It is beyond my ability to truly wrap my mind around the sense of outrage that has arisen against people who dare to express their own outrage at injustice or unfair treatment, or , more especially, systemic inequality.
Black Lives Matter rose up over the sheer fact that a young black man is several times more likely than a white one to die in traffic stop. In what may appear to be a stand off, it is shoot first, ask questions later. A black man selling cds illegally dies for " resisting" , a white man who murders in cold blood is taken alive. A thousand different examples. The policeman says they had reason to believe the person had a gun. There was no gun, but they " believed " there was one. Thousands of daily examples of men stopped for being black in the wrong neighborhoods. It happens every day, and someone had enough. Black Lives Matter. Because they didn't say the unspoken " too" or the words , " just as much as white ones", the critics could not wait to say that ALL Lives Matter. Well of course they do, Einstein. That is the point. They all SHOULD, but it is obvious that in many cases black lives matter less than others. The idea was, in essence, how dare these people declare themselves ( more ) significant? If only they would behave, these things wouldn't happen. Uh HUH.
Likewise, a rising up of women in their outrage in the despicable treatment of women as objects for their use by Trump, and men like him, gave rise to the reaction, that , well why didn't they say so before? Seriously? In a world and a Presidential race where a crude, insulting, angry, arrogant jerk who makes fun of the disabled, catagorizes women by their looks, has bragged he can do what he wants because he is a star, and threatens to sue anyone who speaks against him, and claims media bias, while his female opponent is told to smile more, be less practiced and polished, made fun of for her laugh and her pantsuits, is called "nasty" when she answers back, are we supposed to believe that this is not still a male centric society ?
I do not know a single woman who has not experienced some form of sexism, if not out and out sexual assault. In my early career, I was asked why I should receive a requested transfer since I was engaged to be married, and would probably get pregnant and quit? At a later job, when told that my ambition was to be in Marketing, the HR guy laughed and said all those people were downtown, and that they were all men. Two later female bosses felt the need to be tough and heartless, because " you had to be a man in a man's world". And the examples go on and on, well into the present day. The casual cat calls in the street, the comments on their bodies, the unwanted attention on public transportation, the " smile, sweetheart, be nice" the comments on appearance that is fair game for female, never for males. Women who call out their aggressor are accused of being attention-seeking, trying to cause trouble, character assassination.
Trump is dismissive and insulting about women, yet claims that " no one respects women more " than he does. How he does not spontaneously combust when he says that? Or hit by a celestial lightening strike. His bragging about what being" a star" allowed him to get away with spoke volumes about his attitude toward women. Anyone who dismisses it as "just talk" misses the point. Women are not playthings, nor are they property to be disrespected in such a manner.
All this to say, that, in response to the growing legion of women coming forward, many ask why now? Why not then? And, the response that makes me want to throw things, that the world is turning on men . "These women" are conducting a war on men, are ganging up on the poor darlings.
Ahem, pointing out that being white and being male ( and being rich in many cases) gives one protection and, more often than not, advantage, in this world, is not waging war with those with the advantage. Nor is decrying unfair or downright criminal behavior "publicity seeking".
The coming forward of women to support the stories that his own taped words outlined ( and later tried to claim was just " locker room talk") is not a conspiracy. And Selma Hayek's, who has nothing to gain by it, coming forward to describe her own experience, is not a attention-seeking behavior. Why now? Because it is being denied now, and because it needs saying now. And because woman are feeling safe enough to come forward now.
In America, in this time, it should not need be said that our black citizens ( criminal or suspects or innocent) should have the same odds of survival as whites citizens. It should not need be said that women's bodies are their own, and back the hell off. But as long as it still happening ( which it is, no matter how deeply you bury your head in the sand) we will keep making noise, and refuse to take it any more. Just because it doesn't happen in your life, doesn't mean it isn't out there. It isn't war on those it doesn't happen to, it is war on those who do it.
Sunday, October 30, 2016
I don't know what to title this one.
It is beyond my ability to truly wrap my mind around the sense of outrage that has arisen against people who dare to express their own outrage at injustice or unfair treatment, or , more especially, systemic inequality.
Black Lives Matter rose up over the sheer fact that a young black man is several times more likely than a white one to die in traffic stop. In what may appear to be a stand off, it is shoot first, ask questions later. A black man selling cds illegally dies for " resisting" , a white man who murders in cold blood is taken alive. A thousand different examples. The policeman says they had reason to believe the person had a gun. There was no gun, but they " believed " there was one. Thousands of daily examples of men stopped for being black in the wrong neighborhoods. It happens every day, and someone had enough. Black Lives Matter. Because they didn't say the unspoken " too" or the words , " just as much as white ones", the critics could not wait to say that ALL Lives Matter. Well of course they do, Einstein. That is the point. They all SHOULD, but it is obvious that in many cases black lives matter less than others. The idea was, in essence, how dare these people declare themselves ( more ) significant? If only they would behave, these things wouldn't happen. Uh HUH.
Likewise, a rising up of women in their outrage in the despicable treatment of women as objects for their use by Trump, and men like him, gave rise to the reaction, that , well why didn't they say so before? Seriously? In a world and a Presidential race where a crude, insulting, angry, arrogant jerk who makes fun of the disabled, catagorizes women by their looks, has bragged he can do what he wants because he is a star, and threatens to sue anyone who speaks against him, and claims media bias, while his female opponent is told to smile more, be less practiced and polished, made fun of for her laugh and her pantsuits, is called "nasty" when she answers back, are we supposed to believe that this is not still a male centric society ?
