The Not-so-hot Knobs of Wall Street
Posted: October 21, 2011 Filed under: #Occupy and We are the 99 percent! 40 CommentsThe story so far: Some idiot decides to photograph attractive women demonstrating in Occupy Everywhere events. They probably think they’re part of a narrative on all the great ideas happening in the movement.
What he publishes on youtube is something he calls “Hot Chicks of Wall Street.”
Okay. So far it’s just a bog-standard sad tale of a male who says he has no idea how revolting he is. Jill wrote about it. Now comes the bad part.
Does everyone in Occupy Wall Street rise up to say That Is Not Cool? To say that the knob is no longer welcome in any part of the movement? To ask everyone in it not to give the tripe any air? To affirm that women and men are partners in the movement, not decorations rated on fuckability?
No.
Instead there are complaints about how it’s not an official video from the officially official representatives of OccupyWallStreet so it doesn’t count. (E.g. comments here.) It’s just some lone jerk. He’s no part of the “brand.”
Really? Here’s MarketWatch, not a site otherwise much concerned with OWS. This, however, did catch their eye. (click to enlarge) 
You know what? OWS didn’t officially kick him out. And don’t tell me, “It’s leaderless. There are no officials.” If the video doesn’t count because it’s not official, then there’s somebody who could officially repudiate it. You can’t have it both ways. Now the knob’s work is the mainstream face of OWS. Deal with it.
Furthermore, the knob is getting plenty of air. So much so that Jill had to write a follow-up post about his rape jokes.
Did OWS shut down the jerks whining about how this is nothing but healthy men liking healthy sex and you just have no sense of fun?
No.
They could have pointed out that women like sex too. That doesn’t mean everyone has to listen to endless talk on the size of men’s packages. You keep that stuff to yourself, and to your partner(s). And if you’re a rude jerk to the 99% — any of the 99% — they could have said they don’t want you in the movement.
Then it gets steeply worse. There have been reports of rapes. Did OWS affirm strong support for the women in their ranks, and provide what they could in the way of medical, legal, and police resources?
No.
One group said such reports should go through an OWS committee of some kind, which would vet it for report-worthiness. If they passed it, then it was okay to go to the police.
Uh, hello? Earth calling Dude Nation. Those are the tactics of KBR. They were the military contractors in Iraq who imprisoned a worker after she’d been gang-raped to prevent her from talking about the crime. OWS isn’t imprisoning anyone, but they do seem more worried about reporting than they are about the crime. The tactics differ in degree, not in kind. That is wrong.
Apparently, the official officials at OWS don’t know that. Apparently, they can’t figure out that the way to have enough credibility to fight false accusations of rape is to take the crime seriously. Because I suspect that’s the real issue. They’re terrified of fabricated charges being used to discredit the whole movement.
So they’ve decided to beat everyone else to the punch and discredit the whole movement themselves.
Don’t try to tell me these are just individuals who don’t represent the movement. If they don’t represent the movement, then tell me this:
Where is the outrage shutting them down?
peej
Carissa
bostonboomer
ecocatwoman
mablue2
peggysue22
quixote
skydancingguestblogger
Mona (aka Wonk the Vote)
Sky Dancing 
Jerks are everywhere. It’s so hard to keep track of them all.
Yeah the fugging 1%er’s………………….His vision of the American Dream is “Hot Chicks”, so much for inequality at OWS.
Most rapists are serial rapists — that occupy group that wants to vet the victim — are simply a bunch of controlling males who are just stupid.
Although supported the goal of ending the Vietnam war — I never joined any of the groups — because every single one was controlled by males (since they were the ones being drafted — they claimed) — and these males made it clear that women had only one purpose in the anti war movement and that was prone.
There are always leaders — in any group there are leaders. Mass Sociology 101
The guy has been doing similar things in the past and interwove that with the protesting women, which is sad. The guy missed an opportunity to do something good, by doing ‘hot chicks.
The video reminds me of my wedding videographer (BFF’s new husban) who filmed every angle of my breasts, and forgot what the task was. I had to show, BFF as she kept thinking I didn’t want to share with anyone…I didn’t…too embarrassing. He blew it off, but it reminds me that the end product is more telling of them (those doing the filming).
I must disclose that I have had some communication with one of the ‘Nakked’ women, that did it to get coverage as no press was originally covering the event. It worked, albeit many people were upset with her, later ‘them’ (more joined in) but I saw the point.
If this guy is using it for personal profit, he is missing the point of Occupy Wall Street, where rich powerful men make money by exploiting women on a daily basis. I must say I did see some signs requesting that people not photograph sleeping/vulnerable protesters…wondered if a peeping Tom was a foot.
The OWS committee link in your post says nothing about vetting a complainant. This is the direct quote.
