'to thine own self be true'

Random. Utterly and completely random - everything from gaming to feminism to me saying what ever the hell comes to mind. Quotes, music and probably a thing or five that will offend someone.
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Posts tagged "feminism"
I myself have never been able to find out what feminism is; I only know that people call me a feminist whenever I express sentiments that differentiate me from a doormat or a prostitute.
Rebecca West
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(via marjchaos)

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Fighting Back Against Internet Trolls →

think-progress:

Ryan Steiner has an insightful post on fighting back against Internet trolls, like the ones who welcomed news that Lara Croft will be threatened with rape in her next video game:

The instinct is to say, “Well, what did she expect? This is a male-dominated industry, of course she’s going to get that response. Sure, what those guys said was awful, but come on!”
I’ve seen this happen before. I’ve played games where a woman has decided to reveal her gender and waited to see the inappropriate comments come spilling out. I’ve seen the comments left by readers on gaming blogs that skittishly ask whether or not video games generally portray women in an unhealthy way. I’m not at all surprised that this happened.
And, I would not be surprised if Anita Sarkeesian didn’t expect this to some degree, but I don’t know. Whether she did or not, my final response to the hatred directed toward Sarkeesian can’t be “it’s too bad, but you had it coming.” Instead I have to make a point of saying “what these people said is not OK.” Because the bottom line is that there is no excuse.

It doesn’t matter if the men making threats against Sarkeesian are teenagers, white trash, terrorists, bullies, men with mother issues, or irredeemable deviants. My response to these men has to be “this is not OK” because when I say that Sarkeesian should expect hatred from the trolls, I give the trolls an excuse to go ahead and do what they do best. I have to say “this is not OK” because it moves the responsibility away from Sarkeesian (the victim) and puts it onto the trolls (the aggressors. This may sound incredibly simple, but I’ve been amazed by how often the ‘what-do-you-expect’ comment has come up.

Here’s the rest

(via captain-bubblebeard)

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We still think of a powerful man as a born leader and a powerful woman as an anomaly.
Margaret Atwood
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Help Fund Tropes vs Women in Video Games →
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Being a feminist doesn’t mean suddenly no longer liking problematic things. If you stopped liking everything that was sexist in media and entertainment there would be no media or entertainment left. Being a feminist, to me, is being aware of what it is you’re liking, and of its problematic aspects.
sabrina_il   (via feministsbakecupcakestoo)

(via lywinis)

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foxyfoxy: for those not in the know, night witches were russian lady bombers who bombed the shit out of german lines in WW2. Thing is though, they had the oldest, noisiest, crappest planes in the entire world. The engines used to conk out halfway through their missions, so they had to climb out on the wings mid flight to restart the props. the planes were also so noisy that to stop germans from hearing them combing and starting up their anti aircraft guns, they’d climb up to a certain height, coast down to german positions, drop their bombs, restart their engines in midair, and get the fuck out of dodge. their leader flew over 200 missions and was never captured. how the fuck is this not taught in every single history class ever TOO FUCKING BADASS FOR YOU

foxyfoxy:

for those not in the know, night witches were russian lady bombers who bombed the shit out of german lines in WW2. Thing is though, they had the oldest, noisiest, crappest planes in the entire world. The engines used to conk out halfway through their missions, so they had to climb out on the wings mid flight to restart the props. the planes were also so noisy that to stop germans from hearing them combing and starting up their anti aircraft guns, they’d climb up to a certain height, coast down to german positions, drop their bombs, restart their engines in midair, and get the fuck out of dodge.

their leader flew over 200 missions and was never captured.

how the fuck is this not taught in every single history class ever

TOO FUCKING BADASS FOR YOU

(via scumbag-vanguard)

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We’ve got a generation now who were born with semiequality. They don’t know how it was before, so they think, this isn’t too bad. We’re working. We have our attache’ cases and our three piece suits. I get very disgusted with the younger generation of women. We had a torch to pass, and they are just sitting there. They don’t realize it can be taken away. Things are going to have to get worse before they join in fighting the battle.

