10.22 mf'ers!

In Aimee Bender’s aptly titled “Motherf*cker”, the man in question f*cks mothers, go figure. It is his little fetish, which he indulges in quite heavily and with no remorse whatsoever. A feminist would read this text and be disgusted by this ‘chauvinist pig’ who twists the emotions of innocent women just to take them to bed “one or two times.” They would point out the cold and collected way in which he picks his target, lies and manipulates to get information, and then strings her along with precision, making her lust grow to the point of being unbearable. He leaves the next morning and never calls her again, and she is left to deal with his impact on how she views the world around her as well as her personal emotions. Another point to be made from the subversive view would be how he treats his previous flings while in pursuit of the starlet. He admits, through narration, to being rude and later to just plain not picking up their calls anymore. The piece even starts with his listing off the stops on his cross country f*ck fest, describing the women in question in crude terms like “Annie with the caustic laugh” and “Betsy’s lopsided cleavage.”
On the other hand, a patriarchal reading of this piece would produce quite different points on interest. For starters, and this is mentioned expressly within the text, he doesn’t f*ck married women, nor does he take them while their children are unattended. He makes them want him using whatever methods available, but the always want him. The text states that he is a more than adequate lover, so it’s not like he isn’t giving them anything. Furthermore, in the case of the starlet, he does indeed let her effect him on an emotional level. He shakes and stutters, not even daring to touch her for weeks. He teaches her a new way of expressing emotion, and as such gives her the skills which she used to get nominated no less than seven awards, while our “hero” is left alone in his small, sparse apartment.