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Woman Studied Bobbitt Case Before Castrating Father
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theonlybirdleftintheaviary
09/22/09

In reply to Woman Studied Bobbitt Case Before Castrating Father
I am TOTALLY playing devil's advocate here, but, would the concensus still be the same (no feelings of sadness for the abusive parent) if the genders were switched?

If this was a young man who murdered his abusive mother, would it elicit the same feelings?
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whynotshesaid
09/22/09

@theonlybirdleftintheaviary: If a man killed his mom after she'd sexually abused him since the age of 3? Yes, I would still feel sympathetic toward him.

Sexual abuse will fuck a person up, regardless of the genders involved.
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bitchyspice
09/22/09

In reply to Woman Studied Bobbitt Case Before Castrating Father
My only concern is that an acquittal could have disastrous results for criminals or shady lawyers who see a get-out-of-jail-free-card. Kill a parent? He abused me! Look at all this evidence! I do sympathize with her circumstances, though; this just isn't a cut-and-dry issue of guilt or innocence, no matter how many fancy statutes or rules you apply to it.
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Hana Maru promoted this comment Edited by bitchyspice at 09/22/09 12:16 PM bitchyspice was starred bitchyspice was unstarred

Hana Maru
09/22/09

@bitchyspice: oh, come on. This is a very hard thing to prove in court, and even then, it's usually only a mitigating factor in sentencing.
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bitchyspice
09/22/09

@Hana Maru: And this is why I said could. I'm not entirely aware of all the ramifications, but if this did happen to work, it could be used by anyone who had been abused in any manner. A lot of it can be chalked up to worst-case-scenario, but sometimes, worst-case is the appropriate scenario.
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cirocco
09/22/09

@bitchyspice: You make it sound as though an abuse defense has never been used before in criminal law. The so-called "battered-women's defense" has been attempted in court, without much success, for almost two decades.
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bitchyspice
09/22/09

@cirocco: No, I get that, but the facts are a bit different than the battered-women cases I have read. I've actually been trying to do a little research on it, lol.
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CurtCole
09/22/09

In reply to Woman Studied Bobbitt Case Before Castrating Father

Bobbitt trumps hobbit any day.
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Edited by CurtCole at 09/22/09 11:55 AM CurtCole was starred CurtCole was unstarred

Penny
09/22/09

In reply to Woman Studied Bobbitt Case Before Castrating Father
The moral of this story? Fathers, don't abuse your daughters.
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marshmallory
09/22/09

@Penny: That sounds like a bad John Mayer parody just waiting to happen.
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Penny
09/22/09

@marshmallory: Ha! You're right. Oh god.....
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EdnasEdibles
09/22/09

In reply to Woman Studied Bobbitt Case Before Castrating Father
Yes, because it makes no sense to punish someone if they will just wind up all douchey and star in low-budget porn.
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LaComtesse
09/22/09

In reply to Woman Studied Bobbitt Case Before Castrating Father
I could never be on this woman's jury, because I recognize she's absolutely guilty in the eyes of the law: I would never in a million years bring that verdict upon her. EVER.

Then again, I'm against our current jury system and laws concerning the rights of abuse victims, so I don't see what system I'm really trying to protect. On second thought, how can I get on that jury...?
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Edited by LaComtesse at 09/22/09 11:50 AM LaComtesse was starred LaComtesse was unstarred

colormeroutine
09/22/09

@LaComtesse: I was thinking that, until I clicked over to the article and found out she did it in her own apartment, which he did not live in (or so it sounds according to the article), and had ordered the scalpal online specifically for the purpose. That made me reconsider....now I'm just perplexed
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queenjulie
09/22/09

@LaComtesse: I'm so with you. I know she's guilty, but I don't think I could punish her. I'd have the same problem ever punishing someone who killed their rapist, even if it was years after the rape had occurred. Of course, I might feel differently if our justice system actually ever punished rapists itself.
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GirlFailer
09/22/09

@colormeroutine: Well, he abused her since she was 3 years old. I'm sure he thought that out pretty carefully too. I still feel so sorry for her, no matter what she did. Bottom line, if he hadn't abused her since she was a child she would not have killed him. I can't place judgment on her.
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LaComtesse
09/22/09

@colormeroutine: Exactly. It was premediated--I don't care. I'm usually vehemently anti-vigilantism, but in a case like this or even more so in the Bobbit case my emotions get the better of me and I just think "The fucker had it coming."

Did the woman in question perform a monstrous act? Yes, but he created the monster. I can't imagine how badly your mind is fucked up when your own father does something so terrible to you since you were a BABY. How can we truly expect her to function rationally in any interpersonal relationship let alone where he is concerned?
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bitchyspice
09/22/09

@LaComtesse: That gets into some rough territory, though. How can we okay it for that particular person and situation and not okay it for someone else?

