Here’s a pure moment of assault against a woman that you collectively should speak out against. On Slate’s front page there is a cartoon of Sarah Palin wearing a dress and holding a Bible between her knees, possibly for the purpose of masturbation.

The writer Tom Perrotta then manages to associate the following quotation of: "We are women with excessive sexual desire for our husbands!" and offer candid how-to advice on anal sex, fisting, and "masturbating for your husband," with Sarah Palin.

Okay there you have it. Go get him ladies. Oh, but you consider that sort of treatment of a fellow woman perfectly fine if she is a conservative? Oh . . . now why am I not surprised?

You are hypocrites XX-Factor Slate writers [well, the majority of you are anyway] and you are NOT feminists. What you are is a group of liberal women willing to take full advantage of a movement created by your grandmothers and mothers without actually being the least bit loyal to the spirit of the movement itself.

Go on, let’s see ONE of you XX-Factor Slate writers dare to speak out in print against Tom Perrotta and against the Slate editors for giving a pass to that revolting cartoon. Hell, let’s see one of you even express an understanding of WHY it is offensive to women.

We will be waiting.

I think you're wrong, right out of the gate. "Holding [something] between your knees" is a pretty common euphemism used by a certain kind of parent to help their teenage daughters remember how to act on a date. It's a little old-fashioned. Sometimes it's an aspirin, sometimes a book, sometimes the actual Bible. Since you'd never say something so explicit as, "This boy may want to have sex with you," you instead say, "While you're out, pretend like there's an aspirin between your knees. No matter what happens, don't let that aspirin fall!"

There's also a chance you know this, and your outrage is fake. Either way, the old saying is probably what the illustrator had in mind.

Demcon is absolutely right. This cartoon is insanely sexist and the article is basically a manifesto on the old whore/virgin split thing we've all been shouldering our entire lives. Thanks Slate, I appreciate knowing that nothing has really changed at all.

not only that, but our friend demcom can out write tom perotta at will.

that it would never occur to the majority of these Slate XX-Factor writers TO issue a protest. They are not feminists. They have benefited from feminism all their lives, yes. But they themselves have not entered the trenches and fought. They simply took advantage of inheriting the winners' largess.

'Rights' can be withdrawn as easily as they are won and all it takes is a single generation of complacent 'I got mine' and 'protesting is sooooo passe' faux-feminists like these XX-Factor writers for massive gains to be lost for the next generation.

Their attitude is that it CANNOT be sexist if Slate does it, reeks of POLITICAL partisanship and smug satisfaction that they are getting a meal ticket off of the Slate coffers.

Frankly these Slate writers represent the pinnacle of success of today's feminist movement as even a decade ago there would not have been a Slate e-zine blog placed into their hands, and like the smug beneficiaries of a huge trustfund legacy they are simply playing self-indulgently with the journalistic power and ability to reach thousands of readers. Sadly, they are acting like teenagers given the keys to a hot car and they ARE NOT attending to the responsibilities that go hand-in-hand with such a reward.

The entire thing is revolting. But is this indicative only of these particular youngish women or reflective of what their age peer sisters would and are doing across this nation? I have my suspicions, and these XX-Factor writers, alas, are not laying those suspicions of mine to rest.

a cartoon, sans meaningful caption, two radically different ways then it is a bad cartoon, and in this case the opposite direction is beyond offensive. It is utterly revolting.

Were Sarah Palin a democratic politician these XX-Factor writers would ALREADY be jumping all over slate and the writer of the filthy article that followed.

We are seeing hypocrisy in action here. These Slate writers are political partisans taking advantage of the windows and doors of opportunity opened for them by the real pioneering feminists and fighters, they are NOT themselves feminists.

Irvingchang, but the truth is that it's never all that difficult to out-write a partisan hack like Tom Perotta.

'They have benefited from feminism all their lives, yes. But they themselves have not entered the trenches and fought. They simply took advantage of inheriting the winners' largess.'

sorority girls.