Ralph, the language is very careful. They’re not stupid enough to explicitly frown on calling the police for crime. Nor would that be legal. The problem lies in the “we do not encourage the involvement of police.” And in the atmosphere surrounding it.
Put yourself in a victim’s place. You’ve just been subjected to sexual torture by somebody you thought was on your side. You’re devastated by that betrayal. Then, while you’re in that desperate frame of mind, people from the movement for justice — that you were also fighting for — tell you that you will harm the cause if you go through with the already very difficult process of seeking justice.
That doesn’t strike you as problematic?
Is there a story about a rape? I have been looking, but perhaps missing it, or the policy quoted above? Please clue me in.
Is this it?
(Woman Voter, the replies don’t seem to nest after this point. Anyway, re the reports of rapes. There have been some. I’m not discussing that, but rather the idea that a limiting the response of the victims is even on the map as a possible way of handling it.)
Of course it’s problematic, as anyone getting between the victim and authorities would be. It’s somewhat understandable when you consider the police pressures which have been brought on Occupy in a lot of places.
I see both sides of this and don’t see any easy way out, with the exception of having internal security to insure these problems don’t occur in the first place. That’s going to be very difficult because, when you have an open movement, some of the people who come in are going to be jerks and worse. Some people will have to be asked to leave and that should help.
Unfortunately the only real solution is for our society as a whole to respect women as human beings deserving of respect and equal rights and treatment. That many never happen.
In the meantime, I agree that fear of police involvement is understandable, but I wonder if the victims were men if attitudes would be different. I don’t know if that would be the case, I’m just wondering.
Well, when you have crap like this: Occupy Wall Street: OWS Pick-Up Lines
It doesn’t help the situation…
Oh for Pete’s sake… some people’s children!
(Sorry, the nesting stops at the level above, so this is in answer to Ralph.)
I don’t see the solution as difficult. You do everything you can to help the victim. You condemn the act.
If, later, it turns out the whole thing was faked to discredit the movement, you have acted creditably before. Then, if a given situation turns out to be a lie, you have some credibility when you point that out. That’s the value of honesty and doing the right thing, to the best of your ability, all the time.
Even a whiff of “Think of the PR!” does not do that for you. Imagine a murder was done, and the reaction was to suggest that the first thing to think about was the reputation of the movement. Which is a movement, supposedly, for justice. The irony hurts my brain.
Thinking of the PR is a huge mistake on fundamental principles. It makes me sad on about fifteen levels that such a simple thing is a difficult concept.
Replying to Minkoff Minx above: UGH! Just one more sign that we live in the shallowest culture on earth.
I’m am just waiting for the day when Fuddruckers officially changes its name to “Buttfuckers” and then the idiocracy transformation will be complete.
You’re fugging right it’s problematic. It reminds me of “Out of sight, Out of Mind” phrase that we used back in the 60’s, and applicable today…………………What’s happened since then, is the “silence” has eaten away at our souls. Refuse to be silent, I don’t give a fugg what cause it is…………….I can’t help but think of the national geographic photos of animal predators, you see the animals, and look in their eyes, and you get feeling they can’t escape their fate. BS,
get mad, get angry, and don’t let anyone make you feel hopeless. We got to help stop this.
Hot Chicks always catch the eye that’s why they call them hot! What would you have OWS do? spend precious time repudiating someone who is nothing but a distraction? Then when the next misogynous You Tube appears are they to spend time repudiating that? This is a movement that will attract all sorts, is OWS supposed to concern itself with stuff other than what appears on their official website? How much monitoring is sufficient for a movement that has no membership requirements? How are they to keep track of everything and everyone that may detract from the movement? I’ve never been a big fan of the repudiation thing because once you start going down that road it never ends.
As for the rapes. Going to an OWS event or even electing to be part of the occupation is not like checking into the Hilton or even Super 8. You do so at your own risk. If you’re assaulted or harmed in any way then your recourse is to the local police. Why even go to the organizers of OWS when something happens? it’s not like they screen participants or pretend to provide security. The fact that any putative victim would go to the organizers after having been victimized indicates to me that it wasn’t that serious. Having been to Zuccotti Park, I can tell you that one look at this loose conglomeration of people is enough to let you know they are not prepared to deal with violent crime; to think otherwise is just foolish The same rules apply as swimming on a beach with no lifeguard: if you don’t think you can hack the waves, don’t go in the water.
The waves don’t think. My post is about the bystanders, like you, I gather, you don’t seem to think justice is for all.
People do think. They’re not waves.
I don’t see any mention of bystanders in your post; and it’s because you can think you should know that at something like Occupy, there’s all kinds of people in the mix: rapists, voyeurs, murderers, pickpockets and you take the same precautions you always take to safeguard yourself. I was in Occupy Times Square, I had my hand bag on my right shoulder, pinned down by my right arm and my left arm was across my chest gripping the bag handle. No pickpocket was going to victimize me in that crowd.