Erma Bombeck

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We still think of a powerful man as a born leader and a powerful woman as an anomaly.
Margaret Atwood
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Joss Whedon’s Equality Now speech (by TheHey)

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This is me in 1972. I am feminist. I was raised as one, encouraged to be one by my very Southern father. I wasn’t taught that women were better than men, rather that anything a man could do a woman could do just as well.  I don’t find it to be a dirty word. I don’t see feminism as thinking women are better than men.  I remember men making jokes that my father couldn’t do things without my mother’s permission. That she wore the pants in the family. That was the furthest thing from the truth, because what my parents had was an equal relationship.  I heard men and women make comments to my mother that she had children at home, and that she was wasting my father’s money by obtaining another degree. That she should just stay at home, cook, care for us, because it was neglectful. I am a feminist because until we are all treated equally, I will stand up for myself, my mother, my sisters, my friends and other women I haven’t ever met, and fight for that equality. To not be seen as a woman, but a human being, able to perform the same job, attend the same schools, have the same access to medical care and defend my country if that is required. I’m off my soap box now. 

This is me in 1972.

I am feminist.

I was raised as one, encouraged to be one by my very Southern father. I wasn’t taught that women were better than men, rather that anything a man could do a woman could do just as well. 

I don’t find it to be a dirty word. I don’t see feminism as thinking women are better than men. 

I remember men making jokes that my father couldn’t do things without my mother’s permission. That she wore the pants in the family. That was the furthest thing from the truth, because what my parents had was an equal relationship. 

I heard men and women make comments to my mother that she had children at home, and that she was wasting my father’s money by obtaining another degree. That she should just stay at home, cook, care for us, because it was neglectful.

I am a feminist because until we are all treated equally, I will stand up for myself, my mother, my sisters, my friends and other women I haven’t ever met, and fight for that equality. To not be seen as a woman, but a human being, able to perform the same job, attend the same schools, have the same access to medical care and defend my country if that is required.

I’m off my soap box now. 

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lt-alenko: alanashepardvasnormandy: lt-alenko: Okay, no. It’s wonderful that femshep is a strong female character, I love it. I do.  But Commander Shepard is Commander Shepard. They’re the SAME PERSON. Same lines, same actions, same feelings, same EVERYTHING. The only difference is their appearance and their LI options. Seriously? Sheploo’s the “basic male hero of every other game” to you simply because he’s a man. That’s just as bad as feeling like femshep is a lesser character because she’s a female. Please. {[yes but no. sexism is way worse toward woman than it will ever be to men. it’s no where near as worse. it stands for more than just video games here. they may be the same person, but there are so very few woman like Fem!Shep out there in video games, we are so under represented. ME does what most games don’t, and that’s portray a woman as a multifaceted character and not just porn for fanboys. Fem!Shep is like nothing woman have seen in gaming before: treated as next to no different as a man. someone who is strong but flawed, who isn’t a fanboy wet dream, she’s a character we can feel comfortable playing because she doesn’t have exadurated femiline movements. people/woman are allowed to hate Sheploo, because he stands for white men always being the default and there is a huge difference between hating M!Shep and Fem!Shep and it is usually sexism that causes it. you’re young and i doubt you’ve seen how insidious sexism is, but it’s there and we can hate on Sheploo for being the defult where a strong woman isn’t i’m not attacking you, but it’s just some food for thought.]} Hahahah no I definitely understand sexism is a terrible ugly thing and it’s very prominent in the video game industry, I’ll give you that. I appreciate that femshep is given a chance to shine as a strong woman who doesn’t need super feminine or sexualized qualities to validate her as a character.  But calling Sheploo a basic male hero of every other game ever is totally wrong. If we’re talking about the heroic characteristics that makes Shepard (of either gender) admirable, they are the same. Same actions. Same resilience. Same drive, same heroic attitude, same soft spots for LIs, same bravery. Same Commander. It is what it is.  The fact that people think femshep is better than Sheploo because she does all that and is a woman too is sexist in itself. Not sexist in the typical negative way, but sexist in saying that a woman is better suited to save the world because she’s a woman. No. Commander Shepard is suited to save the galaxy and beyond because he/she is Commander Shepard, first human Spectre, Savior of the Citadel, defeater of the Collectors, destroyer of the Reapers. No matter which gender Shepard is, s/he is a hero. Just because femshep is a woman, it doesn’t make her better.  Also, Sheploo’s definitely white but I’ve always seen him as a bunch of nationalities… He’s not a pasty white guy. I don’t think it has to do with race. It’s just who he is? idk if you don’t like it then make a custom Shepard. idgi why does that have to come into this, default femshep is white too.  There’s a default femshep too. Don’t just act like Sheploo’s the only one. I mean yes, he’s the “posterboy” for the series, but there’s nothing wrong with that. Femshep definitely got a lot more attention for the ME3 publicity.  (none of this is an attack either. just a counterpoint :) Yes, they are the same character, just opposite sex - but the confessor has a very valid point. There are other flawed heros out there, available for men (and women) to play and very few to NONE flawed female heroes to play who are not blatantly hyper sexualized. The thing that makes femshep UNIQUE is that she wasn’t written differently from male shep, there for she is simply SHEPARD.  Not a hot pants cleavage bearing fanboy’s version of a female hero. I don’t think you grasp how hard it is to find a female hero, like Shepard, that isn’t all tits and barely any clothing.. and sadly enough, Samara, Miranda and Jack are both dressed like whore-warriors in ME2 which is suppose to be perceived as ‘strong’ but in is absolutely ridiculous.  If I had a choice? I’d rather be Sarah Conner, Ellen Ripley or Fem Shep than Lara Croft, Black Widow or Wonder Woman any day of the week..

