GENE SIMMONS WHO WAS THE BASSIST FOR KISS IS
NOT A DELIGHTFUL INDIVIDUAL.
THAT HAS ALREADY BEEN ESTABLISHED
BUT HE HAS FURTHER PROVEN THAT POINT WITH HIS LATEST BOOK AND
COMMENTS THAT HE MADE ABOUT WOMEN TO THE NEW YORK POST WHILE
HE WAS PROMOTING HIS BOOK.
THE COMMENTS THAT HAVE SOME PEOPLE
RAISING THEIR EYEBROWS GO AS FOLLOWS.
HE SAID:
SO LET ME GIVE YOU MORE CONTEXT ABOUT WHY HE MADE THAT
STATEMENT.
HIS NEW BOOK HAS TO DO WITH BECOMING POWERFUL.
USING THE POWER YOU HAVE, WIELDING THE POWER YOU HAVE AND
HIS ARGUMENT IS WOMEN ARE POWERFUL BECAUSE THEY CAN
MANIPULATE PEOPLE USING THEIR SEXUALITY.
IF THEY ARE
ATTRACTIVE ENOUGH THEY CAN GET WHATEVER THEY WANT.
THAT IS THE
POINT HE IS TRYING TO MAKE HERE.
HE ALSO SAID, IN REGARD TO WOMEN
WHO WANT TO HAVE CAREERS AND RAISE
A FAMILY:
I WANT TO OPEN THIS UP.
THIS IS THE APEX OF MANSPLAINING IF I'VE EVER SEEN
IT AND
IT IS ALSO NOT A NEW CONCEPT OR NEW ARGUMENT.
THERE WAS A BOOK
THAT CAME OUT IN 2011 CALLED EROTIC CAPITAL THE POWER OF
ATTRACTION FROM THE BORDER INTO THE BEDROOM BY THIS WOMAN NAMED
CATHERINE HAKIM, AND THE PROBLEM WITH THIS IS TWOFOLD.
ONE IS IF
YOU INVEST IN THE IDEA OF EROTIC CAPITAL, LET'S SAY WE ARE.
WERE
THROWING THIS FOLLOWING THIS THROUGH, IT IS SOMETHING YOU
INVEST IN THAT IS GOING TO DEPRECIATE IN VALUE WITH THE WAY
THAT AESTHETICS ARE SET UP FOR WOMEN.
INCREDIBLY UNFAIR AND
THEN TWO, IT'S A DOUBLE MIND WHICH IF YOU ARE ATTRACTIVE THEN
YOU HAVE TO DEAL WITH THE SEXUAL-HARASSMENT ANGLE, SO YOU
REALLY DON'T MOVE FORWARD AND IF YOU GIVES THAT CAPITAL TO GET
SOMETHING, YOU ARE GETTING STILL $.70 ON THE DOLLAR TO A MAN'S
DOLLAR.
I THINK WHAT IS ALSO INTERESTING IS, FOR THE
WOMEN WHO DO FEEL COMFORTABLE WIELDING THAT POWER, BECAUSE
THERE IS A LITTLE ELEMENT OF TRUTH TO WHAT HE SAID.
I'M NOT GOING TO DENY IT.
YES, I DO THINK THAT ATTRACTIVE WOMEN COULD USE THAT POWER
TO GET CERTAIN THINGS, BUT THAT ACTUALLY BACKFIRES
SIGNIFICANTLY BECAUSE YOU WILL BE ACCUSED OF NOT EARNING
SOMETHING BASED ON YOUR MITER MERITS.
IT IS A SHE MUST HAVE DONE XYZ SEXUAL FAVORS, IT IS
BECAUSE SHE IS PRETTY.
YOU WILL BE DEGRADED AND BELITTLED AND MINIMIZED FOR
THE REMAINDER OF YOUR CAREER.
AND WOMEN WHO ARE CONVENTIONALLY ATTRACTIVE
WHO DON'T USE THAT POWER STILL ACCUSED OF IT.
IT ALSO PENALIZES WOMEN WHO ARE NOT CONVENTIONALLY ATTRACTIVE
SO WHERE DO THEY FARE IN THIS LOGIC THAT HE HAS OUTLINED?
IT IS ALSO INTERESTING THAT THE ARGUMENT STILL MAINTAINS THAT
MEN ARE DISTURBING THE POWER SO YOU CAN GET POWER BY
GETTING IT FROM US.
BUT WE'RE STILL DOLING IT OUT THE.
THAT IS SUCH A GOOD POINT.
