Johnny's Fans for Women project thingie?

[guingel]

Okay, now that I've got your attention with dirty stories about Noah. . . oh, wait, this would come first as you read the entries on your friends list. Oh well - now you know what you have to look forward to.

Anyway, the 5LDK clip posted here made me think, as I often do, of how much sexist crap we see the boys in Johnny's entertainment spout. In that case the most offensive and horrible thing is the idea behind the segment itself: polling men (and TOKIO) about how they want women to dress so women can make themselves most pleasing to men and thus get married. This is bad on so, so many levels. It's easy to get fixated on the "women are told they must catch a man" thing, but actually what upsets me most is the idea of men dictating how women should act. WOMEN AREN'T FOR YOU. THEY ARE FOR THEMSELVES. I DON'T GIVE A FUCK IF YOU WANT TO SEE WOMEN IN SKIRTS. IF THEY LIKE WEARING SKIRTS, THEY SHOULD WEAR THEM. NOT BECAUSE MEN WANT THEM TO DO SO. ARRRRRRGH.

If it was just TOKIO, it wouldn't even be so bad because that would sort of be saying "You like Taichi, right? You want to meet a guy like him? Here's what guys like him like!" It's even more of an "am I their type" thing - problematic, but less so. But that they went and asked guys on the street and did rankings of the most popular types of clothes based on that, and said "Tights and pants, fashions that don't involve skirts were unpopular! It seems men want women to wear skirts," as the conclusion. . . SO FUCKED UP.

There was other stuff, but getting into this isn't actually the point of my entry. What I realized while watching and discussing the clip is that I hate the thought that, because the boys in Johnny's are otherwise so sweet and charming and great, people (young girls) who watch them and hear what they say are automatically assuming that what they say about women is okay too, and it is not.

I really, truly do not think that this makes them bad people or misogynists in any way. Some of them may be, but on the whole I think the majority of them are actually sweet guys. Good guys. They're just raised in a culture that has a lot of institutionalized sexism. (I don't want to get into some comparison of American and Japanese sexism, cos it's really not the point.) So even though they're good people, a lot of their comments about women are sexist. I regularly see them say stuff (as Taichi did in this segment) like "I want my girlfriend to be modest because only I should see her body." This is a problem! This is saying "if she is my girlfriend, I own her and should control her sexuality." Not "have a say in her sexuality". Control it, because it is mine.

I don't want people to think "oh, I love ____ and he says this and how could he ever say anything bad because he's so sweet, so it must be okay and right to say that." Young girls are crazy about these guys, and I'm sure they do try to make themselves into the types of women they say they want. (By the way, off the top of my head, Sho gets the most points for the vague, "I like women with the same values as me." Yes, that is a good reason for being interested in a person, and it's also not something that can make his fans crazy trying to fulfill. Or maybe it does but then it's definitely the fans' problem.) So yeah, I want people to be aware that these things are problematic, that they shouldn't accept it just because a guy they love has said it, and that they should be thinking critically about the stuff they're a fan of.

I don't really know if there's any way to do this. I think it probably does require a certain level of sophistication, and it seems like making the distinction between "is a bad guy" and "says a bad thing" is going to be difficult. Just the idea of "they're not perfect" is difficult. But it seems like it might be something worth doing.

The idea I was tossing around in my brain was an LJ community where people could just post this sort of thing when they find it, maybe explain why it's problematic. That way there'd be someone out there pointing out that this is not an okay thing to say and that you should not accept it no matter how much you love the person who said it. I mean, look how I start this entry - obviously I love TOKIO more than, you know, average. XD And I feel like I can call them out and be critical of them when they say dumb crap without it being in conflict with my love for them.

But I'm not sure if it'll work. So I was wondering if you guys had any thoughts, any suggestions? Do you think it's just completely hopeless? I'd like to at least say something, somewhere, to at least plant the ideas in people's heads about this stuff - to just reach some people, at least. Do you think the community would just be a huge problem? If you think it would work, would you post there? I'm not reading so many translations now. . .

[Edit: kegom suggests just pointing it out wherever you see it, mentioning it to people - saying something, in some way. I think it's definitely an excellent start, that will hopefully have some effect!]

The fact that it wouldn't be bashing anyone or saying that anyone is bad seems like it would really be a tough idea to get across - that it's criticizing the ideas, not the people behind them, since the ideas are pretty much universal in the society in which they live. And we live, often. But it's something I'd really like to say, to bring to people's attention.

