A glorious return

It's been along time friends. I have neglected this blog for quite some time, but I have decided I will try to start maintaining and posting on the blog. There are many struggles that continue today, the plight of women, animals and all others who are oppressed. Today I won't be talking much about all of that. Today I am going to talk about myself for a little bit. Many things have changed in my life since I last posted anything on this blog. I still work at Mid City Grill, but instead of running the cash register I am a manager. It's probably the best manager job I've ever had, so I am pretty happy with that. I am no longer in school because I lost my financial aid. At first I was pretty bummed out but I have decided to keep spreading the messages I want to spread and to keep doing art. I'll eventually move from Johnson City so I can spread my art further and see who it touches, see who it reaches. I won't do it for glory or fame, I'll do it for me because that's what makes me happy. If you have a problem with that kind of attitude, maybe you aren't living the life you would like either. I'm seeing someone new who inspires me and challenges me in a positive way, so that's pretty awesome. I will probably keep posting on this blog things about my life, art, and opinions. I hope that everyone can adapt and even enjoy this shift in direction for the blog. It's a little change but everything in life changes and evolves into something else, may it be beautiful or ugly. Embrace it, the return.

3 stupid anti-veg t-shirts and why

I have actually seen people wearing these shirts with my own eyes. They are pretty ignorant, inconsiderate, and I'll explain to you why.\

This one is pretty stupid because it is designed to say, "Hey vegetarian! The food I eat desecrates your front lawn. The animals you want to protect are making a mess all over your lawn you idiot!"

Ironically most people who eat meat consume factory farmed animals. The meat from these animals actually has fecal matter in the meat due to the unsanitary process of how the meat is taken from the animals.
http://foodsafety.news21.com/2011/safety/inspection/feces  YUM!

This one is pretty ignorant for the fact that native Americans of the past would have seen factory farming as an abomination. On top of that, I would imagine that native Americans would have not seen the point or need to hunt in a society where meat is readily available, making modern day hunters the bad hunters. (hunting is better than supporting factory farming, but I don't often meet a hunter that only hunts. They seem to usually hunt and support factory farming.)

This shirt is just offensive and inconsiderate. If you are a follower of my blog then you already know that I don't even like PETA. With that being said the wearers of this shirt have no respect for others opinions or beliefs. Would you wear a shirt that says you are a racist, homophobic, or sexist? It's pretty much the same thing to us. Because oppression is oppression. A shirt designed to make veg people feel uncomfortable, and why? Just simply because we care about an injustice happening in the world. I know our shirts can be pretty extreme, but hey we are telling the truth. They are just trying to offend us and belittle our cause.

Don't let people wearing aggressive shirts get you down, just remember that they are just living in a state of ignorance. They could wake up one day, I did.

Gorilla Munch Commercial

Here at the Male Vegan Feminist, we decided to make our own commercial for the most RIDICULOUS and HILARIOUS cereal of all time, Gorilla Munch.

Enjoy!

The Problem with Gay Male Pornography

This essay is the next part of my research on g.m.p. Please watch the video posted previously before reading this essay!

The Problem with Gay Male Pornography

Introduction

            For decades anti-pornography feminist theorists have been articulating how pornography is problematic. A plethora of books, journals, and popular articles have been written concerning pornography and the harm that it causes in regards to women and men. These writings often analyze pornography through the lens of the heterosexual hominid being. Little is discussed when it comes to pornography that is produced for a gay audience; because of this one may believe that, unlike heterosexual pornography, gay pornography is unproblematic.

            Identifying as a feminist and student of women’s studies, I have been involved in many conversations on the topic of pornography. During these discussions it seems that gay pornography is never brought up for conversation. It almost appears that gay pornography receives a free pass when it comes to feminist analysis and there is an unspoken agreement that gay community is oppressed enough so just let them have their pornography. This train of thought is problematic because it stems from the socially constructed idea that members of the gay community are hyper sexualized—as if for some reason they need the pornography more than heterosexuals—as if it liberates them in some way. Pointing out problems in gay pornography seems taboo.

The focus of my personal research is to examine, reform, and redefine masculinity. My research has allowed me to discover not only how pornography is harmful to women but to men as well. When the subject of gay pornography comes to mind, I must ask the question: Is gay male pornography problematic and if so, how?

Understanding that there are many genres and types of gay pornography, I have decided to focus on the most popular form—mainstream gay male pornography. I chose to narrow my research to one genre and type because it is the most popular and financially successful, therefore affecting the most people. I also found that it would be difficult to examine lesbian pornography and its effect on lesbians because most lesbian pornography is made by men for men, with lesbian pornography made by lesbians for lesbians remaining at the bottom of the porn hierarchy.

I propose that gay male pornography is problematic. Gay male pornography provides a false portrayal of gay male sexuality, going as far as using straight actors in the majority of gay pornographic films. Gay male pornography provides a stereotypical image of what a man should look like while simultaneously enforcing heteronormative masculine behaviors and actions. Although women are absent, gay male pornography succeeds in enacting and enforcing a misogynistic view of all things feminine. Gay male pornography creates conflict in gay male relationships and may be responsible for the destruction of a gay male’s sexual selfhood. When you wrap all these “little” problems up and present them in one big package of gay male pornography, you end up with a big problem that needs to be addressed. Gay male pornography is problematic and its time that we lift the taboo of discussing and pointing out these problems.
The False Depiction

            Two rugged yet well groomed, perfectly chiseled, and stereotypically handsome men catch each other’s eyes. The camera pans up and the scenery changes from the bar to the bedroom. Suddenly the rugged yet well groomed, perfectly chiseled, and stereotypically handsome men are wildly making out. Abruptly they are engaged in sexual intercourse. Their penises are abnormally large—that’s all you can see. The sex ends, the scene ends, and that’s a wrap. Does this scene accurately portray gay male sexuality? Do the actors accurately portray all gay men? Do all gay men have abnormally large penises?

