You've Got that 100% Assbackwards...

One narrative that pisses me off until my eyelid twitches is when privileged leftists dismiss concerns of oppression, imperialism, etc. with shit like "after the revolution, there'll be no X".  After the Revolution, there'll be no sexism.  After the Revolution, there'll be no racism.  After the Revolution, there'll be no imperialism.  And so on.

The thing is though, that they have it totally backwards.  While it is true that a fully Marxist system (in the opinion of, well a Marxist) is one without any oppression or social class distinctions, the entire point of the Revolution (whatever means you think are acceptable there, democratic change, direct action, violent resistance, etc. you can't really be a leftist and not think it's necessary) is to try and end oppression.  It's a trivial truth that in a fully Marxist society sexism will not exist, for example, because eliminating sexism is required to have a fully Marxist society.  You can't have a fully Marxist society and not have gotten rid of your racism, sexism, imperialism, anti-queer oppression, etc.  It's not that we will have the Revolution and then all oppression will magically end, the Revolution IS the struggle to end oppressions.  Any Revolution that does not seek to and fully strive to end all forms of oppression is not a fully Marxist Revolution, any end state that could be reached while still allowing oppression and class distinctions is no Marxism.

So don't you privileged leftists dare say that oppression will be over after the Revolution to dismiss concerns of other leftists in regards to specific types or systems of oppression.  That is so absolutely backwards.  Ending all oppression is the goal of the Revolution, it is the aim of the Revolution.  Marxism is at its very core supposed to be a theory for dismantling oppression.  Any way that you fail to do so is a failure to achieve total Revolution and total Marxism.  Ending sexism, racism, imperialism, cissexism, anti-queer oppression, classism, etc. are necessary parts of the Revolution, not potential fringe benefits. 

Starting to Collect a List of Non-negative Fat Anime Characters

So, I have been watching Accel World, and really, really enjoying having a short fat protagonist in an anime.  I also find it interesting that the rest of the characters remain the more common long, thin shape. 

  

That's Haruyuki Arita, third from the left, our sweet but insecure protagonist.  

As positive fat characters are so rare in anime, I thought I would start making up a list.   The criteria are relatively straightforward, the character has to be fat, chubby, or heavyset; the character has to not be all about anti-fat jokes or be a villain; the character has to appear in more than one episode/have a name/have a number of lines (in other words, they have to actually be more than an extra).

Probably the best known fat anime character (with the possible exception of Gluttony from FMA, who is exempted for obvious reasons) is Choji from Naruto.

While Choji is not a villainous character and has some role other than as an 'ew fat' punchline, he is also rather stereotypical, and is used as the butt of jokes around his size on the show.

In no particular order except how they entered my brain, here are a few more non-negative fat anime characters:

Sumiyo Fukabori of Saki, she is a chubby minor side character who is on one of the majong teams

While she might be better classified as stocky rather than fat, I'm going to include Elizabeth Liati from Kenran Butoh Sai The Mars Daybreak.  Liati is the captain of a Martian submarine.

Kugayama Mitsunori of Genshiken, an otaku (like every other character on that show):

Chieko from Kuragehime, lover of dolls and kimonos, excellent seamstress

  Kohto Hirano from High School of the Dead.  This is a very sexist echi anime, and ya'll probably know I'm not a big fan of echi, but I have this zombie obsession...anyways, Hirano fits under the fat and non-negative character category

I did find this discussion over on gaia forums (warning this link is not a safe space regarding size acceptance or body size) but it does not separate negative from non-negative portrayals.  http://www.gaiaonline.com/forum/recycle-bin/are-there-any-fat-obese-anime-characters/t.55360301_1/ though it did remind me to add

Kōsaku Tokita from Paprika (which is a feature film, not a series):

Also need to add Daru from Steins Gate, the hacker:

A friend of a friend on twitter recommended this one awhile back (sorry for the late update there, I've been rather sick lately, and the second link they gave has gone dead):

Mao Daidoji (http://myanimelist.net/character/21458/Mao_Daidoji)

Happy May Day

Happy May Day.  

Picture of Emilia Plater

I'm sitting in class and not rebelling, because I need my attendance points.  I've taken too many sick days this semester.

Can you be against feminism without being a misogynist?

I think the answer to this question lies in distinguishing feminism as a set of movements and feminism as an ideal.

There are valid criticisms of feminist movements, and those that genuinely and honestly dislike feminism as a movement because of those things are not necessarily woman haters, and in some cases are anything but.  A non-feminist identified womanist who feels alienated by the history of erasure of woman of color and racism by some sections of the feminist movement is not a misogynist.  A trans woman who criticizes histories of transphobia within certain sections of the feminist movement is not engaging in woman hating solely by doing so.

On the other hand, attacks on feminism qua feminism, as a movement for rights of women, as women's non-inferiority and personhood, etc. are inherently misogynist.  Opposition to the notion that women are full people is misogynist to its very core, assertions that women should be denied bodily autonomy or access to social participation is intrinsically misogynist.  There is no real way to attack the idea of opposition to oppression of women as such and not being a misogynist.

Misogynist anti-feminist love to conflate their intrinsically misogynist attacks on feminism with the not intrinsically misogynist genuine criticisms of various feminist movements, but they are not the same thing at all.  The form, content, and intent of criticisms of feminism absolutely do matter.

If someone says that they do not like feminism because they have experienced a great deal of classism in feminist spaces, that alone does not make them a misogynist or indicate they are a misogynist.  However, those that take issue with feminism because it aims to advocate against sexist oppression, they are simply misogynists.