Because most mainstream U.S. new sources are so pro-establishment, often acting merely as governmental propaganda delivery machines, I frequently check out foreign news outlets which are, of course, largely propaganda delivery machines of a slightly different flavor.
One of the things I despise about these large corporate news outlets is their custom of sanitizing the news to be “safe” for children and the most easily offended adults. These media claim to be targeting a responsible adult audience, but they are really targeting the least common denominators of the population, hence the focus on sensationalism devoid of any meaningful opinions that stray too far from total conformity.
Spiegel Online, probably fits that mold as much as any other large news organization, but they do one thing that few of the others do. They do not edit nudity. They have apparently assumed that their audience can handle such raw, unfiltered information without suffering permanent psychological damage and for that reason, I am always pleased to link to a story that I know would never get published in most western media without extensive editing to protect those who would dictate for everyone else, what they are allowed to see and read.
While, I’m pretty certain I have little if anything in common with the philosophy of these feminist protesters, I am more than willing to help them reach a larger audience since given their offering of something of great visual value in exchange.
From the Spiegel Online article: The new face of feminism
“The group’s ideological framework is just as simple as the rules for the topless protest. The Ukrainian founders have established three goals for Femen: the fight against forced prostitution, the struggle against the oppression of women by religion, and resistance against all manner of dictators. If they are going to use their bodies as banners, they might as well aim for some lofty goals. ”
Sounds like goals I could support!
I don’t think it’s that simple. I believe these women are liberal feminists, not libertarians. I could support them to the extent that they don’t invoke the state to accomplish their goals. For example, Femen and other liberal feminists typically oppose the sex industry and strongly advocate the criminalization of prostitution (not just in Germany or the Ukraine), especially the consumer side. While they sport signs that say, “Fuck your morals”, they are essentially defining the morals for all women. I’ve never been a big fan of women’s rights groups that simply want to impose their view of proper behavior on all women. Empowering women (or any other group) should be about fighting for their right to make their own choices.
I have some pretty strong opinions about the sex industry and attitudes about sex in general from the days when I was writing on sexhysteria.com. I recommend having a look at The Honest Courtesan (listed in the links on the right). Maggie McNeill is a libertarian and former prostitute and I believe she has written about Femen on occasion (although I can’t access her site from work).
I still like some of their slogans!
And I still like where they put them.
Regardless of whether I agree with their positions, I do like enthusiastic grass-roots activism, because it spawns debate and debate often leads to people changing their attitude. I wasn’t always a librarian. People I disagreed with eventually convinced me it was better than the conservative views I was raised on.
That’s why I was excited about both the Occupy movement as well as the Tea Party even though I was not that sympathetic to either. And, of course, I was disappointed when neither of them embraced nude protest…