            Gay male pornography provides and supports the idea that gay male sex is spontaneous, with no strings attached, with always two strangers “hooking up”. Radical feminist John Stoltenberg in his book Refusing to be a Man states:

Like almost all sex films, gay male sex films represent sex that has no past (the couplings are histroyless), no future (the relationships are commitmentless), and virtually no present (it is physically functional but emotionally alienated). In a real sense, gay male sex films cross over the “sexual orientation” line because they epitomize those qualities of voyeurism and self-involvement in sex that straight men also aspire to. (Stoltenberg 94)

The stereotype that gay men are never committed to one another and only interested in historyless and emotionless sex is strongly enforced in gay male pornography. Only ignorance allows one to believe that gay men do not form romantic sexual relationships. Gay male pornography therefore does not portray gay male sexual encounters accurately. Of course in life there are times when gay male sex is casual and random, but in gay male pornography there is no representation of anything other than that.  The presentation of gay men in gay male pornography is very similar to the presentation of homosexual subjects as exemplified by Nan Alamilla Boyd who illustrates that early science fiction novels relied exclusively on stereotypes (Boyd 163). An example is—just as hetero pornography displays all men as having abnormally large penises, this pattern is the same in gay male pornography.

            The majority of actors in the gay male pornography industry are heterosexual men that only have sex on camera for pay. This is known as “gay for pay”. Upon realizing the previously portrayed inaccuracies of gay male pornography, how can straight men accurately portray gay male sexuality? Gay for pay actors receive higher compensation for gay male pornography. Many heterosexual pornography actors are willing to have sex with women on camera for little to no pay. Gay for pay actors often prepare for gay sex scenes by taking Viagra and watching heterosexual pornography in order to maintain erections. This cannot be an accurate portrayal of gay male sexuality since real gay males are actually sexually attracted to one another before engaging in sexual intercourse. In our society it is not acceptable by many to be a gay male. The pornographers, who subscribe to the “patriarchal code”, use straight actors to support and enforce the message that gay male sex is more acceptable if it is done by “real” men for pay. It is also worth addressing that gay for pay actors more accurately reflect the straight male and female voyeurs of gay male pornography who have been conditioned to be disgusted by what should be an accurate portrayal of gay male sexuality. This argument is obviously present when examining lesbian pornography made by men for men, which almost always features two or more women who are “gay for pay”. Portraying an accurate picture of gay male sexuality using men with a gay identity could decrease sales by making the straight voyeurs uncomfortable—forcing them to confront their own internalized homophobic thoughts.

            Another reason why straight men and masculinity are involved with gay pornography is because in our society like most, men who are feminine are simply unacceptable. In reference to gay male pornography, Stoltenberg states, “As artifacts of a heterosexist culture that is rigidly polarized by gender, gay male sex films exhibit the apotheosis of male sexual functioning as imagined by men who, not unlike straight men, dread the taint of feminization” (Stoltenberg 96).

Don’t Lose that Manhood
            In addition to falsely portraying gay men is the enforcement of heteronormative patriarchal masculinity. When the average straight person is asked to think of a gay man, they picture the stereotypical feminine male or perhaps even a drag queen. The feminized male is present in our minds and in reality, although the feminine male does not describe all gay men. Feminization in men is not acceptable, so gay male pornography attempts to erase it from existence. By using straight and stereotypically masculine looking and acting men, gay male pornography is telling gay men that they need to look and act like a stereotypical straight and masculine male. Gay male pornography tells gay men that if they are going to be gay, they need to still be a “man” and assimilate. This provides the message that one’s effeminate gay male identity is wrong. This is problematic because gay men are expected to assimilate into being gay men who look and act like straight men, providing the message that it’s ok to be gay as long as no one can tell you are gay. As Nikki Sullivan “gestures” in her book A Critical Introduction to Queer Theory, instead of assimilation we should move towards increasing emphasis on differences that pervade sexual and gender based utopian visions (Sullivan 35). Gay male pornography does not make this same gesture.

            To understand how this sexually based assimilation into heteronormative masculinity is problematic, one must examine how straight men are being conditioned to act and be. What does it mean to be a “man” in our society and culture? Men are conditioned to be stoic, aggressive, competitive, and most importantly not female. This conditioning of masculinity is thriving in gay male pornography. When gay men and straight men have the same values, then patriarchy is alive and present in all men, allowing the continued oppression of all those not “male”. Stoltenberg explains this concept impeccably by arguing:

The values in the sex that is depicted in gay male sex films are very much the values in the sex that gay men tend to have; they are very much the values in the sex that straight men tend to have; they are very much the values that male supremacists tend to have: taking, using, estranging, dominating—essentially, sexual powermongering. (Stoltenberg 97)

Simultaneously gay male pornography reinforces our society’s obsession with phallic importance. The films focus on what the penis is doing to something else. Stoltenberg comments on this phallic obsession by explaining that all you see is “the action”, progress, and status of the penis (Stoltenberg 95.) Gay male pornography enforces upon gay men that if you do not have, want, or identify with the penis not only are you not a man, but that you are not a gay man. In regards to this issue Stoltenberg also explains, “It’s as if men don’t really feel their male identity unless they’re experiencing their own body in a way that is explicitly, culturally, sexually phallic” (Stoltenberg 97). This type of conditioning is evident when gay male Dick Leitsch of the Mattachine society is quoted saying in an interview, “We have sex as often as possible to prove to ourselves that we’re men because men are supposed to have a lot of sex” (Interview).

            Gay male pornography problematically enforces heteronormative masculinity, the importance of having a penis, and misogyny.

Misogyn-ography

In gay male pornography there are no women present—so how can it be misogynistic? In order to answer this question one must examine the lack of femininity and treatment of femininity found in gay male pornography.

