and criticism regarding a pretty sexist ad designed for het male titillation run on the most widely-known progressive blog for his own personal profit.

Objectifying and demeaning any minority group for the sake of profit, be it corporate or personal, is abhorrent. This is exactly why I resist the Democratic party and most of its advocates. Women and women’s opinions don’t matter if they run contrary to the bottom line.

Amanda

I'm not gonna dodge it like a coward, which was my first inclination. And I'm not gonna mince words, either--as someone who gets called a man-hater and a sexist on average once a day, if not more, I can safely say that Kos was being a big weenie about being called out for honest-to-god sexism in touting out the tedious stereotype that feminists are humorless wretches. Suck it up, dude.

Markos also attacked NARAL for endorsing pro-choice Republican Lincoln Chafee. Markos thinks that Democrats should be a party of ideals and not issues. He must not be familiar with the Will Rogers quote: "I belong to no organized political party -- I am a Democrat." I make this simple for him to understand. Republicans are about protection the establishment. Democrats are everyone else that falls through the cracks. The Donkey Party is about protecting the little guys and girls. I say that is a fine ideal. Someone who thinks that you must only vote for one party, even if you don't like a candidate, is an ideologue.

Main Entry: ideo·logue

1 : an impractical idealist : THEORIST
2 : an often blindly partisan advocate or adherent of a particular ideology

Female members of Daily Kos have left and started their own blog call Women Kossacks. Good luck with the blog, ladies.

Several links for this post stolen from the wonderful Media Girl.

I get misty eyed for when the progressive blogosphere was a smaller space.