It's so barbaric that our culture still finds rape funny.

..It almost makes me want to quit being a human.. I'm disgusted by the human race sometimes!

Every so often, I see something that is so outrageous, that I don't even know where to begin. This is one of those times.

Leave it to the "men's rights activists" to somehow imagine ways that violence against women is ok. I personally cannot wait to hear what they come up with for this one and its perpetuation of rape as a joke. Please keep us informed when it happens.

Of course rape is not funny. But this product, whether one believes it to be innocent fun or rape, is just not fucking funny. For some reason, some people seem to find shit like this, or the urinals made in a shape of a woman or anything like that, to be fucking hillarious. It's not! If you find it funny, feminism aside, you need a fucking lesson in humor.

Putting pencils in things shaped like vagina = NOT FUNNY. I don't know how else to break it down.

"Recently "men's rights activists" scoffed at the idea that we were offended by the pencil sharpener, which blogger Glenn Sacks wrote "depicts a conventional, common sex act which women enjoy."

They must deliberately miss the point. Every post about these sick things I've seen on feminsts blogs go into great detail about what the problem with it is, and these dipshits still scoff and act confused.

mens news daily and glenn are either total fucking morons, or hate women enough to ignore what they're saying in order to defend rape.

Either way, doesn't speak well of them.

Okay the comment section on glenn's website confirms that both are true -they're stupid and they hate women.

Okay, once they term cries of "help!" and "no!" they officially cross my line from not funny joke to "promoting rape." That is utterly sick.

Just when I think nothing can truly shock me anymore...
I think Cara really hit the nail on the head with her post. STOP SUPPORTING RAPISTS.
Is this at Spencer's Gifts? Like at the mall? Do they sell it in store?
This makes me want to cry a little.

What got me about this one is the implication that rape isn't a rapist sticking something in a woman's vagina against her will, but the woman being in a "bad mood" when he does it.

I can just see the rape apologists now:
It wasn't rape! It was PMS!

More minimization of rape and victim-blaming. Just what we needed.

But it seems that Jessica and many other feminists tend to see popular culture as "offensive to women" when, in reality, popular culture is far more anti-male than anti-female. This is particularly true when depicting violence--a dozen men can die in a movie or cop show and scarcely anyone blinks, but when a woman dies, it's a big deal. To pick one example, see my blog post Pirates of the Caribbean & Male Disposability.

He is so off base about this it isn't even funny. Why are men killed off en masse in cop shows and action movies Glen? Probably because the movies are made BY MEN FOR MEN.

Let's talk about Pirates of the Caribbean. It's a movie about PIRATES, being chased by the BRITISH ROYAL NAVY. Now, pardon me if I'm wrong but I don't believe there were a lot of pirate ships with a lot of women on them, and I don't think there were female soldiers in the BRN, but I could be wrong. So, given those two options, it would seem that men getting the brunt of the killing (while DOING the brunt of the killing)is going to be par for the course. There are, in THREE FILMS, a total of TWO lead female actresses: Kiera Knightly and Naomi Harris (i believe that's her name) and while they both could have been killed off, seeing as they were primarily there as love interests it would have had to be a big deal for the male protagonists that the women they loved died, much the same as it was a big deal for Knightly's character when she thought Orlando Bloom had died.

I'm sure Glen's going to complain next that hetro porn films only have attractive women and ugly men because society is against attractive men.

And as for the "common sex act women enjoy," I'm thinking Glen did deliberately ignore the hands and feet bolted down to the ground cause really, if you ENJOY it you're not going to be forced to stay in that position. And don't give me that bullshit about "where else could they but them?" They could have made SOME attempt to conceal the bolts or had them bolted in the palms and knees where it wouldn't seen at all. And let's not forget THERE IS NO HEAD and the fact that if you want any kind of sharpness you're probably going to have to shove that thing in there.

As for the "men are all bastards" knife holder. Do you notice how every single time a product like this aimed against women come up, the MRAs(c) keep going back to THAT ONE PRODUCT. Just ONE. Just the sexually ambiguous red dude (though I guess because it explicitly doesn't have breasts it MUST be male). If we stacked all the products that are anti-women against all the products that are anti-male, then who do you think would "win?"

And don't get me started about TV, where women are always being put in danger of being killed and raped in every crime procedural, and in 2005 Entertainment Weekly even did a piece on all the rampant violence against women in TV because even THEY were shocked.

This crosses so many lines. Disgusting.

You can contact the website at:

http://funideas.com/contact.html

though I don't know what good it would. Some people really don't know what they're doing and need to be informed.

What I like best about Cara's remark is that remaining silent is, for all intents and purposes, condoning rape. That's right.

Wow. I can't tell right now if I am more enraged by these awful pencil products or the people who comment on Men's Daily News. Hmmm. That's a tough call. I think I'm going to go with the MDNers. I'd like to stick a few pens in them and see what noises they make. And not because I advocate violence against all men. That knife holder is tacky and wrong. But I would enjoy hurting these men.

What got me about this one is the implication that rape isn't a rapist sticking something in a woman's vagina against her will, but the woman being in a "bad mood" when he does it.

That's what bothered me the most about this product too.

This made my physically ill the first time I looked at it...and that was before the description of it's eight charming phrases. I rarely have such a physical reaction of disgust towards offensive material. This is truly reprehensible and in no way a "fun idea." Thank you for posting it.

"Okay, once they term cries of "help!" and "no!" they officially cross my line from not funny joke to "promoting rape." That is utterly sick."

lunalelle, my sentiments exactly.

this is just entirely too awful for me to come up with a witty remark.

I just threw up a little in my mouth.

wow!I really feel sick, but also grateful. I´m new here and i´m starting to THINK about these things in a completely different way. I´m an educated person, but until yesterday I might have found this "an innocent toy". Why? you may ask yoursele. Because in my country we are SOOOO"machistas", that this would be a funny thing for almost everyone, men and woman.Yes, woman are machistas here, too.Sometimes even worse than men.Thanks to you for making me have a second thought, and see how horrible this is to us. I think what´s important is that we take a minute to consider ALL the hideous examples like this, of women being treated as toys for the fun of men only.Of course there are many out there who would think this is BAD, but the first thought would in most cases be "ha, ha, i´m going to get John one for Xmas".We NEED to start thinking about this as a bad example for all , especially teens. It´s absolutely important that we go on showing our kids ( I have four, three of them teens), that women HAVE to be respepcted, an we suffer disrespect everyday with things like this, which look innocent, and we laugh.here, in Argentina, the tv shows are a vast example of disrespect to women; we had pole dance shown on the most popular show, and in my family we talked to our children about it and decided it was NOT good and not allowed for them to watch it.but I can tell you, most families "enjoyed" it during their dinner ( another big issue: eating in front of the tv!!!)We are constantly bombarded with images of almost naked hot girls, and the best buttocks sell the most here. The worst. we are used to it,only a few people see it as what it is. treating women like shit, and why not, treating men (there are quite a lot of good guyd out there, though) as beasts.Thank you for making me think!

Recently "men's rights activists" scoffed at the idea that we were offended by the pencil sharpener, which blogger Glenn Sacks wrote "depicts a conventional, common sex act which women enjoy."

Hey, he's got a point. I bet having a pen jammed in my cunt would feel better than the inept fingerfucking of a "men's rights activist."

Recently "men's rights activists" scoffed at the idea that we were offended by the pencil sharpener, which blogger Glenn Sacks wrote "depicts a conventional, common sex act which women enjoy."

Hey, he's got a point. I bet having a pen jammed in my cunt would feel better than the inept fingerfucking of a "men's rights activist."

sorry for the double post!

Thanks to noname for the information on how to contact FunIdeas. I did, just a little while ago, and got this response from an anonymous Customer Service Rep:

"Who are you to demand anything from anyone? You are taking something entirely to literally. Women scream OH OH OH during sex all the time. Get a life, and relax a little. We are in know way condoning rape, and in no way does product encourage it. You are an idiot if you think otherwise."

Not only ignorance and misogyny, but bad spelling, to boot. Keep sending those e-mails!

Who are you to demand anything from anyone? You are taking something entirely to literally. Women scream OH OH OH during sex all the time. Get a life, and relax a little. We are in know way condoning rape, and in no way does product encourage it. You are an idiot if you think otherwise."

Love the "get a life line" however notice that he ignores all the other "bad mood" quotes Linda has, such as "ouch" "Help, Help!" and "Get out you dirty old man" Women say that a lot during sex too?

I'm sputtering in anger at my desk.

While I think it's tasteless, I don't think it promotes rape. I tell you, some women are SO paranoid over rape!

This brings so many fucked-up viewpoints to mind...

That women's default, preferred position is on her back with legs spread for a man.

That women do not have sex on their own terms, but on a man's terms - with a smile on her face.

That rape is nothing more than a woman being in a bad mood while in her natural position (legs spread for a man).

florargentina: Welcome! Thank you for sharing your experiences with machista culture.I am familiar with the concept, but it really, really helps to hear examples from someone who lives with it.

Finding feminist blogs online really helped to build my self-worth back up after I was raped and felt hopeless.
Even though products like this make me feel outraged and sad, knowing that there is a place that I can go and talk about it and not feel like I'm going to have to censor myself or be laughed at for my beliefs is a great comfort.

feministorbust: I can't believe that was the reply you got from the company. And it was anonymous? Classy. Is there a president/owner of the company that we can contact that will go over the heads of CSRs who are ignorant? (I'm assuming the president/owner isn't, which is probably a mistake.)

Alexandra,

One of the "joke" features about the figure is that it tells a man to get out and cries for help. It's making a joke out of a women's non-consent, perpetuating the idea that a woman's words of non-consent simply do not matter. How does this not promote acceptance of rape, normalization of rape, as well as rape itself?

I've been lurking on Feministing (and loving it!) for a while now. This horrible product broke my lurk and I thought you'd all like to read what Funideas replied to my recently submitted comment. Sorry in advance for the gaps.

Me:

"I'm extremely offended by the Lusty Linda Talking Pen Holder. Exactly what about rape does FunIdeas.com find humorous? As a rape survivor, I can tell
you that phrases like, "help, help," "ooow," and "get out" are what
women say during rape. This hateful product is not funny in the least. When
I saw it, I didn't laugh - I remembered being raped. You've lost me as a
customer forever."

Response:

"Im glad we lost you as a customer. Your sound like a psycho, and we prefer
not to psychos."

Nice, huh?

Is everyone else getting dismissive responses via e-mail like me and feministorbust?

