Strange reactions to sex on this forum

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AOTB

18-07-2014

Originally Posted by BlackberryGirl:
“NP, I'm sure it won't be the last time I assassinate a thread As for spelling errors, I do try to correct blindingly obvious mistakes, but I don't think we should all be too formal - it undermines the relaxed conversational nature of internet discussion. Where poor syntax or spelling genuinely undermine the effectiveness of communication, then it's worth treating more seriously IMO.”

Don't get me wrong re spelling etc I never correct other people- I am more a critic of myself if ever I spot it and it's too late to amend!

As for assassinating a thread, I am a certified 'thread killer' so may rival you for the, er 'crown'.

Originally Posted by An Thropologist:
“Your posts are brilliant Blackberry girl as are AOTB's and some others. One of the best threads of the season in my opinion. But next time when you decide to have a good meaty discussion would you check I am going to be home and available to join in please. Pretty please? ”

I don't want to turn this into some kind mutual appreciation thread but thank you

, the feeling is reciprocated.

I totally agree re this thread, I've genuinely enjoyed it and it's been refreshing to have such a debate (esp the manner of the debate and the in depth replies I've had) without it getting messy or petty like so may other threads can do. Really.

Originally Posted by Flight815-23D:
“Watch the movie. It gets across the main ideas, though they gave it a pollyanna ending instead of stopping where the book stops (the last scene isn't in the book).”

I may well check it out!

BlackberryGirl

18-07-2014

Originally Posted by AOTB:
“I may well check it out!”

I seem to remember the film being quite good too.
Otherwise, here are some comments from the online SparkNotes which may be pertinent:

In a totalitarian state, Atwood suggests, people will endure oppression willingly as long as they receive some slight amount of power or freedom. Offred remembers her mother saying that it is “truly amazing, what people can get used to, as long as there are a few compensations.” ....

Women in general support Gilead’s existence by willingly participating in it, serving as agents of the totalitarian state. While a woman like Serena Joy has no power in the world of men, she exercises authority within her own household and seems to delight in her tyranny over Offred. She jealously guards what little power she has and wields it eagerly. In a similar way, the women known as Aunts, especially Aunt Lydia, act as willing agents of the Gileadean state. They indoctrinate other women into the ruling ideology, keep a close eye out for rebellion, and generally serve the same function for Gilead that the Jewish police did under Nazi rule.

Cythna

18-07-2014

Originally Posted by elizadooolittle:
“I believe the shots I saw on here yesterday had no bottoms either ”

I saw those pics yesterday, and she did have bottoms on, just very small bottoms. There was one where she may not have had knickers on, but the angles were wrong to be sure, so I'd guess that as she had her pants on in all the others, they were there for that one too

BlackberryGirl

18-07-2014

Eek, I always feel

when I get nice comments

Speak-Softly

18-07-2014

Originally Posted by BlackberryGirl:
“As a group we self-police exceedingly well, in ALL areas of life where a damning opinion can be expressed. I don't think it necessarily has as much to do with sexuality in particular as with ensuring everything stays the way it 'should be' - or in other words, stable, secure, safe - ie: 'the same.'

That cartoon you posted put it well. Women are critical of the way, other women raise their children. The way their homes look; how tidy, neat or 'new' they are. They are critical of how other women dress and how fat or thin they are. Women are critical of other women using female charms to further their career. Women are critical of female bosses being too 'masculine.'

We have multiple generations of sublimated self-hatred to work with, and now we do a great job at leaving the men to run around starting wars and killing and dying (some of them anyway), while by contrast we ensure that the really important things are maintained; like a sparkling kitchen sink, and ostracising that disgusting loose mother (so sad for the children.)

It's hard for me to give an answer 'from a female perspective' because when I reflect, I can't find those internalised critical voices that so many women must suffer from. Lucky me I think. My feelings about other women are the same as they are for all other people; what other people do for fun, so long as they're not actively harming someone else, is their own damn business and none of mine.

It's a pretty simple principle I apply to most situations in life. Apart from something like Big Brother where we are specifically being invited to damn or praise. Even then I'd be surprised if I were to look back at my posts and find anything seriously critical of another woman's sexual behaviour, that's not to say that I wouldn't find anything like that. We are all full of contradictions.

As an aside, did you ever read 'The Handmaid's Tale'? It's a really great description of women, trapped in an oppressive religious regime, being brainwashed into self-hating and self-policing. And the power issues at play. It's a fantasy, but not so far from the truth maybe.”

We have far more generations of people living in far more primitive conditions where what you are criticising women for was vital for survival.

You can't dismiss the lack of humans having a "mating season" for instance.

Somewhere along the line, having women able to suppress outward signs that they were fertile became an evolutionary advantage.

But it comes at a cost, needing men around at all times, men having to believe that the offspring they were supporting were their own.

One man not being able to control, support or breed enough with multiple females.

Women criticising women originates from hundreds of thousands of years of it being vital to the survival of their own offspring.

I don't think anything that has happened over the last several thousands of years has had any effect yet.

BlackberryGirl

18-07-2014

Originally Posted by Speak-Softly:
“We have far more generations of people living in far more primitive conditions where what you are criticising women for was vital for survival.

You can't dismiss the lack of humans having a "mating season" for instance.

Somewhere along the line, having women able to suppress outward signs that they were fertile became an evolutionary advantage.

But it comes at a cost, needing men around at all times, men having to believe that the offspring they were supporting were their own.