I do not know a single woman who has not experienced some form of sexism, if not out and out sexual assault. In my early career, I was asked why I should receive a requested transfer since I was engaged to be married, and would probably get pregnant and quit? At a later job, when told that my ambition was to be in Marketing, the HR guy laughed and said all those people were downtown, and that they were all men. Two later female bosses felt the need to be tough and heartless, because " you had to be a man in a man's world". And the examples go on and on, well into the present day. The casual cat calls in the street, the comments on their bodies, the unwanted attention on public transportation, the " smile, sweetheart, be nice" the comments on appearance that is fair game for female, never for males. Women who call out their aggressor are accused of being attention-seeking, trying to cause trouble, character assassination.
Trump is dismissive and insulting about women, yet claims that " no one respects women more " than he does. How he does not spontaneously combust when he says that? Or hit by a celestial lightening strike. His bragging about what being" a star" allowed him to get away with spoke volumes about his attitude toward women. Anyone who dismisses it as "just talk" misses the point. Women are not playthings, nor are they property to be disrespected in such a manner.
All this to say, that, in response to the growing legion of women coming forward, many ask why now? Why not then? And, the response that makes me want to throw things, that the world is turning on men . "These women" are conducting a war on men, are ganging up on the poor darlings.
Ahem, pointing out that being white and being male ( and being rich in many cases) gives one protection and, more often than not, advantage, in this world, is not waging war with those with the advantage. Nor is decrying unfair or downright criminal behavior "publicity seeking".
The coming forward of women to support the stories that his own taped words outlined ( and later tried to claim was just " locker room talk") is not a conspiracy. And Selma Hayek's, who has nothing to gain by it, coming forward to describe her own experience, is not a attention-seeking behavior. Why now? Because it is being denied now, and because it needs saying now. And because woman are feeling safe enough to come forward now.
In America, in this time, it should not need be said that our black citizens ( criminal or suspects or innocent) should have the same odds of survival as whites citizens. It should not need be said that women's bodies are their own, and back the hell off. But as long as it still happening ( which it is, no matter how deeply you bury your head in the sand) we will keep making noise, and refuse to take it any more. Just because it doesn't happen in your life, doesn't mean it isn't out there. It isn't war on those it doesn't happen to, it is war on those who do it.
Black Lives Matter rose up over the sheer fact that a young black man is several times more likely than a white one to die in traffic stop. In what may appear to be a stand off, it is shoot first, ask questions later. A black man selling cds illegally dies for " resisting" , a white man who murders in cold blood is taken alive. A thousand different examples. The policeman says they had reason to believe the person had a gun. There was no gun, but they " believed " there was one. Thousands of daily examples of men stopped for being black in the wrong neighborhoods. It happens every day, and someone had enough. Black Lives Matter. Because they didn't say the unspoken " too" or the words , " just as much as white ones", the critics could not wait to say that ALL Lives Matter. Well of course they do, Einstein. That is the point. They all SHOULD, but it is obvious that in many cases black lives matter less than others. The idea was, in essence, how dare these people declare themselves ( more ) significant? If only they would behave, these things wouldn't happen. Uh HUH.
Likewise, a rising up of women in their outrage in the despicable treatment of women as objects for their use by Trump, and men like him, gave rise to the reaction, that , well why didn't they say so before? Seriously? In a world and a Presidential race where a crude, insulting, angry, arrogant jerk who makes fun of the disabled, catagorizes women by their looks, has bragged he can do what he wants because he is a star, and threatens to sue anyone who speaks against him, and claims media bias, while his female opponent is told to smile more, be less practiced and polished, made fun of for her laugh and her pantsuits, is called "nasty" when she answers back, are we supposed to believe that this is not still a male centric society ?
I do not know a single woman who has not experienced some form of sexism, if not out and out sexual assault. In my early career, I was asked why I should receive a requested transfer since I was engaged to be married, and would probably get pregnant and quit? At a later job, when told that my ambition was to be in Marketing, the HR guy laughed and said all those people were downtown, and that they were all men. Two later female bosses felt the need to be tough and heartless, because " you had to be a man in a man's world". And the examples go on and on, well into the present day. The casual cat calls in the street, the comments on their bodies, the unwanted attention on public transportation, the " smile, sweetheart, be nice" the comments on appearance that is fair game for female, never for males. Women who call out their aggressor are accused of being attention-seeking, trying to cause trouble, character assassination.
Trump is dismissive and insulting about women, yet claims that " no one respects women more " than he does. How he does not spontaneously combust when he says that? Or hit by a celestial lightening strike. His bragging about what being" a star" allowed him to get away with spoke volumes about his attitude toward women. Anyone who dismisses it as "just talk" misses the point. Women are not playthings, nor are they property to be disrespected in such a manner.
All this to say, that, in response to the growing legion of women coming forward, many ask why now? Why not then? And, the response that makes me want to throw things, that the world is turning on men . "These women" are conducting a war on men, are ganging up on the poor darlings.
Ahem, pointing out that being white and being male ( and being rich in many cases) gives one protection and, more often than not, advantage, in this world, is not waging war with those with the advantage. Nor is decrying unfair or downright criminal behavior "publicity seeking".
The coming forward of women to support the stories that his own taped words outlined ( and later tried to claim was just " locker room talk") is not a conspiracy. And Selma Hayek's, who has nothing to gain by it, coming forward to describe her own experience, is not a attention-seeking behavior. Why now? Because it is being denied now, and because it needs saying now. And because woman are feeling safe enough to come forward now.
In America, in this time, it should not need be said that our black citizens ( criminal or suspects or innocent) should have the same odds of survival as whites citizens. It should not need be said that women's bodies are their own, and back the hell off. But as long as it still happening ( which it is, no matter how deeply you bury your head in the sand) we will keep making noise, and refuse to take it any more. Just because it doesn't happen in your life, doesn't mean it isn't out there. It isn't war on those it doesn't happen to, it is war on those who do it.
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