No Luck With Women? You Need A Rape Manual!

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Ken Hoinsky. Needs help attracting women, apparently. Image via dailybeast.

The most exciting thing about the internet is that no matter how horrified you are by the depths some people are prepared to plummet to in order to make a point, there is always someone hunched over a darkened terminal, prepared to go even deeper.

Remember the “punch Anita Sarkeesian until her face explodes” game? Well, a Conneticut man (?!) named Ken Hoinsky has leaned against the boundaries of misogyny just that little bit harder by seeking Kickstarter funding for his his new book ‘Above The Game: A Guide To Getting Awesome With Women. This includes fascinating insights into wooing a prospective partner like:

Pull out your cock and put her hand on it. Remember, she is letting you do this because you have established yourself as a LEADER. Don’t ask for permission, GRAB HER HAND, and put it right on your dick.”

In an ideal world, one where we don’t advocate violence against women because they like gaming, say, Mr Hoinsky would have spent a few days staring forlornly at his Kickstarter totaliser, until, embarrassed that no one seemed to be contributing, would have crawled back beneath the sodden duvet from whence he came and the world would have continued, happily unsullied by his revolting, offensive ideas.

But we don’t live in that mythical place. Mr Hoinsky raised $16,369 for his project – $14,369 more than he asked for – and the project remains a goer despite a petition requesting that Kickstarter remove the page from it’s site.

If you want me, I’ll be banging my head off my desk for the next half-an-hour or so.

PRISM: The Delicate Art Of Refraction

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A few days ago, a user on reddit’s CMV (Change My View) thread posted this query in response to news of the National Security Agency’s PRISM surveillance program.

I believe the government should be allowed to view my e-mails, tap my phone calls, and view my web history for national security concerns.

Obviously the response was huge. At the time of writing the query has 3340 comments, most citing well researched, evidence based reasons why they object to their private information being monitored by the authorities. Only one post though, by an anonymous contributor using the handle 161719 and purportedly hailing from “one of the Arab Spring countries“, managed to effectively articulate how information is power, how it’s collection may seem reasonable at the time, but rapid changes to political systems can result in innocuous data being used in the systematic persecution of individuals and their families.

It’s petrifying. Please read it in full here. Whether you want to change your view or not.

World Cup 2014: Prostitutes, Politicians & The Privilege Of The Few

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“I’m Happy Being A Prostitute.” & “I cannot go without a condom, my love.” Not ideal, but the message shouldn’t be lost. Image via christianpost.

A campaign encouraging prostitutes to protect themselves against sexually transmitted diseases has been withdrawn by the Brazilian Health Ministry after objections from religious groups, it has been reported.

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Google Glass: Pandora’s Head Mounted, Colour Co-Ordinated Box

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Wait, is he watching porn? Filming porn? Both? Image via tumblr.

Given that the human race has time and again proven itself laughably inept at coping with life-improving gadgets, I think that we should be a little more cautious when approaching the facial fun park that is Google Glass.

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Amanda Platell: Making A Splash

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Amanda Platell being lowered into the vile, roiling pit that is internet child porn by the editors of the Daily Mail was one of the more enduring images of this weekend for me. Platell, who is an ex-advisor to William Hague, was obviously identified by Paul Dacre’s managerial minions as the intrepid journo most capable of traversing the darkest depths of humanity without getting permanent stains on her action pants, and traverse it she did, exposing herself to all manner of revolting videos to supply further ammunition to the paper’s contention that it’s the internet’s fault this kind of depravity exists.

Specifically Google’s.

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Angelina Jolie: Growing Up In Public

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At 24 years old, Angelina Jolie was picking up an Oscar for her role as disturbed psychiatric patient Lisa Rowe in ‘Girl, Interrupted’. Rumours of self-harm and unhinged decision making followed her like loyal, if irritating, acolytes and these rumours only served to accelerate her journey to the pedestal of iconic female imagery. Back then, young women were starting to feel nauseous from the buckets of sticky sweet Girl Power feminism we were being force fed and were looking for a different kind of empowerment.

One that made room for attempted suicide where appropriate, as long as the harassed protagonist looked absolutely scorching in a pair of lycra shorts seemed like the ideal alternative.

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Gun Control: Anatomy Of “A Crazy Accident”

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Screenshot via crickett.com.

Two-year-old Caroline Sparks is dead today. She was shot in the chest and killed by her five-year-old brother, Kristian, at their home in Burkesville, Kentucky. Cumberland County Coroner Gary White described the event as just one of those crazy accidents.”

pink_crickett_7275The above image is a screenshot of the ‘Kids Corner’ section on the Crickett website. Crickett are the manufacturers of ‘My First Rifle’ – a range of guns designed to appeal specifically to kids. They come in a selection of colours and matching  accessories are also available. Kristian Sparks was given one as a gift last year.
So yeah. It was an accident. But only in the same way that it’s an accident when someone has been riding Jäger-trains for 24 hours decides to drive to the food court for a burrito and smashes into a wall/nunnery/family saloon/bus taking excited kids to the zoo for the first time.

Wilfred de Bruijn: The Comfort Of Strangers

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Images via facebook

Wilfred de Bruijn was walking home through Paris with his male partner after a dinner date on Sunday night. He woke up in an ambulance after being savagely beaten in a homophobic attack and posted this photo to his Facebook account shortly afterwards. The story went viral and activists responded by staging an anti-homophobia demonstration on Rue Des Archives in Paris on Tuesday evening.

Would you have done it? Imagine that for a second. If you were beaten in the street for being different, would you post an image of your broken face on your timeline? Would it make you feel a little better about what happened to you if that image had inspired hundreds of people to protest in your name and express their support for you?

Maybe. Maybe not. But just think how lucky you are to have that choice.

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UPDATED Sophie Lancaster: No One’s Victim

Image via bigissuenorth.

UPDATE: As a result of Sylvia Lancaster’s campaigning, attacks on people pursuing alternative lifestyles will now be treated as hate crimes by Greater Manchester Police.

Five years ago today, Sophie Lancaster passed away peacefully with her Mum & Dad by her side. It was the smallest of  mercies afforded to them, but perhaps one of the most important.

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The Class War: Divide & Conquer

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Image via bbc.

The British class system is far more complex than the traditional working, middle and upper tiers we were once content define ourselves within. These tiers, which emerged as a response to the unprecedented disparities in wealth generated by the Industrial Revolution, are “too simplisticaccording to Professor Mike Savage of UCL. He claims that cultural and social capital are as relevant as economic capital in defining an individual’s place in society and once these are factors are taken into consideration, the number of class categories rises to seven.

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