One man not being able to control, support or breed enough with multiple females.

Women criticising women originates from hundreds of thousands of years of it being vital to the survival of their own offspring.

I don't think anything that has happened over the last several thousands of years has had any effect yet.”

There may indeed be a biological imperative to female on female carping. I can't really offer anything other than I've never read anything in depth about human evolution and the way it currently impacts on relations between the sexes, as such I can't offer any informed response.

My post above was purely opinion based. I do wonder however how your theory works when compared to those sexually liberated cultures untouched by the loving hand of Christianity (and its brother religions.)

Do you, or anyone else for that matter, have any solid reading suggestions for the topics currently being discussed. Though I have to confess I'm awfully useless with big grey books with white type on the cover..

SunnySunshine

18-07-2014

Originally Posted by eva_prior:
“Criminal Psychologists have actually discovered that there is a physiological basis for the question that you ask. There is a region of the brain that is responsible for empathy with others. Some people have a very small/nil said region. Interestingly, the studies found that prisoners were more likely to have smaller/nil regions cf. non-prisoners.”

Ooh, that is interesting. Thank you. *Googles*

jd spoonworthy

18-07-2014

A fascinating discussion - but you're thinking that women are raised in a vacuum. Men and women share the same cultural biases of their society. Some women are sexist and some men are sexist.

Why is sexism tolerated at all by either sex?

Flight815-23D

18-07-2014

Originally Posted by jd spoonworthy:
“A fascinating discussion - but you're thinking that women are raised in a vacuum. Men and women share the same cultural biases of their society. Some women are sexist and some men are sexist.

Why is sexism tolerated at all by either sex?”

Because people don't like to admit they want it when it works to their advantage. This is a case going on in Connecticut right now:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=elnENHrliKc

Teenager flying a rc with a gopro getting very distant landscape shots of a public beach (you can see the footage he was shooting in the corner of the video). Woman decides he MUST be using it to take pictures of women in swimsuits. Even if he had been, that is perfectly legal, because it's a public beach. She calls 911 and reports him as being some kind of perv, yells at him to stop, tries messing with his controls, then beats the living snot out of him. Fortunately for him he didn't hit back and he hit record on his iphone when she started getting in his face. He has the entire assault on video, which is the only reason she was arrested.

Despite being a grown woman attacking a minor, she was charged with a misdemeanor, and the judge has recommended she get a special probation where she serves 0 time, 0 community service, no repercussions at all, and as long as she doesn't get in trouble with the law again, no criminal record.

If that had been a 20-something year old man who forced a teenage girl down on the beach, beat her, stuck his hands in her mouth, and tore her shirt off, he'd be in prison as a felon. The woman who committed the assault is a well known tumblr feminism activist.

AOTB

18-07-2014

Originally Posted by BlackberryGirl:
“I seem to remember the film being quite good too.
Otherwise, here are some comments from the online SparkNotes which may be pertinent:

In a totalitarian state, Atwood suggests, people will endure oppression willingly as long as they receive some slight amount of power or freedom. Offred remembers her mother saying that it is “truly amazing, what people can get used to, as long as there are a few compensations.” ....

Women in general support Gilead’s existence by willingly participating in it, serving as agents of the totalitarian state. While a woman like Serena Joy has no power in the world of men, she exercises authority within her own household and seems to delight in her tyranny over Offred. She jealously guards what little power she has and wields it eagerly. In a similar way, the women known as Aunts, especially Aunt Lydia, act as willing agents of the Gileadean state. They indoctrinate other women into the ruling ideology, keep a close eye out for rebellion, and generally serve the same function for Gilead that the Jewish police did under Nazi rule.”

Yeah but are there any explosions or car chases in it? How about Joe Pesci 'you think I'm funny' psycho pen stabbing type characters?

I jest of course. Thanks for he above. This actually does sound quite interesting.

Flight815-23D

18-07-2014

Originally Posted by AOTB:
“Yeah but are there any explosions or car chases in it? How about Joe Pesci 'you think I'm funny' psycho pen stabbing type characters?

I jest of course. Thanks for he above. This actually does sound quite interesting. ”

Actually, there are a few explosions - the whole thing takes place during a war, and the home the main character is assigned to belongs to the leader of the military.

AOTB

18-07-2014

Originally Posted by Flight815-23D:
“Actually, there are a few explosions - the whole thing takes place during a war, and the home the main character is assigned to belongs to the leader of the military.”

What really? Ha, ok this actually does sound even better now!

I may well downloa... er I mean definitely 100% legally purchase this film to watch at some point.. although the lure of the sun and the pub may well prevail for now..!

bbcrzy

18-07-2014

Originally Posted by bluefb:
“Danielle works as a stripper and sex chat girl and lies about it, condemning that sort of behaviour in others, and she's a-okay.

Kimberly and Steven have sex and sex games on camera in a room full of people and they're a-okay.

Biannca flashes her boobs and (shock, horror) makes crude jokes about sex and she's Satan incarnate.

”

yes you are confused. Danielle has worked WHERE as a stripper?? that is a job where women strip to music.

also PROVE that Danielle talked sex with anyone- where are the transcripts?

anyways, I did not read all the four pages of comments because sexual ideas are part of culture and religion and how a person is raised. IF 50 people all commented then chances are there would be 50 different views based on our Background and how our parents raised us.

Aimee

18-07-2014

We're British dah'link!

We like sex, but under the covers..

and NO we don't think that Danielle is a-ok.

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