Locals respond with some solutions to homelessness in Santa Cruz and interpretations of meme meanings.
What Does It Meme?
Re: “Dear 2013: Don't Let the Door Hit You On The Way Out” (Cover, Dec. 25): I'm truly disgusted at the Spider-man meme you chose to publish in this article. Besides being a witless non sequitur, you do know that this is a rape joke, right? The part of the joke that the reader is supposed to find humorous is that Spider-man is being held down against his will, the subtext being that the two characters are engaging in a intimate act, which is implied by invoking the term “safeword.” Still don't get it? Essentially, you're saying this: “If you 'forget' to choose a safeword during sex, then you have no recourse to complain when your partner physically harms you because your consent is always implied! Look at how funny it is that Spider-man is being choked out by someone who he is having sex with! He can't revoke his consent because oops they don't have a safeword!”
I'm curious as to how three separate people edited this piece and not one of them thought to themselves, “Gee, isn't implying that sexual violence is a legitimate source of humor seriously repulsive and not something that a newspaper should be perpetuating in a culture where at least 1 in 4 women and 1 in 6 men will be sexually abused before the age of 18?”
Just come out with it—you only care about social justice when you think it'll sell ad space. You should apologize for your rape joke and discuss with your staff if sensitivity training should be held before or after your next lunch hour.
Louise Kalil Barros
Santa Cruz
We can only suggest you ask a kinky person you trust about the meaning of “safe word.” But we’ll guarantee you this much: absolutely, unequivocally not a rape joke. — Editor
Give It a Restroom
Re: “Use the Force” (Currents, Dec. 11): It sounds like many problems might be solved by adding a few 24-hour restrooms. As for drug treatment, the milieu approach used by local centers needs a massive influx of funding and infrastructure development.
After caring for the homeless in our hometown for more than fifteen years, my feeling is that there needs to be re-allotments of county and federal land to citizens groups wishing to cultivate and terraform large unused spaces in outlying districts. Large fallback dormitories and libraries need to be built in order to provide a safe and healthy space for the leverage and access that a family or an individual may need in order accommodate a functional role in our ever quickening civilization.
Other notes:
*I don't think its a good idea to tell children or teenagers that you want to program them; so work on your wording.
*While considering spending five or so million dollars to hire 50-60 more police in an ever-consuming addiction to stepping on the spirit of homelessness and the rare bits of art, joy, human interaction with travelers and fights to survive that they bring, consider spending that new tax to create a fall back for yourself or your family in case any of you end up on the streets.
*Remember that the people who are acting out are often acting out due to fear, malnutrition, mental disorders and apparently having to use a non-existent bathroom.
Name Withheld By Request
Santa Cruz
