Talk About Missing the Point
On last night's Colbert Report, there was a story about Johnna Mink, a pole dancing instructor. Now, I don't believe that pole dancing is anti-feminist. I think pole dancing can be a great form of exercise and a way to be more in tune to how our beautiful bodies work and move. It's a way to be sensual for our own good and not for the pleasure of someone else (anyone who pole dances for fun want to contribute to Then I Guess I'm Selfish?). What's anti-feminist about pole dancing is the response it gets from our patriarchal society, that women who pole dance are poor, dirty, slutty, and troubled. Labelling pole dancing as the ulitmate feminist expression before our adolescent society matures makes people say this kind of crap:
"When I think of feminism, I think of hairy, butch, nasty lesbians . . . . I think it's great that people think that pole dancing is feminist, because it doesn't make us look like pigs for watching."
In other words, he's glad that pole dancing can be seen as feminist, because then he can still watch naked ladies while labelling the women who fight for gender equity as hairy, butch, nasty lesbians. Point: Missed.
But this is what made me die a little inside:
"I think some of the things that classic feminists fought for would be like women's right to vote, equal pay rights . . . . Pole dancing is better than classical feminism in every way possible."
So, if this woman had to choose between having the right to vote and having the right to pole dance, she'd choose pole dancing. Great.
8 comments:
hahaha... I think you are missing the point... This show is on comedy central. A CHANNEL WITH COMEDY SHOWS! This is my first point. Next, have you seen the other parts on this show? the platinum colbert report? A section of the show only billionares can watch? Can you really believe this is a serious news show? God you are an idiot. and yes, I am a man. I believe in womens rights, and feminism, and that women should be treated the same as men. But really, don't take this show seriously.
My favorite argument: I'm all for women's rights, kitten, but you're a blithering idiot.
I wonder what we'd do if we didn't have men around to tell us how to get our rights.
Hm... I have a feeling anytime a man says anything on this website it is disregarded.
I'm sorry to have to break this to you, Jeff, but you are the idiot here. I watch The Colbert Report every day. It's one of my favorite shows. Did you notice that I made that post about 5 minutes after that segment ended when the show re-aired at 4:30pm EST? That's because I purposely put my television on Comedy Central to watch the show.
Since you didn't bother to notice, I did not quote Stephen Colbert once. I only quoted two people who were interviewed for that segment. The interviews are not scripted, and the news stories on the show aren't made up. Only the jokes are made up. In fact, Johnna Mink is a real pole dance instructor not far from where Stephen Colbert lives. I wouldn't be surprised if he read about her in a regional newspaper himself and decided to feature her on the show.
Again, I apolgize for showing you that you are indeed a moron. The truth hurts sometimes. In your haste to call someone an idiot, you only made yourself look stupid and ignorant.
women are so smart!!!!!
Only if said man is an asshat who pulls the ridiculous commentary outlined by myself in the my above comment.
I have to say I don't care for the segment. They threw in too many clips and laugh tracks to the point that it's no longer cohesive, and it's hard to tell what the overall message is (if there is one). But after seeing it, I have to go with jeff c. Based on their (ab)use of the laugh tracks there, it looks like they were satirizing both the idea that a form of recreation is a powerful sociopolitical statement and the general sexism from the guys. Because it's hard not to laugh at (and subsequently have second thoughts about) a guy who thinks it's great that pole-dancing is considered feminist because it means he isn't made to feel guilty about viewing his wife as an object.
Drew,
I've never been to a taping of The Colbert Report, but I don't think they use laugh tracks. I've been to two tapings of Late Night, and they don't use laugh tracks. There's an "applause" sign that lights up before and after commercial breaks, but not during the show. When there's a segment that doesn't take place in the studio, the audience watches the taped segment on television screens above the seats, and the audience laughs at the funny parts.
I think the point of the piece was to show how women and men miss the point when it comes to feminism. Johnna Mink's husband believes he has been enlightened, but what he really feels is entitled. He thinks it's okay to see women as sex objects simply because these women like their bodies and what they can do. If I thought that these people were the only ones who were completely clueless about feminism, I wouldn't have made an entry about this, or anything else.
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