The response to my (rather lengthy) complaint was a simple:

How on earth does our item possible insinuate rape?

To wish I replied:

How about when she yells "Help, help!", "Oowww" or "Get out you, you dirty old man!" when you stick a pencil in her? Last I checked, "Help" isn't exactly common pillow talk (even from women in a "bad mood").

And immediately got back:

Yea, a lot of men will be inspired to rape women from this.

I wrote back saying, um, yes, this contributes to rape culture, which contributes to rape, duh, and encouraging him to google this product and linking him to Cara's post to start him off to see what people were actually saying about this. And pointing out again how shocked I am that the job of "Customer Service" seems to be arguing with, belittling, and insulting customers rather than actually handling their complaints.

Firstly, welcome to you first time commenters--so glad to hear from you!

LizzieJH and feministorbust, those responses from the company are hilarious--and terrifyingly telling. Don't ya know that women who are offended by rape are "psycho?"

Okay. So. I DON'T support vandalism. And I'd be pretty fucking livid if someone messed with my site. That's a disclaimer. But.

If someone wants to go hack into and take down their site and put up a message that says GO FUCK YOURSELF YOU MISOGYNIST ASSHOLES . . . well, I wouldn't complain.

And of course he has to get the "last word."

I think that pencil sharpener is hilarious, we will be selling those soon now, thanks to you. Appreciate the tip.

Either he didn't bother to read her post, or he's fully aware that he's an idiot (or a rapist).

LizzieJH, that's just awful!

What is it about men that make them think a woman is a "psycho" just because she doesn't agree with what he is saying or doing?

I was recently peppered with a barrage of insults when I tried to ask for a cessation of sexist imagery on a forum I (used to) frequent, being called everything from "useless prig" to "f*cking psycho".

And then they all wonder why feminists seem to hate men so much.

Marissa, Alexandra seems to be a troll, judging from the comments s/he left on the thread about doctors refusing to provide care.

I wasn't going to comment on this tread as I didn't feel I could add anything.

But my God, judging the replies to the two people above, you can really see the mindset that produced that crappy toy.

Imagine calling some one a psycho or telling them to get a life in a professional context. Are these people still in the play ground, have they the minds of children? Do they not realise they are in the real world, were we can't resort to name calling, because we are paid to do a job right.

Well I'm not working now, Spoilt little shits...

Oh oh, get this.
My email:
"I am writing to express my disgust with your "Lusty Linda" pen holder. It is
a clear promotion of violence against women and it is NOT a funny joke. In
her "bad mood" she says: "Ow," "Help, Help!" and "Get out you, you dirty
old man." These are statements of non-consent and are making a joke out of
rape. This product perpetuates rape by making it into a joke, and rape is
NOT a joke. One in three women in the United States are sexually assaulted
in their lifetimes. These statistics are huge and frightening, a very
serious and heinous issue in every way. By perpetuating the notion that rape
is a light-hearted joke, you are promoting the acceptance of rape in our
culture. Your product promotes rape and I can see in no way how that could
possibly be perceived as funny."

The response:
"Copying and pasting the same email as all your idiotic mornic friends is
pointless."

My reply back to this jerk:
"Sorry, I composed that one on my own. Maybe the reason you are getting the "same" email is because your product truly is promoting rape and a whole lot of people recognize this and are calling you out on it."

It is ON.

Getting the cool people over at Consumerist.com involved might be a good start. They have a knack for tracking down hard-to-find executive contact information.

Based on the responses you guys reported from "customer service", I wonder if this is a prank and not a real product for sale. When I searched for it online it was listed as sold out everywhere. Maybe my expectations are too high, but I really can't believe an actual company would respond that way to customer service complaints. I would have expected them to ignore us or give a vague brushoff- "sorry you find this offensive but many of our other customers see it as harmless humor."

I'm another frequent lurker and first time commentator -- love the site!

Quote from the comments on Glenn Sacks' blog:
"... just which group this pencil sharpener is offensive to is a bit ambiguous. Just as these women can see the shapener as a degredation of women... some men could easily see it as a vindictive womens dream come true... possessing the ability to grind that pencil into saw dust isn't exactly a male friendly image."

Several people seem to be agreeing with him, which I completely don't understand. If I really hated someone that much, WHY would I consent to his penis being in my vagina? Oh wait, I wouldn't. And so it would be rape.

Heres their responce to my, very tame letter of complaint.

"We are renaming her to Rhonda Rape Victim"

I fuck you not, why always the crappy grammer?

JW, I'm not sure why Spencer's would pretend to stock a gift that didn't exist. Think of them what you will, but they are a genuine company.

I would buy that the product is no longer in production, though. And though the responses aren't what I would have expected, I don't find them to be completely off the wall for an online retailer that sells this type of shit.

If you look at the site, there is a male version of the penholder called Mr. Boss, which is the same, except it's an older guy bent over with his pants down.
And contrary to the beliefs of many MRAs, this isn't funny either.
Most of the stuff on that site in non-ironically offensive to many groups. I see racist, classist, homophobic, and sexist products just from quickly browsing.
I'm all fired up. Can we start the revolution now? Please?

I think that "customer service" really means "ask us questions about how great our products our." I noticed that the list of topic did not contain anything about "complaints," so the jerks who are responding to the e-mails are probably not accustomed to responding to a bunch of angry women over a tasteless product.

Hey, at least "Rhonda Rape Victim" would be more accurate...

I don't think a rape victim would have a smile on her face.

And here's their response to my complaint:

"We are glad your family and you will be lost as customers forever. We will be renaming the product to Rape Victim Rita to celebrate women in bad moods and those men who just want some sex."

as someone who is obsessed with sexual assault prevention (wait let me rephrase that...as a HUMAN BEING WITH A FUCKING SOUL), this literally made me gag.

i seriously feel nauseous right now.

Wow...so offensive, I'm quite insensed. By the product, by nutty trolls who come to a feminist website and tell us we're SO paranoid about rape, by the incredible responses you're getting from that company. Yukky !

florargentina -- I'm excited to hear your input. I've been to the La Plata/BA area about 10 times in the last few years, and pretty much the only thing I don't love about Argentina (besides the lack of maple syrup or marshmellows) is exactly what you're talking about. Love the people, the food, the outdoors, the nightlife, the lifestyle, the language. But I couldn't believe when I'd be watching a nice, normal talk show with a sweet middle-aged host talking to someone famous, and then there would be a woman just sitting in the background in a sequined bikini for no reason. Just sitting there, like it's the most normal thing in the world. Or guys walking hand-in-hand with their girlfriends in the plaza, and then making a loud, rude cat call at me. Or guys expecting to take you home if you dance with them in a club. And if you DO go home with them...well yikes. I'm sure you know what I mean. It's awesome that you're teaching your kids that it doesn't have to be like that. (I also hope I haven't offended you in any way by saying the things I did about your homeland.)

Actually, I'm not a troll. I'm here to set the record straight.

As others have pointed out, rape victims typically don't smile. Now if the figure had a frightened expression, THEN I could see what the fuss was about.

I think the figure is stupid myself, but I'm not so paranoid as to say that it promotes rape.

Feminist would have you believe that every single male is a potential rapist and that women don't lie. I wonder what they think about the Duke NON-rape case...?

I agree rape isn't funny--but neither are false accusations and putting people through unnecessary hell!

I just sent an email to consumerist.com detailing the product, our objections, and the responses that people have posted here from "customer service." I asked them to help us track down contact info for higher-ups in the company. Hopefully they can either help, or put it on their site, which would do a lot to publicize the issue.

I'm glad I hadn't gotten a chance to send an email yet - those customer service responses are just awful. My sympathies go out to anyone who received such ignorant vitriol - and my appreciation to those who did send an email registering offense.

Wow - anyone have a feminist troll bingo card? So far, I've got "feminists are paranoid," "feminists accuse men of rape without cause" and "DukeDukeDuke". With "feminists are fat and/or ugly," and the free space I get a bingo!

MLEmac, I also noticed that none of the subjects contained "complaints." For a store with such controversial products, this seems very confident.

I also sent a complaint but with no reply email listed. I have no desire to receive any of the garbage they've been sending in response or to allow them the satisfaction of "making a joke" at my offense.

As for Alexandra, how would you say this doesn't promote rape? It minimizes it, making a joke about it, promoting that it is "not so serious." If they spread this idea through their products, how can we expect people not to pick up on it? Sure, some won't, but the some that will are the ones who will cause future damage.

Alexandra, you are a troll. How do we know? You brought up Duke. Well, we knew before that, but now you've left us with no doubt. In any case: go away.

OH HELL, oh no they did NOT!

It's so fucking on. I'm blogging this. I'm sending 'em letters. I'm passing the word on to every decent person I know and encouraging them all to do the same. As if the egregious rape-promotion weren't enough, you DON'T treat consumer complaints like so much toilet paper. In any business, it would be bad practice and most likely that behavior alone would drive the whole company into the ground. Damn. DAMN. It's so ON.

Alexandra,

Woman typically do not have smiles on their face while being raped, this is true.
Woman also typically do not have consensual sex while calling "Ow" or "Help!"

So one possible explanation, I think for the contradiction, is that this toy minimizes rape in part by creating this confusion.

But what is your enlightened explanation that will resolve these people of any insensitivity or guilt?

Can somebody please fetch me a bucket?

There semes to be some strange thing going on - the head is sewed off (again...).

People who made things like that up, deserve a long life full off skin rash on the ass, short arms and nowhere to scratch.

I wrote this (may or may not be super-tasteful, but it felt right):

"Regarding: "Lusty Linda" the pen-holder

As someone who was trained to assist survivors of rape, who knows several rape victims, including my best friend who was brutally raped at 18 in spite of a clear "no" and "ow" , I find this product offensive.

You may not. You probably have not experienced rape. You may be aware of the concept of "flashbacks" and "psychological triggers" however, and for people (men or women) who have been raped, seeing something that reminds them of their rape can be terrifying.

What if your mother, your grandmother, or your sister had been raped while saying "no" or "ow"? Would you not then find this product disturbing, because you would actually understand how it relates to reality?

Either way, if you would defend the product by directly insulting rape victims, that in itself is disturbing. If someone discovers the identity of whoever keeps insulting women who write in complaints, and posts it online in conjunction with his responses, I'm pretty sure no woman will ever want to lay him again. Then again, maybe no woman wants to lay him now, and so he feels he has nothing to lose; maybe the only way he contact with a woman is through rape, that would at least explain his twisted perspective.

