Not All James Lileks Are Unfunny and Stupid
By It’s true. Not all a James Lileks are unfunny and stupid. But this one is. Here he attempts to have fun with the “not all men” meme.
The “not all men” meme comes from the idea that when feminists are talking about men, it’s really not necessary to inform them that “not all men” do or are “x.” Some silly feminists think that when men interject with “not all men” it is an attempt to derail conversation or to make the conversation about themselves. This is obviously bonkers because there is no history of men trolling feminist sites and doing this very thing. It is a phenomenon that is literally unheard of, so point to James Lileks!
If someone says “all blacks are” or “all Asians are” and the person who demurs happens to be black or Asian, have they derailed a conversation, or offered a counterpoint? Since when does disagreement mean you aren’t contributing to the conversation?
Couple things. A.) I’m guessing most feminists do not use the phrase “all men” to start sentences very often. Starting sentences with the descriptor “all” is a good way to get anyone into trouble, even people who aren’t censoring, silly-memeing feminists. B.) Making broad generalizations about groups that have traditionally had less power than others is trickier and just generally a bad idea because even well-meaning descriptions of said groups can come across as racist or sexist, even if we all know that all Asians are great at math. It’s just more…fraught…you know? Of course, you don’t, you’re James Lileks.
Okay. A woman says, “All men at heart are rapists.” A man responds: “Not all men. In fact a damned small percentage.” This does not recenter his feelings, it corrects an error. And it’s hardly a little qualifier.
No one is saying this. Shut the fuck up, James Lileks.
Actually, pointing out that you’re not one of them would indicate that you’re not the problem, and hence are part of the solution.
No. NO NO NO NO NO. That’s not how that works. Merely not being a rapist doesn’t mean you’re some anti-rape crusader. In fact, if you’re a part of what we feminists hysterically call “rape culture” you’re actually still part of the problem. I’d tell you what rape culture is, but I’m pretty sure you’d just use that info as material for your next stand-up routine. You know, for when Mark Steyn is being sued and/or even the audience in his ass cavity has gotten tired of his echoey conservative brand of “humor.”