Jack and his Alphabet

Why am I so annoyed about a book, asks a commentor I will not publish for writing most offensively what could have been a very civil question, that satirizes common nonsense about masculinity, and which no one has yet read?

See how civil that was, twit?

No brainer. In the context of the "raunch culture" or the "pornificaiton of culture," which is pretty well entrenched at this point, I am not at all convinced that most readers are literate, critical, and culturally critical enough to get the joke. The joke is not made that strongly, and the book, and website, are designed to play back and forth between satire and endorsment-piggy-backing on the raunch culture: "Here is a patriarchal sexist attitude distilled in soundbite form" ... I'm kidding ... the world is not kidding ... I'm not kidding ... buy my book and reinforce your Jackiarchy ... just buy my book ... no matter what the fallout for the girls ... they're just girls ... cop a feel ... boobs are public property ... and assess ... and heck ... she's in public, she's yours.

Because there's a plethora of sites out there in this vein, and they bleed quite easily into the rhetoric, tone, and content of sites and a large swath the cultural prarie whose authors are not kidding.

Girls Gone Wild, Howard Stern, all their immitators...the Britney Spears styles hawked at pre-teens (creepiest), etc.

A keen eye can see the blurry line, but I teach them youngins, and they ain't got the so keen eyes. Tho they do learn quick.

Thus, Class, should a man read the entry for C in the alphabet: Cop a Feel, and actually touch me without invitation -- this is no longer ironic or satirical. It's assault. I respond to assaults for what they are. "I was just kidding, lighten up" still got him a feel, still treated me like a Thing, and will lose him a kneecap.

And there, foul-mouthed Jack-man, is context, reason, and assurance of my response.

And I'll buy the book. And I'll read the book. And I'll just see how Twainy or Swifty this boy is. I am willing to change my mind. The article, the site, gave me little hope. Perhaps the book will give more.