So, naturally, detractors in the MJ Statue Kerfuffle, which has reached national US news status just in time for WisCon (hurrah!), pulled out the More Important Things Fallacy, which is possibly my favourite Stupid Argument of all time.

It goes like this: "OKAY, so that statue might be a tiny weeny little bit offensive to YOU, though I can't see it. But BIG DEAL! How can you spend all your time complaining about a statue when women don't have equal pay/women in Muslim countries are oppressed/domestic abuse stats are so high? YEAH! BURN!"

This neatly decries both the importance of pop culture artefacts as the product and supplier of cultural norms and gets the either/or love going. EITHER you can complain about a statue OR do something more directly applicable to the horrific plight of women, and since you're clearly doing the first, you can't possibly be doing - or have ever done - the second.

YEAH! BURN!

My usual reaction to that fallacy, depending on how otherwise irritated/tired I am at the time, is to use my writing skillz to metaphorically CUT THEM GOOD, or raise my fists to the uncaring heavens and implore "WHY? WHY IS THERE SO MUCH OF THE STUPID?"

But Livia has a better plan:

liviapenn: I feel like we should organize a squad of concerned citizens.
liviapenn:Every time one of these Oh So Worried About Equal Pay ninnies posts about how we're ignoring real oppression, we should comment on their last 20 posts and ask them what they've done for truth and justice lately.
liviapenn:"Yes, there certainly are a lot of pouches on that drawing. NOW WHAT ABOUT THE RAINFOREST??"
karenhealey: HAH.
karenhealey: "I understand your complaint about continuity, but don't you think it's totally pointless to talk about it when there are people STARVING IN DAFUR?"
liviapenn: Have you adopted any HELPLESS PUPPIES or KITTENS lately? Your local shelter KILLS them, you know!
karenhealey: No, we don't ask.
karenhealey: We just assume they have never adopted an animal in their life.
karenhealey: And that the only thing they do is whine about comics
liviapenn: Oh, right
liviapenn: You know, I bet they don't recycle, either
liviapenn: Since they never post about it, do they?
liviapenn: I can't believe they hate the Earth like that
(Simultaneously:)
karenhealey: Earth-haters
liviapenn:: Earth haters.
karenhealey: *cracks up*
liviapenn:: *bee hee hee*

Feminism: Come for the social justice; stay for the lolz.