I'm another who got here by way of BitchPhD. Yes, I admit it, I came to see the infamous pictures, and having seen them I have to say you look great. But I also looked around to see what you're about, and I like what I see, even though politically we probably disagree on 80-90 percent of the issues.

I'm not a USC parent, nor am I a potential USC parent, but I read your open letter anyway and two things stood out for me:

"Unlike non-feminists, I do not believe that males are hopelessly 'naturally' aggressive, programmed by nature to rape and to kill."

This appears to me to be a very clear statement that puts the lie to many of your denigrators.

"Of course some men will still argue that males who rape are merely acting upon hormonal urges over which they have no control."

I'm a male and I've never raped anyone, nor can I ever picture myself raping anyone. Apparently those "hormonal urges," as you so rightly point out, don't control behavior. As higher order life forms, we control our own behavior.

You've just picked up a new loyal reader, Dr. Diana. Thanks for all the thought-provoking material.

Regards,
Cash

USC is so fortunate to have an anthropologist who is also an endocrinologist! Go Trojans!

the way amarecan womans dreses and acts it is a surpris to me that there is not one beeng raped somwher in amareca at leest one everey second of everey day. no wonder mans hormons are rageng out of control heer....if a woman do not want to be raped than she shold dress and act apropreateley.... otherwis do not bitch and complane when you caus a good man to faulter and be led to thees bad acshons....

and if you reeley want to be a positive role model for you students you shold try to poent this out to them...how can a man studey aneyways if he go into clas and hav to fite haveng a rageng erecshon everey minut then he spend all his time tryeng to hav sexes insted of studyeng....you amarecans are just way too moraley lax in my opineon....

Dr. D - loved the post and agree wholeheartedly: society has pushed this way of thinking onto it's members and those same members reinforce that thinking by giving back to society through their actions. Individuals are not to blame. It is society and what that society promotes by simple ignorance and unawareness.

I enjoy your blog very much!

If you care about ending racism and sexism (as I do), and you think that individuals have choice (as I do), I dare you to go through one entire semester without ever using the words "men" or "white" to describe anything but a group defined purely by physical (immutable) characteristics.

I have been following recent events on your blog with fascination. I think you are wonderful. Your trolls are full of fear and hate, and their - ahem - "arguments" show them up for the mindless bigots they are. I shall keep reading and hope that soon they get bored and go away :-)

Well-thought, well-argued, well-written.

As so many, I came here through Bitch PhD's link, and I've bookmarked the site. Good reading!

Excellent post, well written and explained. Keep up the good work over here! *grin*

Count me among the flock who few over from Bitch, PhD. If I hadn't already found you there, Hugo would have sent me your way.

I'm delighted to add you to my daily reads. As for your detractors within the comments sections...eh, whatever. If they're going to beat up a straw-feminist, couldn't they at least make her interesting?

Does the kid blogger from CardinalMahoney.com think we don't know it's him posting as MuhammedShakira/Spears/Aguilera?

I particularly like the faux Arabic dialect. Real clever.

You had us all fooled, Irving.

I'm another one who came here from Bitch Phd and after reading several post over the last couple days have bookmarked you. Yea, I came for the tits, but stayed for the ideas. I hope eventually most of the trolls will go away. It makes my head ache when assumptions are deemed logical.

I studied Chemistry & Math as an undergrad, so I do wonder why you have issues with the periodic table. Of course, you are under no obligation to explain yourself. I just find it curious.

WELL IF YOU GET RAPED WHAT ARE YOU GOING TO DO?TRY AND GET THE COPS TO CHARGE EVERYMAN YOU REPORT TO THEM.BWHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHHA.THIS IS HOW SOME PEOPLE LIVE;IN THIER OWN WORLDS AND LIVING IN THIER OWN THOUGHTS.

I appreciate your calm, educated voice of reason, especially given this crazy hullaballoo over a few photos. OMG a professor with breasts! Who knew?

