re: #133 iceweasel

Interesting. I’m in a light mood, so i’m going to debate possibly the least important point in the essay…just for fun.

I disagree that “playing with weapons” is a phallic exercise. I think that within machismo as the term is traditionally understood (chauvinist, heterosexual exaggeration of masculinity), weapons are rather a symbol of male dominance, in the same way that large muscles or sensationalized hand-to-hand combat prowess (numchuck skillz…bo skillz…computer hacking skillz…heh) can be coveted as symbols of male dominance.

The dominant male then, is assumed to be able to conquer females at his whim, whether or not he actually does. So I believe that the phallic nature of the weapon is often overstated, in that the assumption of the ‘dominant male’ role can create the illusion of sexual domination and prowess.

Now this is open thread posting!