Tracie Egan, and Moe Tkacik, two writers from Jezebel.com were invited to appear on my show, Thinking and Drinking.
Their work on Jezebel has made them role models for young women everywhere. After reading their posts to prepare for the interview, I wanted to have a conversation about Hillary and sexism, women's magazines and if they feel any obligation to write about responsibility and safety when they write graphically about their sex lives.
We conducted a pre-interview with Tracie who writes about sex and pop culture for Jezebel under the name "Slut Machine." When you click on "Slut Machine" you are linked to her personal blog that regales her readers with "no detail left behind" accounts of her sexual experiences.
Moe writes about politics and sex as well and combines pop culture with it all and was not available for a pre-interview. Tracie assured us she would be cool with anything we talked about in the feminist, political arena, that she was an expert on China, and that they had been talking a lot about rape lately.
They were emailed a show description with links to past interviews and we were all set.
I don't know if they came to the show drunk, or just ended up drunk by the time they hit the stage, but what I do know is that the discussion that ensued was deeply disturbing to me for a few reasons:
1. Because they had no regard for the people who came that night and paid money to hear them speak.
2. They do not understand the influence they have over the women who read them, nor do they accept any responsibility as role models for young women who are coming of age searching for lifestyles to emulate.
Even as one young woman who attended the show voiced her disappointment on her own blog, when Moe and Tracie commented on the entry, she was so excited that she backpedaled her criticism.
I put this video up to start a discussion, about sexuality, feminism, freedom, power and responsibility. I want those who read and admire their work to ask themselves how they feel about this, and those who are just hearing about them for the first time to do the same. I am no angel and tell a few stories on this tape about my own life that are cringe worthy and so I put myself up for scrutiny here as well.
Words and actions matter, and those of us who are given a forum to share opinion should always be mindful of that, and those of us who are trying to be watchdogs for the truth, should always call out harmful inaccuracies when we see them. I feel a responsibility to hold these young women accountable for the statements they make as they seem sure to keep repeating them.
These are some selected clips. The entire interview is posted on www.shootthemessengernyc.com.
CLIP ONE:
These Jezebels recommend birth control methods:
Moe: Pulling out always works for me"
Tracie: "And I know it's an irresponsible thing to day, but it's (Pulling Out) The Most Fun Way Not To Get Pregnant"
The Jezebels on sex with total strangers:
Tracie: "People are always saying it's not safe to go home with strange men, blah, blah blah, like Mr. Goodbar whatever"
Moe: "What's gonna happen?'
Lizz You could get raped"
Moe: That's happening too, but you live through that."
Lizz: "Sometimes you don't"
Moe: "That's true if they have weapons."
The Jezebels define the "rapists of our generation"
Tracie: "I live in Williamsburg, there aren't very assertive men there"
Moe: "The thing about the rapists of our generation, is that they all use drugs, they all have some sort of drug they use on you, so it's good to feel, and I don't know if this has happed to me or if I just drink too much...
Moe: "It's really hard to prosecute them (rapists), so you should try to avoid them at all costs."
Tracie: "I once paid someone to rape me once."
Tracie: "Well, I didn't pay for it, I had a magazine pay for it
Tracie: "I moved here when I was 18 and you think you would encounter more rapists in a big city like this, but, I don't know, I just haven't."
CLIP TWO:
Moe on sexual regret:
Moe: "I guess, I like, regret being date raped"
Moe: "It seems like in terms of bad sexual experiences, that you have, the worst ones are in, always seem to be in countries where sex is not accepted. That is the good thing about New York, I've never has any problems with anyone here."
Moe: "I guess third guy, I ever had sex with, date raped me, and I got very mad at him, but I wasn't gonna fucking like turn him in to the police and fucking go through shit..
Lizz interrupts: "Why not, you see that's the problem, why not, I am just curious?"
Moe: Because it was a load of trouble and I had better things to do, like drinking more."
Tracie on why she has not been raped
" I think it has to do with the fact that I am like, smart"
"I don't hang around with frat guys"
Moe on how she felt about her rapist:
"I always felt very like, safe around this guy even after he date raped me"
Moe on what women can take home from reading their blogs
If any of you guys use the pullout method, but you read you know, anything I wrote about Ben Bernanke, or you know, what ever, at least y'll go to the grave with your syphilis, slightly informed, that's all I care about.