That being said, I don't think prison is the right option for her; I don't think she's a monster as much as she's victim of terrible circumstance. Rehabilitation for her could be some sort of in-house therapy/hospital program so she can heal to be a productive member of society; she won't get that in prison.
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colormeroutine
09/22/09

@GirlFailer: I of course still feel sorry for her, and I don't think she deserves to go to prison (perhaps a mental health facility) I'm just not exactly ready to applaud her either, given those details
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TryScience
09/22/09

@LaComtesse: Isn't that why we have a jury system? So that the people currently living in the society set the level of punishment for the crime? It was meant to be flexible since the founding fathers were smart enough to realize that the crimes of 1776 might not be the crimes of 2009. Mores change.
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GirlFailer
09/22/09

@colormeroutine: I agree, I don't think she should be applauded, but she doesn't deserve prison. She needs help dealing with years of abuse, not a trial for the murder of a man who tortured he for years.
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NefariousNewt
09/22/09

@LaComtesse: He was, ultimately, the victim of his own abuse. It does not excuse what she did -- she could have taken the matter to the police, or sued him in civil court. But, as it says, "what you have you sown, you shall also reap." He reaped a bitter harvest, indeed.
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LaComtesse
09/22/09

@bitchyspice: As I said, it's not logical. It's how I feel. I depart from logic so infrequently, don't begrudge me this!

@eclare09: Fingers crossed.

@colormeroutine: Oh. Definitely not applauding her. I just don't feel horror over her crime.
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LaComtesse
09/22/09

@TryScience: Don't get me started on the jury system, we'll be here all day...
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bitchyspice
09/22/09

@LaComtesse: I don't begrudge you! I agree with how you feel because I feel similarly, but the law school, it makes the compassionate feelings go away, which is a bummer.
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Edited by bitchyspice at 09/22/09 12:15 PM bitchyspice was starred bitchyspice was unstarred

LaComtesse
09/22/09

@bitchyspice: I come from a family chock full of criminal defense attorneys: I feel you, girl.
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Cerridwen
09/22/09

@LaComtesse: I'm right there with you. This is the (very tragic) definition of chickens coming home to roost. I'm having trouble mustering much sympathy for the father but my heart hurts for that woman and what she must be going through.
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Red-headed bookworm
09/22/09

@colormeroutine: Still, I have a friend who was abused, not by her father but by a family friend. I love her dearly and the amount it messed her up, I would hurt the person if I ever met them and she hasn't been around them in years.
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Freddie DeBoer
09/22/09

In reply to Woman Studied Bobbitt Case Before Castrating Father
I thought castration meant cutting off the balls, not the wang doodle.
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o-line
09/22/09

@Freddie DeBoer: Correct. According to Wikipedia, penectomy is the proper term for removal of the penis. Which just sounds silly.
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Never_Nude
09/22/09

@o-line: "Penectomy" sounds like when someone steals a writing instrument from you.
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whynotshesaid
09/22/09

@Freddie DeBoer: Damn you for making me laugh about this.
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RedHotz
11/01/08

In reply to Happy HalloWEEN
Ok I wasn't sure where I could put this today and it honestly doesn't really fit here really well except that it does have the penis part. At Crazy Days and Nights his Full Frontal Friday has a picture of David Bowie in the nude and I know that several of the ladies here adore his so thought I would give a heads up as it were.

[www.crazydaysandnights.net]
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Remedios Varo can't see no huevos.
10/31/08

In reply to Happy HalloWEEN
Well, there's always the French film "Haute Tension." It's about a lesbian who murders her unrequited crush and said crush's family. It also features a wicked car chase scene with the song "New Born" by Muse in the background. I think that might be the only reason I ever remember this film at all.
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Jack_Burton
10/31/08

In reply to Happy HalloWEEN
Great list, Tracie! Seen all of these except Ilsa. Teeth was my favorite movie of the last year, and one of my all-time horror faves. I spent a lot of time extolling its' virtues to people, particularly, women.

On the Cam/ron tip: I might also recommend Blood Car, for some very dark comedic themes. Anna Chlumsky is in it, and it explores old territory in some fresh ways... A film worth far more than its' budget... [www.imdb.com]
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Raspberry Swirly
10/31/08

In reply to Happy HalloWEEN
The thing is, I think horror isn't necessarily the most misogynistic genre. I think it's simply the least thinly veiled commentary on the way our society is, and that makes people uncomfortable. The symbolism in horror movies is a really fun thing to study, and in more recent horror movies, the tables have turned--females are taking the lead more so now because, well, that's the way things are swinging in real life. The misogynistic comments tend to grate on my nerves just because I usually hear it from people that don't really watch much horror to begin with.
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Cam/ron
10/31/08

In reply to Happy HalloWEEN
Best metaphorical castration scene: A dream girl smooshes giant sperms during a dance in David Lynch's "Eraserhead."
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peperony and chease
10/31/08

In reply to Happy HalloWEEN
Y'all need to watch Straightheads (called Closure in the U.S.). Bitch jams a rifle up her rapist's ass.
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PhDork
10/31/08

In reply to Happy HalloWEEN
Including a castration scene in a movie is not a "Get Out of Jail Free" card vis-a-vis misogyny. I would guess (not being overly familiar with horror films) that many of these films use such scenes as proof that women are secretly but deeply monstrous and vile and untrustworthy, and it only male/patriarchal control that keeps them from destroying all dude-kind.
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Vivelafat says Sweep the leg, Johnny.
10/31/08

In reply to Happy HalloWEEN
Is it wrong that I am extremely attracted to Roger Bart in Hostel 2? And after looking at his photos online I can confidently say I am only attracted to him in Hostel 2. There has to be something wrong with that.
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Penny
10/31/08

@Vivelafat watches the watchmen.: I'm attracted to Gary Oldman in True Romance. I think there's nothing wrong with you. But, that might not be flattering....
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