I’m really way more excited about this War on Terr’r than the original one, though I have about as much hope for its success as I do for the original one’s. Maybe if we conduct this one properly it’ll have a better outcome. At least I know I can trust feminists more than the god damned Army to comport themselves with some dignity (at least as I define that term) and not fuck things up worse than they already are.
So, what is terrorism? I’m not letting some crew of old coots at Webster or Random House make this call for me, I’m defining it myself. Terrorism is any action that makes use of fear to manipulate someone’s behavior. That fear needn’t only be of death or dismemberment, or even sexual assault, but can include the fear of censure or of being made an outcast among one’s peers. I know that’s fairly protean, but this is a war on a concept, and all’s fair in wars on concepts.
As it’s defined above, women are victims of terrorism throughout their lives, and it works effectively to limit their behavior, their choices in life, and their development as human beings. I say that’s at odds with the values of Americans and those of our allies, and we shouldn’t allow it to continue. We can’t let evil-doers who hate freedom dictate our lives to us and prevent us from exercising our freedom to go outside and eat fast food, shop, and buy cars and shit (or do none of those things) with their terror tactics. It would be un-American, and I’m American as fuck. As such, anyone who tries to put women “in their place” through the use of harassment, threats, or actual violence is a terrorist, and ought to be treated like one.
How do we wage this War on Terr’r? My adopted hometown of New York City had (has?) a campaign that urges citizens to take action with a catchy slogan: “If you see something, say something.” I’m for adopting that slogan, but not using it merely as an excuse to call the cops every time your brown neighbors do something “weird.” Also, I’d prefer to change it to, “If you see something, do something.” That allows for more than just tattling and officious unsolicited advice-giving; it makes room for vandalism, violence, and sundry subterfuge.
I say if you see a terrorist say something rude to a woman on the street, give him the finger, piss on his shoe, kick him in the shins, etc. If you see some anti-American terrorists in front of an abortion clinic trying to block access, throw ground beef at them. If you see something sexist in an ad, deface it (I have stickers you could use for the purpose, or you can make your own or go big and do it with spray paint). If you see something sexist while sitting in the movie theater, yell something clever about it. When you hear a song in public that asks us women to “back that ass up” or something, shout that you won’t be doing so and that you think the request terroristic. Or you could just write a blog about it. Trust me, everyone wants to know what you think, and if they don’t, fuck ’em, they’re with the terrorists and they don’t deserve to live.
Note: I don’t actually think I have the kind of influence it would require to start a huge anti-Terr’r campaign, but hopefully these kinds of things spread like I think they do and soon it won’t just be the few and the proud making themselves ticks in the hide of our misogynistic society.
Another note: Graphics are on the way for this 5 (or 7, or 9, or 3) part series.