Oh yes, also I would like the name and contact information to the executives of the company. Someone will get that information whether you choose to give it to me or not, but it might ease the process a little if you cooperated with that one request."

Ok, officially speechless.

As I posted above, response to original complaint:
"We are glad your family and you will be lost as customers forever. We will be renaming the product to Rape Victim Rita to celebrate women in bad moods and those men who just want some sex."

My response:
"It seems like some of your other products are already celebrating men who just want some sex. For example, "Sue...Eeee! You've just hog tied yer very own Erotic Love Piggie! Any time you are in the mood for a roll in the mud, she'll be your sexy sow. Sometimes you just gotta go Hoggin." There's really no need to promote RAPE as well."

Customer Service Rep's response back:
"Hey, if a man wants it, chicks should give it, if not, he has the right under Muslim law to take the woman as his own.

Alla Akbar!"

What other companies/stores distribute Lusty Linda? Spencer Gifts was mentioned already. Who else is there? Let's write to them too! I'm gonna vote with my dollars. I've been a Spencer's customer for years and I know they sell a lot of blatantly misogynistic stuff and I should have stopped shopping there a long time ago--this is just beyond the pale, though. And maybe they and other retailers will respond better.

Is anyone getting customer service replies with a woman's name on them? I actually got the name of a customer service rep on my reply, and it's a female name. Either someone is pretending, or we've got a female rape apologist at customer service...

I got the same response as you, Ms. Elizabeth

Customer Service Rep's response back:
"Hey, if a man wants it, chicks should give it, if not, he has the right under Muslim law to take the woman as his own.

Alla Akbar!"

I would be upset, but now this is just becoming a "neener neener neener" for this "person". I'm not saying don't email, but it's only making "them" more bold in their assholishness. But we really are getting below the surface with this, as now they're not even bothering to hide what they really think, they can hide behind "humor" all they want, the truth is showing.

Also, nice how they went to "Muslim" law, throwing some good ole racism in there as well! I wonder what they'd say when you point out that 1) not everyone is Muslim and 2) Non-Muslim men rape as well. They're head might explode.

Just a quick addition...
I got so upset I had to call a (male) friend just to prevent me from exploding. When I told him about this obnoxious product he said something like "ah... I got something similar as a birthday present two years ago. I threw it away the minute I unwrapped it. And after that, I "asked" the misogynist asshole (HIS WORDS!!!) who gave it to me to leave my house as quickly as he can."

Thats some kind of a statement :)

You guys, on one webpage it says "5 star customer service" I'm starting to believe maybe the whole company is run my a guy out of his basement (or out of his mother's basement) or something...

It's easy enough to do online, these days...

Alexandra, how could a woman yelling "help help" while something is being inserted into her vagina be construed as anything other than rape?

How?

Seriously, HOW?

I asked the person if they were muslim. They replied "yes" I'm at a standstill here, I guess we'll just have to wait for the consumerist researchers

Alexandra,

Feminists want you to believe that all men are potential rapists and that women never lie? You are on a feminist blog with a really fucked up idea of what feminism is. How are NOT a troll? Because your description doesn't represent me.

And yes, we have heard of the Duke NON-rape case, but what does that have to do with anything here? It's as if every time someone brings up rape, there's always some asshole talking about the Duke case even though it's completely irrelevant.

Ninapendamaishi,

They also replied to my question about if they were a real company with: "No, we are only an entitiy that makes items to promote rape."

They aren't worth it.

The reply emails sound suspiciously similar to email exchanges I used to read about from a site called tshirthell.com -- honestly, I think some of their shirts are hilarious, and others cross the line. People would write in complaining about the offensive nature of the shirts, and the "customer service" reps would write back sarcastic responses that sound very similar to what this "customer service" rep is writing, and then post them on the website for people to read and laugh at. Since I have bought t-shirts from the site (again, *some* of them are actually pretty funny, although I never found many of the email exchanges all that clever), I know that it's an actual business, so... apparently, yeah, there are companies who will treat potential customers (though, to be fair, really at that point they/we aren't potential customers) that way.

I wonder if there's some way we could trick them into saying something that makes them look foolish... I think that's the best way to deal with people like this. Beat them at their own game. All they know is making fun of people -- so why should we let them have all the fun? Anyone have ideas? It would have to be really devious and clever... anything in which it's remotely obvious that we are mocking them will defeat the prank.

Now that I've thrown out the idea, off I go to ponder...

Not that it makes it any better, but it should be noted they also have a male version.

http://funideas.com/mrbosspenholder.html

Not that it makes it any better, but it should be noted they also have 2 male versions.

http://funideas.com/mrbosspenholder.html
http://funideas.com/mrbuttfacepenholder.html

sorry for the double post.

Diptutod-

Hahaha, good one. You know you're probably right.

TheLawFairy, I could believe that if they had a page where they posted email exchanges, but I'm not seeing anything on their site.

Sibylle
"I'm disgusted by the human race sometimes!"

Come on, replace human race with man! Everyone knows you want to.

a_human
"Not that it makes it any better, but it should be noted they also have 2 male versions.

http://funideas.com/mrbosspenholder.html
http://funideas.com/mrbuttfacepenholder.html
"

Well I just better start a post about condemning rape against men now, right? Why hasn't this been done already? Bit biased maybe?

*D3C*

Dazedandconfused-

no, no. If you're trying to imply that I hate men, it's simply not true. I like good PEOPLE, man or woman. I don't see in black and white, I don't see "just a man" or "just a woman".. There is more to us than that.

It's easy to just blame all of life's problems on men.. Just as it's easy for anti-feminists to blame all of life's problems on feminism.. But I'm stronger than that, and I have more sense than that. The people who make sick things that condone rape aren't worthy of my respect, man or woman.

@ dazedandconfused: when Cara and the feministing gang say:
"How many more times do we have to say it? Rape is not funny."

Yes, they mean male rape as well as female rape. Those are disgusting. You're not posting anything new here by bringing attention to "male rape" as if we'd never discussed it before. Rape is... rape. People are people. That's nothing new... at least, on this site it isn't.

So do you all also believe that pornography also promotes rape? Or anything that shows any type of penetration as promotion of rape? A simple toy does not promote rape in any way.

*D3C*

Feeding time is over buddy. Go back under the bridge.

Hi!nororo80 yo haven´t offended me at all,on the contrary, thanks for your appreciations onb my country. it IS great, as you say, but is it true that we are machistas. and i say "we" because both men and women feel like that. It´s so common to hera things like" he can do that because he´s boy"UFFFFFF!!You know, I have a 13 year-old daughter and I´ve started to talk to her quite often about the thigns she should be careful about, and about boys, and that. but i try to be careful NOT to make her feel guilty for whatever feelings she may have. i want her to have a guilty-free sex life ( I was raised by a Catholic mum for whom everything was sin, until I got pregnant at 18, that changed her view of life!)and to make herself respected, meaning " you NEVER do what you DON¨T want to". So this things really piss me! Thanks to all of you, I´ve even started to talk about women´s right at the family table. I must say that my husband is absolutly respectful of women, and he was raised like that. Anyway, I LOVE to have the possibility of talking to you here, and learning from all of you. Also, i practice my English!!!haha, thanks again.

dazedandconfused-

When it's a toy that is supposed to say "No! No! Get out of there!" Then yes it condones rape.

..I think your username explains you a lot.. Dazed and confused. Do you need an advil or a nap? :)

Why? Too hard to give an answer to such an outrageous question? That's what this post is but. Outrageous.

It is like saying locksmiths should all be ashamed of themselves because they designed keys that go in keyholes, because that somehow promotes rape.

If this is some how misogyinistic, then anything remotely related to sex must be as well. Why do you women hate sex so much?

*D3C*

Dazed, are you completely ignoring the article?

"Her "bad mood" sayings include "Ow," "Help, Help!" and "Get out you, you dirty old man.""

In real life when you're having sex and she says no, it means NO, and if you continue, then it's rape.

When I first saw the photo, I was a bit irritated but I've seen many items like this, depicting both males and females, on my various travels around the feminist and MRA websites.

Reading the article and learning about the words it speaks and so on...well as soon as I read that and saw this thread had 80 comments I did sigh a little bit. This is a horrible product but as mentioned above, it seems this could be being made on an incredibly small scale, probably not even by a real company, and internet outrage and buzz was probably exactly what the item was intended for.

From boys are stupid tshirts to "funny" books on how to castrate men over to the other side of hustler cartoons and damsel in distress movies of the week, there seems to be more and more of this extreme material coming out, I'm not sure why but I'd peg it as being opportunistic small-scale sick minded enterprisers.

I hate to mention it but rape statistics were mentioned earlier in this thread, does anyone agree with me that we, as a society, should take it upon ourselves to collect a clear and unassailable repository of crime statistics with a special emphasis on sex crimes? A lot of stats are thrown out from every angle, they cant possibly all be true, it would be good to get some sort of baseline. Sorry that was a bit OT.

No need for insults Sibylle, I thought we were civilised here.

*D3C*

Hun, I think I deserved one shot at you since you basically accused me of hating men.

Yeah, guys, that's "what this post is but." Duh!

Yah, we've been tagged all crazy skater style yo! Cuz that's how 13-year-oldzz talk and that's how they roll and shit! *W#oRd!!*

*C&har$it@y*

I'm pretty sure the only reason dazedandconfused hasn't been banned for trolling is that we can always use somebody to laugh at.

Dazed and confused, the problem with the toy isn't that it depicts penetration. The problem is that when linda is in a "bad mood" and you stick the pen in her, she says "OW!" "HELP!HELP!" and "Go away you dirty old man". In these situations Linda clearly does not want to be penetrated. What kind of person would make a PEN HOLDER that protests its penetration? Oh right, one who thinks rape is funny and that women who get raped were simply in "bad moods" and "should give it up" when guys want it.

Penetration in and of itself does not promote rape. Penetration coupled with non-consensual cries for help? How is that NOT promoting/trivializing rape?
Pornography that shows women as active participants in mutually derived sexual pleasure does not promote rape. But can you honestly say that when you see pornography in which the girls are crying out in pain and sometimes even crying that what you're looking at doesn't strikingly resemble rape? Do you really think the resemblance is unintentional? Do you really really want guys to come on your face when you're done? Do you really not think that these types of pornography trivialize and sexualize women's degredation and rape?

Dazed and confused, the problem with the toy isn't that it depicts penetration. The problem is that when linda is in a "bad mood" and you stick the pen in her, she says "OW!" "HELP!HELP!" and "Go away you dirty old man". In these situations Linda clearly does not want to be penetrated. What kind of person would make a PEN HOLDER that protests its penetration? Oh right, one who thinks rape is funny and that women who get raped were simply in "bad moods" and "should give it up" when guys want it.

