Submitted by media girl on 2 December 2005 - 9:51pm
Religious zealots can seize your body, make you wear a bag in public, treat you like a servant and generally treat you as a sex object to be owned....
Or porn fans can seize your body, make you wear nothing in public, treat you like a servant and generally treat you as a sex object to be owned.
That's the choice offered up in a snarky student stunt called "Porno for Bibles":
Atheist Agenda, an atheist group at U Texas San Antonio, staged a "Porno for Bibles" event, where they gave free pornography to people who traded in religious scripture.Now, I'm not ideologically against porn. I'm sure it does some good by keeping losers off the street -- their needs are in good hands, you know?
But really, what a choice!
[Update: It seems that, while the Atheist Agenda's site didn't get slashdotted, it got Boinged. Now they have a dry disclaimer:
If you feel we did this for attention or because we are immature, you are completely wrong. Assumptions make an ass out of you and me.Did I mention that they're incredibly clever?]
Comments
8 comments postedIt figures ...
the one stinking
time I actually need a freakin' bible ...
Yea, yea... you want to talk about being objectified? Read Leviticus!! As for dry comments on the site... well our internet guy isn't the funniest guy in the world... a pity really.
Expect snark in return.
"The memory of my own suffering has prevented me from ever shadowing one young soul with the superstitions of the Christian religion" --Elizabeth Cady Stanton
"The bible and the church have been the greatest stumbling blocks in the way of women's emancipation"-- Elizabeth Cady Stanton
"The bible teaches that woman brought sin and death into the world. She was to play the role of a dependent on man's bounty for all her material wants, and for all the information she might desire... Here is the Bible position of woman briefly summed up."-- Elizabeth Cady Stanton
I feel has if I must explian our actions in doing this Smut for Smut event to women who fight so hard for their rights. I understand that Elizabeth Cady Stanton prolly won't of like the porno part of our event. But we won't saying porno is ok and the bible isn't, in tradeing one for the other we were saying that they were of equal value. I hope you understand our motives, I know I understand yours. thanks
You can dish it out but can't take a little snark?
As for your message, no, trading in A for B does not mean they are of equal value. The implication is that you are giving out something better. That is the basis of trade-ins in our culture.
Just look at gun trade-in projects in various cities. The whole message is that it's better for people to have what they are giving out in exchange for the guns.
And so your message comes across as porn being better than religious texts. Better to be a whore than a madonnna?
And here you come to scold feminists for turning a jaundiced eye?
I'm curious, what do you think my motives are? Just how do you "understand" them?
No thin skin here. The event was a huge success and opened up dialogue you might not expect. We had a blast and we are enjoying the attention, albeit surprising since we have already addressed that we lifted the idea. Being a woman, I'd love to have a lengthy conversation with a feminist about this topic... this just ins't the forum to do it in. If you had come by the table, we'd have had ourselves a nice chat!
With anti-dominionist talk, you might find a warm welcome on a feminist site. With pro-porn talk, though, maybe a narrower range. I'm glad the event went well. I think the idea is funny. It's only when I stop to think that it bothers me ... and then only a little. I'm sure the holier-than-thous were furious.
Oh, there were plenty of people who were furious. Absolutely... but there were plenty of people who were more curious about the actual intentions of the group and the event, and those conversations were productive and healthy. In addition, I would like to say that of course, I see it as an upgrade. If we want to really talk about how women become objectified throughout history in society, there is a famous little myth about a little lady, a snake and an apple...
Pornography is vilified as ultimate evil in society, but to put it as eloquently as one of the members of our group already has, religious texts are not the "virtuous bastions of morality" that people like to claim they are. They are full of violence and sex. Not only that, but just the mere fact that people can be so enamored with archaic fiction is beyond me, especially when it can convince them to take a position they might not otherwise. Take, for instance, the African American gentleman my husband works with who willingly praises slavery as "god's will" and claims that it was, of course, a sin for a slave to rise up against his master.
If that doesn't frighten you, what will?