USC woman are hotter than u will ever be. Yeah...Yeah were hott...yeah yeah...we know it....yeah yeah...we show it!!! Dont Hate me Cause You aint Me!!! U fricken cow

USC MODELS

I completely appreciate your point about parents looking for a Women's Studies program for their sons. I work with privileged HS boys and I am stunned at the conversations(... "She was asking for it.") I over hear on a daily basis. Another beautiful post.

I came here because of your recently publicity as well. Not to see the pictures. There's plenty of THOSE on the internet. But to see whether the statement attributed to you -- that you hold all men on campus responsible for rape -- was true, or a distortion. Having read your editorial on the subject, I see it was accurately reported.

Will you qualify that as only a rhetorical flourish? I suspect not.

I ask because the statement seems so very familiar these days ...

It seems, in fact, indistinguishable from the screeds from the far right about Muslims, both Americans and those living elsewhere. "If they really oppose terrorism," the Little Green Footballs types say, "why aren't they marching in the streets to oppose it? I hold them accountable! I hold every Muslim accountable for terrorism until they prove to me they oppose it, and are working to stop the extremists in their midst!"

Change Muslims to men, and terrorism to rape, and you would have one of your editorials. Perhaps you could surf over to LGF and give them stylistic pointers.

Only those blinded by hate, or canon, or bigotry, attribute the misdeeds of a segment of a racial, ethnic, religious, or gender group to the group as a whole.

So rest assured that I do not attribute your "all men are responsible for rape!" rhetoric to women or feminists. They, to what should be their relief, are not responsible for you.

"So it's incredibly important how we act, what choices we make, what ideologies we support, since these determine our species’ characteristics."

-- Could you point me to the science behind this rather grand assertion? Or were you under the impression that your tennis serve/testosterone level example covered it?

Have you ever read any evolutionary biology? Have you read Stephen Pinker? Have you digested all that's been studied on the subject of biology/genetics/etc. before making such a sweeping pronouncement -- or are you going on what you got second hand from your anthropologist/endocrinologist friend told you about the "plasticity" of hormones?

this is to seenean not that you matter but i am who i saed i am...is irving a jew name...if so i promis you i can be aneytheng but a dam jew...as for you makeng fun of my words lets see you try to lern arabic and see how easey it is for you....i could use spelleng chekers but my coselor heer hav advise me that is the easey way out and will make it that much harder to lern engelsh...so you are just wrong....but i think that be may you know this aneyway you just do not want to admit ther are that maney pepels that disagre with you so you try to say it is all one or a few pepels.....well you had bester gess agan...

http://cardinalmartini.mu.nu/

Read the real contentions with Diana Blaine!

I'm single parent, raised 4 daughters no arrests or unwanted pregnancies. All are self supporting. Oldest grand daughter on way to Med school on major scolarships. When kids said "but daddy, I'm just a little girl", I said that was an excuse. They excelled in male dominated areas. Am very proud.

I enjoy looking at naked girls. Am put off by implants, starved models, and pre-pubescent looking models. Have been making love with grandmothers for 50 years, and recomend it without reservation.

Iraq war is illeagal and Bush is war criminal.

I got lots more unpopular ideas, like voluntary euthanaisia, manditory birth control, etc.

Keep up the good work. Must try to make people think, not react!!!

I'm sorry to post under multiple names, but that's the only way I know to try to get someone to read my comments.

I won't actually argue a point or assert something - arguing in good faith is certainly not my style. I don't understand context - I think it's a communist plot anyway.

Smetmes, whn I m bord I cn spel like an sc grad.

I am surprised that my comments are still here, I'm trying my best to offend, and no one is taking me seriously. If this were my blog, I would be deleting those comments, but here I can stand on the table and take a shit and no one cares.

I won't stop.