YOU CAN GET THAT POWER IF YOU
PRESENT YOUR SELF IN A WAY THAT WE LIKE.
THAT IS ESSENTIALLY
WHAT HE IS SAYING THERE.
HE RECENTLY WENT ON THE TODAY SHOW AND THE FINE LADIES OF
THE TODAY SHOW CALLED HIM OUT ON HIS COMMENTS AND HERE IS
WHAT HE HAD TO SAY.
TAKE A LOOK.
YOU WERE QUOTED IN THE NEW YORK POST AS SAYING THIS.
YOU
READY?
THESE ARE YOUR WORDS.
WOMEN HAVE A CHOICE, THEY CAN DRESS IN POTATO SACKS BUT
AS SOON AS THEY PRETTY THEMSELVES UP WITH
LIPSTICK, LIFT AND SEPARATE THEM AND POINT THEM IN OUR
GENERAL DIRECTION, THEY ARE GOING TO GET A RESPONSE.
BLAH, BLAH, BLAH, BLAH.
HERE'S THE REALITY.
I AM AWARE
OF THE RULES.
I DID NOT CREATE THEM SO YOU CAN TRY THIS
YOURSELF.
I AM NOT SAYING LIFE IS FAIR.
WHAT I AM SAYING IS
THAT THE MALE OF THE SPECIES IS VISUALLY STIMULATED.
THAT IS
LIFE AND SO YOU HAVE POWER.
THE POWER OF BEING A FEMALE AND YOU
CAN ACCESS THAT POWER TO MAKE MORE MONEY.
ANYWAY.
GIVEN THE CLIMATE, GIVEN EVERYTHING THAT IS GOING
ON, YOU ARE SAYING THAT IF A WOMAN DRESSES THE WAY SHE
WANTS, I'M JUST THE WAY I WANT, I AM NOT DOING IT TO GET A
REACTION FROM DAVE OR YOU.
WE CAN ARGUE ABOUT THAT ONCE WE GET OFF STAGE.
IF YOU RUN A TROPICAL ISLAND CHANCES ARE YOU WOULDN'T
PUT ON LIPSTICK.
WE APPRECIATED.
WE WANT YOU TO BE AS ATTRACTIVE AS POSSIBLE FOR US AND FOR EACH
OTHER SO THIS IS NOT POLITICALLY CORRECT CONVERSATION.
DRESS IN A POTATO SACK, WALK OUT ON THE STREET THAT.
MY WOULD ADJUST THE POTATO SACK?
I AM SAYING YOU HAVE THE CHOICE IN LIFE.
THE WHY WOULD I HAVE TO MAKE THAT CHOICE?
I'M NOT BEING CONFRONTATIONAL.
I'M ON YOUR
SIDE.
I WANT WOMEN TO HAVE ALL OF THE POWER THEY CAN HAVE.
WHEN I'M POINTING OUT IS YOUR LOOKS, HOW YOU DRESS, HOW YOU
PRESENT YOURSELF AS AN OUTREACH AND EXTENSION OF THE POWER THAT
YOU HAVE.
WE CAN'T DO THAT.
MEN CAN'T DO THAT.
WE HAD TO
BUILD SKYSCRAPERS AND THEREBY TRY TO BE MORE ATTRACTIVE TO
YOU.
YOUR ACTUAL FEMALE SELF IS YOUR POWER SO YOU HAVE A CHOICE
OF IMPLEMENTING THAT POWER OR NOT.
THAT IS UP TO YOU.
IT IS UP TO US.
YOU MADE A REALLY GOOD POINT WHICH IS NOT
ONLY ARE MEN IN THIS FRAMEWORK THE PURVEYORS OF DISTRIBUTING
POWER, BUT THEY ARE DEFINING WHAT POWER LOOKS LIKE BECAUSE IN
THIS MODEL, IT IS NOT POWER, IT IS DOMINATION.
IS THAT AGENCY
TO BE ABLE TO HAVE POWER OVER SOMEBODY AND TO BE ABLE TO HIM
AND FILE THEM SO FOR ME, I HAVE A DIFFERENT DEFINITION OF POWER
AND IT DOES NOT FIT WITHIN THAT FRAMEWORK BECAUSE I DON'T WANT
TO LIVE BY PATRIARCHY AND AT THE END OF THE DAY, IT IS
DANGEROUS TO MEN.
THIS IS WHAT HE WAS SAYING TO YOU THAT WE HAVE TO BUILD
SKYSCRAPERS TO BE ATTRACTIVE TO YOU.
