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Feminism: Sex and gender discussions

Bill Burr monologue on SNL - rants about white women

87 replies

WeeBisom · 12/10/2020 01:38

Bill Burr did a gross misogynistic monologue on SNL, and I think it's an interesting insight into the mind of the average liberal American male. Namely - they are very sexist. This is honestly why the feminist movement in America is on its knees - no one really thinks women are oppressed.

Here's what Burr said:
"white women have...hijacked the woke movement....Generals around the world should be analyzing this... somehow, white women swung their Gucci booted feet over the fence of oppression and stuck themselves at the front of the line...I don't know how they did it. I've never heard so much complaining in my life from white women...
The nerve of you white women! Listen, I don’t want to speak ill of my bitches here. I dont, but let’s go back in history here, OK? You guys stood by us toxic white males through centuries of our crimes against humanity. You rolled around in the blood money, and occasionally, when you wanted to sneak off and hook up with a Black dude, if you got caught, you said it wasn’t consensual. Yeah! That’s what you did! That’s what you did! So, why don’t you shut up, sit down next to me, and take your talking to?"

Of course any woman who objects to this is being called a "Karen".

Some history: in 1993 Catharine MacKinnon published an article called 'from practice to theory or what is a white woman anyway?" In it, she argued that if women are truly oppressed by virtue of being women, then even that most pampered, effete, bon bon eating creature - the 'white woman' must be oppressed also. She revealed a deep assumption in American culture, namely that white women aren't actually oppressed - they are in fact the secret, evil behind the throne; whispering like Lady MacBeth into men's ears to make them oppress others.Black women are oppressed by virtue of being black, and poor women are oppressed by being poor, but rich white women aren't oppressed at all. Women aren't oppressed by virtue of being female, so feminism is a sham.

It's actually admirable how clear Burr is about all this, as he tells us 'bitches' to 'shut up' (nice abusive language by the way.) White women campaigning for their rights and freedom from oppression is framed as 'hijacking', illegitimate, taking something that doesn't belong to them.' 'Somehow' white women swung our Gucci boots (haha because we're also rich bitches!) over the fence of oppression. I really think that women in America are the only oppressed group that aren't allowed to acknowledge and fight against their oppression - their oppressed status is belittled and constantly cast into doubt.

This is coming from a man in a supposedly first world country that has no maternity leave. Abortion rights are precarious and highly contested. Women have to walk past hordes of shrieking crowds to have a D and C. Women cannot get contraceptives without first submitting to a once a year internal examination. American women have some of the worst maternal death rates in the developed world. Women's health care is expensive and not covered in standard insurance plans. Women do not have any kind of equality act to protect them. Three women are murdered by an intimate partner a day in the USA. Many states still allow child brides. 10 year old girls have been married off to older men in the USA in the 21st century. Women are raped and their rape kits lie untested and their rapists go free after two months in jail because 'he's a nice guy and he misses BBQ.' Women have been sexually assaulted and their abuser goes onto become a Supreme Court justice. Women. have been raped and their rapist goes onto to become president of the United States. Me Too showed that some of those Gucci wearing 'bitches' can be raped over and over again for years while Hollywood turns a blind eye. Bill Cosby drugged and raped multiple women, some of them white. Were these women lying about Cosby? If women aren't oppressed then why does it fucking feel like it?

And then he gives us a charming history lesson. Women 'stood by' while men committed atrocities and crimes against humanity. What's the first rule of misogyny again? Oh yes, that women are responsible for what men do. Men did the lynching and the enslaving and yet the blame, once again, is deflected onto 'white women'. And here's a real history lesson - women stood back and 'let' men do these things because women were property. They had no separate legal personality. They were essentially bought and sold into marriage contracts. Black people actually got the right to vote in America before women did. I think people forget that not so long ago women couldn't own property - not even small pieces of sentimental value. They had no legal existence of their own. Men owned their children and could stop a woman from ever seeing them again. Men could commit their wives to mental institutions for life if she became an annoyance. Marital rape was entirely legal.

The cruellest irony is that women are the original victims of male oppression, the ultimate test case, and yet men like Bill Burr have the absolute gall to turn around and say that actually women aren't really oppressed at all and all that evil shit that men did is actually women's fault. Because we 'let it happen', despite having an average life expectancy of 33 due to childbirth complications.