In the majority of gay male pornography there are no signs of femininity. As discussed earlier, the hiring of straight male actors helps to ensure that no feminine males will be displayed in any positive light, which sends gay males the message that being female is not acceptable. Simultaneously, eliminating femininity from the screen also instills the patriarchal idea that women are bad and that men should hate women. In gay male pornography this message is more evident because femininity is not allowed, unlike in hetero pornography—which tells it’s viewers that femininity is at least good for objectifying and sexualizing. Stoltenberg explains it best when he states:

The picture pornography exposes is not a pretty one; pornography reveals in the sexuality of the men for whom it is made an addiction to force and coercion for arousal, eroticized racial hatred, a despisal of the female, a fetishizing of erection and devotion to penetration, an obsession with interpersonal power differentials, an eroticized commitment to violence- and through it all an ugly striving to assert masculinity over and against women. (Stoltenberg 106)

            During my research, on the rare occasion that I encountered a feminine male present in gay male pornography, he was often the victim of a gang rape enacted by heteronormative masculine “gay” males. This assault and attack towards feminine men says that femininity must be destroyed and dominated by whatever means necessary—a message of true misogyny. Stoltenberg states, “Pornography tells lies about women. But pornography tells the truth about men” (Stoltenberg 107). Pornography tells lies about people of the LGBTQ community as well.

Partners Divided and the Loss of One’s Sexual Selfhood

Aside from promoting misogynistic actions and thoughts, there are problems derived from pornography that may affect gay men on a more personal level. In an article for New York Magazine entitled The Porn Myth, Naomi Wolf argues that pornography turns men off from having real sexual intercourse. She explains that mass exposure to women in pornography makes it difficult to find a woman in real life who is “porn-worthy” (Wolf). I believe that this can be applied to gay male relationships as well, conditioning the voyeur to be aroused by “perfect” muscular men. On top of  being incapable of being aroused by a real gay male, the gay male who achieves orgasm via voyeurism is now suddenly in a position where his brain does not associate having an erection—the position of the person who is actually practicing intercourse. This leads to erectile dysfunction.

            When two people are involved in an intimate relationship, pornography can be quite problematic. In my personal life I could not tell you how many times I have seen couples torn apart by pornography. Most people do not feel comfortable with the fact that their partner is masturbating secretly to other men, instead of just having sexual intercourse with them. For obvious reasons that strike at people’s insecurities, physically and emotionally, this always causes conflict in a relationship. Often these men become incapable of being aroused by their partners and begin to see intercourse with them as a chore. When men look at pornography they destroy what they could be experiencing sexually with another person. Stoltenberg explains this type of situation when he states that:

What a camera can see is not remotely equivalent to what a person can express and perceive with another person during sex. But if what a camera can see becomes a man’s operational standard for “good sex”—If a man models his sexual behavior after that which is displayable on a screen and if, in addition, he becomes like a camera in relation to the person he is with –then a crucial potential for erotic communication has been occluded. (Stoltenberg  98)

What the camera sees is what the viewer sees. No emotions, just a chemical surge than you can turn off and on at will, a version of sex that you can turn off and file away, and therefore not deal with any aftermath. It’s the equivalent of having sex with someone and then throwing them out and locking the door.

            Gay male pornography continues to teach us how to “appropriately” have sex while providing conflict in romantic partnerships by playing off insecurities and destroying erotic communication. Gay male pornography causes erectile dysfunction in men and the inability to be attracted to real and natural gay men. These are just some of the problems with gay male pornography that can destroy what could be a healthy relationship along with one’s sexual selfhood.

Waking Up

Gay male pornography is not only problematic for gay males but for all men and women. Gay male pornography portrays gay male sexuality inaccurately and enforces heteronormativity. Pornography destroys gay male relationships by dismantling communication and creating a false sense of what a man perceives as sex. Pornography is instilled into our brains as a normal part of society and we are conditioned by the media to accept it. Gay male pornography like all pornography is truly problematic. Simply calling for a ban of pornography could only make the matter worse, with bootlegging and underground snuff films. As the research by Larry Baron in his scholarly article Pornography and Gender Equality: An Empirical Analysis states, regulation of pornography is not a solution to oppression. I would suggest better education for our future generations. Perhaps implementing gender and queer studies into our public education could help future generations begin to understand concepts and ideas that children of today are simply not exposed to.  In a world where members of our society are actually equipped with educations on gender equality, pornography may fade away; I would like to believe that when most people are well informed they make the right decisions. But before we can truly make any changes, we must realize whose world we are living in and what we must do to take it back. In his book Getting Off: Pornography and the End of Masculinity, Robert Jenson leaves us with this thought:

At the moment, it’s the pornographers’ world. They are the ones telling the most influential stories about gender and power and sex. But that victory is just for the moment, if we can face ourselves and then build a movement that challenges them. We have a lot of work to do. So, before we debate the meaning of the First Amendment, let’s discuss the meaning of a double penetration. Before we look at the law, let’s look in the mirror.

                                                                  Works Cited

Barron, Larry. "Pornography and Gender Equality: An Empirical Analysis." The Journal of Sex Research. Part 2 27.3 (1990): 363-80. JSTOR. Web. 24 Feb. 2012.

Boyd, Nan Alamilla. "A Queer Ladder of Social Mobility." Wide-open Town: A History of Queer San Francisco to 1965. Berkeley: University of California, 2003. Print.

"Interview with a Homosexual Spokeman." Interview. Print.

Jensen, Robert. Getting Off: Pornography and the End of Masculinity. Cambridge MA: South End, 2007. Print.

Stoltenberg, John. Refusing to Be a Man: Essays on Sex and Justice. Portland, Or.: Breitenbush, 1989. Print.

Sullivan, Nikki. A Critical Introduction to Queer Theory. New York: New York UP, 2003. Print.

Wolf, Naomi. "The Porn Myth." New York Magazine. New York Media LLC. Web. 24 Feb. 2012.

The Problem with Gay Porn Mini Documentary

Please enjoy this educational and humerous mini documentary I made for my LGBTQ Theory class, about how gay male porn is problematic. ( a paper that accompanies the film will be posted soon!)