Edit: As people are apparently seeing this anew, I figured I'd add a couple things.

First off, I wrote a sort of follow-up a few days later, with a more concrete, and sadly more extreme example of the type of negative influence that idolizing these guys can have on their fans. It shows that people will convince themselves that a terrible action is no big deal or is even totally okay rather than admit that one of their idols might be at fault.

I also wanted to point out Glossed Over as an example of the type of critique that we're just not getting in the Johny's fandom. It points out some of the inane things that women's magazines do - general stupidity, blatant attempts to sell really expensive items in an insulting way, and some feminist critiques of the subject matter. If someone is doing something like this in Japan, we're not getting it translated.

But Glossed Over actually brings up another reason why I wanted to do this for fandom. (I already articulated this in the comments but it seems worth putting here.) A very small portion of the people who read women's magazines read that blog, one assumes (actually, one might also assume that more of her readers do not read women's magazines). The number of people who are excessively idolizing western celebrities would be impossible to reach. But fandom is a community. Not that I could get a message out to everyone, but it just seems like more of a sensible, purposeful idea - people I don't know have apparently already seen this entry. Voices in fandom can be loud. If something gets enough attention, people will link to it and see it. So not only did this seem like something that needed doing, it also seemed like something that might yield results, might come across to some people who wouldn't normally read something like a feminist blog.

I also wanted to say that if people know of any other examples of times when the boys have said something inappropriate, I'd be happy to add the relevant bits to this entry.

Comments

[sabaism.livejournal.com]

Strictly as someone still in high school, these things really don't seem wrong to us. I think it's wrong, but most the girls (and guys, even, when you turn the situation around) really don't. Dressing up for a guy, having that ideal...romance, I guess? Isn't something they see as bad. More like it's just something you do?

And I would also say that culture and expectations (in both America and Japan) play pretty heavily into all of it. Magazines like ViVi, Fruits, CanCam, and Seventeen all reinforce it too, so it's not just the Johnny's demographic but also the readers of those magazines. Girls also look up to models and idols like Hasegawa Jun, Koda Kumi, Hamasaki Ayumi, Yamada Yu, etc., as not just fashion ideals but also guides for how to live your life. And they kind of push the whole idea just as much as the Johnny's boys do.

Honestly I don't know if that makes sense at all, haha. But hopefully somewhat relevant to your post? :D

[guingel.livejournal.com]

Yeah, the fact that culture pushes it so strongly and makes it seem OK is a big reason why I want to do something, to have a voice saying "Just because there are these expectations doesn't mean you need to be this way."

Dressing up for a guy is okay - you like him, you want to look nice for him. Once you're having that romance. But changing who you are because you think it will please men, that's the problem. The pretending to be giggly and girly and weak and dumb thing that is so widespread. The reason I want to start pointing this stuff out is precisely because it's become so normal to do that.

[kegom.livejournal.com]

I don't think a community would work with raising awareness in people that those kind of things are sexist and not OK, because you're right when you say that it would be a really tough idea to get across - ESPECIALLY to young fangirls - that the community isn't just for bashing the guys for "saying something wrong". I think there'd be a big chance that it would get a lot of fangirls' hackles up, and they'd start defending the guy, which would lead to huge arguments (and wank ^^"), or would just stay away from it.

I think, rather than using a "sledgehammer" in form of a community, recurring little "picks" would be the way to go. For example, if someone widely known in fandom (like Wolfie for example) would make comments about that kind of behaviour whenever they noticed it, people would very likely start thinking about it far more than if there was a community just dedicated to the machismos and anti-female comments in JE. As an actual example: recently Jun mentioned on Utaban that, even though he can cook and clean and stuff, he would expect his girlfriend to take care of those things if they lived together. If someone who usually squees over him and Arashi would talk about that Utaban episode and then say something like "I love you, Matsumoto, but can I just smack you now for being an idiot?", I think it would make the readers both laugh and think about how Jun's statement really wasn't OK.

Actually, thinking about this, Wolfie is a really good example of how to point out stuff without making fans feel the need to get defensive, because she both rants about what she thinks is wrong with a drama's characterisation of gays or females, but does it in such a hilarious way that even the biggest fans of that series have to laugh at it and admit that, yeah, they love the series to pieces, but there IS something slightly wrong with how things are; and she really points out stuff that was good (like strong girls), which makes other people take notice of just how often strong girls are (or aren't) shown in j-drama.
If there were people doing something like that for each band (and I believe that for Arashi, beckerbell or one of the translators could very well fulfill that role), even if it was less than Wolfie does, I think it would change perception just as well as a community dedicated to discussing problematic behaviour/utterances of JE guys would.


