Laur Laur the Challenger

Feminism. Social Justice. Latin American Affairs. Martial Arts. DIY. Hugs.

Suppose a man makes unwanted social advances to a woman in, let’s say, a restaurant or theatre, and she eventually has to tell him loudly or angrily to get lost. She is the one who will be perceived as rude, hostile, aggressive, and obnoxious. His verbal aggression and invasiveness are accepted and expected; her rudeness (or mere curtness) in getting rid of him is noticed and condemned. One of our great myths is that a “real lady” can and should handle any difficulty, defuse any assault, without ever raising her voice or losing her manners. Female rudeness or violence in resistance to male aggression has often been taken to prove that the woman was not a lady in the first place, and therefore deserved no respect from the aggressor or sympathy from others.

—D.A. Clarke, “A Woman With a Sword” (via ellielamothe)

(Source: wretchedoftheearth, via tinydragongina)

tinydragongina:

sweetdreamr:

chezamanda:

thenita:

carry-on-my-wayward-butt:

buggerygrips:

nagayeva:

Do we really have to take this?

A friend of mine was moving from her apartment. She asked me to look after some of her things. I agreed and not too long after she asked if her daughter Frances can come pick it up. I agreed and she came over with her boyfriend, who was also the father of her baby. I helped them carry the stuff down to the car, and during the whole visit exchanged possibly 10 words. 

Next day I received these texts. I had to created a fiancee I didn’t really have in order for him to stop.

I never told my friend what her daughter’s boyfriend did. Now they are expecting a second child, so as you all see, there was no break up. 

So Do we women really have to take this kind of attitude?

Do we have to invent things and people in order to be left alone.

I don’t want to have my titties banged.

I am not an easy lay.

I don’t deserve this.

Why do I go from being called “cute” “smart” and “pretty” in the beginning of the conversation, to “fatty” “bitch” and “ugly” in the end?

Reblog if you are against sexual harassment.

how do people like this actually exist what the fuck

boiling rage of one thousand white hot suns

Much nicer person than me. I would have published his name.

Jeez, what an insecure tool. He doesn’t deserve the courtesy of a polite answer.

If we could somehow manage to duplicate the speed with which a guy goes from ‘hey you’re sexy’ to ‘YOU FUCKING BITCH HOW DARE YOU  BE A PERSON AND SHIT WITH PREFERENCES AND STANDARDS LIKE ANYONE ELSE, DON’T YOU KNOW WOMEN ARE SUPPOSED TO BE POLITE AND ACCOMODATING AT ALL TIMES AND GRATEFUL FOR ALL MALE ATTENTION HOWEVER PRESUMPTUOUS OR DOUCHEY’, we’d probably beat the speed of light.

Funny how “I’m not interested” is never a good enough answer for these assholes, and any “reason” we might invent won’t be good enough either. Until we perhaps mention that we’re already in a relationship with another man. Then suddenly our boundaries deserve respect where they didn’t before, when it was only our clear and definitive “no” standing in the way.

i am. i am. i am.: (tw!) "I was Raped at Disney World and Nobody Cared"

feministdisney:

I couldn’t believe this when I read the headline. I would understand if it was difficult to handle a rape case that happened several weeks previously, but the way the company and its counselors shut her down and blamed her for it is absolutely disgusting…

boyqueen:

just a reminder 

if you think that “masculine things” can be “gender-neutral” but that “feminine things” cannot be “gender-neutral” you need to pause and think a bit harder.

