Well, I agree that a lot of the comments on this that aren't positive take that "men exploiting women" line. But patriarchal privilege isn't just about men exploiting women, and I do believe that activites like this project can implicate male privilege and the "female as sexual" paradigm even when it's not a male dominated project, or a male started project, or a male conceived project. Does that make sense?
Of course, that's an "academic, let's explore the project's implications and people's reactions to it" point of view, rather than a "let's get pissed off and stone people participating" point of view. I don't ascribe to the latter. But I think it's completely legitimate to say, "This was your intent. Here are some of the unintentional ways the intent of the project might implicate privilege in a way that makes some women feel uncomfortable, unwelcome, or unsafe."
I mean, if you post a manifesto on the internet, it's fair game to point out, "Well, I don't think that's necessarily a good idea, and here's why, from my feminist perspective."
What I find a little disconcerting about the whole thing is the ratio of smart commenting and discussion to "out for blood" piling on. Because really, this is not rape in the Congo. It's an idea, one that I think was interesting but ultimately not great. YMMV.
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Of course, that's an "academic, let's explore the project's implications and people's reactions to it" point of view, rather than a "let's get pissed off and stone people participating" point of view. I don't ascribe to the latter. But I think it's completely legitimate to say, "This was your intent. Here are some of the unintentional ways the intent of the project might implicate privilege in a way that makes some women feel uncomfortable, unwelcome, or unsafe."
I mean, if you post a manifesto on the internet, it's fair game to point out, "Well, I don't think that's necessarily a good idea, and here's why, from my feminist perspective."
What I find a little disconcerting about the whole thing is the ratio of smart commenting and discussion to "out for blood" piling on. Because really, this is not rape in the Congo. It's an idea, one that I think was interesting but ultimately not great. YMMV.