Alternatively, I could imagine funny/cracky fanfiction to also work rather well to raise awareness.
For example, for the scene that you described up there, I can totally imagine scenarios that could point out just how stupid that segment actually is. Kind of like:
Scenario 1: At the next shooting, the rest of TOKIO approach Leader with another Queen Elisabeth II skirt-and-jacket outfit and force him into it, explaining that, since guys want to see women in skirts, obviously Leader will have to change his wardrobe as well...
Scenario 2: Gussan goes home to his wife after this, and watches her as she works around the kitchen in his jeans and a baggy sweatshirt, and thinks about how women should be (or something), or maybe talks to her about it; and in the end, when they settle down on the couch and she watches baseball/soccer/wrestling (or whatever Gussan likes to watch) with him and she is cheering and cursing at the teams louder than he is, he looks at her and thinks just how glad he is that she isn't like how women should be.


(Btw, since you mentioned Sho: I'm just imagining how Sho's career-woman mother, who reportedly isn't above punishing her 27 year old son for having a messy room, would react if he were to say something like "my girl should stay at home and cook and clean", or something...
The thought makes me giggle more than it probably should. XD)

[guingel.livejournal.com]

Yeah, consensus seems to be that it'd be a tough sell. What I was imagining was that if there were other people who felt the same way, a bunch of different people could post and keep the posts focused on the things said, and not at all discuss who said them - not say "Jun is stupid for saying that!" but really keep to "Men should not expect their girlfriends to do housework just because they're women." But I guess that wouldn't happen. . .

The gentle touch is definitely the way to go here, but I just don't have (or want!!) the type of visibility needed (aatash does those little photo-summary things, right? Or she used to. . . if only she was interested in calling them out on their crap!). And my standards for how women are portrayed are even higher than Wolfie's. XD (I get pissed off at dramas a lot.) But yeah, maybe I'll just keep bringing it up when I see it and hope that I can sort of at least demonstrate to some people that there are problems with the things they say. Your example about Jun is so typical and really does piss me off.

I'll have to give some thought to the fanfic idea, though. If I can think of something fun to do, I will. Maybe have. . . I don't know. . . something take place after they do an interview. Like they've all just given these quotes about women and I can find actual quotes and then. . . someone comes in and slaps them all silly? But who and why? Oh, maybe Sho's mom would come in! And they'd be doing the interviews and she'd listen and then after the interviewer left she'd be like "WHAT. THE. HELL."

[kegom.livejournal.com]

The idea that it would focus on what was said instead of who said it is nice, but I don't think it would work with JE, because they, as people, are what we're interested in as fans, and it's what they sell; so everything they say is going to end up being about them too.

Plus - well, in that situation I did want to smack Jun for being an idiot (to his defense: it sounds worse out of context than in context, I think - but that doesn't change the fact that it was stupid), and I think that in a weird way, this is a less judgemental way (for other fans, at least) to deal with it than making a post in a community dedicated to pointing out the flaws in what was said, even if it's not important who said it. (It's kind of hard to describe, but to me it feels like - well, you would rant about your little brother and call him stupid, but if you were mentioning what he said as an example of a problem of society, it would be a far greater negative judgement of what he said than just an angry/exasperated reaction at a certain moment.)



I think just pointing it out now and then is already OK. And yeah, Aatash was one of the people I was thinking of; but she's definitely not the only widely read fan out there who could do something like that. beckerbell, for example, produces great meta, and someone like her might be more interested in pointing stupid stuff like that out. Likewise some of the other translators (one who already isn't above wanting to smack Ohno - her favourite - for never shutting up about fish XD) might also find it interesting to at least mention the guys' male stupidity.
I don't think you could get people to call the guys out on their crap by making long rants about it and going all "and what he said here is so stupid!", but usually, a bit of humour or a little reminder like "Gussan, do you really want to say something like that while your wife who can drink you under the table might be listening? ;P" works just as well.

(That's why I like Wolfie's posts so much, because it's noticeable that she's serious about stuff, but she keeps stuff light-hearted enough for people to enjoy her posts even if they don't agree with her completely.)



