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Tag Archives: Miranda Devine wouldn’t know her arse from her elbow re

October 17, 2008 Devine bullshit flows like a river

[This post follows my More Devine Bullshit post]

Miranda Devine is at it again, in her one man band that plays in a never ending cycle on automatic repeat such hits as “The Loonie Lefties”, “Policitical Correctness Gone Mad Mad Mad” and “Feminists Should Be Shot I Hate Those Rabid Communist Babyeating Bitches With A Passion Even Though I Don’t Seem To Have Ever Met One”.

Again it’s about feminists not liking Sarah Palin. This time we’re VIOLENT, UNSAFE, DERANGED, PSYCHOPATHIC…why? Well cos always-a-little-odd attention seeking celebrities have spoken out against Palin.

Sandra Bernhardt (a comedian, I have no idea of her status as a card carrying member of DA FEMINISM or otherwise) is alleged to have made a gang rape comment. Ok, holy shit. Bernhardt says “did not”, Devine says “did so”. I say “Huh???”. Since when did Bernhardt speak for feminists?

Even if she calls herself a feminist, even if she’s spent years acting out feminist principles, while feminists are not of one mind, I can safely say that Feminism Does Not Find Gang Rape Funny. Ever. So maybe she said it maybe she didn’t. But a/ does SHE say she’s a feminist, b/ does she perhaps have some problems as the quote in Devine’s piece indicates, c/ if she said it does that reflect on feminism in any way since feminists continually remind people that no joke/analogy around rape is ok. Um…next?

Oh, right Pamela Anderson. I could see why you’d hit us hard with that one, she’s been SUCH a champion of women’s rights, such a model to our daughters of the power of women and a thorn in the side of patriarchy. She may be a lovely and intelligent human being for all I know, but seriously? On WHAT grounds can you with a straight face say PAMELA ANDERSON, star of Baywatch, owner of spectacularly and unselfconsciously FAKE FAKE FAKE breasts, constant seeker of the patriarchal spotlight and approval, returning to her deadbeat violent prick of a husband, making strange, unpredictable and vapid remarks to anyone who will listen and who has found her high horse in regards to vegetarianism and losing her shit when encountering a random chicken eater is someone whose views feminists should be held accountable for? NEXT.

Lindsay Lohan? Sporadically talented teenage actress battling the pressures of fame and substance abuse, erratic behaviour, completely unpredictable, and yes, I hear she has a blog with a vague (if somewhat *eclectic* and confused approach to being political and left wing) political bent…but really? Miranda? You’re using HER as an example because she’s got a girlfriend now, let’s be honest. Is that not a little…presumptive? She enjoys sex with a woman, therefore all feminists everywhere back her every viewpoint, her entire world view?

Madonna, of the Used To Be Transgressive, Now Mostly Just Rich and Religious fame…

Cathy Lette, who has her moments, but is fond of recycling her own tortured puns…I think if Devine did the slightest homework she’d find that Lette has used the “Kept her bra and burnt her brain” trope about a billion times before. And it’s hardly the sexual violence she accuses feminists of is it?

Naomi Wolf…whatever. She’s written some stuff. I haven’t bothered reading much of it. Although she’s a published author who identifies as a feminist, you’ll find there are many – she’s still not Our Leader.And where’s the example of this alleged sexual violence as coming from Wolf anyway?

OK, I had not heard of VPILP (VP I’d like to Punch) before, which, though in poor taste is a piss-take of VPILF (VP I’d like to Fuck) which men had up within hours of Palin’s nomination.Apparently “these women” (feminists) think nothing of calling Palin VPILP. No citation there Miranda…not sure WHO SAID IT, WHO SUPPORTED it, but you just can’t tar us all with that when you don’t so much as attribute that quote to anyone.

Miranda really loses her shit in the last couple of paras on the first page, and the first couple on the second. They’re totally not worth engaging in.

But this:

There is much more than high school angst to Palin hatred. Her ideology is 180 degrees wrong – evangelical Christian, hunting, oil-drilling and, most important of all, anti-abortion.

My GOOD GOD. Devine wrote a sentence where she got the fucking point. Well she wrote a sentence that reflected reality anyway, while still *wildly missing the point since she seems to think that feminists having a problem with her ideology is damning condemnation*. Many feminists have a problem with an evangelical Christian woman who is vehemently anti-abortion. I have a problem with anti-abortion evangelical Christians wanting to run the world according to their religious beleifs, and denying women and girls the right to choose when they will reproduce. YES MIRANDA, it IS more than high school angst. It is EXACTLY that her ideology is 180 degrees wrong. That’s why I don’t support her just cause we both have mammary glands.