Penetration in and of itself does not promote rape. Penetration coupled with non-consensual cries for help? How is that NOT promoting/trivializing rape?
Pornography that shows women as active participants in mutually derived sexual pleasure does not promote rape. But can you honestly say that when you see pornography in which the girls are crying out in pain and sometimes even crying that what you're looking at doesn't strikingly resemble rape? Do you really think the resemblance is unintentional? Do you really really want guys to come on your face when they're done? Do you really not think that these types of pornography trivialize and sexualize womens' degredation and rape?

Or, in other words, what Daniel said.

Good to see you always post useful comments Daniel. What purpose did that one serve? Make you feel more like a man pandering to all these women? Good for you.

And bubblex, if you seriously think a toy that says such things is anything more than a joke, then you mustn't be paying too much attention to the real world.

It would be the same as saying some boys action figure promotes violence. We all know it doesn't work like that. A boy playing with a toy action figure is satisfying his inquisitive mind (and for this particular toy, adults, thats right, ADULTS, are satisfying their humorous minds) and as such has no intention of killing people, and there is no proof on the planet to say otherwise.

*D3C*

D&C - if *this* does not promote rape, what does? What actually qualifies as promoting rape if this does not?

It's completely illogical to hear women protest non-consentual penetration and decide that it means we hate sex, period. Is all sex violence to you?

You talk about "the real world" as though you know fuck-all about it. In the real world, men rape women at a horrifying rate. Or does that not matter because it's only harming us women? You clearly view us as disgusting inferiors unworthy of support, as you attacked Daniel for agreeing with us on this issue. Is relating to women *that* unimaginable to you?

Sarah,
I also disagree with D&C but why would you attack him/her so vehemently? You've gotten your point across in the second paragraph, why go completely on the offensive in the 3rd?

It, in my mind, is clear he does not understand what you are trying to explain or he does understand it and dismisses it out of hand. Either way, if you viewed his posts as an attack, what good does it do to attack in return?

Again, a bit OT but it would be a shame to see an interesting thread devolve into yet another bickering fest of personal opinions and ad hominem attacks.

dazed,

a lot of boys' action figures do promote violence--it does NOT matter if they do or do not go out afterwards and kill someone. Thay they become numbed or even accepting of the violence by associating the violence with fun and/or play is *plenty enough*!

Adults rape other adults everyday. Adults are not safe from conditioning or any other social constructs. We have a responsibility to demand better of fellow adults just as we have a responsibility to raise better future adults.

dazed, seriously--you may be better off seeing if funideas is hiring for a customer service rep.

Oh, pardon me, dananddanica. For a minute I forgot that we feminists are supposed to be perfectly patient, stoic angels who never become offended or terrified or outraged when someone insists that rape jokes are "just jokes" and that a product like this does not make light of rape. The fact that rape is simply a hilarious punch-line often slips my mind.

So by saying I am to be laughed at, it somehow makes Daniel worthy in your book? I certainly did not attack him, I merely questioned his motives behind attacking me.

You also say men rape women at a horrifying rate. What you also should have said is that men are also raped(financially,morally and sexually) by women, and they are also subject to domestic violence by women(which is never taken seriously by the courts, here comes the double standards for you), and violence between men because of women is also rampant. Mention those next time you claim to be the victim.

I certainly do not view women as unworthy of support, as that is what I believe is a man's duty. However when men are frowned upon in society and the workplace, as if we are the sole contributors to rape, I find it is also a man's duty to stand up.

Relate to what men have to put up with because of these views, because 99% (I admit that some men are a disgrace) of us are decent people who get labelled by women like you that think you are the only victim in this cruel man's world.

*D3C*

"dazed, seriously--you may be better off seeing if funideas is hiring for a customer service rep."

This statement has "satisfied my humorous mind".

I'm thinking D$3, being an obvious troll, is getting the response he deserves. Perhaps he needs more. I don't think it can be broken down any simpler.

1. Toy woman designed to be penetrated by foreign object
2. And is also programmed to say "no" and "help! help!"
3. is making fun of rape victims.

I wrote them and this was the reply I got:

"You are a moron, and your lesbian friends who keep writing us, are morons as
well."

Aren't they professional!

Then go out and ban all toys. Make all the poor little boys out there really happy and take away their Macho Man figurine, the same Macho Man figurine that also promotes fitness, strength and honour. Well done, you will all make the world such a better place with your extremist ideals. All kids without toys and all adults without adult humour.

*D3C*

Ugh. I need some troll-be-gone. Oh wait...I HAVE some. Nice.

D3C,

There is so much I could respond to, but I think this is quickest:

Most studies show that about 11% of college guys, and about 20% of husbands, will agree that they have forced a sex act on their partner (i.e. rape). Thus, your 99% of guys are decent stat is a little off...

"However when men are frowned upon in society and the workplace, as if we are the sole contributors to rape, I find it is also a man's duty to stand up."

Sorry, our bad. Men only contribute to the *vast majority* of rapes.

Our bad.

and all adults without products that glorify rape.

Fixed that for you.

Ugh. I need some troll-be-gone. Oh wait...I HAVE some. Nice.

SPRAY Jessica! SPRAAAAAY!!!

Thank fucking god, Jessica, I couldn't hold in the "go fuck yourself and die" for much longer. Whew.

Maybe we need some sock puppets or something.

And as for the troll-be-gone, are we using the spray or the foam.... I like the grape scented one myself...

Ugh. I need some troll-be-gone. Oh wait...I HAVE some. Nice.

Jessica, if I did not already love, admire, and esteem you, this alone would do it for me.

Or maybe some bitter apple?

Sarah,
At no point did i say anything even close to your "stoic angels" line. I'm simply saying that attacking the person and not the argument rarely leads to anything more than a storm of personal attacks.

Your outrage and anger were quite clearly expressed. I just dont see the point in attacking a person who is obviously trying only to antagonize.
The only part of this toy that really upsets me is the speaking part. The doll itself is in incredibly poor taste but as far as sexual novelty toys go, it is far from being the worst.

D&C hasnt yet explained his point of view to explicitly include the words this doll uses. It is beyond me how he could take the toy itself combined with the words and not come to understand that this toy is repugnant but as he has not fleshed out his argument I see no point in even responding to his first posts let alone attack him personally.

If you feel doing so strengthens your argument than have at it, i simply disagree.

I started writing this post five times because I am so appalled that I can't seem to form a coherent sentence. This product is so wrong that adjectives fail to describe it fully. And then the customer service replies are insane. Not only is this site/customer service rep promoting rape, but they are racist and homophobic too. What wonderful people. *sarcasm* Someone needs to sic the media on this a-hole. Nothing like public outcry to make someone ashamed. Of course, then more idiot MRA's would know about it and want to buy it, so maybe that is not a good idea. I wonder if there are any obscenity laws that could apply to this product. Texas bans sex toys, I wonder if they could ban this from being sold here. Gotta do some digging now. If I don't do something productive with this anger my head is going to explode. Maybe I'll gank some Horde in Stranglethorn (World of Warcaft geek here), that seems to help. I wish I could use my Phantom Blade on the assholes who sell this. Grrr...

OT, but,BTW, I don't usually condone random violence against the Horde, but sometimes you gotta take atvantage of PvP.

jacqueline,
Only problem with trying to ban this kind of item is that it wouldnt work. For some strange reason, those sex toys bans only really seem to be applied to dildos and the like. I find those laws incredibly stupid and a relic of the kind of thinking that didnt approve of or like female sexual enjoyment.

In an effort to stir the pot but hopefully not too much, what if this is a one-off product? What if somehow this was an artists (i struggle to use that word) piece and not a consumer item? does the context change the reaction?

dazedandconfused:

It would be the same as saying some boys action figure promotes violence. We all know it doesn't work like that. A boy playing with a toy action figure is satisfying his inquisitive mind (and for this particular toy, adults, thats right, ADULTS, are satisfying their humorous minds) and as such has no intention of killing people, and there is no proof on the planet to say otherwise.

Wrong. This toy is the equivalent of making a GI Joe which has a switch on the back for, say, "Active Combatant/POW" and when you switch it to POW, he says things like "Please don't kill me," "I don't want to die," "Please stop," "Oh god," etc. Do you seriously think for a second that that toy would be considered acceptable? Even as a "gag gift"? No. Because no one thinks torturing soldiers is funny. That would be an appropriate analogy for this "toy."

You know what is really sad about the way they can ban toys and not shite like this, danica? Sex toys are something useful and fun and helpful, not destructive and hurtful. *Sighs* The world is messed up sometimes.

These products are truly horrifying. And the "arguments" that are being made over on the Glenn Sacks site are truly ridiculous. One guy actually compared his dick to the pencil and stated he wouldn't want to put his dick in something that would shred it. Hmm, that's an idea for a new product...and just in time for the holidays...

Interesting post Kai, but speaking from experience, the sad reality is if that GI Joe you speak off was made with DCU's, it would be a huge seller as it could play the role of an iraqi/arab. It would also be condemned but I have no doubt its sales would be brisk, especially amongst some of my former brethern who have already made many "dolls" that though not capable of speech, have very bad things being done to them. Violence against males, especially "enemies", which is was a POW would be, is like a live wire in the underbelly of our culture.

I must go for the night, I hope you can find the producers of this toy and get its production (if there is any) stopped. even as an adult novelty toy this item has no place and it and items like it should be disposed of.

You know what else kind of upsets me about this thing (you know besides the really upsetting parts)? The hole is in the wrong place, it's way too far up on her torso.

And she looks like she's wearing those glasses that prevent you from seeing anything.

And there's something strange about her neck, like there's a big chunk of it missing?

And not that it would make it any better, but did they have to use the cheapest pen out there for their, err, 'promotional picture'?

The longer I look at it, the worse it gets.

Wow, just read through all the posts. OK, I confess, I skimmed through the longer ones.

Just my little lurker interjection here: I'm an MRA, and I totally understand and agree with the objection to this thing (I can't call it a toy).

I've also read Mr. Sacks' blogs on the other pencil sharpener, and whereas I see the point he was trying to make, I do agree that both things are very distasteful.