ISLAM Mini Documentary

This is a mini documentary about Islam that I made for my Understanding Cultural Diversity class. It was a group project, enjoy!

Masculinity, Pornography, and the Secret Addiction

Introduction

For decades anti-pornography feminist theorists have been articulating how pornography is problematic. Many feminists are familiar with the ways in which pornography affects women, but there is still much to be discovered in regards to how pornography affects men. We live in a patriarchal culture and society that is conditioned to objectify women, thus most men are conditioned to believe that participating in the patriarchal viewing of pornography is completely acceptable. Without recognizing the problem with pornography it becomes extremely difficult to confront this problem. Without confronting, understanding, and solving; this problem it cannot be resolved; therefore pornography will continue to flourish and infect future generations of men as it has our generation and the generations before. We continue to be surrounded by pornography. There are pornographic themes present throughout all outlets of our media, and access to pornography is as easy as the simple click of a button. In this pornified culture, where pornography is the norm, we fail to recognize how this problem is truly affecting the men of our society. We fail to recognize that we are a culture of men who are secretly addicted to pornography.

One might ask the questions: Why is pornography such a problem? How does it truly affect men? Why do we tolerate pornography if it is so problematic? How can this mass addiction be secret? And finally, is there a solution? In order to answer these questions we must re-examine the problem with pornography and its effects on men, while exposing the heteronormative masculine gendered male’s secret addiction to pornography.

The Problem with Pornography

            The word pornography literally means “writing or drawing of female captive or slave”, from the greek words porne and graphos. In its name alone pornography labels women as slaves or captives-a possession of men, an object. We are taught that a man may do whatever he wishes with his belongings. When women are reduced to mere objects for male pleasure and no longer seen as a person of equity, a man may do as he pleases. In pornography the man does as he pleases, regardless if the woman is feeling pain and regardless of consent. There are pornographic films in which women are manipulated to board buses and receive compensation for sexual intercourse, afterwards they are shoved from the vehicle without pay in a strange and unfamiliar neighborhood, and the men laugh as they drive off. There are pornographic films where a sleeping woman is violated by a man who sneaks into her bedroom. There are films where women are just violently raped. Pornography conditions men to be rapists.  In his book Refusing to be a Man, John Stoltenberg states that, “Pornography tells lies about women. But pornography tells the truth about men” (Stoltenberg 107). This blunt statement simply reflects the truth that pornography portrays women to enjoy being victims of violence and rape. In saying that pornography tells the truth about men, he is claiming most viewers of pornography are men and through that viewing they are being conditioned to objectify women. A misogynistic view of women is being enforced upon them by other men-the creators of pornography. In one experiment students who were exposed to pornography containing violent themes were proven to be more likely to develop psychotic tendencies (Linz 68). Through pornographic films such as the Girls Gone Wild series, men are shown that it is acceptable to perform date rape upon a woman as long as she is intoxicated. Many men group together and visit bars, with this as the sole intention as the reason for even going out. This is just one example of how pornography conditions men to be rapists.

            Aside from promoting violence towards women as being acceptable, there are problems derived from pornography that may affect men on a more personal level. In an article for New York Magazine entitled The Porn Myth, Naomi Wolf argues that pornography turns men off from having real sexual intercourse. She explains that mass exposure to women in pornography makes it difficult to find a woman in real life who is “porn-worthy” (Wolf). These “porn-worthy” women would have fake breasts, be shaved, anally bleached, and tan to name just a few physical traits. On top of  being incapable of being aroused by a real woman, the male who is used to achieving orgasm via voyeurism is now suddenly in a position that his brain does not associate with having an erection-the position of the person who is actually practicing intercourse. This leads to erectile dysfunction.

            When a man and woman are involved in an intimate relationship, pornography can be quite problematic. In my personal life I could not tell you how many times I have seen couples torn apart by pornography. Most women do not feel comfortable with the fact that their partner is masturbating secretly to other women, instead of just having sexual intercourse with her. For obvious reasons that strike at women’s insecurities, physically and emotionally, this always causes conflict in a relationship. Often these men become incapable of being aroused by their partners and begin to see intercourse with them as a chore. When men look at pornography they destroy what they could be experiencing sexually with another person. Stoltenberg explains this type of situation when he states that:

What a camera can see is not remotely equivalent to what a person can express and perceive with another person during sex. But if what a camera can see becomes a man’s operational standard for “good sex”—If a man models his sexual behavior after that which is displayable on a screen and if, in addition, he becomes like a camera in relation to the person he is with –then a crucial potential for erotic communication has been occluded. (Stoltenberg  98)

What the camera sees is what the viewer sees, and nothing else. No emotions, just a chemical surge than you can turn off and on at will, a version of sex that you can turn off and file away, and therefore not deal with any aftermath. It’s the equivalent of having sex with someone and then throwing them out and locking the door, or having sex with someone and then throwing them out of the bus.

            As usual, when it comes to pornography, there is a lot of woman blaming. Men blame women for being in the films, while simultaneously blaming women for the reason that men look at pornography. Sometimes the reason is because they are bored of their partner and they want them to be sexier, sometimes it’s because they cannot find any women who will have sex with them. A lot of men feed into the argument that pornography empowers women and the women are strong and independent. Pornography is a man’s business where a man tells you what to do, how to act, what to wear, and who to have sex with. When you are a woman and you watch or participate in pornography, you disregard all the women and even men that it affects. Ariel Levy, author of Female Chauvinist Pigs, hits the nail on the head when she says, “But if you are the exception that proves the rule, and the rule is that women are inferior, you haven’t made any progress” (117). 

            Pornography continues to condition men as enactors of sexual violence towards women. Pornography continues to teach us how to have sex while providing in romantic partnerships by playing off insecurities and destroying erotic communication. Pornography causes erectile dysfunction in men, and the inability to be attracted to real and natural women. These are just some of the problems with pornography.

