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    VaginaWolfDoug Barry
    5/05/13 7:33pm

    Okay, it wasn't the wisest choice of words. But it's not like he's saying something stupid about actual women being raped, or campaigning on a promise to pass legislation that's harmful to women who have been raped. There's a difference between being hateful about real people's problems and using the word "rape" in a metaphorical way, and I'd rather concentrate on the former.

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      fortheloveofbeetsVaginaWolf
      5/05/13 9:37pm

      It still diminishes and normalizes rape, though. It's like a student after a particularly difficult exam saying "that test totally raped me." Yeah, saying shit like that is worse than passing legislation that hurts rape victims and fails to discourage rape, but it's not like we have to pick just one to criticize. It's important to discuss the little things as well as the big things, because it's the little things that create a culture that make the big things possible. And having conversations about the smaller stuff doesn't mean we're not concentrating on the big stuff.

      So yeah, I think this is important to talk about.

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      bigdamnheroesfortheloveofbeets
      5/06/13 10:47am

      I understand the argument, and it was certainly an unwise word choice, but I have to say this example doesn't upset me much. For me, it's a question of whether or not it diminishes rape. What he was saying is that the Republicans are making horrendous choices that are seriously hindering our lives - it's bad, and it's serious. That seems very different from people saying a test raped them or taxes raped them - that's hyperbole, often for the sake of humor. It has a different feel to me. Similarly, it doesn't upset me much when people talk about how we're raping the environment.

      I struggle with this aspect of rape culture. When we criticize people for things like this, does it alienate them when they might otherwise be fighting the good fight?

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    HermioneStrangerDoug Barry
    5/05/13 8:34pm

    We should have a tag for this article called "Today, in Pointless Outrage".

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      holmeagHermioneStranger
      5/05/13 10:18pm

      Having all the lulz at these two sequential comments:

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      HermioneStrangerholmeag
      5/06/13 1:25am

      Lol that is an amusing screencap. Thanks ;)

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    WineCriticDoug Barry
    5/05/13 6:50pm

    Look, I get that it is a hot controversy right now, but the definition of the word rape includes the context in which he used it. Just uttering the word rape does not merit outrage. Trying to define what rape means or when something counts as rape is when we need to be pissed. For those of you who disagree that it is ok to use the word rape in the context he did, here is the definition (4&5):

    noun
    1. the unlawful compelling of a person through physical force or duress to have sexual intercourse.
    2. any act of sexual intercourse that is forced upon a person.
    3. statutory rape
    4. an act of plunder, violent seizure, or abuse; despoliation; violation: the rape of the countryside.
    5. the act of seizing and carrying off by force.
    verb (used with object)
    1. to force to have sexual intercourse.
    2. to plunder (a place); despoil.
    3. to seize, take, or carry off by force.
    verb (used without object)
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      silver_starWineCritic
      5/05/13 8:14pm

      Thank you! I agree completely, and what the GOP are doing in NC is exactly this. Let's save our outrage for things that actually deserve it.

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    ItsARampageLanaDoug Barry
    5/05/13 6:20pm

    Jesus Christ. And post-electoral defeats, the Republicans have this whole thing where they find Dems saying stupid shit like this and act all "Oh, but WE'RE the ones who hate women!!!! Okaaaaaaay!!!" And even though that's a stupid-ass false equivalency (Todd Akin said an unbelievably stupid thing, but that was just a byproduct of the fact that he SINCERELY BELIEVES WOMEN SHOULD HAVE TO BEAR THEIR RAPISTS' BABIES), the fucking least Dems can do is not give them ammo. Fucking Blue Dogs, I swear.

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      ForPostingStuffDoug Barry
      5/05/13 6:15pm

      Finally, an article by Doug Barry that isn't pointless. Let's all get our nice clothes on for the apocalypse tomorrow.

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        IBelieveinHarveyDentForPostingStuff
        5/05/13 6:28pm

        The Revenge of the Sixth.

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        FishnetsForgotHerBurnerCodeForPostingStuff
        5/05/13 7:01pm

        I'll break out the pasties and "JESUS IS COMING LOOK BUSY" boyshorts.

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      OctopusHandstandDoug Barry
      5/05/13 7:34pm

      As an Independent female voter with a brain in Greensboro, NC, I am less offended by Voller's use of the word "rape" than by Republicans' strong-arm tactics that will lead to suffering for women and those who are vulnerable. Let's recap recent bills proposed by our new Republican controlled legislature, shall we:

      * more restrictive abortion laws

      * cutting benefits for the unemployed

      * two-year waiting period for divorce - no exceptions for domestic violence

      * raising class size limits

      * ending teacher tenure

      * voter ID laws

      * carrying concealed weapons to fight federal "tyranny"

      * official state religion

      * easing regulations on fracking

      * ending a 6-year old renewable energy program by just asking for yeas or nays and not actually counting the vote

      And based on the reactions of other North Carolina women in the article, we're mostly concerned about our entire state getting destroyed by these fundamentalist clowns.

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