I’m talking to you.
And good for you being all tough and I-can-take-care-of-myself. That’s exactly what the 1% say you should be doing. You just don’t do it as well as them. But that’s your own fault for not being as good at taking care of yourself.
So, remind me exactly why you’re protesting against them?
quixote. Show your colors. You have no real reply so you attack. Stay classy.
Ralph, what was the response above? That IS the reply. It is not an attack. It is a real question. If you are not on the side of justice, what are you doing in a movement for justice? It’s a valid question, given the comment it responds to. Of course it’s uncomfortable. That’s because it shows what the problem is.
organizing principle 101
” What would you have OWS do? spend precious time repudiating someone who is nothing but a distraction? ”
‘distraction’ now where have I heard this before?
I guess that’s one of those words that is supposed to pacify the “girls” when they “overreact.”
I’ve been reading about this for a few days now and was wondering when it would break here. I was expecting it before I read about it and I would have been surprised if it hadn’t happened. Liberal dudes don’t regard women as humans who are not wank off material any more than other dudes. It happened in Tahrir Square and now it’s happening in OWS. It happened during the 60s protests too. That’s what Robin Morgan wrote “Goodbye to All That” about.
It happened in the ’60s movements too. Women are treated as appendages in every kind of group. It happens in corporations, in government, and in protests movements. Women are expected to do the grunt work and sleep with the men who run everything. I doubt if I’ll live to see this change. It’s disgusting.
I’ve been fuming about this as I read Confidence Men. The reaction to Obama’s misogyny in the media is a riot. We all knew his attitude toward women from the way he treated Hillary. I’d like to write a post called “What if Obama had actually had any respect for his women advisers?” If he had listened to them, we might not be in as bad a fix as we are right now with the economy and unemployment.
Misogyny is everywhere as we are reminded daily as we watch our reproductive rights attacked and see women dismissed in every facet of American life.
Thanks for this post Quixote. It’s very thoughtful.
Oooo BB, that sounds like one hell of a post… I sure would love to read it…;)
The links keep accumulating. A commenter at Reclusive Leftist’s says it best:
“the easiest and most effective way for the Occupados to protect their rep is to shut down the Dude Nation contingent in their midst”
Shark-Fu also has a great post about the struggle with racists, but what she says applies to this situation, too. Probably applies to dealing with all bigotry. A sistah is weary….
As a commenter on that post says, “I am not here to teach you a lesson. I am here to tell you that class is over.”
Does the Dude Nation contingent wear matching t-shirts or have some other identifying feature? If they don’t then how are you gonna shut them down before they make themselves known?
They do. Their t-shirts say, “Oh, be quiet. We have more important issues.” Or they say, “Don’t be silly. It’s all in good fun.” Or they say, “It’s not my fault. It’s some jerk. Nothing to do with me.” Or there’s also, “Oh, fergawdsake, deal with it.”
And so on. Dude Nation is painfully easy to recognize.
Putdowns and bigotry of any kind are everybody’s problem. It’s not up to the victim to solve the problem. It’s up to the jerks to stop being jerks, and it’s up to everybody else, including you, to call them on it when they try it. That’s what shuts it down, and that’s the only thing that shuts it down.
speaking of tshirt …. it seems to me, that to be a member of dude nation you have to be either a) somewhat blind to it, or b) you take the attitude that when other people raise genuine concerns about the treatment of women and girls you just don’t give a fuck. thats what makes the whole dudebro nation creepy. its not like this is the first time or anything. sexism, mysogeny.. wasn’t it obvious..during the primaries… with hillary & sp. is it that you just don’t remeber or just don’t care…
I’ve said this before, women must stay together, stay in groups two or more, do this to ward off attacks, we have rights. Learn how to use a weapon, learn how to use a bat, protect yourself.
When you get knocked down get up, Hillary said it best when talking about inequality.
Thank you for posting this Quixote. If there is an “organizer” or “leader” that is able to tell MoveOn.org to go pound salt, then there is someone who should put out a statement that the asshole is not a part of the movement and does not speak for it.
Absolutely. Hell, all they would have to do is make one of their videos in which protesters condemn sexual harrassment, rape, and sexual assault and make it very clear that these “dudes” are not welcome unless they can act like mature adults.
Yup BB @3:29, you said it…
Thanks for this post Quixote.right on. 🙂
Quixote, that is the main point…and I agree with you 100%.
Thanks for this important post
One group said such reports should go through an OWS committee of some kind, which would vet it for report-worthiness. If they passed it, then it was okay to go to the police
In other words : the abuse after the abuse…Imagine having to ask someone if you can report an assault? And others then get to decide it is ” worthy” ? ?
Imagine, OWS, a place where your new best friend is a rapist…………and you didn’t even know it.
Or OWS is the place where your best friend is a “Hot Chick”………….Mercy!