Friday, February 25, 2011

Isaiah 1-2

The Facts (Chapter number: Verse)

1:8 - "A daughter Zion is left like a booth in a vineyard, like a shelter in a cucumber field, like a besieged city."
1:21-23 - "How the faithful city has become a whore! She that was full of justice, righteousness lodged in her - but now murderers! Your silver has become dross, your wine is mixed with water. Your princes are rebels and companions of thieves. Everyone loves a bribe and runs after gifts. They do not defend the orphan, and the widow's cause does not come before them."
1:27 - "Zion shall be redeemed by justice, and those in her who repent, by righteousness."

2:3 - "... For out of Zion shall go forth instruction, and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem."

My Comments

Does a city have a choice in whom lives there? Really? It's not like daughter Zion, a piece of land and a collection of citizens, has any agency to get rid of these murderers and rebels who have chosen to reside within her walls or any ability to keep them out. That job is really up to her "righteous" citizens. Maybe this is meant to refer to all the citizens of the city, but then why gender it? Why call the people responsible (ie. men, because women have no power in city government) "whores" when so far we have never had an instance of a man being referred to as such? Why, when it's suddenly an issue of rebels and monsters within a city, is it suddenly the female city's fault and not the fault of the men already within her walls?

When you gender a city like this and then choose to call it a whore for something it could never have had any choice in, you are making a statement about feelings towards women whether you mean it as a metaphor or not. Why is it that a woman can be called a whore for something she didn't consent to? Even a female city isn't safe from this idea that virginity and chastity is something a woman is supposed to safe guard and if anything happens to it, whether it was against her will or not, blame is still placed on her. This is a sentiment we still hold today, where a woman who files rape charges is often critiqued up and down for how she dressed, what kind of makeup she was wearing, how high her heels were, whether she batted her eyelashes one too many times at the accused rapist. Some blame is always placed on the victim, and I think it is because we still hold this idea that a woman is the sole protector of her chastity and there is no way that she can be violated without some consent on her part. Or this idea that all women are on this earth to tempt men with sex and so we are always consciously or subconsciously, in some way, either wanting sex or enticing men to have sex with us.

We're not people, we're walking, talking, pheromone emitting and unwitting sexual temptresses.

And just in case any of your readers are of the belief that rape victims and feminists blow victim-blaming during rape cases out of proportion and we're some how SO much better nowadays, I present to you an article from only one day ago about a judge who let a convicted rapist (note he wasn't just accused, he was convicted of the crime) go without jail time because he felt the victim was inviting the sexual advances. To many men rape is just a case of "misunderstood signals and inconsiderate behavior" and not a violent violation of another person's agency and body. Fuck, the judge even states that he's sure whatever sex signals the victim sent were unintentional, which goes with this idea that women can't help the fact that they constantly tempt men into sex with them. It's just all subconscious. So because she was tempting her rapist with unintentional signals that she had no idea about the rapist cannot be held fully responsible for his crime and therefore does not have to go to jail.

Yes, truly we are a post-feminist society! Why do I even bother having this blog? Clearly all our problems are simply made up and fabricated by a female victim mentality. I see the light!

... -_-

So here's a reminder that it isn't the choice whether or not you have unscrupulous men inside you that makes you a whore but the fact that apparently you didn't do enough to keep those men out. The city of Zion has no choice in who lives in her so how can Zion ever consent to ANYONE (the righteous or the rebellious) living within her. And yet even though she lacks consent she is still called a whore and blamed for the monsters whom have settled within her.

Bible can't even resist calling its most beloved city a whore. What chance do we flawed female human beings have?

Monday: Isaiah 3-4

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