Sunday, June 06, 2010

New Staggers Blogger Staggers in First Week

I think the New Statesman may be regretting its decision to hire a new blogger, Laurie Penny, who also writes the Penny Red blog. Today she posted a blogpost on the NS site which was in about the worst possible taste bearing in mind the events in Cumbria. Within an hour of it appearing, the NS web people pulled it, although the stub still appears. I won't reprint the whole thing, but what kind blogger thinks it OK to write this sort of crap at this particular time?

As a morose-looking sort of person, I regularly get instructed to smile by strange men in the street, and without wishing to criticise men’s indisputable right to pass public judgement on absolutely any woman’s appearance and demeanour, after a hard day too much of that sort of thing makes even the gentlest soul long to execute the scumbags with a great big gun.

Now there’s a videogame that lets you play out that fantasy.

The makers of Hey Baby have created an urban street simulation from the point of view of a woman walking home in the evening. As you shoot badly animated harassers to tiny, twitching pieces, headstones appear displaying their obnoxious comments. It’s not big and it’s not clever, but it is cathartic...

“It’s definitely not feminist to fantasise about shooting men,” said Ellie Levenson, author of The Noughtie Girl’s Guide to Feminism, “although I can imagine it might be quite satisfying sometimes.”

"The game isn’t about mowing down men. It’s about male privilege, and how male privilege feels," said author and games critic Kieron Gillan. "

What if women, too, had bad thoughts and private daydreams too transgressive for polite society? What if we wanted to take bloody revenge on our oppressors? What if we wanted money, status and power? What if we wanted to create fear and havoc? What if we wanted to rule the world?
I have to admit that I have never been able to relate to the extreme feminist mindset - there's a surprise for you. And this sort of writing makes me glad. It seems rather sick to me.

UPDATE: She has rewritten the post to take account of the "insensitive" nature of the original. Good. Laurie Penny is a talented writer and I often enjoy her blogposts, but I think she will admit she went too far with this. I am sure she will do very well on the NS blog in the long term.

23 comments:

Unknown said...

Political Correctness gone mad if you ask me...

Bill Quango MP said...

I said on the day of the shooting some one will blame it on videogames.
If Derek Bird had an Xbox or a Wii then expect Daily Maily hysteria in a few days time.

Ross said...

Extreme feminism is an excuse for self pity in over priviliged narcissists who need to justify their incessant whinging.

Unknown said...

Sick.

no longer anonymous said...

Her style of writing involves the use of stupid and controversial statements designed to shock and outrage. It's probably a form of attention seeking or a childish way of trying to annoy "the patriarchy".

Best thing you can do is ignore her.

simon said...

I'm not very impressed by the 'at this particular time' argument.

Do we seriously think that the suffering of the poor relatives of the Cumbrian shootings will be increased because of an obscure blog post on the New Statesman? Isn't this all just pointless handwringing?

It's not a particular well written or well argued post but feeble of the NS to pull it, I think.

James Cooper said...

I don't see the outrage... about half the videogames around today are based on shooting people in some form or other - no-one's going to stop discussing them just because of what's happened in Cumbria.

Unknown said...

My experience with some men who moan about feminism is that they tend to be the ones who think women should be at their disposal.

Billy Blofeld said...

This article seems pretty tame to me. In fact it is quite dull.

Nope - I'm not offended.

Salmondnet said...

"What if we wanted to rule the world?". Surely it is a given that they do.

Roger Thornhill said...

male privilege bad
female privilege good

as in "two legs bad"

wild said...

"As a morose-looking sort of person, I regularly get instructed to smile by strange men...[it] makes [me]..long to execute the scumbags with a great big gun. Now...a videogame...let's you play out that fantasy...What if women...[have]..private daydreams too transgressive for polite society? What if we wanted to take bloody revenge on our oppressors? What if we wanted money, status and power? What if we wanted to create fear and havoc? What if we wanted to rule the world?"