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ErrolTheDragon · 12/10/2020 08:44

@Mominatrix

You do know that SNL is a satirical comedy show...
Do you think this was 'comedy'? If it was supposed to be, I fear it fell foul of Poe's Law.
Vermeil · 12/10/2020 08:04

Oh yeah, Burr is probably laughing his arse off at the reaction.

TweeBree · 12/10/2020 08:00

SNL has been misogynistic for a while. Michael Che (Weekend Update) has serious issues with women and has been called out on it multiple times online for it. Colin Jost is just as bad, but he hides it behind his humble white guy schtick. Good luck with that, Scarlett...

Burr's monologue was lazy and gross because he was punching down and he did it badly. White American women should have to answer for certain things, but nothing he said accurately captured it. Also, he's a WHITE MAN. He could have used to voice to take down white male entitlement.

White women ARE victims of oppression, like all women. If he wanted to cut through the bullshit and get real he'd have admitted that, then highlighted the contradictions. He didn't. He just shit on them, smirking all the while through. It wasn't clever. There was no new insight. It was pure misogyny.

Pete Davidson has serious mental health issues and has a record of treating women very badly in his personal life.

The only American male comedian I really like atm is John Mulaney. When Louis CK was being #metoo-ed, his (very powerful) manager Dave Becky seemed to escape unscathed, despite being instrumental in blacklisting several of Louis's victims from further work. John was also a client. He fired Dave immediately. Didn't make a big show of it, just said it wasn't right and took his business elsewhere. Meanwhile, feminist comedy heroes like Amy Poehler are still with Dave and have never commented on it.

SunsetBeetch · 12/10/2020 07:50

I'd be surprised if this was meant literally, given what I know of Bill Burr (which admittedly isn't a huge amount).

quixote9 · 12/10/2020 06:46

Whataboutery? when half of black people are women? Did the point about intersectionality and its cuts in all directions miss you?

Iggly · 12/10/2020 06:31

There was a nub of truth and that’s around the BLM movement.

And in some ways, saying that “all women have been oppressed” when the conversation around BLM was about black people, is a little bit “whatabouttery”.

Mominatrix · 12/10/2020 06:22

You do know that SNL is a satirical comedy show...

Vermeil · 12/10/2020 06:08

Just had a look, it was typical Burr scattergun obnoxiousness, he’s an edge lord who likes to piss people off. More interesting has been the online reaction, who’s focussed on what part-
*
roxane gay
@rgay
That Bill Burr monologue was fucking hilarious. And so well crafted minus the cancel culture part that bombed.*

Roxane Gay, recent signatory of ‘be nice’ open letter #1376, didn’t like the bit about cancel culture, eh?
But the rest is just fine and dandy. Huh.
Tbh, there is a good point to be made about how certain types of white middle class people embrace wokedom, but this wasn’t it. Feels like a missed opportunity.

PearPickingPorky · 12/10/2020 04:47

At some point, "white women" in America are going to get fed up with this.

DancelikeEmmaGoldman · 12/10/2020 04:33

It’s uncomfortable and infuriating. But it’s a good thing that their ingrained misogyny is getting daylight.

Also WeeBisom: excellent rant!

yourhairiswinterfire · 12/10/2020 01:58

Apparently she's stupid because she can imagine loads of fantasy creatures like elves and wizards but can't wrap her head around Laverne Cox who's a national treasure.

I saw this, and I'm not sure if it was intended or a blunder, but is he comparing LC to a fantasy character? Whoops.

Also, he regrets getting a Harry Potter tattoo when he was young, but don't be mad because he couldn't predict the future...

Yeah, JKR was making that point, only the consequences she was talking about for children who are altering their bodies with drugs are far worse than shitty tattoo regret Hmm

WeeBisom · 12/10/2020 01:41

Oh and I forgot to add that this was followed up by Pete Davidson making a joke about how 'transphobic' JK Rowling is. Apparently she's stupid because she can imagine loads of fantasy creatures like elves and wizards but can't wrap her head around Laverne Cox who's a national treasure. So interesting to observe how her original words have been twisted and obscured beyond recognition.

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