Today I received a blast email from NJ PIRG Student Chapter with the subject line reading "Git er done!"- apparently their new campaign slogan is supposed to promote rape culture and misogyny, oops! I mean, to encourage congress to pass healthcare reform.
This campaign slogan simply disgusts me because of its sexism and misogyny. There is no way that nobody put two and two together that this is sexist who was a part of deciding this campaign slogan- or approving it! I don't know what is worse, an activist group using rape culture language or an activism group using rape culture language purposefully.
I know I will see misogyny when I turn on my t.v. but usually I hope to see some progressive language and creative slogans when it comes to activist groups. Using "Git er Done" is not only sexist, it is uncreative and lazy! How original, selling sexism and rape culture!
BARF!
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I'm unaware of the rape culture connotations of "Git 'er done." I see how it could be, but I've never heard it used in that way. Could you be more specific?
Yeah, I had the same reaction. I can see how "get her done" could imply sex in a sleazy way, or could imply rape, but I haven't heard it used that way enough (or at all) to think that's the most obvious interpretation. I certainly wouldn't have thought of it without this post.
Did you ask this group what their slogan was referring to? At least they should have an explanation for why they used "er" which seems to be short for "her" instead of "get it done." But I doubt they meant to imply rape.
I've heard it used when men speak about women, specifically, sexually: "Get her done," which is the original version.
Right . . . but that, in and of itself, doesn't imply rape to me, just an objectifying way of saying "have sex with her." I could be wrong; I've mostly heard the phrase out of any real context.
I think you might be overthinking this one. "Get 'er done" is Larry the Cable Guy's trademark slogan. Even if his basis for it runs along the lines of what you're suggesting- which I don't believe is the case, seeing as he uses it for everything- most people only know it as that thing he says. The people behind this campaign would probably be stunned to find somebody equating their choice of phrase with rape culture.
As soon as I saw the slogan it immediately connected to sexism and rape culture in my mind. I did email NJPIRG to let them know about this connection, but who knows if they will act on it.
That's what I was just about to post. I believe it's supposed to imply something along the lines of "don't whine, just find a way to get it done." Sorta the proud-redneck version of Tim Gunn's "make it work." Annoying, perhaps, but it's not supposed to be sex-related.
Are you serious?
That is token bloke language. It has nothing to do anything along the lines of gender.
I have worked manual labour before; plenty of the tradesmen would refer to a job or some particular task within a job as 'her', "gotta get her done" or some other such line.
Often if the task is to BUILD something this type of language is used (think of personifying the object being built). I honestly can't guess how this came around but I can guarantee that the guys I heard using it meant nothing sexist.