This is bog standard Leftist hate speak.

The word "men" can be replaced with "Monarchists" "Aristocrats" "Bourgeise" "Capitalist" "Catholic" "Christians" "Slav" "Jews" "Imperialists" "Kulacks" "Fascists" "Intellectuals" "Racists" "Homophobes" "Elitists" or "Tories" et al et al depending on the context, but the thought process is aways the same.

Leftists are sad envious hate filled people who are best avoided. Needless to add (as she adds at the end) they crave political power.

Mick Turatian said...

As a morose-looking sort of person, I regularly get instructed to smile by strange men.

I think that's rather sweet on the part of the "strange men". It could be her inability to glimpse that, that makes her a morose-looking sort of person.

Oh for a computer game where you get points for getting a smile out of leftist feminist humourless munters?

Cinnamon Marine said...

"I think that's rather sweet on the part of the "strange men"."

It really, really isn't.

I would love for one week, just one week, to go by where I didn't get cat-called, or wolf-whistled, or have some random truck driver beeping his horn at me, but at this point I know it's likely to be years before that crap stops. It's not flattering, it's not pleasant, it's not "being nice" - it's downright offensive and yes, some days I would like to turn round and ram the teeth of a cat-caller down his throat. But apparently not appreciating being regarded as a piece of meat for some random guy's entertainment makes me an "extreme feminist"? Wrong - it makes the guy treating me in that disrespectful manner a complete arsehole.

Penny Red said...

Actually Iain, the post was pulled so I could put in some context about the Cumbria shootings, and it's now up again, as you'll see: http://www.newstatesman.com/blogs/laurie-penny/2010/06/hey-baby-real-world-8217-8220

Feminist dialectic isn't really designed to appeal to Tories. But I wonder if trying to sabotage mu blogging might have less to do with principle and more to do with the fact that I made the Orwell shortlist and you only made the longlist? Perish the thought that this site is ever petty...

wild said...

"apparently not appreciating being regarded as a piece of meat..makes me an "extreme feminist"?

You are a piece of meat so you might as well get used to it. Your attack on the Whoarrrr brigade would have more weight if so many of your sex did not spend such a large proportion of their life obsessing about trying to look sexually attractive to the opposite sex - the right shoes the right outfit the right make-up the right hairstyle the right weight the right age the right tan the right breat size the right......As for people being impolite, well it happens. I once opened a door for a member of the opposite sex once and she stopped just short of spitting in my face in disgust. I must try to keep up-to-date with your demands - this week month year decade. Never mind, keep crossing off the days on the calender, you will eventually be in the ground at peace.

wild said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Mr Yithy said...

Iain's blog is fun and informative and Penny has a catchy turn of phrase and a entertainingly fixated mind, but the idea that either of you is in any way providing a social service or bravely pursuing unpalatable truths (a la Nightjack) is risible.

Penny's cock-waving reminder of having made the short-list is absurd if the prize is to deserve its name.

wild said...

With my "Feminist dialectic...I made the Orwell shortlist"

It would take a heart of stone not to laugh.

Cinnamon Marine said...

wild would appear to be the sort of scum I was referring to.

Lauchlan McLean said...

With her attitude why was she not on a shortlist of Labour PCs. Still if Mrs Dromey spots her blog she may well invite her to stand in five years as an ideal candidate to try and join the sisterhood and help fill up the Opposition benches

wild said...

"wild would appear to be the sort of scum I was referring to."

*rolls eyes*

Unsworth said...

@ Cinamon Marine

Thought about wearing a burqa? Quite a practical piece of gear. No make-up or personal grooming required at all. Think of the savings.

And you assume quite a lot about male reactions to your appearance - and what they may be thinking. Is it possible they're trying to save your embarrasment by pointing out that your skirt is tucked into your knickers?

Still, if it is as you suggest, don't worry, it won't last much longer. You want 'respect'? Earn it.