(via bisexualstrawberry)

androphilia:

Muslim Women Against FEMEN

(via fuckyeahfeminists)

thelhw: alexandraerin: thelhw: alexandraerin: jadelyn: boycameron: indieintellectual: concerningmishas: I’M SORRY BUT THIS REALLY PISSED ME OFF AND I NEEDED TO VENT. So I liked this page last year for the shits and gigs, as you do. I found it funny, and let slide the few sexist posts. Only recently- and after I got a tumblr- did I really start to notice the abundance of rape, sexist and racist jokes appearing on my news feed. And it pissed me off. I said nothing, however, because what could I do? Send in a message to the page and get labelled a whore and a slut by the Admins as I’ve seen so many people do?  Then this motherfucking gem popped up. I usually don’t get involved in these sorts of things; if I do my comment gets lost more often than not and goes unnoticed. But I had to comment, I really had to. I thought my argument was valid and whole, and I was actually rather happy when he admin directly replied to my comment.  I narrowed down my five favourite games ever and posted them. Of course, I got beaten and labeled down once again.  When I asked for a rational clarification of his definitions of “casual” and “core” he did not reply. It was only when I directly insinuated the bias of his claim did I get a response.  “A feminist I see.  No arguments need to be made. Good luck with getting them eggs fertilized” Note the use of “feminist” as an insult. I have had my fair share of gender specific hate regarding gaming. I get told I am a fake and a bitch if I get a high score; I get told to “suck a dick because you are better at that, bitch” if I get a low score; I get told to “get back in the kitchen, slut” without any prompt at all, simply because I have a vagina.  I am beyond sick of this. I hate the fact that if a male who hypothetically plays a few hours of CoD can be easily called a gamer by the wider community but I if were to say that I was a level 34 on Skyrim I would immediately be called a fake geek girl, a casual gamer and a liar. I hate the fact that, even though 45% of gaming consumers are female, developers and publishers still believe that there is not a large enough demographic for female protagonists. I hate the fact that most women in video games are no more than sexulised objects in skimpy clothing. I hate the fact that I cannot enjoy a game without being labeled and branded because of the fact that I posses a vagina and not a penis. ~sorry about the long post clogging up your dash. I needed to vent~ Off-topic somewhat, but important. why this …since when is Gears “casual” gaming?  I thought big-hulking-power-armor-giant-gun-dude games were pretty much the definition of “real” gaming? PS: Anyone who’s going to get their panties in a wad over me wearing a gamer tee is nowhere near on a level where they get to call themselves my “peers”.  Y’all only wish you were that worthy. Looking at this guy’s list of “casual games”, I’m not sure what the heck he plays. Not FPSes, not MMOs… the only thing I can think is that he plays a lot of Madden or something. Notice there are no sports games in his list. Typical fake geek boy, horning in on a hobby he has no business pretending to be a part of. seriously, that entire fucking list is what pretty much every gamer I know (male or female) considers to be hardcore. Which is another thing that pisses me off, because why the fuck is FPS/MMO the end-all-be-all determinant of gamer cred, but that’s not the point of this post. Yeah, and the other thing is that it seems needlessly specific. Like, why Zelda and not Mario or Nintendo mascot franchises in general? My theory: this is based on specific conversations he had with specific women he sort of knows. Basically, it’s a circular definition where casual games are defined as any game a woman says she plays, because women only play casual games.  Word. The fact that icky girls have touched a game and gotten their girl cooties on it is what makes a game casual, not the actual content. Therefore all games are casual. Nobody is hardcore and he disappears in a puff of logic.

thelhw:

alexandraerin:

thelhw:

alexandraerin:

jadelyn:

boycameron:

indieintellectual:

concerningmishas:

I’M SORRY BUT THIS REALLY PISSED ME OFF AND I NEEDED TO VENT.

So I liked this page last year for the shits and gigs, as you do. I found it funny, and let slide the few sexist posts.

Only recently- and after I got a tumblr- did I really start to notice the abundance of rape, sexist and racist jokes appearing on my news feed. And it pissed me off.

I said nothing, however, because what could I do? Send in a message to the page and get labelled a whore and a slut by the Admins as I’ve seen so many people do? 

Then this motherfucking gem popped up.

I usually don’t get involved in these sorts of things; if I do my comment gets lost more often than not and goes unnoticed. But I had to comment, I really had to.

I thought my argument was valid and whole, and I was actually rather happy when he admin directly replied to my comment. 

