[plug] being mugged (longish)

[Leon Brooks]

On Monday 10 March 2003 05:14 pm, Kimberly Shelt wrote:
> On Mon, Mar 10, 2003 at 04:53:30PM +0800, Leon Brooks wrote:
>> On Monday 10 March 2003 04:02 pm, Andrew Pamment wrote:
>>> Also is it a bad idea for one to walk to the wellington street bus
>>> station from the tafe afterwards by one's self?

>> Depends. How big are your breasts? <g/d/r>

> This kind of crap is really sad to see..

Perhaps. Unfortunately there is a serious side to it as well, but it's funny 
because I knowingly posted it as a response to a male. At least, I've never 
known nor heard of a female Andrew, please hasten to correct me if I'm wrong.

> So to balance.. I am concerned about walking in the dark as well,
> I can only guess your response to my worry would be to ask
> about the size of my cock ?

Umm, no? I mean, not unless you're in a position to embarrass a horse. The 
problem is *not* walking in the dark, as such, it's walking *alone* in areas 
which might contain people wishing to do you harm.

People will generally do you harm for one of two reasons (plus complete 
whackos who aren't predictable anyway): (1) you have something they want; or 
(2) to feel that they have some kind of power over you. Sex lies at the 
intersection of these two sick motivations.

If you were actually so overendowed in the dick department as to present a 
possible target for ridicule, you would indeed have cause to worry due to the 
second motivation. If you were underendowed, it's likely that potential 
attackers would never notice.

>> If you were a vulnerable-looking femme or prone to wearing expensive
>> clothes

> And perhaps you can explain what a "vulnerable-looking femme" is ?

Hmm. I don't have the bully's mindset (I've usually been on the receiving end 
but for a few memorable occasions when my safeties tripped<*>), so I can't do 
a proper job, but here goes with what I do know:

  * gender-independent: people with a very slight physique (strongly
    implied by `young', and weakly implied by `female') or a physical
    handicap such as a limp, stoop or wheelchair (often implied by
    extreme age);

  * gender-independent: people who look or act worried or fearful;

  * gender-independent: people who look or act (or are) intoxicated;

  * gender-specific: people who wear handicapping garmenture, such as
    high heels<**>, tight or voluminous dresses;

  * gender-specific: ladies who are well-endowed, or fit the current
    vogue for body shape (skinny, long legs), or are just plain well
    put together even if you'd have difficulty explaining which aspect
    was attractive;

  * gender-specific: people who wear `sexy' clothing like fishnet
    stockings<**>, plunging necklines or deeply slit skirts (perhaps
    this could be called the `advertising' clause).

> Yes I feel upset when I see comments made in public by people
> who are generally held in high regards in the community and thus
> can and do influence others thoughts.

> Joking or not, it simply perpetuates sexist crap I thought/hoped was
> actually dying out..  if not in general society at least in this
> community..

I also have a problem with the attitude that men and women are identical and 
interchangeable, and can't be separately grouped, because IRL they're not and 
can. Books like `Men are from Mars, Women are from Venus' and `Why Men Don't 
Listen And Women Can't Read Maps' really are written with cause.

How about this?

    One day in the Garden of Eden, Eve calls out to God, "Lord, I have a
    problem!" 

    "What's the problem, Eve?" 

    "Lord, I know you've created me and have provided this beautiful garden
    and all of these wonderful animals, and that hilarious comedy snake, but
    I'm just not happy." 

    "Why is that, Eve?" came the reply from above. 

    "Lord, I am lonely. And I'm sick to death of apples." 

    "Well, Eve, in that case, I have a solution. I shall create a man for
    you." 

    "What's a 'man', Lord?" 

    "This man will be a flawed creature, with aggressive tendencies, an
    enormous ego and an inability to empathize or listen to you properly.
    All in all, he'll give you a hard time. But, he'll be bigger and faster
    and more muscular than you. He'll be really good at fighting and kicking
    a ball about and hunting fleet-footed ruminants, and not altogether bad
    in the sack." 

    "Sounds great," says Eve, with an ironically raised eyebrow. 

    "Yeah, well. He's better than a poke in the eye with a burnt stick. But,
    you can have him on one condition." 

    "What's that, Lord?" 

    "You'll have to let him believe that I made him first."

Funny, right? *I* enjoyed it, anyway.

But it's also sexist. The problem I have here is with *one-way* sexism. If 
you're going to knock sexism, so called, you have to knock it both ways in 
order to be consistent. And if you're *not* going to be cosistent, you're 
opening yourself to no end of sexist jokes anyway. Your call. (-:

> Kimberly Shelt
> NON vulnerable FEMME

In general, I agree. I think if you were attacked, you'd do something 
effective about it.

Cheers; Leon


<*> One day I just turned around and attacked the school bully after he'd been
    niggling me for most of lunch hour. Right in front of the headmaster - who
    I recently met as an ordinary teacher in the course of work - who caned us
    both, but the look of total shock on said bully's face was a treasured
    memory for some time to come, and he was a good deal more circumspect in
    taunting me afterwards. This would have been about Year 5 or 6 in
    Paraburdoo.

    Another day in high school one particular wannabee-bully had been on my
    case for quite a while, and the circumstances were a little unusual in
    that we were in form class, but it wasn't our usual form teacher, we had
    a massive bloke built like the proverbial brick outhouse that no pupil
    ever gave lip to or misbehaved in front of. Anyway, the final straw landed
    on this camel's back, and I met the WB's eye, stood up and started walking
    towards him. Through the desks, rather than around them, because going
    around would have been too slow, and when I'm berserker I tend to think,
    such as it is, very directly. The room had those windows with a section
    that tips outwards to admit breeze, and WB scrambled across the room and
    was trying to squeeze out of one of these before stand-in form teacher had
    recovered from his shock and set about calling the room to order.

    It really was a case of the mouse that roared, both times, because
    otherwise I was just a quiet smartass who never challenged anybody.

<**> Admittedly, in Northbridge, these attributes aren't _entirely_ gender
     specific. (-:

     I do have several feminine friends who wear sensible shoes and aren't
     even slightly bent, including some real chiropractors' friends, so the
     impractical attire doesn't necessarily come with the territory, so to
     speak.