“This piece was primarily a trust exercise, in which she told viewers she would not move for six hours no matter what they did to her. She placed 72 objects one could use in pleasing or destructive ways, ranging from flowers and a feather boa to a knife and a loaded pistol, on a table near her and invited the viewers to use them on her however they wanted.
Initially, Abramović said, viewers were peaceful and timid, but it escalated to violence quickly. “The experience I learned was that … if you leave decision to the public, you can be killed… I felt really violated: they cut my clothes, stuck rose thorns in my stomach, one person aimed the gun at my head, and another took it away. It created an aggressive atmosphere. After exactly 6 hours, as planned, I stood up and started walking toward the public. Everyone ran away, escaping an actual confrontation.”
This piece revealed something terrible about humanity, similar to what Philip Zimbardo’s Stanford Prison Experiment or Stanley Milgram’s Obedience Experiment, both of which also proved how readily people will harm one another under unusual circumstances.”
This performance showed just how easy it is to dehumanize a person who doesn’t fight back, and is particularly powerful because it defies what we think we know about ourselves. I’m certain the no one reading this believes the people around him/her capable of doing such things to another human being, but this performance proves otherwise.”
this is why performance art is important
So every single person who told me ‘ignore them they’ll go away’ and ‘you can’t let them know they bothered you’ and ‘They’ll stop if they don’t see you react’ and all that bull shit, my entire school career, I want you to look good and hard at this.
I want you to think about what you said.
What you keep saying.
What you are telling your children.
You are making them powerless.
yep
ignoring my bullies never made them go away
they only ever backed off when i started confronting them and fighting back
i keep saying… people who tell you to turn the other cheek have never been punched in the face.
(Source: andrewfishman)
People starving when tons of unsold food is thrown away globally because people couldn’t afford to purchase the food, that’s violence.
People dying and going bankrupt to pay for their healthcare, that’s violence.
People being evicted from their homes when there are more houses than there are houseless people, that’s violence.
-whatispatriarchy (via mohavemamba)
And if you believe this, you are sexist. This is not based in an ounce of fact, just wild, disgusting prejudice. It’s easy to portray men as naturally violent when you force them to make up the WHOLE of our military until just recently.
(via timeparad0x)
In 2009, 91% of violent crimes commited in England and Wales were committed by men, according to Home Office statistics. That is typical (actually violent crime rates in the UK are slightly lower than the first world average). I mean the overwhelming statistical evidence is that men commit the majority of violent crime, that’s really absolutely beyond question. If you want to discuss WHY men commit the majority of violent crime, fine, but jesus shit
(via altonym)
The great thing about facts and statistics is that they remain true even if you don’t believe them or stick yr fingers in yr ears and close yr eyes. c:
(via strawberreli)
Also also, the reason why men are drafted but not women in some countries and why men are allowed a wider range of roles in many countries’ militaries than women is because of sexism against women. The power structure still strongly favors men. I mean, if you can’t serve in combat that hurts your advancement in the military, and given that for some people the military is one of a very short list of career options, you can see what kind of economic impact that might have on women.
You wanna blame ALL violent crime on the military? That’s highly implausible, but even if you believe that… you’ve pretty much only got powerful men to blame for that.
(via biseinensenshi)
FINALLY AVAILABLE FOR ANDROID!!
I’m stoked about this app - it was created in response to a White House challenge to create an app to help prevent sexual violence. It’s free. It’s available for iPhones and Androids. It could save you or someone you care about.
WHOA WOWOW WHAT A GOOD
IF YOU HAVE A SMARTPHONE THIS IS AMAZING I HAVE WANTED SOMETHING LIKE THIS FOREVER
For the linkphobic or lazy: It’s an app that lets you pre-select up to 6 of your contacts. It then has four buttons that automatically deploys a message to all of the selected numbers - a car icon that deploys a text saying “I need to get home now” that AUTOMATICALLY INCLUDES YOUR CURRENT GPS LOCATION AND A GOOGLEMAP TO WHEREVER YOU ARE, a phone icon that deploys a text reading “I need a distraction, please call me and pretend you need me”, an icon when you’re unsure or nervous about a relationship or sexual situation that sends you links to websites and resources and deploys an appropriate text, and the proverbial oh-shit button that automatically contacts two emergency contacts or hotlines of your choice
what a good appAnd don’t forget: The fact that you have something that can near-instantly send a quick photograph or video to a secure e-mail server can in and of itself be a powerful weapon against multiple forms of violence before it even happens.
Your electronic eye can be a weapon in and of itself.
I wouldn’t use it but I’m sure it can be a great tool for some.
[TW: Physical violence, misogyny]
Most white feminists look at me disdainfully when I recount some of my choice violent moments. They are appalled, morally repelled by this unbecoming behavior. One even giggled, holding her breastbone ever so lightly and saying she’s not the violent type, blah blah blah. The messages are, 1) I’m educated and you’re not, 2) I’m upper class and you’re not, 3) I’m a feminist and you’re not (since her brand of feminism is equated with nonviolent moon-to-uterus symbiosis). My “men” can do the fighting, but I, gentle maiden, shan’t; the new feminism remaking a generation in the image of the suburban, wealthy, sophisticated, genetically genteel. No one protected me when a loved one cracked my head on a public street one might, not even the college educated Upper West Side white women strolling by pretending not to notice. I don’t like getting hit either, but what are you gonna do when someone grabs your tits? Meekly whisper you won’t stoop to your attackers level? and what level is that exactly? if that’s the way “women” react, how do we classify the elderly Filipinas on a subway train who, when Joe Dickwad grabbed my ass, congratulated me for whacking him as hard as I could, screaming obscenities, and chasing him - to his utter shock and dismay - through the station? They were the few who seemed to acknowledge, respect, and allow for “aggressive” forms of resistance instead of strapping on moral straightjackets for the nineties which we “women” must squeeze into. If that’s a woman, I’m not one. I am an animal who eats, sleeps, fucks, and fights voraciously - I assume a “good” woman does it gently and in the missionary position only.