Uhm, about your fanfic idea... I don't think that idea would translate well, to be honest. The moral of it is too noticeable - it's very much "they did this wrong and now there are going to be consequences"... kind of like the show "Clifford The Big Red Dog" and its continuing theme of teaching children that everything will go wrong if they don't listen to what older, more reasonable people tell them. ^^" I think it would probably make people annoyed at it than thoughtful.

(Sho's mom being the terror of JE to the point of being the terror of even the older bands is quite a funny thought, though. Can't really imagine that happening, but it would be funny. XD)

[shimmeredusk.livejournal.com]

I know what you mean about it being typically Japanese culture. I mean, me and Takero had this kind of argument before and I put it down to culture issues but they really don't understand that kind of thing. I think it comes down to two things (this me and a friend came to the conclusion of, which was actually to do with foreigners but I think it applies to gender as well) which would either be, it's going to slowly start changing eventually, or some celebrity or someone people notice and acknowledge said something to make people aware :S

I don't know if I community would work, maybe it will, but like in the other comments it might just get people defensive about it and treat it as a kind of rant? I think Japan is gradually changing, I mean just look at the way women are working - sure it's a little behind from other countries but it is progressing. I think it's kind of overwhelming from their point of view as well because other countries are like "you should be more-" especially with foreigners etc, and I guess they're trying to do something about it but maybe just going along a different route of how it should be done...?

... I don't know if that makes sense XD;

[guingel.livejournal.com]

Yeah, but it's not that my goal in doing this is to change Japan or shame the guys into acting differently - it would just be for the english-language fandom, it'd be here on LJ so it's not like they'd even see it. The goal would just be to make fans who idolize them aware that these things are not okay. But yeah, it seems likely that it would just cause problems.

A lot of stuff that I see on Japanese TV that really upsets me, it's not that there aren't people here who think that or would say that, but it would be frowned upon! And there it's totally accepted. ::sigh:: Not that there isn't plenty to be done all over!

[shimmeredusk.livejournal.com]

This is true... I guess it depends on how open minded the person is as well though :S But then ... perhaps even in english-language fandoms, there are people who admire that kind of way of thinking as well? I wouldn't be surprised if there were, and also the fact that there are people who also idolise these people as well...

Some things really do grate me with the Japanese attitude to women and of the women :(

Gender is such a complex topic -_-;;;

[guingel.livejournal.com]

Yeah. . . it's so obvious to me that these things are bad - some of them require a bit of parsing, but stuff like kegom's example of Jun saying that "even though he can cook and clean and stuff, he would expect his girlfriend to take care of those things if they lived together." It's so obvious to me that that's a ridiculously stupid thing to say and it makes me angry, and I know that it's a commonly held position in many countries, and that makes me even angrier. Anyway, yeah, these things are so obvious to me that I forget that they aren't to other people.

[shimmeredusk.livejournal.com]

I know, and it's like a lot of the Japanese still think this is the way to go. I wouldn't mind if the girl was like "here are my options, I know what they are, but I'm actually choosing to do this because I want to, not because it's expected of me.

I mean, attitudes are changing. (I know, I've spend the past several months studying about women and the problem/counter-plan of the declining birth rate -_-;;;; In fact, I've spent my whole year this year studying all about women for some reason and I don't even hold strong opinions on it D:) But... it's going to take so much longer :(

But then I suppose you can just say it's really up to the person in the end :( I'm really not great on stressing points, just because I'm so neutral all the time XD;

[guiltyschu.livejournal.com]

I actually don't think the community is such a great idea. ^^; Don't get me wrong, I'm all for equal opportunity, and I won't deny that when I read some of the comments Johnnys make about their future wives, I facepalm a little. But one thing I really had to face up to while I was living in Japan - and it was hard, I can't even begin to tell you how hard it was - is that you can't judge another person's culture by your own standards. To us, those attitudes towards women are embarrassing, and it's easy to get up on our high horse and point fingers and say "THAT'S WRONG" - but that's judging from our own cultural standpoint. And we can't even lay all the blame on the men, because the women perpetuate the whole image of the wholesome housewife who makes bento all day for their hard-working husband too.

Japanese society is definitely still male-dominated. The opinions of the JE boys are no different to those of other Japanese men on the street. While those attitudes are rankling to us, at the same time, I don't think any of the boys ever expected that they would have to be idols to a bunch of gaijin girls too. I can think of loads of girls I knew overseas who would love nothing more than to clean house for Yamapi all day while minding his 6 thousand kids. Yes, that seems wrong to us - but perhaps, not to them.