I narrowed down my five favourite games ever and posted them.

Of course, I got beaten and labeled down once again. 

When I asked for a rational clarification of his definitions of “casual” and “core” he did not reply. It was only when I directly insinuated the bias of his claim did I get a response. 

“A feminist I see.  No arguments need to be made. Good luck with getting them eggs fertilized”

Note the use of “feminist” as an insult.

I have had my fair share of gender specific hate regarding gaming. I get told I am a fake and a bitch if I get a high score; I get told to “suck a dick because you are better at that, bitch” if I get a low score; I get told to “get back in the kitchen, slut” without any prompt at all, simply because I have a vagina. 

I am beyond sick of this. I hate the fact that if a male who hypothetically plays a few hours of CoD can be easily called a gamer by the wider community but I if were to say that I was a level 34 on Skyrim I would immediately be called a fake geek girl, a casual gamer and a liar.

I hate the fact that, even though 45% of gaming consumers are female, developers and publishers still believe that there is not a large enough demographic for female protagonists.

I hate the fact that most women in video games are no more than sexulised objects in skimpy clothing.

I hate the fact that I cannot enjoy a game without being labeled and branded because of the fact that I posses a vagina and not a penis.

~sorry about the long post clogging up your dash. I needed to vent~

Off-topic somewhat, but important.

why this

…since when is Gears “casual” gaming?  I thought big-hulking-power-armor-giant-gun-dude games were pretty much the definition of “real” gaming?

PS: Anyone who’s going to get their panties in a wad over me wearing a gamer tee is nowhere near on a level where they get to call themselves my “peers”.  Y’all only wish you were that worthy.

Looking at this guy’s list of “casual games”, I’m not sure what the heck he plays. Not FPSes, not MMOs… the only thing I can think is that he plays a lot of Madden or something. Notice there are no sports games in his list. Typical fake geek boy, horning in on a hobby he has no business pretending to be a part of.

seriously, that entire fucking list is what pretty much every gamer I know (male or female) considers to be hardcore. Which is another thing that pisses me off, because why the fuck is FPS/MMO the end-all-be-all determinant of gamer cred, but that’s not the point of this post.

Yeah, and the other thing is that it seems needlessly specific. Like, why Zelda and not Mario or Nintendo mascot franchises in general? My theory: this is based on specific conversations he had with specific women he sort of knows. Basically, it’s a circular definition where casual games are defined as any game a woman says she plays, because women only play casual games. 

Word. The fact that icky girls have touched a game and gotten their girl cooties on it is what makes a game casual, not the actual content. Therefore all games are casual. Nobody is hardcore and he disappears in a puff of logic.

(via wolvensnothere)

muffystopheles:

Things that are creepy:

  • Persistence after someone has said NO or STOP, or has made it clear they are not interested in your advances
  • Invalidating someone’s “no”
  • Only stopping your advances when somebody informs you they are taken (you are telling this person their “no” alone is not enough, which means you do not respect them)
  • Asking “why” when somebody rejects your advances
  • Asking “why not” when somebody refuses to give you their phone number

(via rapeculturerealities)

seppin: An Iranian channel ran a story about how a certain kind of martial arts is enjoying increasing popularity among Iranian women. This means that a) Iranian women have rights, b) Iranian women can access the public sphere, c) Iranian women participate in organized, public sports, and d) an Iranian government news channel has no problem with any of this. Faced with these facts, the Western media panicked: some news agencies resorted to the stereotype of Iranian women as veiled, militant fanatics; others opted for infantilizing portrayals of suffering women using martial arts as their only escape. Can you imagine any self-respecting Western reporter writing a story that explained, unprovoked, the popularity of karate among girls in suburban Los Angeles by citing America’s high rates of sexual assault? Additionally, few bothered to mention that recently it has been Western sports organizations that have prevented Iranian women from playing, for example in 2011 forcing the Iranian women’s soccer team to forfeit hope of reaching the Olympics because they wore sports hijabs on the field. Narratives of weak or militant Iranian women are not just dishonest; they also fuel a political narrative whereby Islamism is equated with backwardness and the ability of women to reconcile Islamic ideals with feminist goals is entirely obfuscated. Both Western conservatives and many secular feminists often participate in this obfuscation, effectively trying to either hide Iranian women’s successes in order to demonize Iran or by ignoring the ideologies of liberation they have formulated in order to preserve the status of secular feminism as the only path to women’s liberation. Read the entire article. You can follow ajammc on tumblr here. 