A Conditioned Acceptance

            If pornography is so problematic then one must question why our culture and society seems to be so accepting of it? Even if you are not directly looking at pornography, you are still constantly exposed to it. Turn on your television for about five minutes and surf through the channels; you are bound to at least see an advertisement that reduces a woman in to some type of product for male consumption. This is just like pornography therefore it serves the same purpose. The media is the tool used by patriarchy to condition people to do whatever it wants. Just as we are conditioned to buy Coca-Cola even though they kill South Americans, just as we are conditioned to buy fast food even though it’s killing us, we are conditioned to practice sexism.

We are so hardwired by the media to accept porn that most men do not even begin to recognize pornography as problematic. In order to put my theories to the test I surveyed a group of twenty men on pornography. When asked if pornography is a problem in our society, nineteen out of twenty men answered no. When asked if they thought that pornography causes problems in relationships, only five men answered yes with one of the five men going on to say that it was only a problem if your partner catches you. When asked to answer if they regularly looked at pornography, eight men answered no and twelve answered yes. When asked if any of their male friends looked at pornography, all twenty men answered yes. Although I was only able to survey twenty men, the results were disturbing; pornography is completely acceptable by the majority of men.

Sexism of course, does not look good on paper. Most people at least want to believe that they want equity for all humans. So why is pornography so acceptable when it displays sexism so blatantly? I suggest that it is because pornography is a necessary weapon of patriarchy used to instill sexism in the masses. Stoltenberg explains the patriarchal system’s need for pornography quite splendidly when he states:

Pornography keeps sexism sexy. It keeps sexism necessary for some people to have sexual feelings. It makes reciprocity make you go limp. It makes mutuality leave you cold. It makes tenderness and intimacy and caring make you feel like you’re going to disappear into a void. It makes justice the opposite of erotic; it makes injustice a sexual thrill. Pornography exploits every experience in people’s lives that imprisons sexual feelings—pain, terrorism, punishment, dread, shame, powerlessness, self-hate—and would have you believe that it frees sexual feelings. In fact the sexual freedom represented by pornography is the freedom of men to act sexually in ways that keep sex a basis for inequality. (Stoltenberg 114)

       Through the media and through pornography on its own, it becomes clear why we are so accepting of porn. We are conditioned to accept it.

A Secret Addiction

            You are addicted to said activity when you cannot stop participating in an activity that causes harm to yourself and those around you. Our society recognizes addictions to gambling, alcohol, illegal drugs, etc., but only the extremely religious recognize pornography addiction as a serious addiction. How can this be? We have learned how pornography is harmful to the viewer and those involved with the viewer. If a man cannot stop looking at pornography he is obviously addicted to it. As we have discussed in the section above, we are conditioned to accept that men look at pornography. That is why this addiction is a secret, because it is kept a secret and because patriarchy needs men to be addicted to pornography.  In reference to the secret addiction Stoltenberg states:      

The picture pornography exposes is not a pretty one; pornography reveals in the sexuality of the men for whom it is made an addiction to force and coercion for arousal, eroticized racial hatred, a despisal of the female, a fetishizing of erection and devotion to penetration, an obsession with interpersonal power differentials, an eroticized commitment to violence- and through it all an ugly striving to assert masculinity over and against women. (Stoltenberg 106).

This statement exemplifies just how serious we should be taking this mass addiction to pornography.

       According to Forbes.com the porn industry profited 3.9 billion dollars in 2001, with one billion of that profit from internet pornography (Ackman). Telecrunch.com reported that internet pornography alone profited 2.84 billion in 2007 (Arrignton). Obviously a lot of money is being spent on pornography, and the money that is profited does not reflect how much the actual customer is spending on pornography. Most of the time when someone can get something for free rather than have to pay a hefty subscription fee, they will opt for free. There are thousands of free pornography sites on the internet; I would be willing to argue that these free sites receive more visitors than the pay sites. In an article for WebMD.com, Matt McMillen mentions a survey that says only 26 percent of male internet users visit pornography (McMillen). Using the profit statistics above and the fact that many men do not even pay for porn, I would argue that the men in this survey are lying. Why would these men be lying about using pornography? The answer is simple; they are addicted and in denial that their pornography addiction is any kind of a problem, just like addicts of any drug.

A Solution

       Pornography is not only problematic for women, but also problematic for men. Pornography destroys heteronormative relationships, by dismantling communication and creating a false sense of what a man perceives as woman and sex altogether. Pornography is instilled into our brains as a normal part of society and we are conditioned by the media to accept it. Most masculine gendered heteronormative males are secretly addicted to pornography in some form or another while this addiction is being treated as natural behavior. It is difficult when faced with these types of problems involving deep rooted and internalized sexism to come up with a solution. Simply calling for a ban of pornography could only make the matter worse, with bootlegging and underground snuff films. As the research by Larry Baron in his scholarly article Pornography and Gender Equality: An Empirical Analysis states, regulation of pornography is not a solution to women’s oppression. I would suggest better education for our future generations. Perhaps implementing gender studies into our public education could help future generations begin to understand concepts and ideas that children of today are simply not being exposed to.  In a world where members of our society are actually equipped with educations on gender equality, pornography may fade away; I would like to believe that when most people are well informed they make the right decisions. But before we can truly make any changes, we must realize whose world we are living in and what we must do to take it back. In his book Getting Off: Pornography and the End of Masculinity, Robert Jenson leaves us with this thought:

At the moment, it’s the pornographers’ world. They are the ones telling the most influential stories about gender and power and sex. But that victory is just for the moment, if we can face ourselves and then build a movement that challenges them. We have a lot of work to do. So, before we debate the meaning of the First Amendment, let’s discuss the meaning of a double penetration. Before we look at the law, let’s look in the mirror.

                                                                                          

Works Cited

Ackman, Dan. "How Big Is Porn?" Forbes. Forbes Magazine, 25 May 2001. Web. 23                         Apr. 2012.

