As for Buffy, that is heroes vs villains, so again not remotely the same thing. There is no point in bringing in a woman beating up a male vampire here. And there is no sense in which Angel’s soul emasculated him.

A number of years ago, a Scottish women’s charity ran a deeply offensive poster campaign accusing all males of being wife-beaters. It carried a tag-line along the lines of “Men, when will YOU learn?”, and was straight from the “All men are bastards” stable of subtlety. Suggesting that ALL men were up to such despicable behaviour was a low, dirty stunt, and undoubtedly lost the organisation (but not the cause) some support.

I wonder how many of them realise it’s actual meaning, according to thefreedictionary online, is “like a a nervous belligerent little mongrel dog” Some may say that’s rather apt in many cases; I wouldn’t dare.

so that what’s actually goin on is echoes and responses within the closed sphere of difft trends and fashions in male sexual stance… (just as jackass new laddism is more a reaction against nu-man “sensitivity”, rather than an actual engagement with and response to any species of feminism?)

dubdobdee- Yes but women also find sub-dom relationships really hot, possibly to an even greater “accepted” degree than men & strong, feisty menfolk aren’t exactly off the aesthetic menu, as a rule. That’s why we like it when Zac Efron jumps on cars and gets all assertive about going to drama school.

Martin- Yes, I agree that’s the excuse that’s used & good call on the female-to-male domestic (or otherwise) violence; there’s a lot of it that goes on, to my knowledge and it’s probably actually something that ought to have a lot more said about it. I think I particularly dislike the idea that the fact some women have been abused gives other females a sense of entitlement to beat men; that’s a very dangerous idea, as you say. :/

*I mean queer as in queer theory, innit.

This doesn’t mean I think it’s a good thing, or even generally excusable, but I am far less troubled by it than I would be by violence against women. That’s something I know a lot about too, and it is worth noting that among all the horrific stories of abuse by men against women, it does occasionally go the other way round. I can’t imagine this kind of imagery does anything much to ameliorate the former (I could hope that it might, occasionally, but I don’t feel it’s likely to achieve a lot), and it may make the latter problem worse.

Ah you mean like Phixx: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TlhM05XNzhM

(ta by the way! That video-scoffing website again: The Vids Are Alright)