In case you hadn't noticed, I'm about the only person who specifically addressed something the brave, brave, brave -- and need I add, brave? -- Dr. Diana actually wrote in the post. And I actually asked a question about it, which -- surprise! surprise! -- hasn't been answered.

This is great, though. The acolytes and sidekicks appear to think *this* kind of response represents careful reasoning:

"Ahem ...

Dr. Diana, you are a brave and brilliant and beautiful woman. Thank you, thank you, thank you for speaking for all women. Reading your words is a life-changing experience. I will keep you and the women of Iran in my prayers.

And all the adolescent haters and neo-cons can just go blow it out their ears, because they are just so childish and they don't know how to think like we do. But that's okay, because we are actually so secure in the knowledge of ourselves as great thinkers that we don't actually have to do any arguing but it will suffice (see? I can use big words, too!) for us merely to call the haters what they are, which is childish poopy-head haters.

And by the way, I'm good enough, I'm strong enough, and gosh darn it, people like me!"

We're not surprised your posts are still here.

Your posts are hilarious, albeit unintentionally so.

So don't stop. With every lame post under each name (including MohummedAkmedHabib) you prove Dr Blaines point.

And just for the hell of it, I'll reproduce a comment I added to one of the other threads:

"Do me a favor, folks. Read "Politics and the English Language" and then read this blog, and *then* tell me whether you think Orwell is smiling right now.

By the way, Orwell didn't like pacifists."

To Mohummedshahirikiri;

Many rifles talking pseudo arabic I am worth, no? Going crazee bakwards talking fake arabic am I. Thes es reely stoopid & yu soundd lik a kamels esshole, Allah B praised.

Wrting morre laterr to U. Sleeep noww.

Heyoooooooh, Seaneen!

You all appear actually afraid to answer my modest little question . . . or is that merely a "feminine" style of discourse, in which one makes sweeping assertions about things like evolution and our ability to "change the characteristics of the species" by the choices we make, and then refuses to answer questions about the theoretical and scientific foundations for one's claims?

To Woman Hear Me Roar;

Eric Blair clearly did not care for pacifists. He fought in the Spanish Civil War and came home wounded and disillusioned.

You keep repeating this bit of info as if it is pertinent to the discussion at hand. When posting information try coming up with something that actually has a point to it.

And now he attacks my femininity.

I'll have you know I am a the paragon of feminine beauty!

Just ask Dr Blaine!

Um, I attacked your femininity how, exactly?

And, just so you know, Heyooooooh Seanean, I am a woman, not a man.

"When posting information try coming up with something that actually has a point to it."

-- Why would I want to do that? Based on the evidence thus far, if I *do* post a comment that specifically addresses one of the brave, brave, brave, etc. Dr. Diana's points (and quotes her!), nobody will even attempt to engage it.

You did! You did!

You attacked my femininity. I'm not speaking to you!

Answer the question about Eric Blair.

"You attacked my femininity. I'm not speaking to you!"

-- Is that a promise?

Woman of Roar;

Take your ritalin. I was having you on.

Don't people practice sarcasm at junior colleges in Utah?

living in a rape culture:

http://blog.iblamethepatriarchy.com/2006/05/11/no-time-toulouse/

i theenk i hav figured out now why seenean keep insisteng that everey prson who do not agre with her is the same person....onley part becos she do not want to beleve so maney pepel disagre with her...but maneley heer is the reesom...she hav be screwed by so maney mans who keep feeds her the same line of shit and she fals for it evereytime so she acshualley has started to theenk all mans are the same....well okay then send me you picshur and be may i wil tel you you are as prettey and inteligent as you want me to who knows be may i wil screw you twise....

i theenk i hav figured out now why seenean keep insisteng that everey prson who do not agre with her is the same person....onley part becos she do not want to beleve so maney pepel disagre with her...but maneley heer is the reesom...she hav be screwed by so maney mans who keep feeds her the same line of shit and she fals for it evereytime so she acshualley has started to theenk all mans are the same....well okay then send me you picshur and be may i wil tel you you are as prettey and inteligent as you want me to who knows be may i wil screw you twise....