lt-alenko:

alanashepardvasnormandy:

lt-alenko:

Okay, no.

It’s wonderful that femshep is a strong female character, I love it. I do. 

But Commander Shepard is Commander Shepard. They’re the SAME PERSON. Same lines, same actions, same feelings, same EVERYTHING. The only difference is their appearance and their LI options. Seriously? Sheploo’s the “basic male hero of every other game” to you simply because he’s a man. That’s just as bad as feeling like femshep is a lesser character because she’s a female. Please.

{[yes but no. sexism is way worse toward woman than it will ever be to men. it’s no where near as worse. it stands for more than just video games here.

they may be the same person, but there are so very few woman like Fem!Shep out there in video games, we are so under represented. ME does what most games don’t, and that’s portray a woman as a multifaceted character and not just porn for fanboys.

Fem!Shep is like nothing woman have seen in gaming before: treated as next to no different as a man. someone who is strong but flawed, who isn’t a fanboy wet dream, she’s a character we can feel comfortable playing because she doesn’t have exadurated femiline movements.

people/woman are allowed to hate Sheploo, because he stands for white men always being the default and there is a huge difference between hating M!Shep and Fem!Shep and it is usually sexism that causes it. you’re young and i doubt you’ve seen how insidious sexism is, but it’s there and we can hate on Sheploo for being the defult where a strong woman isn’t

i’m not attacking you, but it’s just some food for thought.]}

Hahahah no I definitely understand sexism is a terrible ugly thing and it’s very prominent in the video game industry, I’ll give you that. I appreciate that femshep is given a chance to shine as a strong woman who doesn’t need super feminine or sexualized qualities to validate her as a character. 

But calling Sheploo a basic male hero of every other game ever is totally wrong. If we’re talking about the heroic characteristics that makes Shepard (of either gender) admirable, they are the same. Same actions. Same resilience. Same drive, same heroic attitude, same soft spots for LIs, same bravery. Same Commander. It is what it is. 

The fact that people think femshep is better than Sheploo because she does all that and is a woman too is sexist in itself. Not sexist in the typical negative way, but sexist in saying that a woman is better suited to save the world because she’s a woman. No. Commander Shepard is suited to save the galaxy and beyond because he/she is Commander Shepard, first human Spectre, Savior of the Citadel, defeater of the Collectors, destroyer of the Reapers. No matter which gender Shepard is, s/he is a hero. Just because femshep is a woman, it doesn’t make her better. 