Arrington, Michael. "Internet Pornography Stats." TechCrunch. 12 May 2007. Web. 23 Apr. 2012.

Barron, Larry. "Pornography and Gender Equality: An Empirical Analysis." The Journal of Sex Research. Part 2 27.3 (1990): 363-80. JSTOR. Web. 24 Feb. 2012.

Jensen, Robert. Getting Off: Pornography and the End of Masculinity. Cambridge MA: South End, 2007. Print.

Levy, Ariel. Female Chauvinist Pigs: Women and the Rise of Raunch Culture. New York: Free, 2005. Print.

Linz, Daniel. "Exposure to Sexually Explicit Materials and Attitudes toward Rape: A Comparison of Study Results." The Journal of Sex Research 26.1 (1989): 50-84. JSTOR. Web. 24 Feb. 2012.

McMillen, Matt. "Why Men Like Porn." WebMD. WebMD. Web. 23 Apr. 2012.

Stoltenberg, John. Refusing to Be a Man: Essays on Sex and Justice. Portland, Or.: Breitenbush, 1989. Print.

Wolf, Naomi. "The Porn Myth." New York Magazine. New York Media LLC. Web. 24 Feb. 2012.

No profit for the obsessed male feminist

Although I addressed this lightly in the video. I just want to reiterate that I am not making a profit of any T-shirts, only spreadshirt is. They are set to the minimum price and I do not make a single cent off of it. I made the shirts so whenever I thought of a shirt that I wanted that I can't get anywhere else, I could just design it and order it for myself. I put them on my blog in case others want the shirts, but I don't make any kind of profit. If you don't believe me, start your own spreadshirt account and look at how the pricing works. Mostly I just wanted a shirt that said "This is what a vegan feminist looks like" in the style of the FMF shirts. Apparently this obsession of mine is a huge problem, but oh well. My life is a lot better even though I am so OBSESSED now that I am a vegan feminist, but that's ok with me! I like who I am, maybe you should try and like who you are to. Maybe you should become so passionate about something that you are obsessed with it. Feminism is a big part of my future career. Perhaps you are going to school to be a teacher? I hope you are obsessed with children's education! How about a nurse or doctor? I hope you are obsessed with helping sick people. Because if you are not, you are in the wrong field of study.

This is what a feminist looks like VLOG

I go to school with a bunch of racists apparently

So there is a meme page for my school, ETSU. Today I saw this on the page. 122 people liked this meme (and counting). Some students voiced there opinions about how this is racist while others defended it. Surprise surprise! All the students defending it are white. Just look at some of the idiotic and ignorant things these people have to say:

No, seriously, though. Why must they scream at the top of their lungs? I kinda wonder how they can understand each other.


i guess they cant hear each other 10 feet away.

Hey douche bags! Have you ever thought about that maybe people get a little loud when they are having a good time? Maybe you should try it some time! 

One man goes on to say this:

How is racist exactly? Were you outside sherrod today? lol. It could have been a group of white people and if this guy made a meme about it noone would care.

Hey man, don't you get it? That's the point! Nobody would make a meme like this about white people because it's "ok" for white people to hang out and have a good time. No shame in that right?! Blatant racism going on at my school, and that my friends is the true shame. Actions like this meme that represent and enforce racist ideologies are what really puts our school to shame. Way to perpetuate a southern stereotype folks. 

Also it's worth mentioning that whoever posted this did so on an account that was obviously made just to make the post. The account has no pictures and no friends and not really any activity. What does this tell us? That the poster is not only a racist but also a coward. 

Gay Male Social Experiment

DISCLAIMER: This was a class assignment that I had to do for my understanding cultural diversity class. I purposely took it too far to demonstrate the fear of stereotypes and what can happen when these stereotypes are enacted. This writing does not necessarily reflect my personal opinions and let it be known that I am an advocate of LGBTQ rights. Personally I thought that the assignment was ridiculous and prejudiced in nature. 



I am a straight white male. I am member of our society’s dominant group. I have

all the privilege. I can do whatever I want. I am the patriarchy. Ok, I admit that is a little

bit of an exaggeration. I mean let’s face it; I’m a poor male vegan feminist. I have white

and male privilege but I pretty much have to go undercover to use it nowadays. Well now

for a class assignment entitled “Walking in Another’s Shoes”, I have decided to throw

even more of my precious privileges straight into the trash. For a few hours I will go

undercover as a gay male. I have prepared a t-shirt that displays a large message; the

message is “Gay Pride”. I will put on this T-shirt and go to gas stations and walk around

in public stores like Wal-Mart. I will use my secret notepad to document and record

people’s reactions and in the process I will try to avoid getting killed, I can take a few

beatings if necessary. I chose this particular role because I felt it was the only role I could

easily blend into. I mean seriously, what was I supposed to do? Go in black face? I don’t

think so. Alright here I go, wish me luck……………

______________________________________________________________________

Well that was pretty intense and luckily no beatings occurred. I started out by

proudly walking down the street from my apartment to my vehicle. I passed by one of my

neighbors who waved at me in a friendly manner. I waved back as I thought to

myself, “This interaction doesn’t even count because he is a drag queen.”

My first stop was a shell station; a place of gasses and snack foods and such. I

walked in nervously expecting to be jumped by angry southerners. As I opened the door

a nervous sweat gathered upon my brow. I stepped in and saw a southern gentleman

licking his lips anxiously, but he was just looking at the Cheetohs. I walked up to the

clerk and I said, “Five on one please.”


He said, “Anything else for you today?”


I replied, “No that will be all fine sir.”


The clerk smiled and said, “Have a nice day.”


Afraid that his kindness was a trap, I ran out of the gas station as fast as I could. I

jumped over the hood of my car and had managed to pull the gas nozzle from the pump

and into the car’s tank before my feet had hit the ground. As soon as all the gas was

pumped, I jumped into my car sped off into the horizon, never looking back.