Has anybody found contact information for anyone higher up in the company yet? I made the mistake of continuing to engage the "customer service" guy and am incredibly uneasy with his replies. I believe that he's googled me (I sent the email from an address with my very unique maiden name tied to it) and is now making frequent references to my hair color, location, religion, and name, as well as mistaken ideas about my nationality, husband, and family (I think that he's fishing for responses, like psychics do, if that makes sense). I believe that he's using the information asymmetry to try to intimidate me, which is incredibly inappropriate. Oh, and there's this:
"If you agree I will send them to you, as well as a Lusty Linda Pen Holder and an inflatable doll. Perhaps a non-anatomically correct blow up doll will make you laugh, and bring a small smile to you. One breath, two breaths, and at last, you will have Tyrone in front of you. The smell of cheap Asian made vinyl will enthrall you, your heart will race, and finally then, and only then will you have the courage to insert a pen in your anus, much like Linda. You will scream OUCH! And GET OUT !"

I feel violated.

I know that I shouldn't have engaged a misogynist such as him at all (and don't intend to reply), but I'm concerned with his response and would like to go over his head.

I wish I were making this stuff up, but I'm not.

"I know that I shouldn't have engaged a misogynist such as him at all (and don't intend to reply)"

Misogynists like him need to be engaged and I commend you for having the patience to do so. Dont blame yourself for his violating response which is totally in line with this pro-rape stance.

Wow, Elizabeth, that's just completely ridiculous. I can't find any kind of "higher authority" to contact, but I wonder if there's an outside organization you could contact?

Wow, that is messed up. Has anyone tried writing to the company? Speaking of misogynist products, has anyone seen that Hilary Clinton nutcracker? I almost threw up when I saw it. It's basically a Hilary Clinton doll and you put the nut in between her legs. Of course you don't see any of those types of things for any of the male candidates. A woman possibly running the coutnry? That's hilarious--NOT!

P.S. I'm new here (atleast to the comments section, I've been visiting this site everyday for the past couple of months--I'm addicted!).

Also forgot to mention that in their company policy they state "Fun Ideas will not collect any personal information about individuals except when specifically and knowingly provided by such individuals."

Somebody seems to have missed that memo.

Okay everyone,
When anyone registers a web site, their information is made public. I looked up the website "funideas.com" and found the following contact information.
Put those feminist index fingers to use and dial away!

Registrant:
PrankPlace.com, LLC.
600 Four Rod Road
Berlin, Connecticut 06037
United States

>>Administrative Contact:
Wampold, Steve steve@prankplace.com
PrankPlace.com, LLC.
600 Four Rod Road
Berlin, Connecticut 06037
United States
>> 860-761-7235

Registered through: GoDaddy.com, Inc. (http://www.godaddy.com)
Domain Name: FUNIDEAS.COM
Created on: 31-May-98
Expires on: 29-May-08
Last Updated on: 29-May-07

Technical Contact:
Wampold, Steve steve@prankplace.com
PrankPlace.com, LLC.
600 Four Rod Road
Berlin, Connecticut 06037
United States
8608285314 Fax -- 8007178963

Okay everyone,
When anyone registers a web site, their information is made public. I looked up the website "funideas.com" and found the following contact information.
Put those feminist index fingers to use and dial away!

Registrant:
PrankPlace.com, LLC.
600 Four Rod Road
Berlin, Connecticut 06037
United States

>>Administrative Contact:
Wampold, Steve steve@prankplace.com
PrankPlace.com, LLC.
600 Four Rod Road
Berlin, Connecticut 06037
United States
>> 860-761-7235

Registered through: GoDaddy.com, Inc. (http://www.godaddy.com)
Domain Name: FUNIDEAS.COM
Created on: 31-May-98
Expires on: 29-May-08
Last Updated on: 29-May-07

Technical Contact:
Wampold, Steve steve@prankplace.com
PrankPlace.com, LLC.
600 Four Rod Road
Berlin, Connecticut 06037
United States
8608285314 Fax -- 8007178963

Another possible phone number, aquired by googling the apparent owner, Steve Wampold, who apparently also owns theprank.com: 1-858-815-7263

That's fucked up, Elizabeth. Try not to let the idiot scare you too much. I'm sure he's a coward.

I sort of doubt if the higher ups of such a small, shitty company would be any more reasonable than their customer service reps. They're probably all buddies.

*Maybe* there's some sort of Better Business Bureau or something which could be contacted.

A serious boycott would seem like a good idea, but I don't know how viable that would really be since their customer base undoubtedly consists of the same type of morons who work there in the first place.

I think the only thing that can really be done is to continue to call them out for their bullshit in a very public manner.

Then again, there's still nothing wrong with fucking with idiots on the phone.

Thanks for the info, Joan/Dragoness.

That...is disturbing, Ms. Elizabeth.

If I were you, I might think about the sending the email with my personal information in it to the cops. Or a lawyer, if I knew one.

I'm vaguely reminded of an old blond joke...How can you tell a blond is having a bad day? She has a tampon over her ear and she can't find her pencil.

Anyhoo...OW.

What you also should have said is that men are also raped(financially,morally and sexually) by women

Did anyone else laugh really hard at that?

I'm not quite sure what raping someone morally would be. I'm assuming by "financial" rape you mean something along the lines of men spending money on drinks for women at bars and getting rejected. Although many men see that as "a bitch takin' my money", they really can't blame anyone but themselves. Besides, the whole idea of a man buying drinks for a woman is to usually get her drunk so he can get laid. How does that make him any better?

And violence between men BECAUSE of women? Please... take some fucking responsibility for your actions, will ya? Whenever two guys get into a fight over a woman, it's usually more about ego than it is about her.

And by the way...
Last year two representatives from the Rape Victims Advocacy came to talk at my school and it was pretty disturbing to hear some information they gave. They talked about a recent survey of college men who were asked questions about rape. According to the RVA, 51% of the men surveyed said they would rape a woman if they knew they'd get away with it.

I think that kinda throws off your 99% theory.

dragoness,
that number does not work.

sorry for the scattered info and double posts.
i just found an 800 number at which the website registrant can be reached:

Steve Wampold:
(800) 901-1163
the message says it is answered from 9am-5pm on business days.

get it!

I have been following this since it was posted and I've been thinking about it all day. I can't seem to get this out of my mind...I am so upset by it, I feel like crying.

I wrote to the website, knowing that they would respond in a hostile way, but also knowing that perhaps reading ONE more time that their product promotes rape, that they might stop selling it.

I'm an optimist...

But other than that, I feel like there isn't much else I can do.

I guess this was a HUGE wake-up call for me today. Having engaged in sexual assault awareness and prevention for the past few years, I've seen and heard some pretty horrible things...but I have never seen anything like THIS before. Such a blatant acceptance and APPRECIATION for sexual assault...so much hatred towards women's bodies and minds and lives.

It's scary to think this is what we are up against. I am terrified by this world sometimes.

At the same time, I'm inspired by many of you (minus the trolls)...I'm scared for the future of women's bodies but I also have hope and I'm going to keep my optimism alive.

We can change this!!

A serious boycott would seem like a good idea, but I don't know how viable that would really be since their customer base undoubtedly consists of the same type of morons who work there in the first place.

Better idea: boycott the stores in which it is sold. Call the highest level of management for that chain and complain, loudly.

That is incredibly disgusting.

(Oh, and dazedandconfused? Learn to use an ampersand.)

"Better idea: boycott the stores in which it is sold. Call the highest level of management for that chain and complain, loudly."

Ah, of course. Good thinking.

I'm sure everyone here is aware, but just in case: those who've sent and received emails, save them! I know you probably feel like deleting the replies, but they're the closest thing you have to a paper trail.

Side comment: you notice how all of these horrible novelty items -- not just "naughty", but blatantly misogynist -- are badly-proportioned, shoddily-made, and just plain fugly?

Faerylore: I expect it's so anatomically incorrect because these men have never, ever gotten laid before. I'm sure they blame women for it. And I wouldn't be surprised if they have raped someone, because clearly they think it's a fine thing to do and women *owe* them sex. If the women aren't giving willingly, then they've got to take it!

I can't imagine *why* no one would want to have sex with them.

Thanks for the support and the contact information. I know that somebody else has already taken the initiative, but I did send an email to consumerist.com – I figured that more couldn’t hurt.

And JoanAtlas, thanks for telling me not to blame myself. I’ve just been feeling that if I hadn’t engaged him, I wouldn’t be dealing with this right now. I’m going to try to use the contract info that you posted tomorrow – I’m feeling awfully drained right now.

Just so you can see the shit that he’s sent me:

Basically, I replied to the email he sent me that I already quoted above, asking if he was threatening me or women in general with rape and if he was actually Muslim. Selections of his response (I’ve deleted paragraphs and sentences with too much identifying info):
“What exactly did you perceive as a threat Liz? My praise to Allah? Not all Muslims are terrorists. Have you blown up any abortion clinics or killed any abortion doctors? Would it be fair of me to group you, a feminist in with RADICAL feminists? Aren’t you grouping me in with radical Muslims, simply because I have given praise to Allah? Doesn’t your [correct denomination] church condone homosexual marriage? Am I Muslim? Am I threatening you,? Perhaps you are threatened like most of the infidels in America. Allah Akbar. I hope when we meet face to face, we can speak civilly to each other, and I hope you will respect me enough to drape yourself in wool of the 7 dead goats that must be sacrificed on behalf of Mr. Awajinar.
“Being from [correct state] I would think you would be open to the Muslim faith. [state] has the highest population of Muslims in the United States. Being of Irish heritage [not true], I wonder if your IRA card carrying Grandfather [also not true] would be proud of your ranting?
“So to answer your question, you need not fear me, I am not a threat to you, but you Liz, you are a threat to mankind.
“Allah Akbar!�
Part of my response to him, in which I was trying to call him on some of his bullshit:

“What did I perceive as a threat from you? Well, I certainly don't want to have sex with you… I'm wondering how you would act towards me if you wanted to. If that's not clear enough, I was wondering if you were threatening to rape me. After all, you seem to think that you have the right to take the woman (who doesn't want to have sex with you) as your own, which would seem to fit the definition of rape.

�I was wondering if you are Muslim solely because I'm wondering how well versed in Muslim law you are. You quoted it, so it's a reasonable question. I know that you could be well-versed in Muslim law without being Muslim, but I was just curious. Probably the better question would be, how well versed in Muslim law are you?

�I wouldn't be opposed to you grouping me in with radical feminists. In fact, feminists tend to be pro-choice, as it's the stance that benefits women. As they're pro-choice, they tend to do things like donate money to abortion clinics rather than bomb them. So it really wouldn't be fair to group me with people who bomb abortion clinics or kill abortion doctors. Those tend to be the "right wing religious nuts", if we're going to try to hole people into categories. It's also those "right wing religious nuts" who condone homosexual marriage. As all feminists are lesbian man-haters (since we're abiding by tidy categories and stereotypes), it would be safe to assume that they're in support of it.