Attitudes are definitely changing amongst Japanese women, but it's a gradual process. Women in business environments are still treated as secretaries and maids. They're gradually coming in to their own - just an example, part of the reason for the declining birth rate in Japan is women choosing work harder and longer to become professionals rather than wives, because they know the moment they pop out a kid they'll be expected to resign from their working life; - and I believe that with greater amounts of women in Japan empowering themselves, male attitudes will, no doubt reluctantly at first, follow. But you can't expect a country to overturn thousands of years of culture in just the few years following the introduction to Western viewpoints and ideas. Nor expect it of them.

I think that, even while well-intentioned, a community like that would bring about too much negativity, without appreciating the complexities of Japanese culture and allowing for the appreciation and understanding of cultural relativity. People have to choose for themselves if they think the words of JE idols are wrong or not, and they'll form those opinions based on their own cultural standards and life experiences, and I don't believe that such a community would properly facilitate that.

Sorry, didn't mean to rant at you! I understand your concern, I just find the whole idea a bit alarming, based on my own experiences. ^^;

[guingel.livejournal.com]

There's something about this that doesn't seem to be coming across to people the way it is in my head.

And we can't even lay all the blame on the men

There's no blame, and I'm not placing it on men. I'm not making a MORAL judgement on the people saying these things. Whatever culture they come from, they are saying things that it is harmful for young women and they have a lot of power over young women. The point was not "Japanese men are misogynistic pigs." The point was "Just because the idol you love says "I want women to be sweet and submissive" doesn't mean that you should just accept that. It's all fucking over American TV too, but there are other people pointing this out, whereas the english-language JE fandom is in its own little bubble.

It's not a "let's tear down japanese society and make them see the errors of their ways." It's about the effects that this stuff is having on the fans - the english-language fans, in this case. Yeah, they're in another culture. I am well aware that the attitudes behind the things they say are very dominant and its' just the way they were raised and they would never think to question it. I'm aware that it doesn't make them bad people. But you know what? I also think that equality is for everyone. I'm not going to go to Japan and start crusading for whatever, because I don't understand the intricacies of their culture. But I can still recognize sexism, even across cultures.

But don't worry, i'm not gonna make a community. I was too lazy and losing interest in the fandom to want to do it anyway.

Edit: Sorry about my return ranting! I really didn't think a community was the best way to go (which no one seems to have noticed that I said several times in the entry) but I'm a little. . . frustrated/confused since I hate not being understood and you got the brunt of that.

[godsgirl7.livejournal.com]

You bring up a really excellent point. This kind of thing comes up all the time, in various interviews and such, but I never really gave it much thought before. And if you ask me, anyone who thinks this is bashing anyone didn't really read it.

But really, suddenly it seems like I've heard this kind of stuff a lot. Like, I feel like magazines ask them all the time what kind of girl they like, what they want girls to do in certain situations, etc etc. And I also think you're right that a lot of it has to do with the culture. But it's scary to think that there are girls out there who would try to change themselves to fit with these kinds of standards (as I'm sure there are...). But they really do put a lot of emphasis on traditional women's roles, don't they? Like, a lot of the boys seem to want girls who wear skirts, are good at cooking, are sweet and understanding and such... Which is why, when I read stuff like, oh, some interview with Nino who said that his ideal date was for the girl to come over and just kind of chillax and they'd wear PJ's and who cares how they look, I really liked that a lot. Or when boys answer the obligatory questions about girls saying that she can be whatever way she wants to be, or when they say that girls in comfortable clothes are good, etc. Because really, I know I would never fit that Japanese female ideal of being small and cute and girly and such, it's good to know that at least some of the idols value girls who are true to themselves.

Wow, this got long. I didn't realize I had so much to say on this issue.

[guingel.livejournal.com]

Thank you for reading and understanding! And yeah, answers like the ones you point out warm the cockles of my heart.