My heart was pumping and I could feel the adrenaline coursing through my body.

I was scared but I knew that I couldn’t quit just yet. I drove to one of Johnson City’s

most sacred and holiest of places; Wal-Mart. As I walked into the giant mega chain the

door greeter straight up ignored me. This has happened to me before so I am not sure if

he did so because I was “gay”. I walked around the store for a few hours and inspired

very little interactions, I got a few glances but I get those all the time as I naturally am. It

was time to take it to the next level.


I came up with a plan that was sure to inspire a hate crime. I rushed over to the

condom section and grabbed a 36 pack and big bottle of KY brand lube. I walked around

the store holding my condoms and lube proudly with a mischievous grin on my face.

Now everyone was looking at me. I even heard people muttering things under their

breath like, “Oh my god” and “Disgusting.” I did this for about 45 minutes, and nothing

else other than the looks of disgust and muttering happened. It was time to enact the final

part of my master plan.


I went over to the men’s clothing department, and yes I brought my condoms and

lube. I waited and lurked behind some sweatshirts until the perfect victim appeared.

Finally a young male, probably in his early 20’s, approached the t-shirt section. He was

all alone, this was my chance. I walked up to him and said nothing; I just looked at him

lustfully. At first I could tell he was uncomfortable. He stepped away from me a bit, all

this time never making eye contact. I stepped toward him and finally he yelled, “Dude

what the f*ck is your problem?!”


I licked my lips and gave him a little wink. The man became furious as his

masculinity was under threat and he shoved me down. What I had not mentioned until

this point is that I was not alone. I had secretly been followed by four members of my

punk rock band just in case a situation like this was to occur. They immediately rushed

out to my defense. We calmed the man down and explained to him that this was all part

of a social experiment. He laughed and actually said, “I thought some god d*mned queer

was about to rape me boy!”


I took this exercise a bit too far. Why did I do this? Mostly I did it because I

wanted to see a reaction if I was going to go through all this trouble. Now in case you

didn’t notice, no one really bothered me until I started acting out the stereotype of being a

gay male sex crazed rapist crazy person. I literally had to walk around with sex items to

even get any kind of reaction that I could be sure was due to my “gayness”. This tells me

that people are generally ok with someone’s lifestyle as long as you just leave them out

of it. Now I know how the situation could have been much different if there were Neo

Nazis or KKK members present, but let’s face it, that is not the norm situation. Even

religious extremist are likely do nothing unless they are in a group together. Hate crimes

against gay males happen, but it’s getting to a point where this is not an everyday

occurrence. I know plenty of gay males who have never been brutally assaulted; name

calling is quite common however. Of course to be attacked verbally I know from

personal experience that all you have to do is not be a heteronormative masculine

gendered male. For example being a male vegan feminist, other men and even women

call me homophobic slurs all of the time. What does this tell us? It tells us that the true

threat is not being gay, but being female. Homophobia is a form of sexism.


I was not surprised by anything that happened during this social experiment.

Actually it went exactly as I expected it to. I would imagine that if I were able to extend

the time period and was “gay” for maybe a whole month that I would surely encounter

more hateful language and actions without having to enact on stereotypes as I did at Wal-

Mart. This experience does not inspire any personal change because, surprise, I am

already not a homophobic person and am an active feminist in my community. What can

we do help change this world into a place of equity for all regardless of sexual

orientation, gender, class, race, sex, etc.? As I always say, better education.

Implementing gender studies into K-12 public education could help to make this society

and culture a place for everyone to thrive. We must stand together to teach our children

about injustice instead of letting them fall in line to become oppressors like their fathers

before them.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

If you are a gay male and you read this, I am curious to know what your opinion is on this assignment? Is this offensive to you? Do you feel like the teacher was out of line to make use go out and impersonate different types of minorities? How does this make you feel?

Introducing the Male Vegan Feminist Blog Official Store

Just for fun, because I am always thinking of T-shirt Ideas. I have decided to do an online store! Please support it if you enjoy my blog, ideas, research, or whatever. More designs coming soon!

You will always be able to access the store with the link frame over to the right!

Our products are fashioned by Spreadshirt, the platform for custom t-shirts.

The Soldiers of Patriarchy

I am a women's studies major and I am a feminist. When you are involved in these types of studies you learn not only how women are oppressed in our society, but you begin to learn how men are oppressed as well. You begin to see exactly how men are affected in our society by heteronormative social expectations, pornography, and the media as whole.

Being a man involved with these studies, I have specific insight into the world of heteronormative masculine gendered males. If you have read my blog before, then you know I am referring to what I call "the dark side of masculinity". Because I have access to this world I have begun to understand just exactly how men are affected by our current patriarchal social structure. Sometimes I'm reading or learning, and I see on my own a deeper theoretical lens of masculinity to be applied to said readings or learning.

Men. We don't sign up for this. We are born into this. That doesn't mean we have to stick with it. I sure as hell sure didn't. Once you begin to realize that you are simply a tool used for oppression, which is in fact a part of our own oppression, it is easier to quit being that tool. We are the gears who grind and turn desperately to keep the machine running. We are mindless. We just keep working so that machine doesn't fall apart. The machine is old. The machine needs replaced. We need to wake up and with the help of women, build a new machine. A machine that works for us, not a machine that we work for.

Unfortunately it's hard to get through to some men. So maybe our oppression has cons, but mostly because of social conditioning, many men feel a benefit from being a part of the dominant group. I'm assuming you have heard of male privilege. If you haven't, you should look it up. It's hard to get through to a man, and have him risk his privilege, to basically throw his "penis" into the trash can.

Men. Do we really want war? What meaningful purpose does it serve? We are the soldiers of patriarchy. Our weapons are deadly and damaging. We fight mindlessly with our weapons. Our weapons are misogynistic language and actions, pornography, rape, and objectification. These are only some of the weapons in our ridiculously over sized arsenal. We use these weapons without thought. Its what we have been trained to do.

