Putting Catherine McKinnon In Her Place
Via Pursed Lips, this hilarious anecdote from a New York City screening of Inside Deep Throat:
The New York screening of Inside Deep Throat at the Paris Theatre was a hoot. … The hapless lot of directing a post-screening panel fell to Elvis Mitchell, former movie critic at the NY Times. … Mitchell looked on helplessly as McKinnon did her thing, claiming that the film we had just watched was promoting the acceptance of rape. At one point, however, her righteous zeal became unhinged when she claimed that it was not possible to do deep throat safely, that it was a dangerous act that could only be done under hypnosis. “What’s so funny?” she snapped as the audience rippled with mirth. Todd Graff’s hand shot up – “I can do it,” he said, and the room echoed with a chorus of gay men going “me too!” (Gigi Grazer – wife of Brian – later told Graff to stop bragging and that she could do it better than him and had the rocks on her fingers to prove it. Touché).
Sounds like McKinnon picked the wrong audience to spout her anti-sex drivel….
Similar Sex Blogging:
Shorter URL for sharing: http://www.erosblog.com/?p=1283
This makes me sad. As a feminist smut writer, I often find McKinnon’s position regarding sex in general, more specifically sex in film and on paper, to be more anti woman than pro woman.
Women like sex! For the life of me, I cannot understand why she continues to be so blind about this issue and continue to make such ridiculous blanket statements.
And wow, hypnosis? I admit that deep throating is not as easy as it looks in the movies but hypnosis? She’s actually a very intelligent woman, she’s just completely unhinged about the subject of sex, which is sad.
Bacchus, Thanks for the acknowledgment.
Freya: I’m with you about McKinnon’s big blind spot. At the very least, she should know about sore throats sprays that deaden the gag reflex, but I guess she’s too busy tallying the numbers of throat rape victims seeking medical care.
i don’t think she’s got a blind spot so much as she’s operating from the position of someone who was/believes she was seriously abused. for a time, this mentally ill unfortunate person was seen as an expert on the sex lives of women. (really just filling the reactionary role that needed to be filled post sexual revolution.)
and i’ve gotta say, as much as i love where we’re going on the sexual freedom front, it’s difficult to watch what i sense is an increase in sexism at the same time. i doubt it will last, but this hiphop/youth culture thang that’s making it like women’s highest purpose is to be slave/prostitute has gotta yank her (and other aging lesbian-feminists’) chain something fierce.