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They buried Maggie behind the toolshed yesterday. As expected, her owner, Mr. VFW, took it hard. He helped carry her to the grave, and then he tottered home and crawled into a bottle. Most of the neighbors are fellow veterans, and they've been watching out for him. Earlier today, they congregated at the red-necked angel's house to drink beer and talk shop about cars and lawnmowers. I didn't see Mr. VFW, but I know the neighbors are worried for him because as Roomie and NC Claus were walking back from examining Maggie yesterday, NC confided in him that they expected to find Mr. VFW in much the same way, stiff and cold in his easy chair. They're worried that Maggie's death will only accelerate the process, as Mr. VFW's only companion now is a geriatric, obese calico.
A few days ago, I stumbled upon one of those Internet groupie gossip sites. I know, but ficcing is stressful, dammit, and I need something to soften my brainmeats. Anyway, while there, I happened upon a groupie who claimed that "Till Lindemann is very sexist and treats women as though they're only good for one thing, so don't expect to be treated as an equal."
This isn't the first time members of Rammstein have been accused of sexism and misogyny. As I recall, "Bueck Dich" raised a furor in some corners of the Internet over the line, "Das Gesicht interessiert mich nicht." Apparently, by admitting that the male was only interested in engaging in anal sex and utterly disinterested in anything deeper, Rammstein was acknowledging that they viewed women as nothing more than vaguely sentient sex objects who had no worth beyond the sexual favors they could provide.
I can't say for certain that Rammstein don't hold sexist or misogynist views. I don't know them, and frankly, Till hasn't acquitted himself well in that department given that a former partner accused him of breaking her nose in a Dresden hotel in 1997. That said, lyrics to a song and drunken encounters with women who engage them explicitly for the purpose of having sex are a poor basis on which to form an opinion. No, the song doesn't paint a flattering portrait of either the man or his conquest, but I'm willing to bet dollars and doughnuts that Till wasn't envisioning a loving, monogamous relationship when he penned those lyrics; he was remembering the buxom, over-rouged twit who'd flashed her breasts at him thirteen times in ten minutes and rimmed the bodyguard to get backstage. He knows that a person willing to do those things is only interested in him for one reason: the opportunity to bed a rock star. They're not there to discuss his poetry or gender politics, but to suck his dick and fuck his brains out and crow to their friends. If they view him solely as a meal ticket and a famous hump, then why shouldn't he view them as equally irrelevant and disposable. Why is he morally obligated to venerate them when they treat him like a fuck doll?
If these groupies want to be treated as more than just vacuous sex dolls, then perhaps they should behave with a modicum of decorum. Why should a musician respect anything that comes out of your mouth when he just saw it wrapped around the knob of a random security guy? Women should be in charge of their sexual lives, yes, and should be given the same freedom to behave as they choose, but they should also be willing to accept the consequences of that behavior. Fairly or not, a man will think less of a female who engages in sexual acts with strangers for personal gain.
If I blew a roadie to get backstage and then spent a boozy hour flirting with Richard Kruspe, then I would not and should not be surprised if he led me into a corner or a closet or a bathroom and asked me to drop my knickers. I have, after all, been sending sexual signals all night. I am, of course, free to refuse, and he would be a lout if he pressed the issue, but I should not be surprised if he summarily dismisses me as an interesting companion. He was expecting sex, not stimulating conversation.
If, however, I do not blow a roadie but end up backstage by luck, and make no sexual overtures of any kind, but attempt to strike up a conversation, only to be rebuffed and called lewd names, then yes, I should be angry because I am clearly being told that I have no value beyond the panty manna hidden in my vagina. If I am belittled because I chose not to have sex with a famous stranger, then yes, Richard(or Band Member X)would be a misogynist tool.
But if you spend the entire night trying to worm your way into their pants, then you should not be surprised when that is all they see or want from you, nor should you be butthurt when they want nothing else. How can they when all they've seen is your tits and your bush and all they've heard is how good you are with your tongue? You haven't shown them anything worth a second look.
As far as accusations of sexism go, I wonder if it's simply culturally ingrained in such a masculine, male-oriented culture. They might not see it as sexism, but as protection. After all, it's "easier" for a woman to be a mother or a domestic goddess than it is to be an executive or a carpenter or a rock star. It's easier to stay at home with the children and have sex three times a week and do the laundry than it is to worry over the bills and making ends meet. Maybe German men, particularly East German men raised under Communism, simply believe that by limiting or narrowly-defining a woman's role in the microcosm of a relationship and the macrocosm of society, they are both fulfilling their expected roles as men and protecting the woman from unnecessary hardship. It's an arrogant, presumptive, outmoded way of thought, but Communism wasn't exactly a bulwark of progressive social theory, and there is, on some level, a twisted, wrong-headed nobility to it.
I don't know if Rammstein believe women should stay home, spread their legs on command, and pop out children, but I do think some old-fashioned traditionalism has seeped into them. You are a product of your culture, and while it is possible to buck some of it, it is impossible to buck all of it. And some of them have bucked trends. Paul took his first wife's name, and Richard took his wife's surname and married in a Jewish ceremony despite his atheism. Clearly, they are not knuckle-dragging troglodytes, even it they do--as I suspect--occasionally succumb to the whore/Madonna fallacy when it comes to their wives and committed relationships.