We are the soldiers of patriarchy.

We are fighting the wrong enemy, while being issued orders from the true threat.

Lay down your arms, the war on women must stop before it destroys us all.

Because in destroying us all, only then will we have truly lost the only thing that would have been with fighting for in the first place.

Equity and true freedom.

What comes on the cheese fries and Belvedere Vodka is pro-rape

Part I: Work

Today a guy called in and asked, "What comes on the cheese fries?"

I was like, "....Cheese."

The guy was like, "You don't have to be a smart ass."

I said, "It has salt and pepper on it to."

Seriously, who asks that? I get some really insane stuff said to me at work. This one customer called me like 15 times tonight because he thought we were conspiring to steal his money. He ordered a delivery and paid over the phone. He called every 10 minutes until his food was finally delivered to him, asking things like, "Is the food really on its way? How do I know you are telling me the truth? How can I be sure the food is coming?"

This guy was driving me NUTS!

Something funny happened. A guy puked all over the bathroom floor so his friend tipped the server extra money. I'm like, "Hey jack ass, I'm the one who has to clean the bathrooms!"

Not that she needs defense, but she did clean a lot of it up. It's my job. Har har har.

Part II: Belvedere Vodka

So have you seen this ad yet? WTF?! This is not cool, totally unacceptable. Date rape is not a joke. I feel like it's getting to a point in our society where date rape is some how becoming acceptable. Like that's just the way it is. Well I'm sorry men out there, but if you get someone drunk to have sex with them..... YOU ARE A RAPIST! Actually no, I'm not sorry. 

Anyway this type of advertising just goes to show how women are really viewed are in our society. Just another product for human consumption.

Well I'm not going to stand for it. Men out there, I beckon you to do your research and educate yourselves about feminism. Are you the man in the ad? You don't have to stand for this anymore either.

Here's a Thought!

When you act like that, it's because you can't bear the burden alone? What burden? The burden of loneliness.

Waitress gets 17 dollar tip because customer puked on the bathroom floor. I'm the one who has to clean it.

For as long as I've known you, I knew I'd witness your fall. It's that time.Which way will you fall?

Feeling abandoned and so lost within your own culture, you are reaching desperately outside. Who other than me? I'm not your only hope.

You need to get out more, you are wasting your brilliance. And you my friend are brilliant.

You are doing great. In fact you do better than anyone. You are pretty much the best in a sense. But you still have one last obstacle to overcome.

Not sure why I'm friends with you. Sometimes I even kind of like you. The person you are makes me sick.

I feel like I don't know you. I feel like I never knew you. You raised me but who are you?

You never call. Not even a Facebook message? Oh please.

So you have some control issues.

You're growing up so fast.

This could be it. It could be nothing.

It took to long to see you. Now it's hard not to look.

Go away creature. Creature only disrupts. Go.

You're an odd one. I wonder what's in your head. Those who seem content with their lives often have deeper issues. I feel them.

I can't help but like you, come to party! You aren't like the other men.

This village finally bores me. Will be departing as soon as the preparations are secured.

How about 10 more a night? It's about time.

Just quarters. And I hope the feeling is mutual.

Best feminist bands

I listen to a lot of underground music that I feel like a lot of fellow feminists have never heard of, so it's time to share the glory!

I have been wanting to do this for a while now, so I'm finally doing it. Best feminist bands? Well I don't know about that, but here are my favorite feminist bands in no particular order.






Crass

Obviously because of the kick ass feminist album "Penis Envy", Crass is a definitely on my list. You can't go wrong here.



Spitboy

There's a good chance you have never even heard of this band, but they are pretty awesome. All female band that sings about gender inequality, pretty radical stuff here! Wooo third wave!




Aus-Rotten

Have you ever heard the song "Second Rape"? You should! I recited it once at a Slut Walk protest. Every feminist needs this in their playlist!



Contravene

This band is one of my favorites because they are vegan to! I'm gonna put to videos for them, one displaying feminist viewpoints and another for animal rights.



Dirt

Another classic, pretty much all of their songs are awesome!




Antischism

Another favorite, I am putting this song because it is my favorite by them :p



Nausea

Ok this is the last one and I'll end it with a video of a sweet live performance!



Alright well there ya go! Maybe I'll do a part two one day! (There are TONS more!) If you think of any good ones that I forgot put em' in the comments!

Vegenaise introduces four new flavors

Throughout history certain events have occurred that change the way we progress as a civilization. Innovations like the motorized vehicle and the light bulb come to mind. The time had come once again and everything is about to change, everything about how vegans make a sandwich that is. That's right folks! Follow Your Heart, the makers of the oh so beloved Vegenaise, has announced the release of four new Vegenaise flavors.......

Click to read full article on ThisDishIsVeg.com!

Interview on veganconsultant.com

Click this to read my interview on veganconsultant.com!

I have also returned as a guest writer to thisdishisveg.com.

Click here to read my food and gender essay on thisdishisveg.com!

Tri-City Veg Mini-Documentary starring me, ha ha

Here is a short documentary about my local veg group! Thanks to the maker, John Young!

Run in with a heteronormative male

So I'm not sure what it is, but it's hard for me to get a long with heteronormative males even when I go undercover and try.

Latest Example:

I was at the bar before work having a beer. As I approached a table, a man called me over to his table. It was a man from my Spanish class. It took me only three minutes to piss him off so bad that he and his friend had to leave. He was giving me hell for drinking a "shitty" beer, and guessed what brand it was. He told me he had a special ability for guessing what things are. I jokingly said that it wasn't a good example of his abilities due to the beer I was drinking being the cheapest drink and only beer on the special board. He suddenly became angry and told me I was being a "dick". I tried to apologize and he became more angry with me, telling me to "just drop it, that's enough about it".

He and his friend got up and left.

I felt rejected and alienated at first, then I got over it.

This kind of thing always happens to me when I am put in a social situation with "normal" men.