'Were Sarah Palin a democratic politician these XX-Factor writers would ALREADY be jumping all over slate and the writer of the filthy article that followed.'

yep. the ugly 'right wing attack machine' would have made their little panties creaming with victim posturing and indignation. the word 'rovian' would have been used a minimum of six times per paragraph.

can see the breathtaking hypocrisy of the XX-Factor Slate writers. I think it's not only the fact that a conservative is being abused but that it's Slate that's being so revoltingly sexist that throws them off. It takes courage and a true dedication to a higher cause to face off your bosses in printfor the benefit of someone that you disagree with.

But these are entitlement women who 'won' their places in the world thanks to the pioneering work of real feminists and they ARE NOT going to risk their easy to collect pay checks by bracing their own side regarding sexist policies towards a reviled conservative woman.

Fear of losing an easy meal ticket and hyper political partisanship trumps mere ethics, honesty, and integrity.

you are one damn reasonable democrat demcon. i'm not used to that around here. have you ever thought of running for political office?

i wonder if the slate XX sorority girls would ever think of running for office? i believe they would want it handed to them on a silver platter instead of going to PTA meetings, running for mayor of their town and then governor.

palin did it by outrunning ones in her own party. the slate gals wouldn't have the guts to do that as it may make them unpopular in their sob sister circle jerk.

Wow, the right wing love-fest here is truly moving. Bet Demcon didn't give a shit when Michelle Obama was shown as a black militant, I know ole' Irv didn't. Bet Demcon didn't give a damn when pictures of Hillary Clinton looking a little worn from campaigning were making the right wing rounds. I know ole' Irv didn't.

The Bible between the knees is a euphemism for chastity, not masturbation, you sick fuck.

Thank you, Adrasteia! And here we have the perfect example of the ring-wing nutcases' obsession with making sex and sensuality dirty. Most well-adjusted people would see the reference to a girl being sexy (cartoon Palin's outfit) while keeping chaste (Bible between the knees). But of course, those crazy conservatives have their collective panties in a bunch because they saw an advertisement for a new product: the Vibrating Bible. Lol.

To those of you who have never met women and girls such as the ones described in the article: they DO exist!! I have met more than a few girls (and have been entertained by one- Britney Spears, I'm looking at you) who, in their minds, recaptured 'sexiness' from the whore's of the world by being chaste. Maybe you guys are being sexist, by suggesting that sexiness is for the wicked, and how dare some elitist, partisan, to-hell-in-gasoline-shorts, hack Slate writer say otherwise.

I do agree that the article stretches itself a little thin by applying this new Evangelical Super-Virgin Barbie-type to the Thrilla (I mean, didn't she have an affair? And isn't her daughter living Juno?). But I get the point: the Moose Menace is attractive, and she's also the Moral Majority prototype. Hell, good for her. You guys are so repressed, you need some hot, beauty queen tail to furtively masturbate to right before you go to Revival to pray that all the sinners (liberals, gays, non-Evangelicals, short people, amputees, make-up wearers, tall people, vegans, "furreners", fornicators, southpaws, Prius drivers, etc.).

Just take the article as a back-handed compliment. When Obama's in the White House, I'll be praying for some racy article about his sex appeal, accompanied by pictures of him playing basketball shirtless. Maybe sweating a little. Or pouring water over his head. *sigh* I salivate. <wipes keyboard>

Seriously though, with all of the salvation you all have been tasked to impart upon the world, stop wasting time reading Slate articles, and commenting on them 5 times daily (I. Chang, that's enough out of you, you hear?), and get to work!! The world needs you, as the Rapture is coming and all.

And here we have the perfect example of the ring-wing nutcases' obsession with making sex and sensuality dirty. Most well-adjusted people would see the reference to a girl being sexy (cartoon Palin's outfit) while keeping chaste (Bible between the knees). But of course, those crazy conservatives have their collective panties in a bunch because they saw an advertisement for a new product: the Vibrating Bible. Lol.

hey stupid. this thread was started by a couple of democrats who saw the cartoon as sexist and demeaning and featured in a section of slate that is known as XX factor. i think you may need some remedial reading.

F&B, I'm posting this on my door at work (until someone tells me to take it down!). I haven't laughed so hard since Palin's interview with Couric.