“I presume that you decided that I'm Irish based upon my last name? That wouldn't be a fair assumption, seeing as (a) it's not an Irish last name, and (b) it's actually my husband's name… [Probably should not have mentioned existence of husband, as you’ll see in next email…]

�But, back to the topic at hand. Things that encourage or normalize rape are bad. Things that depict women having objects put into their vaginas… while saying "help" or "owww (ouch)" or "get out" fall into that category. Many of the things on your site are in poor taste, such as the blow up dolls. But having sex with the blow up dolls (who I suppose could, but rather doubt would want to have sex with you) is not as bad as having sex with someone who is protesting…�

I figured that he could have figured out state based upon IP address, and then made the rest of the assumptions based upon my last name. But then there was this:

“I would not want to have sex with you either, I am not attracted to [correct, unusual hair color] [because we all know that rape is about sexual attraction and not power, but I digress]..

[More stuff about my religion]

“You do not understand how you are a threat to mankind, well, I have neither the time nor the desire to explain it to you. Left wing nut jobs much like yourself will vote for Hillary Clinton, and she will lead the world in to the end of civilization on this planet. What I would say, is that you harbor some deep emotional issues, probably tied to your husband’s desire for you to have his children, like some machine. You want more than your alcoholic mother, and your mean, battering Father. [Let’s throw around stereotypes of Irish people!] As for your hubby, you loath him deep down inside, and you married him only for the sole purpose of fulfilling the stereo type. Your wealth [ha! because I mentioned donating money?] is great, and yet you feel so very unfulfilled.

“Oh, by the way, your Grand Father was a card carrying member of the IRA, and is guilty of more than one bombing, on the innocent people of England. I know all about you, and has nothing to do with your last name….

[Mention of sending me things, etc.]

“Michael Bolton is a communist. [No idea where that came from.] George Bush has more vision and leadership then King Abdul Aziz and John Hieftje combined. 4 More Years! 4 More Years. Perhaps you could get some of your man hating lesbian (rape victims) to join me in calling for a Constitutional amendment to allow Mr. George Bush 4 more years of leadership of The 13 Original States, and the 37 suburbs of them.�

Parentheticals and emphasis are mine. And I’m sorry this is so long. I just feel like I need to talk.

Oh, and it’s definitely saved. I just wish that it weren’t the first thing in my inbox.

Damn that's long. My apologies.

jesus christ. thats upsetting to me. because im muslim. and i hate that he's randomly using islam as some weird way of threatening or intimidating you.

ew. ew. EW. im sorry that you are experiencing this elizabeth. but i do think it was pretty brave of you to try to engage him.

Dude. That's fucked up Ms. Elizabeth. I don't even know where to begin on that one. I wonder if its the same jerk that answered all of the rest of us. I was going to keep getting mad at the guy for his juvenile responses to my emails, but I pretty much just got a bad vibe from him and let him have the last dumb word. :/

I just sent this and am yet to receive a reply...

"Lusty Linda is an example not only of unimaginative and disgusting novelty items, but a despicable commentary on the way your company views women.

Included in your '8 lusty phrases' are the ones 'ow!' and 'help, help!' It may have escaped your attention, but your basically suggesting to your clients that they can simulate rape with your product. Isn't that hilarious!

Apart from the nauseating nature of the product in the first place, you have reduced the act of a woman responding to sexual penetration with clear phrases of non-consent as being simply 'in a bad mood'.

Your product is shameful, reprehensible and vile. It encourages the prolifically violent attitudes towards women as sexual property, compliant and eternally available.

Disgusting."

The funny thing is, I didn't read any of your emails before I sent this yet we all used fairly similar phrases. My only regret is that I didn't address it 'hey fuckwad'.

While the product may not "promote" rape it certainly belittles it. Especially because rape doesn't have to be the stranger in the alley. It can be someone you trust taking advantage of your relationship and demeaning women's feelings and consent. People often forget that a woman can be raped by her husband or boyfriend, or wouldn't even consider it rape.

God knows the only reason a women would deny her partner sex is because she was in a bitch mood. (sarcasm... just to make sure)

Ms. Elizabeth: I think that you are very brave for engaging that man and at least attempting to have a civilized conversation with him. Do not feel guilty or like you should have backed down. They want us to back down. That product is wrong, and the way we've been treated by this company is wrong. You're right!

This is disgusting. I cannot believe that someone would actually make something like this. The only reason why someone would create something such as this, it if they are ignorant.

This product shows a woman with an enormous chest as well as her self wide open for the pen to go into. This is very belittling to women. It is not funny at all. I am officially offended.

Have also been lurking here for a long time but just couldn't stay silent on this. I am spluttering with rage and have emailed this page to various people.

Cannot BELIEVE the things that the "customer services" person has been saying to you people. Am utterly disgusted.

Absolutely sick, demeaning, offensive, the design is bursting with brutal implications and so not funny!!!

I hope they get snowed in with emails from both women and thinking men who don't belittle the threats posed by such "toys."

dananaddanica and Jacqueline, I agree and disagree with your post @ the 10 p.m. hour. I agree that the court should have ruled the sex toy bans in Georgia, Alabama and Texas should have been ruled unconstitutional on First Amendment grounds. But I disagree about sex toys being harmless. Sex toys can be just as harmful as mainstream porn.

Now, back to this pen holder, I say it is disgusting as well. I get livid when people think that rape is funny. I think we should lock up all people who think rape is funny and charge them with rape.

You know - if I were a woman, and I saw all of this, it would drive me to be a radical, man-hating lesbian.

I get the sense that this IS mainstream America, and this is the way women are often viewed. Sometimes, frustration just makes me want to trade in all my WMST books for something I can shove up these guys' asses with.

Maybe it'll be different.

Appalling. I'm going to write to any retailers I can find who stock this. Thanks for highlighting this.

"Sex toys can be just as harmful as mainstream porn."

How's that? I'm not trying to start an argument, I'm just honestly curious what you mean.

I can see the inherent problems with something like Real Dolls, for example, but otherwise...

Ms. Elizabeth: I was totally creeped out for you that this guy seems to know this personal info about you, then I was thinking - you said he commented about your hair color, and that it is an unusual color...is it red? Because he might have just guessed that because he is operating on Irish stereotypes.

Good heavens. I'm new here, and certainly some of this is preaching to the fellow "radical feminists"*.

I find this toy appalling. It's appalling (to me) for the same reasons most others commenting find it appalling: it promotes rape culture, it condones and belittles rape, and it's just plain in poor taste.

The "best" part, of course, is that Linda's "hole" is practically at her belly button. Obviously the uncouth person who designed this piece of poorly-made, misogynistic crap has never seen an unclothed female, nor has he ever looked at an anatomy book (I say he because most adult women DO seem to know where their vulva is located).

Further, as the daughter of a woman who worked for 15 years in the "Voice of the Customer" department of an international bank, I find the so-called "CSM" at that website utterly pathetic and his behavior beyond reprehensible. He sounds strangely like a guy in an old Law and Order episode, who became a radical white Muslim because his ex girlfriend laughed at his anatomy, actually.

*With regards to the phrase "radical feminists": I mean this in a positive way, as in "women and men who promote social change because they take issue with the way in which women are treated in society", not "man-hating lesbians etc". Please keep the blowtorches on the pathetic and really creepy CSM, not me!

(...that was really long. sorry, I'm wordy!)

When I saw the product and the bold "you are promoting rape", I was going to comment that I didn't agree. THEN I read about the things "she" says. And that IS promoting rape. "Ow" and "Stop" are not funny.
Aside from the misogyny, it's just really fucking gross and tacky.

I got a reply from consumerist.com. I forwarded my email with the jerk's nasty remark. Consumerist.com said they will look into it. Did the rest of you with nasty remarks from the company report to consumerist.com? Might be worth a try...?

Does anyone know if this could count as inciting a crime? If so, someone needs to go after them for that.

I feel like I'm going to cry and be sick. This is beyond horrible. Just beyond it. :( :( :(

Oh yay!

I wrote the website. Guess what their reply *within a matter of minutes* was??

"I like popcorn with salt & butter! It's yummy that way!"

Seriously. That's all they f'ink said. I'm replying again, not sure if this just might be an automated reply, or what. I'll keep you all udated.

Hmm. Now I went through and read more of the comments. So they just have a fabo customer support.

They're next reply, to my asking if that was their reply:

"Hi Amanda!

You don’t like Popping Corn cooked in oil, and tossed with salt and butter? Sexual assult discussion is just so passé, lets talk about something fun, like salty snacks. What’s your favorites bagged snack? Mine is Doritos, anything but the Cool Ranch flavor! I love them, I could eat a whole bag someday, of course I never would though, that would be crazy though wouldn’t it?

Talk to you soon,

Your Friend Sandy"

Friend. I guess this means Sandy wants to play. I'll gladly "play".

I also dont agree that sex toys are as dangerous as mainstream porn. The vast majority of sex toys, outside of the s&m world, are designed with both partners pleasure in mind. There are some more extreme toys out there that could be considered harmful but they are in the minority. Mainstream porn is another term I dislike. What does it mean exactly? The industry has splintered into a million subcategories due to the delivery methods now being so easy and accessible.

Are interracial gangbang videos now mainstream? they are incedibly popular , or is mainstream still the vivid video 1 guy on 1 girl?

Either way, I think a lot of you are going to be more and more angry over the next few years. Products like this toy are only going to multiply. Some people get a sick high out of baiting and as their views are more and more marginalized, they will react with these kinds of products, blogs, cartoons and the like. Its disheartening but its not going away in the near future. Unlike in years past, boycotts and other intiatives will do little as there is no company or organization to fight, only sad lonely people in basements with 20,000 dollars worth of tech gear.

I just don't even know what to say. Beyond my first small post yesterday, I just haven't even had the strength to make another post. All of this is so disgusting! It makes me sad, makes me want to scream and cry and puke and then cry some more.

The so-called "customer-service" responses are the worst, I think. Frightening and sickening, I am appalled at the very idea that people like that exist out there. And not in small numbers either - they're out there in droves. But why? I will never, ever understand the "why", and I'm not sure I want to.

But how do you people do it? How do you find the strength to keep fighting the good fight, day in and day out?

Jessica, how do you do it? I don't know how, but I love you for it!