It's something I'm going to have to consider in my fictional world as well. Richard might have assimilated well into American culture, but those East German roots and mores are surely still there, and surely they'll come out at some point. I just need to find some uniquely East German idea about women and/or relationships. Any ideas?
A few days ago, I stumbled upon one of those Internet groupie gossip sites. I know, but ficcing is stressful, dammit, and I need something to soften my brainmeats. Anyway, while there, I happened upon a groupie who claimed that "Till Lindemann is very sexist and treats women as though they're only good for one thing, so don't expect to be treated as an equal."
This isn't the first time members of Rammstein have been accused of sexism and misogyny. As I recall, "Bueck Dich" raised a furor in some corners of the Internet over the line, "Das Gesicht interessiert mich nicht." Apparently, by admitting that the male was only interested in engaging in anal sex and utterly disinterested in anything deeper, Rammstein was acknowledging that they viewed women as nothing more than vaguely sentient sex objects who had no worth beyond the sexual favors they could provide.
I can't say for certain that Rammstein don't hold sexist or misogynist views. I don't know them, and frankly, Till hasn't acquitted himself well in that department given that a former partner accused him of breaking her nose in a Dresden hotel in 1997. That said, lyrics to a song and drunken encounters with women who engage them explicitly for the purpose of having sex are a poor basis on which to form an opinion. No, the song doesn't paint a flattering portrait of either the man or his conquest, but I'm willing to bet dollars and doughnuts that Till wasn't envisioning a loving, monogamous relationship when he penned those lyrics; he was remembering the buxom, over-rouged twit who'd flashed her breasts at him thirteen times in ten minutes and rimmed the bodyguard to get backstage. He knows that a person willing to do those things is only interested in him for one reason: the opportunity to bed a rock star. They're not there to discuss his poetry or gender politics, but to suck his dick and fuck his brains out and crow to their friends. If they view him solely as a meal ticket and a famous hump, then why shouldn't he view them as equally irrelevant and disposable. Why is he morally obligated to venerate them when they treat him like a fuck doll?
If these groupies want to be treated as more than just vacuous sex dolls, then perhaps they should behave with a modicum of decorum. Why should a musician respect anything that comes out of your mouth when he just saw it wrapped around the knob of a random security guy? Women should be in charge of their sexual lives, yes, and should be given the same freedom to behave as they choose, but they should also be willing to accept the consequences of that behavior. Fairly or not, a man will think less of a female who engages in sexual acts with strangers for personal gain.
If I blew a roadie to get backstage and then spent a boozy hour flirting with Richard Kruspe, then I would not and should not be surprised if he led me into a corner or a closet or a bathroom and asked me to drop my knickers. I have, after all, been sending sexual signals all night. I am, of course, free to refuse, and he would be a lout if he pressed the issue, but I should not be surprised if he summarily dismisses me as an interesting companion. He was expecting sex, not stimulating conversation.
If, however, I do not blow a roadie but end up backstage by luck, and make no sexual overtures of any kind, but attempt to strike up a conversation, only to be rebuffed and called lewd names, then yes, I should be angry because I am clearly being told that I have no value beyond the panty manna hidden in my vagina. If I am belittled because I chose not to have sex with a famous stranger, then yes, Richard(or Band Member X)would be a misogynist tool.
But if you spend the entire night trying to worm your way into their pants, then you should not be surprised when that is all they see or want from you, nor should you be butthurt when they want nothing else. How can they when all they've seen is your tits and your bush and all they've heard is how good you are with your tongue? You haven't shown them anything worth a second look.
As far as accusations of sexism go, I wonder if it's simply culturally ingrained in such a masculine, male-oriented culture. They might not see it as sexism, but as protection. After all, it's "easier" for a woman to be a mother or a domestic goddess than it is to be an executive or a carpenter or a rock star. It's easier to stay at home with the children and have sex three times a week and do the laundry than it is to worry over the bills and making ends meet. Maybe German men, particularly East German men raised under Communism, simply believe that by limiting or narrowly-defining a woman's role in the microcosm of a relationship and the macrocosm of society, they are both fulfilling their expected roles as men and protecting the woman from unnecessary hardship. It's an arrogant, presumptive, outmoded way of thought, but Communism wasn't exactly a bulwark of progressive social theory, and there is, on some level, a twisted, wrong-headed nobility to it.
I don't know if Rammstein believe women should stay home, spread their legs on command, and pop out children, but I do think some old-fashioned traditionalism has seeped into them. You are a product of your culture, and while it is possible to buck some of it, it is impossible to buck all of it. And some of them have bucked trends. Paul took his first wife's name, and Richard took his wife's surname and married in a Jewish ceremony despite his atheism. Clearly, they are not knuckle-dragging troglodytes, even it they do--as I suspect--occasionally succumb to the whore/Madonna fallacy when it comes to their wives and committed relationships.
It's something I'm going to have to consider in my fictional world as well. Richard might have assimilated well into American culture, but those East German roots and mores are surely still there, and surely they'll come out at some point. I just need to find some uniquely East German idea about women and/or relationships. Any ideas?
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