seppin:

An Iranian channel ran a story about how a certain kind of martial arts is enjoying increasing popularity among Iranian women. This means that a) Iranian women have rights, b) Iranian women can access the public sphere, c) Iranian women participate in organized, public sports, and d) an Iranian government news channel has no problem with any of this.

Faced with these facts, the Western media panicked: some news agencies resorted to the stereotype of Iranian women as veiled, militant fanatics; others opted for infantilizing portrayals of suffering women using martial arts as their only escape. Can you imagine any self-respecting Western reporter writing a story that explained, unprovoked, the popularity of karate among girls in suburban Los Angeles by citing America’s high rates of sexual assault? Additionally, few bothered to mention that recently it has been Western sports organizations that have prevented Iranian women from playing, for example in 2011 forcing the Iranian women’s soccer team to forfeit hope of reaching the Olympics because they wore sports hijabs on the field.

Narratives of weak or militant Iranian women are not just dishonest; they also fuel a political narrative whereby Islamism is equated with backwardness and the ability of women to reconcile Islamic ideals with feminist goals is entirely obfuscated. Both Western conservatives and many secular feminists often participate in this obfuscation, effectively trying to either hide Iranian women’s successes in order to demonize Iran or by ignoring the ideologies of liberation they have formulated in order to preserve the status of secular feminism as the only path to women’s liberation.

Read the entire article. You can follow ajammc on tumblr here. 

(via strangeharpy)

Police tell a different story. Miami-Dade Police Detective Alvaro Zabaleta said it was just after 11am when officers apparently saw Tremaine body slamming another teenager onto the sand. Police reports say they then realised that no fight was going on, but Detective Zabaleta told CBS Miami that Tremaine refused to take officers to his parents and they were forced to leave their ATV to detain him as he started to leave the beach area. According to the police report, Tremaine became combative and clenched his fist as police went to hold him. ‘He attempted to pull his arm away, stating, “Man, don’t touch me like I did something,”’ the report ways. Detective Zabaleta said Tremaine’s actions indicated he was ‘resisting officers’ and meant he had to be taken into custody. ‘Of course we have to neutralize the threat,’ said the detective. ‘When you have somebody resistant to them and pulling away and somebody clenching their fists and flailing their arms, that’s a threat.’

—

Moment police choke a 14-year-old with puppy after he gave them ‘dehumanizing stare’ | Mail Online

So…police openly admit they slammed on the ground, choked, arrested, and charged with resisting arrest a 14-year-old playing on a beach with his friend and a 6-week-old puppy doing absolutely nothing wrong, and we’re supposed to believe they were neutralizing a serious threat? A threat to what exactly? A reality where black children are allowed to play on a public beach and it not be a problem?

There is a petition you can sign here to have the charges dropped. I can’t believe they haven’t been dropped already.

(via robot-heart-politics)

(via jellyfishdirigible)

TW: Racism, sexism, anti-semitics. Are these horribly racist tweets from children of GOP members of Congress indicative of a larger problem? We say, yes

choosechoice:

On Thursday, BuzzFeed Washington, D.C., bureau chief John Stanton published a pair of articles calling out the sons of two separate Republican members of Congress for racist, anti-immigrant, anti-Semitic, sexist, and homophobic social media accounts….

Remember, no one is born racist, sexist, etc. They are raised that way, picking up the beliefs of those around them. It’s fairly telling that these kids feel that way.

(via tinydragongina)