I used to think I was a strong woman, but I must admit that a lot of the time I am fairly thin-sknined, and I just know that if I were to go through the contact process like a lot of you have done and received those replies, I don't think I could go on. Honestly, I would probably just lay down and cry and cry and cry.

I Love Feministing! I love the sense of empowerment it has instilled in me, but reading about all of these horrible things day after day is affecting me psychologically, I think. I find myself thinking about them all the time, which puts me in a bad mood of course, but I know there is more to life than the bad things that affect us... But I just can't seem to get past the bad stuff.

Again - how do you do it? I commend you all for your amazing strength of character and sheer will. I certainly don't think I have it in me, but then again, my "inner bitch" (I like that term, I've been using it a lot) wants to fight and scream and rage against all of the bad things we deal with on a constant basis. It's a daily struggle for me, and sometimes I think I belong in a nice, soft, padded room where I would be safe... But then, that isn't always safe either, is it?

Oh, I just don't know!

Sorry for this bit of rant-y-ness, but I just felt like I had to say something. And I also felt the need to thank you all for doing what I don't think I could.

Love you! :)

The editor of the Consumerist emailed me about an hour ago, saying that they're looking into it.

Natmc, I didn't even think of that. Good guess. I feel slightly less creeped out. Since I'm "Irish", I clearly have red hair, a husband who wants many kids, a battering man in my life, alcoholism in my family... I think that the only things he didn't touch upon were Catholicism and potatoes. Well, he did say that I hate Catholics (also not true), but he's already shown that he's not entirely consistent with his stereotypes.

At the same time, the only results from googling my maiden name relate to me, and I know that there are some pictures of me that will turn up (old newspaper articles and sports stuff). So, I could also totally believe that he found out real personal info.

Actually, Glenn's sentiments about the sexist pencil sharpener are exactly the opposite of what jessica valenti implies. Glenn wrote a response which can be seen on his blog at http://glennsacks.com/blog/?p=1472.

while i hope that something can be done about this absurd company, i have to say that once people started getting back these ridiculous responses from their customer service, it seems silly to continue to argue with them.

i've been dealing with morons on the internet for a very long time now and i've seen some pretty awful behavior, so this doesn't surprise me at all. but what people like this funideas guy want is a REACTION, so not giving them one is, in my view, the best response.

sadly i'd bet money that the person behind this is some regular 20-something guy. i don't think his behavior or his product is all that out of the mainstream.

Mz.Stilletto, a few months ago I expressed my frustration that, as much as I love (and am addicted to) Feministing, my psyche was suffering because of it.
You are not alone (and I am glad I'm not, either).
Absorbing all the information from this site makes it difficult to trust anyone - knowing that they may be the sort of person who hates women or makes rape threats online or buys products like this one. I leave my office every day and the topics from the day's threads stew in my brain until I fall asleep and continue again the next day. Often, I can't get feminist issues out of my head.

Hope things are going well for you, btw.

ha! i went through all the searching to find Steve Wampold's info... before I read ALL the comments! someone already did it - Thanks!

I called and pretended I was "Autumn" from "Sterling Publishing" interested in doing a joke book and confirmed that his email is definitely: steve@prankplace.com

oh, and:
"George Bush has more vision and leadership then King Abdul Aziz and John Hieftje combined. 4 More Years! 4 More Years. "

has he heard of the 22nd amendment???
(however, i'm sure we're all in agreement that this isn't the most intelligent individual on the planet...)

wait. in my research as to which amendment was the two-term limit for a president, i discovered that mississippi didnt ratify the amendment to abolish slavery until 1995. WTF???????

This is, in my opinion, far more disgusting and insulting than the headless urinals and pencil sharpener [and the likes]. While all of the items ooze with misogyny and ignorance, I am honestly baffled at this item pictured as a [deformed] woman can legally say the phrases "ow" "help" and "get out".

I'm just really confused as to how any CEO/manufacturer/patent personnel can legally OK this. Did they skip that step? Did she originally say "Yay!" and "come and get me" only to be changed at the last minute?

I'm upset, definitely, but more so perplexed as to how this product actually exists in market.

And I commend everyone who wrote in complaints, for being able to verbalize their opposition and withstand overt asshole-ness.

SarahMC - Thanks for your comments. I am glad to hear that I am not the only one who feels this way... And what you described, the part about leaving work with all that stuff stewing in your brain... That's exactly what I do too. And everytime I hear or see some guy making sexist or misogynist comments or actions, I can't help but think, "potential rapist" and I am frightened a lot of the time. I know I shouldn't be - after all, not ALL men are violent/rapists/woman-haters. I know this. But... I dunno, I guess I just have a hyper-sensitive psyche.

And things are going quite well for me, thank you so much for asking! :)

Hi there! I'm another long-time lurker that was brought out of the woodwork to comment after seeing this utterly horrific product.

I just wanted to throw a few ideas out there real quick, not knowing anything much about law. First off, if the guy was getting personal, could that be considering some sort of cyber-stalking or cyber-terror? Especially since he took it to a personal level like that. It's just so creepy, surely -something- can be done, even if someone could just get a lawyer or police friend to draw up a letter on official letterhead to scare him. I know it's a long shot, because I doubt Googling someone is illegal technically, but since he used it to incite fear, maybe there is a thread there to hold onto.

The second idea is GoDaddy. Is he responding to people from his GoDaddy address? I'm going to head over and check out there ToS, in hopes there is a clause against using their site for racism/hate speech/terror, etc. And I'm pretty sure most of what he says qualifys at as hate speech against women.

Both ideas are long-shots, I know, and I'm glad the consumerist knows about this because they can probably do more damage then we can. Having been terrorized online before (by an ex), I get REALLY pissed off when people get personal and terrorize others, especially people who think they can be douche-bags and hide behind the anonymity of the internet. Everyone has a right to feel safe, and if this ass-tunnel is making people feel unsafe in their own home, then he should be held accountable for it.

Gah. And I definitely agree with the above posters about what things like this do to your sanity. I've always had a feminist nature, but only recently took up the mantle and started educating myself. And what I found was far worse then I ever expected. It's given me such a dark view of humanity in general, and I'm still trying to reconcile that with living everyday life. I wonder too how you guys do it.

Woo boy. Sorry for the long first post. =)

Hmmm....and here is what GoDaddy says:

Except as set forth below, Go Daddy may also cancel Your use of the Services, after thirty (30) days, if You are using the Services, as determined by Go Daddy in its sole discretion, in association with spam or morally objectionable activities. Morally objectionable activities will include, but not be limited to: activities designed to defame, embarrass, harm, abuse, threaten, slander or harass third parties; activities prohibited by the laws of the United States and/or foreign territories in which You conduct business; activities designed to encourage unlawful behavior by others, such as hate crimes, terrorism and child pornography; activities that are tortuous, vulgar, obscene, invasive of the privacy of a third party, racially, ethnically, or otherwise objectionable;...

This is from the Universal ToS, which they say applies also to e-mail communication. Might be worth a shot for all those who received e-mails from him that were hateful to foward them to GoDaddy.

Dangerous_Jade, I'm very impressed with your thinking. He is indeed emailing through his GoDaddy account, and I was in the process of reading through their TOS at your suggestion when I saw that you had already posted it.

MzStilleto, I can definitely identify as well.

Update: I just emailed GoDaddy. It's definitely worth a shot.

You might also consider reporting them to the Connecticut Better Business Bureau or another consumer affairs group, though I don't know if their offenses constitute anything that will be taken very seriously.

We should write congress and demand that these items be outlawed because they promote rape.

Did you see this women's underwear that is being sold basically showing that a women's vagina is only good for is getting pregnant and making money. This stuff makes me so sick.

http://www.getyourjusticelive.com/images/support.JPG

http://www.fightfoc.com/serendipity/archives/439-The-Difference-Between-Child-Support-Beggers-and-Equal-Parenting-Supporters.html

Am I the only one who's a bit nervous about clicking Jason's links?...

MzStilleto and SarahMC, I know exactly how you feel. Sometimes I have to take a break from this site simply because living with knowledge and a raised consciousness and a moral backbone is extremely tiring and often downright painful. It's really true what they say -- ignorance is bliss. I mean, I *wish* I could go back to not minding when guys I was dating spoke for me, rather than letting me speak for myself. I *wish* I could go back to thinking that dating, courtship, earning a wage, making tough decisions, and being self-sufficient were all *men's* responsibility. I *wish* I could go back to thinking feminists really are feminazis who hate men, never shave, and want to destroy America. The world was so much simpler before my life experiences forced my consciousness awake. There are definitely days when I think "why oh why didn't I take the blue pill?"

But then there are days when I recognize that simply by BEING aware, and by spreading awareness, I am doing something good in the universe, and I feel better about the sacrifices I've had to make to my own happiness to help make a better world for our daughters and sons. I like those days a lot more.

FYI:

Dear [MsElizabeth],

We have been forwarded your email from our public relations department.

We are not the hosting provider for this site. We are the domain name registrar only. We have neither access to, nor jurisdiction over the content on this site.

The web hosting provider for this website is the company responsible for policing any content that appears on this site. You can discover the identity of the hosting provider by performing a "WhoIS" lookup on the domain name in question. The results of your search will reveal both the domain name registrar and the name servers for the domain name. A "WhoIS" search on these name servers will reveal the web hosting provider where the domain name's website resides. Please submit your complaint to this company based on their AUP.

Domain name "WhoIs" lookups can be performed at the following sites:

http://www.whois.net/
http://www.internic.net/whois.html
http://www.betterwhois.com/
http://www.allwhois.com/
http://www.geektools.com/whois.php

Sincerely,
Spam and Abuse Department
GoDaddy.com

--------------

It appears that their server is rackspace.com, whose acceptable use policy includes:
"You may not use Rackspace's network to engage in, foster, or promote illegal, abusive, or irresponsible behavior, including: [...] Collecting or using information without the consent of the owner of the information;"

"You may not publish or transmit via Rackspace's network and equipment any content or links to any content that Rackspace reasonably believes:
[...]
* is excessively violent, incites violence, threatens violence, or contains harassing content or hate speech;
[...]
* is defamatory or violates a person's privacy;
[...]
* is otherwise malicious, fraudulent, or may result in retaliation against Rackspace by offended viewers.

"Content "published or transmitted" via Rackspace's network or equipment includes Web content, e-mail, bulletin board postings, chat, and any other type of posting or transmission that relies on the Internet."

Hey, y'all. Some further info from a buddy on my message boards. He can't post here, so he passed it along to me.

