Shakra To The Drawing Board
Perhaps the least surprising thing about this piece is the revelation that our hero Aaron Shakra lives in Whiteaker.
But as I passed Mac Court, something finally did stop me. It was the blue box of the Register-Guard, the newspaper inside reading: “Submit or die, Marines tell holdouts.”
I take a deep breath.
“Submit or die.” This is rape culture. This is death culture, repackaged and represented in an easy-to-digest form, available for withdrawal from a blue box. Or whatever color box — They’re all the same shades of gray.
Ah, so that’s what rape culture is. One hears the term bandied about so much, it’s good to finally get some specifics. And now, with a typical display of acrobatics, we find ourselves talking about gender roles:
Feminist biologist Anne Fausto-Sterling has noted that the idea of there being only two sexes is yet another gendered social construction — if we consider hermaphrodites, there should be five sexes…
First of all, if he actually opened the blue box and read the damn newspaper, he might pick up on the fact that the Marines have not been called into action to subdue an unruly crowd of hermaphrodites. Secondly, while his point that biological characteristics do not conform exactly to a “dichotomous system” is fair, in the overwhelming majority of cases – let’s face it – biological characteristics distinguish between men and women quite effectively, for what that distinction is worth. Thirdly, so what? If you want to be androgynous, go ahead. If you don’t, that’s fine too. As Dan Savage would put it, occupy the role that makes you feel comfortable, and kindly quit your incessant bitching.
There is no “us versus them.” It doesn’t exist. Yet, we rely upon it and we learn to conform to it.
Speak for yourself, jackass.
The first place to fight this conformity is with our bodies. Stop subscribing to this culturally imposed gendered social control. Our bodies are the site of direct action — it’s time to begin. It’s time to sing these songs of dissent.
To be continued.
Now, where do we think this is going? Proposed future headline: “Aaron Shakra Wants Everyone To Know Why He’s Wearing A Dress.” He should team up with Scott Austin on this one, I think.
I ain’t watching shit!
A dress? Hardly. He said “Our bodies are the site of direct action.” Those kind of words call for a degree of streets-taking-to far beyond mere “window-dressing,” or rather “Skakra-dressing.” No, I’d put Shakra on self-mutilation watch at this point.