The Masturbatory Ivory Tower: A Polemical Refutation of Semiotic Rhetoric and the Sanitisation of Material Oppression

Abstract

This paper takes a direct swipe at the idea that we can solve real-world oppression through clever language games and high-minded theory. Focusing on the debates surrounding pornography and harmful speech, it challenges writers like Angela Carter, Frédéric Regard, and Judith Butler, who argue that subverting words and playing with symbols can set people free. It questions the bizarre claim that the Marquis de Sade's violent writings can be rebranded as "moral" or "ethical" feminist tools. Instead, the essay argues that treating physical violence, misogyny, and power as mere text ignores the painful reality of real human suffering. Language is not a fair playing field; those in power always use its flexibility in their favour to co-opt critique and protect themselves. We call out this academic approach as an out-of-touch, ivory-tower delusion that sanitises real harm, demanding a return to confronting actual material oppression.