Absolutely disgusting. If you want to hit this mysoginist asshole where it really hurts, complain to rackspace (his hosting company)

http://www.rackspace.com

From there Acceptable Use Policy:

Offensive Content
You may not publish or transmit via Rackspace's network and equipment any content or links to any content that Rackspace reasonably believes:

* Constitutes, fosters, or promotes child pornography or bestiality;
* is excessively violent, incites violence, threatens violence, or contains harassing content or hate speech;
* is unfair or deceptive under the consumer protection laws of any jurisdiction, including chain letters and pyramid schemes;
* is defamatory or violates a person's privacy;
* creates a risk to a person's safety or health, creates a risk to public safety or health, compromises national security, or interferes with a investigation by law enforcement;
* improperly exposes trade secrets or other confidential or proprietary information of another person;
* is intended to assist others in defeating technical copyright protections;
* infringes on another person's copyright, trade or service mark, patent, or other property right;
* promotes illegal drugs, violates export control laws, relates to illegal gambling, or illegal arms trafficking;
* is otherwise illegal or solicits conduct that is illegal under laws applicable to you or to Rackspace; or
* is otherwise malicious, fraudulent, or may result in retaliation against Rackspace by offended viewers.

Content "published or transmitted" via Rackspace's network or equipment includes Web content, e-mail, bulletin board postings, chat, and any other type of posting or transmission that relies on the Internet.

I can tell you, if enough people complain, he will get shut down. Hit him in his wallet.

That's a great idea about going through the hosting company, jenna (and friend).

The email for complaints is abuse@rackspace.com

law fairy, I have a Mac, and links don't scare me so I gave it a go for ya... yeah, it's not worth it. A silly kind of website about how dads shouldn't have to pay child support if they don't want to and all that.

My boyfriend thinks this is hilarious.
He told me something to the affect of, "It's not funny when real rape happens, but if it's just a joke than what's the problem?" And when I told him that there was a male equivalent, he said, "That's disturbing."

He's such a creep! I am crying so hard right now because of what he said. I just can't believe someone would be so insensitive. Even if he later tells me that he finds it offensive, I'll know he's lying to get me to stop being mad at him. I don't know if I can continue this relationship anymore knowing that he thinks this kind of crap is funny. Four years of dating down the drain, but as a woman I cannot tolerate insensitivity towards this issue. I would be promoting rape culture.

Sorry, I didn't mean to go off like that, but I'm just so sad I can't even believe it.

Yogi, that's just awful. I would feel exactly the same way in your situation. Best of luck...

ms. elizabeth, i would assume those emails fall under cyber-bullying... maybe you could consider contacting the authorities? in any case, good luck and we're all here for you!

The descriptions of the male equivalent penholders don't say what the "8 funny phrases" are. Unless there are phrases such as "ow!" and "help", then I don't find those penholders as disturbing. Mind you, it's still grossly sexual and inappropriate for any office setting.

This almost seems like it could fall under a hate crime if someone brought it into an office setting. I mean that image of a insanely busty, scantily clad, wide open vagina woman is almost like an equivalent to black face to those of African descent.

dananddanica, I said sex toys can be just as dangerous as porn. I ddin't say that they are. I've heard about (and seen on documentaries and the news) some men who used a gag ball and other sex toys to rape women.

I don't have a problem with the pen holder itself. However, the good mood-bad mood switch is sexist and of course says rape is fun and light-hearted.

I'm so sorry Yogi, that must be horrible. :( We're all here for you (hugs).

Good idea Jenna, thanks! I just sent an email to their abuse address. Wrote the Better Business Burearu yesterday, along with several news outlets.

If they think they can scare of humilate people out of action, they seriously do not know how wrong they are.

Jeez, Yogi. I'm sorry to hear that. Keep us updated.

Here's what I don't get:
If real rape isn't funny, then why would a "joke" about it be funny? Anyone? Like, why would you find a "joke" about rape funny if you didn't think rape itself was funny?
I'm really interested.

Yogi, that's horrible. In your situation, I'd feel exactly the same way.

Gross, disgusting, repulsive. Yes. Promoting rape? No.

BTW - the only rape joke I can recall, I heard from my liberal sister.

DADvocate,
I don't know if you read any of the previous posts or a description of the toy, but many of the phrases she screams out (No, get off me you dirty man, help, etc) indicate that she does not consent to having a pen shoved insider her (gee, I wonder why?). How can you not see that as trying to turn rape into a joke?

BTW - Does your liberal sister personally know anyone who has been a victim of rape? I'm guessing no.

DADvocate,
I don't know if you read any of the previous posts or a description of the toy, but many of the phrases she screams out (No, get off me you dirty man, help, etc) indicate that she does not consent to having a pen shoved insider her (gee, I wonder why?). How can you not see that as trying to turn rape into a joke?

BTW - Does your liberal sister personally know anyone who has been a victim of rape? I'm guessing no.

I talked to my boyfriend last night after I spent a couple of days cooling down.

I told him exactly why I was mad at him (this time without screaming at him and calling him a misogynist, rape-apologist) and this is what he told me. He said, "I'm sorry Danielle, I thought that she meant stop in a sarcastic way." This ticked me off even more and so I asked him, "What do you mean by 'sacrastic'?" I paused for a minute, then asked him, "Do you mean that you thought she was saying something like,'Stop it you naughty, naughty boy!' like what I say to you sometimes." He said, "Yes, yes, yes, that's exactly what I imagined when you were describing it to me. But after you turned off your phone, I went to feministing to see what it was that you were so upset about. I honestly couldn't understand how you thought something like that was condoning rape, but after I saw what the product really was, I was completely disgusted. That woman is bolted down where she is, and she looks like she's being victimized, and she says things that make it clear that she is being hurt. It wasn't at all what I imagined it to be. You didn't tell me that she was saying ouch. All you told me was that she was saying stop it." I asked him to explain why he said what he said about rape being funny if it doesn't actually happen and he said, "I thought that she was saying 'stop it' in a teasing sort of way, like the way you sometimes tell me, 'Oh darling, stop that right now you naughty, naughty boy!' When you told me that you thought it was condoning rape, I told you that I thought it was funny because it wasn't rape, not because rape is funny when it's being joked about. You tell me to listen to you, and maybe you should take your own advice and listen to me sometimes too, especially when you're angry."

After that another thought crossed my mind. I asked him, "If you thought that she was saying stop it in a way that was playful, then why do you say that the male version of this pencil sharpener is disturbing and that the female version is hilarious if the male version is also saying it in a way that is teasing? Don't you think that you're being homophobic?"

He told me, "Danielle, I'm a straight man. I am not attracted to men, I am attracted to women. I want to picture two men having sex, or any couple that isn't us having sex for,as much as I want to picture my parents having sex. You know that I'm not a homophobic person."

I said, "So if you don't want to picture anyone but us having sex, why is the female version more palatable?"

He sighed and said, "I never even thought about that." He paused for a moment and said, "You know, it's not even about the fact that it's depicting gay sex, or rape, as the case may be. It just makes me squemish to think of a pencil up my rectum. Is that reasonable?"

I told him, "Sure, that's completely understandable. I mean, the idea of a pencil in my vagina makes me uncomfortable too. Which is why I dislike stuff like this so much."

I continued to tell him, "Well, if what you are telling me is the truth, which I feel in my heart that it is because I've never known you to be the slightest bit misogynist, then don't you think that you're a little too old to be laughing at the 'tee hee...sex!' type jokes? You haven't been in middle school for almost seven years now dude, I think it's time to grow up and stop laughing at stuff like that."

He said, "Well, sometimes being immature can be fun, but I think that you may be right about this one. I'm sorry sweetheart, let's not fight anymore."

I forgave him because clearly what we experienced was a miscommunication. Next time I will send him a link instead of trying to explain it to him over the phone. I also forgave him because before this he's never said a misogynist thing in the entire time that I've known him, which is now going on five years. Part of the reason I was so mad was because he's one of the most egalitarian, feminist guys that I've ever dated (hence the fact that we've been dating for four years) and for him to say that completely caught me off guard. I was convinced that he had been lying to me the whole time about being for gender equality and everything, for whatever reason, and so I got angry.

I do believe we'll be alright. I promised him that in the future I would send him a link to feministing instead of trying to describe it to him, because Jessica does a far better job at that then I do. Hell, this post took me an hour to write just because I have such a hard time articulating my thoughts.

That's it. Thank you so much for all of your kind words!

AH HAAAA HAAAAAHAAAAHAAA HA!

HA, HA, AAAAAAAAAAAAAAHA HA HA HA HAAAA!!!!!!

YogiDanielle, I'm glad to hear you managed to work things out.

http://www.find-me-a-gift.co.uk/dead-fred-pen-holder.html

Just out of curiousity, what is your take on this, which was featured at the same site as the Lusty Linda?

seriously? it's a damn pencil holder. And that it somehow makes "men" think rape is ok is just as ridiculous as the fact that you think all men are idiots. It's a harmless pencil holder made as a joke. It is a morbid joke, but a joke nonetheless, and after seeing the dead fred toy, it confirms that theory. Morbid joke. C'mon grow up and stop making everything out to be some crime against women.

If this didn't have the "goodmood/badmood" setting, and therefore either didn't say anything, or only used positive sexual phrases, would it have been brought up here?

Because, honestly, if it weren't for the "fun phrases" (and, now, the responses of their complaints department- How neanderthal can you GET?) I personally wouldn't find it anymore offensive than one of those "dead Fred" pencil holders.

Thoughts?

A friend sent me the link to this site after we spoke about my rape and sexual assault and my general frustration with our culture. Why I thought I was open minded to women’s rights and how we are continually used in marketing or else where as sex objects this website has been very informative to so far, many things I wasn't completely aware of in advertising and so forth.

First before I respond to this picture and product I’d like to respond and add a correction that there are actually several female pirates on historical record(history major, to be teacher some day). Even Female captains of ships.

I have no idea what the conversation was they were having about pirates but someone said they didn't believe there were women pirates and there were. That’s all. I take no side in the argument. Just adding historical fact.

Okay, now for this horrible thing. Everyone is saying it perfectly. Its a rape promoter. How the hell is "no don’t" a bad mood?!!! It makes me physically sick and as you can imagine, gives me bad PTSD triggers from my experience. especially as some of my molestation experiences did involve pencils and pins *shiver* Nothing like finding a flash back to my sexual assault on my bosses desk if he had this evil thing. anyone notice that her fabric top comes off too? I can't scream enough obscenities to match the disgust and physical repulsion I have for this plastic rape flashback reminder.