"Riffing on Gaga’s hip surgery last year, the video opens with her on an operating table being felt up by [R.] Kelly, who then sedates her and messes around with her unconscious body with help from a team of scantily clad nurses."
Why film it in the first place? It must have seemed like a good idea at the time, last October, but then, in December, an article came out in the Village Voice, collecting the new stories into one spot thus displaying a vivid portrait of Kelly's history as a sexual predator.
We're told that "Gaga distanced herself from Kelly immediately following the Village Voice piece, and has kept away in the months since." It's not as though those stories weren't already out there, and Gaga chose to make this video giving up her naked body — consciously — for the acting out of a sexual assault on a naked unconscious female character. (Clip viewable here.)
She knew exactly what she was doing, and all that had changed— to which she reacted "immediately" — was a conspicuous Village Voice article. The video was intended to stimulate a certain amount of outrage. It's the old game of succès de scandale, and her move was calibrated on the presumption of the public's vague memories of many old stories about Kelly. The Village Voice threw the calculation off.
Apparently, there's not no such thing as bad publicity
June 21, 2014
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17 comments:
The Lady Gaga video is tame compared to some of the comments made by women on social media about the current Mr. Dreamy's mug shot. http://www.nbcnews.com/news/crime-courts/dreamy-mugshot-convicted-felon-goes-viral-n136286
Terrible Reading Comprehension Guy says:
When Althouse writes that the Village Voice article about R. Kelly is but "the old game of succès de scandale" she is allowing the horrors of child rape and perversion to be seen as nothing more than iPad wallpaper to be glanced at then ignored. I, for one, believe the actions of a pedophile should not be treated so dismissively and I am disappointed that Althouse has taken this view.
Terrible Reading Comprehension Guy says:
When Althouse writes that Lady Gaga knew "exactly what she was doing" she is doing what the rapist does: blaming the victim. Indeed, Althouse says the "rape-y video" was "a good idea at the time": is there really a good time for a "rape-y video"? Does Althouse really believe this? I believe Althouse is far off the mark of decency in this post; I hope she recovers her balance, for her own sake.
Terrible Reading Comprehension Guy says:
Althouse writes "Gaga distanced herself from Kelly immediately following the Village Voice piece, and has kept away in the months since." From this it is obvious that Althouse believes this lets Lady Gaga off the hook for an entirely inappropriate rape-positive work of so-called art. Rape-Positive Works should never be let off the hook, Althouse: you know better.
You forgot polling choice #5:
o She is an attention whore.
Apparently, there's not no such thing as bad publicity
Back when Dave Chappelle was the world's funniest man, he did a take-down of R. Kelly that is so vulgar, so mean, and so hilarious.
Terrible Reading Comprehension Guy says:
Notice that nowhere does Althouse even mention the stories of R. Kelly urinating into the mouths of underage girls. She only writes that "The Village Voice threw the calculation off." Sometimes a writer's omissions and evasions tells us more about them than the words they actually write.
Terrible Reading Comprehension Guy says:
Lady Gaga does the right thing and has the decency to pull back her "rape-y" video from public view, yet Althouse writes that this is Lady Gaga "self-censoring" her own art. Althouse evidently doesn't believe the Artist to have control of their own artwork, treating Judgment as "self-censorship." Althouse seems to be saying that when one makes an error of judgment the proper response is not to 'self-censor' but to leave poor judgment on display as an albatross around the neck. This chilling of artistic work concerns me, but evidently not Althouse.
You forgot to add the "I Do Not Give A Damm"option.
... Gaga chose to make this video giving up her naked body — consciously — for the acting out of a sexual assault on a naked unconscious female character.
Another example of the proven fact, that rape/sexual harassment is not what is done to a woman, but who does it.
Another examples: Bill Clinton, harassment in the office
Terrible Reading Comprehension Guy says:
Althouse writes that "in December, an article came out in the Village Voice, collecting the new stories into one spot thus displaying a vivid portrait of Kelly's history as a sexual predator," but does nothing to elaborate on that history, choosing instead to focus on Lady Gaga's frivolous Rape-Positive video, rather than the deeds that ruined the lives of so young African-American girls. By her eliding past the true victims in the story Althouse is showing how insignificant the lives of young black American girls truly are, trumped by the Higher Conceptual Thoughts of self-censorship, and is indeed censoring the young black American girls themselves. It is quite an ugly picture, Althouse.
Betamax made me laugh (as usual). I do think Althouse is misread. She does the type of writing where you can be misread. She loves to play devil's advocate, loves to use irony, loves to provoke people.
For instance, "I am perversely skeptical that people actually believe the religion they profess to believe." That is obviously designed to provoke an emotional response in people.
You can read her comment as an atheist attack on religion. You are insincere.
But I actually made a similar point in my sunday school class the other day. If Jesus showed up in my living room tomorrow, would I be surprised? Would I freak out? Would my behavior change? I'm sure it would.
So my reading is that Althouse is challenging her readers. Take your religion seriously! Your actions should match up with what you say.
And of course one can flip Althouse's comment around. Maybe she's talking about herself. She says she's an atheist who has no belief in God. And yet she talks about religion all the time. You could easily "read" Althouse as someone who is trying to find religious belief.
Anyway, that's why I laughed. People do misread Althouse, or read the things they want to see in her writings. I do that. Although I am not Terrible Reading Comprehension Guy. I am more like Smash and Grab a Sentence and Hijack the Thread Guy.
Thank you Saint Croix. I look forward to the day when Althouse confronts a splendidly obtuse comment, misrepresenting her words, with a reference to Terrible Reading Comprehension Guy Syndrome.
"Rape-y"
My candidate for word of the year.
Does it mean "rape lite"?
Well, at least GaGa is moving on to rape from mass murder (mass murder starts around 7:30).
The video for "Bad Romance" is about a sex slavery kidnapping (even if it does end badly for the kidnapper), and "Papaparazzi" contains sexual assault, attempted murder, once again, like "Telephone" murder by poison.
So, I can't really be too surprised when LG decides it's time to explore the lighter side of non-consensual sex with a urolagniac.
"Rape-y"
My candidate for word of the year.
Does it mean "rape lite"?
I saw that word several months ago, when Althouse blogged about feminists at B.U. who were upset about the song "Blurred Lines."
Discussion here.
Beta...still waiting for Alice sexbot...would settle for Gaga bot...Kelly bot probably funnier but ewww...
I disagree wholly with the idea of writing unclearly. I think that one should strive to write so as to make it impossible to be misunderstood/to be easily understood. Crack, that was Malcolm, right, that Cult of Personality sample?
Althouse, did you ever read in Solzhenitsyn? Remember his Language of Maximum Clarity? Trying to get away from "bird-words" and other claptrap? Echoes of Orwell's undying essay, but of course, breakfast described by the pig as opposed to the hen.
Re Gaga, obvious. Like the Daisy commercial only had to play once. This was the plan all along.
I am happy she has lost her makeup man and started to look human, though.
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