Veena Cabreros-Sud, Kicking Ass (via queen-bloodmouth)
*I am an animal who eats, sleeps, fucks and fights voraciously* such a gpoy.
I want that on a tshirt.
(via praisethelorde)
(Source: bitchouttahell)
But aren’t rape fantasies just reinforcing rape culture, don’t loli and kiddie stories and art perpetuate pedophilia? At what point does one persons freedom to be who they are and feel the way they feel become an infringement on someone else’s same right?
How about… when they actually hurt someone? Because otherwise they’re not actually doing anything wrong?
Rape fantasies are riduculously common too. It’s a fantasy, and fantasies are far from being reality. I have fantasies I would never dream about even acting out in real life, and ones I would be ok with acting out, it would only ever be that - acting. I bet most people have these as well, and most people know the difference.
This is basically the same argument as people make against violent video games, saying they “make” people violent. Well guess what? I reckon violence is a part of human nature - stronger in some people sure, but it’s in us all, the potential for it. Isn’t it better to act out a simulated version of it than snap and act it out in real life? Same goes for rape and loli/age fantasies. Most people will always know the difference, and there will always be some people who don’t, but don’t kid yourself thinking that if they didn’t have that outlet (video games/simulated or animated porn), they wouldn’t have just started it sooner.
(Source: fuckyeahsocialjusticesally)
So Tumblr, normally I can take insults pretty well but a recent happening (of about an hour ago) has really made my blood boil.
So I’m walking in town by myself, and a woman who was about 20 was walking in front of me. We turn a few of the same corners, so it’s obvious we’re going to the same place.
But then I realise that she keeps looking over her shoulder at me. And then she sped up a little, clinging to her bag.
It came to my attention she thought I was going to attack her.
To test my theory, I sped up a little. She noticed and sped up even more until she was practically jogging.
Now here’s a few details:
Me: Overweight 17 year old boy wearing shorts and a t-shirt with Cookie Monster on it.
Her: 20 year old woman wearing high heels and has a bag
Time of day: 2pm
Clearly I looked threatening and was going to attack her.
Inspired by the “Racism in America” youtube videos, I decided to have a little fun.
I kept picking up my pace, she kept turning around, noticing I had sped up, and in turn did the same.
Then, after making sure she was looking I suddenly started into a sprint and when I was about 3 foot away from her she screamed.
And then I ran straight past her.
I didn’t get to ser her face as I ran past, but I hoping she was incredibly embarrassed.
In retrospect, I probably should have asked her for her Social Justic blog URL…
Misandry doesn’t exist apparently, isn’t that right Tumblr?
I am totally doing this if ever I get the chance.
oh my god you are fucking sick, both of you
and no, institutionalized misandry, in the same capacity as misogyny, does not exist. its not a thing.also did i mention this is sick?
she had no reason to feel embarrassed. as far as she knew, you could very well have attacked her. because that shit is not uncommon, okay
holy fuck i don’t know why this is a difficult concept to grasp women have reason to be afraid of men, women have reasons to be wary of men, women have reason to suspect that any man, at any given time, may be out to hurt them because THAT SHIT HAPPENS
What the fuck. You do not “test” something like that as if it’s some sort of game. You have no idea what that person has been through that might make her suspicious of men, no matter what their age or the way they dress. Do you know what you might have seen if you’d looked back at her face? Ecstatic relief mixed with an oncoming panic attack. Because like anjhuzen said, this shit happens ALL. THE. TIME.
If anyone should feel embarrassed it’s you, toying with someone’s emotions like that.
There seems to be this misconception that everything an oppressed person does in response to oppression must be somehow educational for the oppressor. Don’t return violence with violence, people say - that isn’t how you engage with people, that isn’t how you teach people.
I’m all for engagement. Heavens know I’ll willingly talk the ear off an elephant given half the chance. I’m all for education. It’s important for people to learn what they are doing wrong.
But this expectation creates a whole lot of problems in reality. Because we are people. And because even though taking the high road is this thing we’re all supposed to aspire to, sometimes what is really truly satisfying is punching someone in the damned nose.
Honestly, I think that’s often pretty educational. It isn’t like there aren’t a variety of calm and reasonable voices out there all saying calm and reasonable things in soothing tones of voice. The people who will listen to that sort of thing can and do listen to it. But the people who need a punch in the nose to get their attention will not be swayed by calm and reasonable words like “rape culture” and “white privilege” and “hate crime” and whatever else.
I’m not a fan of violence. Rape culture is violence - and so I’m not a fan. Joking about raping a drunk girl is not actually humor; it’s violence - and if it takes a punch in the nose to tell someone that, well, that’s an important lesson for them to learn.
Eventually, sometimes, oppressed people bite back.