Fabulous site.

Got a link here from Bitch Ph.D. (blogspot). Really wonderful site. I enjoyed reading through it so much. You're pictures made me a tad jealous -- you look like you have a fabulous community of friends and are having some fun. I am currently exhausted, slugging through a dissertation and raising two amazing young boys with my husband--trying to finish, teaching a little, thinking about what comes next (job search).

Again, great to meet you. Thanks for your brave, encouraging and fabulous voice.

Dear Diana,

Wonderful site. I saw this from mensnewsdaily.com about the news story.

You're an attractive woman. I, like most men, don't mind a woman whose a bit "chunky" provided everything is well laid out.

That said, it's not men or the Patriarchy looking at starved fashion models. It's the model culture and leftist NYC/L.A. fashion scene. It's not red-meat, NEOCONS doing this! Neither are neocons making young women say no when they mean yes and contributing to the so-called rape culture, etc.

You may discuss many of these fascinating issues in your class but the problem is that when students require your acceptance for grading and credit they cannot discuss them honestly. Even if you sincerely say you don't mean to indoctrinate your students, they may perceive that they don't have a choice. So most probably humor you and revert back to reality once they're out of the ivory tower (pardon that phallic pun!)

The controversy of your topless photos ironically mirrors the same problems men have had for expressing non-threatening heterosexuality. Men have been sanctioned at work for having photos of their wife in a bikini on their desk. That's the world that your agenda created.

In closing: It's ironic that I should have married a woman who is petite and attractive in a fashion model sense. She is just so much better mentally adjusted than the pudgy career women that constantly questioned the motives of everything I did. Have a good time and make plenty of fantastic photos of it for your web site, but you really ought to think about settling down if you don't want red-staters to have all the kids.

To Mohummedshahirikiri;

OK big boy, I'll send you a photo & you can tell me if I'm your type.

Plese to talkk mor fake Arabic to mee. Et maks me soooo hot!

seenean do not bother with the picshurs i am reeley not intrested but i do want you to know that i am just myselv and no other person that posts on this bord.....if you will clik on my name you will see that i hav a blog now sins august of last yeer so no i am just me....however maney pepel are posteng heer as more than one person i do not know and i do not caer it does not have aneytheng to do with me....that is just the way it is.

actually reactionary sexism is much more common among non-privileged men, than among privileged men

privileged men have the chance to attend universities and become effeminate and filled with self-loathing for being part of the evil male rapist party that oppresses women, minorities, gays and martians (who were here before us and who equally we must apologize to for our very existance)

most rapes are not carried out by 'privileged' men but my unprivileged men. Men from poor backgrounds, minorities, etc. Those same men are also much more likely to have contemptous views of women and have little problems with beating a woman or even comprehend that there's such a thing as marital rape. Their wives and daughters are much less likely to have body image problems, an indulgence of upper to middle class white girls.

But of course this isn't something liberals like you want to hear. It doesn't fit feminist theory into the great rainbow of liberalism nearly as well. But then women's rights have always taken a back seat to the rights of minorities, gays and now Muslims.

I'd like to hear a feminist address the Black panthers Eldridge Cleaver poetry on raping women, but it's much easier to hang out on campuses complaining about misbehavior by frat boys. Frat boys are a safe target for outrage. Black panthers aren't.

And indeed it seems as if feminist theory has become little more than protesting against supermodel ads and crying 'rape' every 5 minutes. (A woman is raped in America every 5 seconds, 3 seconds, 0.0001 nanoseconds)

And that is why feminists are finding that women's issues have become nothing more than a fading whisper in the overall concerns, not because of the evil Republicans, but because they have been outshouted by the other factions in the liberal camp long ago.

Dr. Diana, I found your site because we talked about the news the other night in my women's studies class at another school. (I hadn't actually seen the news).