My GOD how DO I live with myself?

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September 4, 2008 More Devine Bullshit

Oh lookout! Miranda Devine, hard hitting investigative journalist is on the trail of the nasty feminists.

OH NO!!! Feminists do not blindly and uncritically support Sarah Palin as the Republican nominee for Vice Presidency. And she is a WOMAN! How DARE they be such utter hyprocrites!

She attributes the “excoriation” of Palin over this last week to feminists: this despite the fact that feminists have been keeping a strict eye on the instances of sexism directed against Palin, objecting strenuously and articulately to her being reduced to a VPILF, to her being ripped apart and assessed over her family choices/sex life/vicious personal rumours, in fact to anything directed against her that is not a fair discussion of the issues she supports/issues relevant to her potential role as VP:

Feminists stand up for Palin’s rights to be treated as a real life, actual candidate to be taken seriously (and boy is she taken seriously, her politics are disturbing):

Here, here and here at the Australian feminist blog Hoyden About Town

Here, here, here, here,here, and here at Shakesville. That’s right six times on this blog, three on Hoyden’s. (Wait, more sexism watches at Shakesville here, and here).

This is from just two feminist sites, in what – a week? 

In my readings of feminist sites (I think I’ve linked to about six or seven sites in all in this post) I have not come across one ‘excoriating’ Palin, or having a go at her on the basis of her personal life.

Disagreeing with her and finding her stance on important issues repellent and cause for grave concern does not equal excoriation. The other issues facing Palin that Devine raises (and accuses feminists of perpetrating) – the rumours over the pregnancies, the affairs, claims she *breaths fire*  are not, generally speaking coming from feminists but from mainstream, gossip peddling ‘news’ publications, like Miranda’s own SMH which has been steadily running front page gossip articles about Palin over the last few days.

Devine argues that Palin’s reaction to baby Trig being perfect in her eyes should be cause for applause, that her management of her family and professional roles should be admired, that she is personally fascinating being a moose-hunting mamma, that she’s about to break the glass ceiliing. She manages to imply that it is feminists who want to deny her her choices in life, the feminists who ask if a mommy really should be allowed such a time consuming job, the feminists leading the attacks over her personal life, the feminists starting rumours. Devine says feminists assert without evidence that Palin is a homophobic anti-choicer, but the one bit of ‘evidence’  she uses to ground these claims that it is feminists doing all this is a quote. From the New York Times…I’d link you to that article, but Devine didn’t bother so I can’t. I don’t know what the article was, but a quick headsup Miranda: one NYT quote (even *if* written by an actual feminist) does not sum up feminists positions on and problems with Palin. Please see the links above and below. (Oddly enough these both manage to defend her right to be treated as a candidate, and not to be disrespected and annihilated by rumour, and simultaneously to point out issues with her politics! Feminists managing to not be one dimensional! Who’d a thunk it?)

Basically it’s the usual codswallop from Miranda, but you know, for real! It’s the mainstream media in fact going to town on Palin’s personal life, it’s the mainstream media asking if a mommy should be allowed a big job like this, the mainstream media who disrespect her choices – as to the feminists, I’d argue the position is: It’s great for Palin to have so many choices – it’s a shame she wants to deny life choices to others. And *that’s* what it’s all about Miranda.

So for feminist/left wing discussions of the *actual* opposition to/issues with Palin (AND for more writing about the frustration over the rumours/discussions of Palin’s personal life/love life/family life) coming from feminists/the left more generally, see posts and comment threads here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here*, a great collection of links here, here, here (that one’s a Times article)…ok, you get the point right? Cos I’m going crosseyed. The point is there are many many feminist/left wing posts on the valid concerns over Sarah Palin’s politics, and the prospect of her being the Vice President. So far not *one* of them has been about “I’m just not sure a *mommy* should be VP” or based on the rumours.

[Edited to note that I will add more links as I come across them…the thing is they’re multiplying extremely quickly, so if you follow the links, you’re likely to come across links on those links, and so on…enjoy. ALSO!! It has been noted over at Hoyden that while the feminists are still saying “OFF LIMITS” to bagging Palin out over personal life stuff, that there are quite a number of ‘progressive male’ bloggers doing so. So I need to add that caveat to my proclamation that the feminists and the left more generally have steered clear of this shit.]

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