iStock/popiasen 2016 is mostly men throwing an extensive series of fits at the mere idea they’ll have to scoot over into the passenger seat—or climb into the back—as this ride we’re on goes forward. That seems to be the freak-out humming beneath almost every major news story in almost every major aspect of every variety […]
Sexual Politics
Posted inMovies & TV
This is Why Talking Ghostbusters Is Such a Pain in the Ass: A History of How a Bunch of Dicks Tried Ruining the Reboot
August, 2014: Ghostbusters is reported by film industry gossip site Deadline as a full-on reboot of the series (such as it was), starring women, directed by Paul Feig. Its existence is immediately spun as an attack on men and their precious nostalgia by Deadline editor Mike Fleming Jr. in an article entitled “Film Chauvinist Asks: […]
Posted inCrime
Military Sexual Assault Bill Dies in the Senate
From the New York Times: The Senate on Thursday rejected a controversial bipartisan bill to remove military commanders from decisions over the prosecution of sexual assault cases in the armed forces, delivering a defeat to advocacy groups who argued that wholesale changes are necessary to combat an epidemic of rapes and sexual assaults in the […]
Posted inComedy
Don’t Be a Dick, Mike Huckabee
Image by Carolyn Main Former presidential candidate and zealot robot Mike Huckabee said last week that women don’t need birth control because we should be able to control our own libidos. First of all, Mike Huckabee knows what a libido is? Maybe he thinks it’s a mythical creature in Harry Potter or something. Oh man, […]
Posted inComedy
Don’t Be a Dick, Supreme Court
Illustration by Carolyn Main In Massachusetts, protesters must remain 35 feet from an abortion facility and are not allowed to obstruct anyone from entering. On Wednesday, a group of anti-abortion protesters challenged this law, and not to a game of badminton. The law is being challenged in the US Supreme Court, so if struck down, […]
Posted inGirls Only!
Don’t be a Dick, Victim Blamers
Art by Carolyn Main Hey, did you guys forget that the world is a scarier place than a haunted house where a clown got murdered to death? I did for a second, and then I got reminded by the town of Maryville, Missouri that people can be awful. A teenage girl Daisy Coleman, (her mom […]
Posted inComedy
Don’t Be a Dick, Rashida Jones
Illustration by Carolyn Main It’s hard when people you admire and respect disappoint you. That’s why I’m so glad no one respects me. A month ago, the very talented actress Rashida Jones tweeted, “This week’s celeb news takeaway: she who comes closest to showing the actual inside of her vagina is most popular. #stopactinglikewhores.” As […]
Posted inSexual Politics
Don’t Be a Dick, INTERNET
Image by Carolyn Main So, I don’t know if y’all have heard, but I write a humor column about injustice (taking the radical stance that I don’t like it). My intention with comedy is to make people feel better, and some readers comment that they hate me. All I’m trying to do with comedy is […]
Posted inSexual Politics
Don’t Be a Dick, Anti-Feminists
Carolyn Main A few days ago I was hosting an open mic and a very funny nice comedian said, “I don’t understand feminism. Do you feminists just want to BE men?” It’s not the first time I’ve heard feminism equated to butchness, yelling at men for opening doors for us, and growing out our Rapunzel-esque […]
Posted inSexual Politics
Don't Be a Dick, Abortion Shamers
Recently, I was talking to a Portland abortion clinic social worker (because I know how to party) and she said that one of her patients arrived at the clinic by medical cab to an unwelcoming committee of protesters. The driver decellerated and told the protesters, “I’m on your side. I’m just doing this for a […]
Posted inSexual Politics
My Least Favorite Piece of Misogyny This Week: Comedy Bullies
Carolyn Main I love comedy open mics because they are a work-out room to sweat out new material. The creative process of birthing jokes is so beautiful; I rarely mind the joke placenta. However, the comedy scene in Portland is so sweet it leaves cupcake shops in its wake, and this often means that clubs […]
Posted inSexual Politics
My Least Favorite Piece of Misogyny This Week: Special Treatment Edition
Illustration by Carolyn Main A year ago, an article was published about me online and one of the anonymous comments read, “Barbara thinks the reason people don’t like her is because she’s a girl, but really the only reason anyone was ever nice to her was because they thought they could fuck her.” That inspired […]