You are exactly the kind of teacher I want my children to have and the kind of colleague I hope to have one day. It is incredible to me that a pair of tits could cause such an uproar. If we all took our tops off, it seems to me that we could actually normalize them and they would cease to have the power to make the evening news. Even better if those breasts are natural.

*applauds*

Although I love USC for many reasons, you were the one thing that really, honestly made my experience so invaluable. You have not only changed my life, but that of my family, my friends, my loved ones… and their family and friends and loved ones. You have benefited this world in ways that are immeasurable. I don’t know what this place would be like without you. You are amazing and I applaud your fierceness and brilliance through this whole ridiculous shit storm. Can I say that here? You are fantastic!

You are amazing, Dr. Diana! And if only the neo-con haters in these comments would let you teach them to think for themselves, they would realize how amazing you are and stop asking silly anti-intellectual questions like "what are the scientific/theoretical foundations for the claims you make in this very post?"

Mohummedshahirikiri;

You heartbreaker! I was all flushed & excited over the prospect of meeting a little dweeb who is so lame he doesn't know the primary language of Iran is Farsi, not Arabic.

But what do I know? I'm just a dopey GIRL and you're a big strong MAN.

Now, spek to mee inn your hott accent agin, you bigg kamels esshole. Et gits mee soo hot!

yes i know the primarey language of iran is farsi just as i know the primarey language of syria wher i was born and rased is arabic...what in the hel make you thenk i am from iran do i tel you this the anser of corse is no you are just a stupid bitch who will hav it no other way than you have to be rite all the time...gess what bitch this time you are wrong....life is like that somtimes you know..

as for haveng sexes with somebodey like you i wold not allow my dog to have sexes with sombodey as hardheded and stubborn as you are and that is sayeng somtheng.

Diana,

I know I have said this before - via email, letter to the editor, and even as a writer in the Daily Trojan - but I am so very glad that such a positive and empowering voice such as yours exists on the USC campus.

You really get at the heart of how pervasive and entrenched society's prescribed gender roles really are...which I wish more people had the courage to do. As a gay man - in the unique position where I can semi-intentionally alter my gender expression as I see fit for a particular situation - I have come to see just how powerful these prescribed gender roles are.

When around supportive friends, I am able to act as myself, which apparently is sometimes considered so-called "effeminate". What's truly astonishing, however, is that the minute I find myself in an environment that could possibly be considered even minutely hostile to this (unfortunately the vast majority of the real world), I - an avid supporter of gender equality and women's rights - am so easily able to slip into this hegemonic, patriarchal, women-demeaning mentality and personality where its okay to talk about women as second class citizens, trivialize rape, and finish up every sentence with the word "man".

The fact that those of us who have veritably thrown away such standards of gender expression are still so easily compelled to act in such a manner gives credence to just how powerful gender roles, driven into us my the media and society at large, truly are. And it makes me sick.

So of course it's no surprise when you receive a harsh backlash from those so easily swayed by cultural norms, such as the fraternity response to your Take Back the Night article or the more-recent criticism from the mind-absorbing media for baring it all in your blog.

But you know what's totally amazing and wonderful about these responses, as disappointing and sad as they may sound? The fact that people are responding. It means that these Bush-supporting, Escalade-driving, over-privileged, hypermasculine fraternity guys are stopping for the first time in their life to earnestly think about how they, and society at large, treat women, as well as the kind of environment that they are fostering for their own sons and daughters. Sure, at first such responses seems to only reinforce the problem, but really it’s showing how people are finally starting to talk about the problem, with the ultimate goal of create positive and meaningful progress. And what could be better than that?

What it means is that your doing your job. And might I say, thank you for that.

SANCHEZ IS INNOCENT!!!! BWHAHAHAHAH I bet your ass is all mad?? So are u mad Blaine??

As a women's studies student at Fresno State, all I have to say is.....I really wish you were one of my instructors. I would probably go to class if you were.