You know, since writing the two entries, I've pinpointed another reason why it might make sense to try to do something about this in the JE fandom (in response to people who have said "this happens elsewhere, etc"). I've been pointing out that there aren't really voices saying anything about it in the fandom because if there is someone in Japan with a blog like this one, which critiques women's magazines (http://www.glossedover.com/glossed_over/), then it's not getting translated. But the other reason why I think it might be worthwhile to do something like this is that fandom is a relatively small community, and it just seems like it might be possible to somehow get through to a fair amount of people. But the general consensus seems to be that I'm being overly optimistic. :/

Anyway, I'm really, really glad I got you thinking about this, which was basically my goal. :)

[godsgirl7.livejournal.com]

I think you might be succeeding more than you think. I got the link to your journal from a friend, and when I posted it in mine, a lot of people on my flist wrote me really interesting, thoughtful comments on both sides. This kind of stuff does have a way of spreading around~ Or even if you just posted a link in a few of the big comms (maybe posting a link to your journal, rather than posting straight to the comms, would help keep things sane), I think people might understand, and those who don't can not read it if they don't want to. I don't know. ^_^''

[guingel.livejournal.com]

Well, I was a bit discouraged by the reaction from my friends list - but with your encouragement, I tried writing a more coherent and thorough treatment of the subject, with examples and a lot of the logical assumptions I'm making going into this. That seems like it might be more link-worthy than what I'd written previously. I'd love it if you'd take a look at it (http://guingel.livejournal.com/281848.html). . . although I'm still not sure how to link to it on comms. You think I could just sort of make a post linking to it?

[godsgirl7.livejournal.com]

I'll go ahead and read it over right now~ ^_^

As far as linking it to the comms, just make sure you check each comm's rules and make sure you follow them and I think you should be fine!

[capncosmo.livejournal.com]

Hi! I was linked here by a friend, and I wanted to let you know that I linked you in my own journal (http://capncosmo.livejournal.com/234008.html). That way if someone wanders over here you won't be shocked.

[guingel.livejournal.com]

Wow, thank you so much for linking me! I popped over to your journal - thank you for asking people to say something and point it out when they see sexist stuff. You've pretty much articulated my real goal better than I did myself.

I edited the entry a little bit, since people seem to be seeing it for the first time, so thanks for the heads up!

[capncosmo.livejournal.com]

Thank you so much for writing about it so I *could* link you :D And thank you for reading my post too.

Courtesy comments are something very important, I think :D

[guingel.livejournal.com]

I'm actually really excited to read all the discussions about this and stuff. It really helps me think about it more clearly, if I see what other sides and opinions are.

And I agree! I love just knowing people are reading. :) Especially in a case like this. (Also I do semi-regularly get commenters out of nowhere and it's a little weird!)

[guingel.livejournal.com]

Pssst! since you're not on my friends list but seemed interested, I wanted to let you know that I wrote a "more fit for public consumption" version of this in case I decide to try to promote it or something, and that's it's here (http://guingel.livejournal.com/281848.html) if you have any thoughts on it.

[a-brokenangel.livejournal.com]

I actually stumbled upon this yesterday and I have to say I agree with what you are saying. I also linked this in my LJ, I hope that's okay.

[guingel.livejournal.com]

Oh, wow, thank you - I'm excited that people are seeing it! Glad I kept it public. :)

[a-brokenangel.livejournal.com]

I really think it's important that you talked about, because usually I'm one of these people who don't really notice these things. like, I do notice them but I usually don't really think of them. and I think that if more people would start talking about these issues, more people would take notice. I also just read the follow up you posted and I have to say I'm shocked by what some people said about the woman reporting him. I mean, she is stupid for that? because she called out an idol? WTF. I'm amazed by the stupidity and or ignorance of some people. I mean, yes, we do love these guys, but that doesn't mean that we should treat them as if they were Gods or something.

[guingel.livejournal.com]

Yeah, there's some things that I've been noticing for a long time, but a lot of stuff that I'm only just starting to realize how harmful it is. The problem is how prevalent and normal a lot of these attitudes and behaviors are - we just don't notice! Which is why it's even more important that we point it out.

I'm really glad that I got you thinking about this stuff and talking about it - thanks again for linking to it, and thank you for letting me know that there was a purpose to posting it.

Yeeeeah, people need to understand that when a guy would do something like grope a woman on the subway, he's not worthy of your love! And hopefully if enough people are talking about stuff like this, then more fans will realize that.

[guingel.livejournal.com]

Pssst! since you're not on my friends list but seemed interested, I wanted to let you know that I wrote a "more fit for public consumption" version of this in case I decide to try to promote it or something, and that's it's here (http://guingel.livejournal.com/281848.html) if you have any thoughts on it.