WHO MUST LIVE WITHIN THAT KIND OF SYSTEM WHERE WE ARE ALL
DEGRADED AND REDUCED DOWN TO EITHER OUR BOOKS OR OUR
ABILITY TO EXPLOIT PEOPLE TO MAKE MONEY?
I LIKE THE YOU BROUGHT THAT UP BECAUSE WHAT HE SAYS ISN'T
JUST INSULTING TO WOMEN.
IT IS ALSO INSULTING TO MEN.
BECAUSE
HE THINKS THAT ALL MEN ARE THESE PRIMITIVE APES THAT CANNOT
CONTROL THEMSELVES OR THINK FOR THEMSELVES AND THEY HAVE NO
INTEREST IN AN INTELLIGENT CONVERSATION WITH A WOMAN OR HER
TALENTS OR ANYTHING LIKE THAT.
THEY ARE ONLY INTERESTED IN
SEEING A WOMAN WITH LIPSTICK AND MAKEUP AND BY THE WAY, IN HIS
ORIGINAL STATEMENT HE TALKS ABOUT LIFTING AND SEPARATING
THEM AND POINTING THEM IN OUR GENERAL DIRECTION.
HE IS
TALKING ABOUT BREASTS, WOMEN'S BREASTS.
HE THINKS THAT IS ALL
MEN CARE ABOUT, THAT THAT IS THE ONLY THING THEY EVER ACT ON.
IT'S SO INCREDIBLY SIMPLISTIC AND INSULTING TO BOTH GENDERS.
IT ASSUMES, SAYING WOMEN NEED TO RESIST OUR BIOLOGICAL URGES
IN THAT I COMEDY BETWEEN MOTHERHOOD AND THE WORKPLACE IS
RIDICULOUS.
LET'S TALK ABOUT MEN'S BIOLOGICAL URGES.
IF
WE'RE GOING TO TALK ABOUT URGES, IT PRESENTS WOMEN AS ONLY BEING
INTERESTED IN MAN'S ABILITY TO PRODUCE CAPITAL AND NOT ACTUALLY
INTERESTED.
A LOT OF MEN DON'T BUILD SKYSCRAPERS.
LET'S START
THERE.
ALSO WOMEN LIKE VISUAL STIMULATION.
THERE ARE SO MANY
WRONG THINGS AND HIS ARGUMENTS THAT I DIDN'T MAKE THE RULES,
THAT'S A LAZY ARGUMENT YOU ARE COMPLICIT AND MEN CHANGE RULES
AFTER THE FACT THAT YOU CAN'T JUST SAY THIS IS WHAT IT IS, SO
THIS IS HOW WE HAVE TO BE.
YOU CHANGE STUFF WHENEVER IT
BENEFITS YOU.
YOU ARE BENEFITING FROM THE SYSTEM.
AND NOT ONLY IS HE BENEFITING.
HE IS SAYING I DID
NOT WRITE THE RULES.
OKAY, BUT YOU ARE REINFORCING THE
STEREOTYPES AND PROFITING BY IT BY PUSHING AND REINFORCING THEM
IN YOUR BOOK.
HE IS NOT NECESSARILY, I DON'T THINK HE'S
ILLUSTRATIVE OF MEN IN GENERAL AT ALL, BUT I DO THINK THAT HE'S
SYMBOLIZES THIS OLD-SCHOOL BACKWARD WAY OF THINKING THAT
SOME PEOPLE STILL PUSH FOR.
I HAD A NUMBER OF CONVERSATIONS
WITH PEOPLE TODAY ABOUT THIS PARTICULAR STORY AND WITH A
LOT OF GUYS TO BE SPECIFIC AND A LOT OF GUYS ARE ON THE
RIGHT SIDE BUT THEY ARE LIKE, IS AND HE ALSO BEING MORE INSULTING
TOWARD MEN BECAUSE HE IS SAYING WE CANNOT CONTROL OURSELVES?
YEAH, BUT HE IS ALSO SAYING THE MAIN CAPITAL THAT WOMEN HAVE IS
THERE BREASTS AND THEIR LIPSTICK.
BUT THEN HE DOES THIS STRANGE ABOUT-FACE AT THE END OF
THE INTERVIEW WERE HIS LIKE, I AM ON YOUR SIDE.
I WANT
YOU HAVE ALL OF THE EQUALITY.
ITíS LIKE, WHAT?
THE DRUGS AND THE YEARS, STUCK IN THE 1980S.
HE IS NOT A REPRESENTATIVE SAMPLE BUT SOME OF THESE
IDEAS ARE PRETTY SALIENT.