Also, Sheploo’s definitely white but I’ve always seen him as a bunch of nationalities… He’s not a pasty white guy. I don’t think it has to do with race. It’s just who he is? idk if you don’t like it then make a custom Shepard. idgi why does that have to come into this, default femshep is white too. 

There’s a default femshep too. Don’t just act like Sheploo’s the only one. I mean yes, he’s the “posterboy” for the series, but there’s nothing wrong with that. Femshep definitely got a lot more attention for the ME3 publicity. 

(none of this is an attack either. just a counterpoint :)

Yes, they are the same character, just opposite sex - but the confessor has a very valid point. There are other flawed heros out there, available for men (and women) to play and very few to NONE flawed female heroes to play who are not blatantly hyper sexualized.

The thing that makes femshep UNIQUE is that she wasn’t written differently from male shep, there for she is simply SHEPARD.  Not a hot pants cleavage bearing fanboy’s version of a female hero.

I don’t think you grasp how hard it is to find a female hero, like Shepard, that isn’t all tits and barely any clothing.. and sadly enough, Samara, Miranda and Jack are both dressed like whore-warriors in ME2 which is suppose to be perceived as ‘strong’ but in is absolutely ridiculous. 

If I had a choice? I’d rather be Sarah Conner, Ellen Ripley or Fem Shep than Lara Croft, Black Widow or Wonder Woman any day of the week..

(via tenthstreetreds)

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powerpussysays: mimi-memek0: I really like the way this is phrased. It’s so easy for people to dismiss “rape jokes” when they’re referred to as “rape jokes” because it makes rape sound like nothing more than a subject, like there aren’t even any people involved.  “Joke about raping someone” sounds so much more accurate to what people do when they make a “rape joke.” You’re not just joking about some sort of comedic subject. You are joking about one of the most horrific experiences that can happen to someone. More people need to realise this. ^ word.

powerpussysays:

mimi-memek0:

I really like the way this is phrased. It’s so easy for people to dismiss “rape jokes” when they’re referred to as “rape jokes” because it makes rape sound like nothing more than a subject, like there aren’t even any people involved. 

“Joke about raping someone” sounds so much more accurate to what people do when they make a “rape joke.” You’re not just joking about some sort of comedic subject. You are joking about one of the most horrific experiences that can happen to someone.

More people need to realise this.

^ word.

(via lywinis)

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Essentially, the idea of a “slut” is a myth told to women to keep them in their place. Just as Santa will not actually bring you coal on Christmas if you break a few of the house rules, you will not actually turn into an intrinsically tainted, unpalatable creature if you break one of society’s rules and have sex with one too many men. The word “slut” isn’t a criticism for having too much sex necessarily, but for being a woman: a real, living, breathing woman with quirks, foibles, normal sexual feelings, and personality; and failing to live up to the societal ideal for a woman: the passive, pliable, perpetually innocent, and sexually available Barbie doll.
The Slut Myth  (via ceedling)

(via lywinis)

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All Is Not Lost: whoneedsfeminism: I need feminism because no matter how many comics,... →

whoneedsfeminism:

I need feminism because no matter how many comics, rpgs, Sci-fi shows, fantasy books, or video games I enjoy, I will never be fully accepted into Nerd Culture.

Any complaint I have about female characters and their unfair treatment in these mediums will be disregarded….

As an older geek woman, all I have to say is:

Use your voice. Never be silent and just accept anything. World is changing more and more every year - I used to be the only girl at the comic book store, the only one playing RPG’s or video games and it was hard. Back then, boys didn’t know whether to treat me like a leper or a unicorn.

To be among so many women that love sci-fi, who write, draw and discuss it, who fangirl like mad is awesome. 

Feminism isn’t a dirty word. We’re not a bunch of crazy bra burning hippies, either… we simply want equality, and the ability to play our games, love our characters’s friends and companions and kick some ass along the way, whether it’s as the Champion, the Warden or Commander Shepard.

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