What We Need Is an F-Word Revolution, by Antonia Zerbisias

[Echo In Light]

What We Need Is an F-Word Revolution
by Antonia Zerbisias

He’s the boss, she’s a bitch. He’s independent, she’s pathetic. He’s childless, she’s selfish. He’s a Romeo, she’s a stalker. He’s angry, she’s PMSing.

These are just some of the gender inequities in Jessica Valenti’s new book, He’s a Stud, She’s a Slut and 49 Other Double Standards Every Woman Should Know.

Pay close attention to how men and women are commonly characterized — come on down, Hillary Clinton! — and you can’t miss the so-ingrained-most-can’t-even-hear-them-any-more slurs against women.

...The conservative movement and the backlash against feminism have been extremely successful and smart in labelling feminism with all these ridiculous stereotypes that really serve a specific and strategic purpose. If young women believe that feminism is for man-haters, is uncool, is ugly, then why would they ever want to identify with it?”

Why indeed?

Continued:
http://www.commondreams.org/archive/2008/06/25/9867/

[Captain Hilts]

1. We don't say 'that's awfully 'white' of you' any more. Why compliment women by giving them 'balls'?

Our language is very sexist.

[Echo In Light]

2. Boys are still conditioned to chastise their peers: "Don't be such a GIRL!"

...based on this type of jingoistic mindset.

[Bandit]

5. and I thought it was "girly men" as the Governor of California once proclaimed.

:shrug:

[Echo In Light]

6. Six of one, half a dozen of the other. Winning "hearts and minds" requires early indoctrination

[BrklynLib at work]

3. When you have some women themselves, of the conservative ilk, of course, actually out there

preaching this shit themselves, you know that there has been a really strong effort to keep women shoeless, pregnant and in the kitchen.

Old, white men are so terrified of women that if it were not so harmful to us, it might be comical.

Virtually every form of fundamentalist religion has at it core, rules to keep women subjugated. The rise of these belief systems, including here in the US, is not a threat to be taken lightly.

[Echo In Light]

4. Agreed. Not to mention the newer forms of "shoeless, pregnant and in the kitchen," so to speak

[Captain Hilts]

7. These threads on sexism really drop like stones, don't they? Not much interest. nt

[Echo In Light]

10. There was another sourcing the same article called "BITCH," and it naturally was very active...

...by comparison.

[Captain Hilts]

14. 14 responses doesn't measure up to "very active" on DU. Nice try. nt

[Echo In Light]

17. Why get shitty with me over it? ...I stated "active by comparison," which it was.

[Captain Hilts]

18. Compared to this thread? Threads on sexism just die on DU. nt

[Echo In Light]

19. The "Women Dropping Out of Science Careers" addresses the same topic, yet has over 100 responses

But then, feminism is the backdrop of the careerism/professionalism of that thread, which will attract many more opinions that just discussing feminism itself.

I'm not disagreeing with you...just wondered why you took a snide tone with me over the thread's lack of views/responses when I'm the one who posted/sourced it to begin with.

[lukasahero]

11. Indeed. eom

[MedleyMisty]

8. I've been doing some reading lately

about the women in countries ruled by militias - like how they're gang raped and then shot in the vagina.

I really do not feel safe having ovaries. And sexism is not a "pet issue", nor is half of the species a "special interest group".

To explain - just theorizing a bit on why there's not much interest in it around here.

As for my response to the actual article - right on. I'll have to check out the blog.

[CrispyQ]

13. The first division of our species is gender, not race.

We are a complementary species, not competitive, but for some reason that scares lots of men. I wonder if their fear comes from the fact that they can never be certain that their offspring is really their offspring? (Well, short of DNA testing, that is.)

Sometime I think it's gotten worse as technology advances. With a well stocked sperm bank we could survive much easier without them than they could without us. On the other hand, if technology creates a viable artificial womb, I'm certain things would get much worse for women.

I'm into science fiction, so many of my ideas are colored by that. A couple of good sci fi novels that deal with feminism are The Gate to Woman's Country, The Lefthand of Darkness, and The Handmaid's Tale. Completely different types of stories, but they all raised my awareness of feminism. The Handmaid's Tale is quite disturbing & I see many similarities between it & current times.

There is a feminist forum on DU. Do you ever post there? I used to visit it regularly & then lost my settings & only thought of it as I wrote this post.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topics&forum=341

:hi:

[atommom]

9. Good article! Alas, I think it will take a long time to undo what the right wing

has done.

[Captain Hilts]

15. It's not just the right wing. Sexism serves the interests of a lot of people.

Even here on DU, a "progressive" website.

[atommom]

21. Absolutely. And it's pervasive in many different cultures.

It's so much a part of our own culture that it will be very difficult to eradicate, especially when there are so many people who don't want to see a change.

[noiretextatique]

12. absolutely necessary

:kick: it's good to know young women are reclaiming the word. like everyone else, women regressed during the rw backlash. like someone else mention in this thread, feminism is about half the world's human population, not "special interests" or other dismissive terms.

[Solly Mack]

16. "‘I’m-not-a-feminist-but’ syndrome"

true true

[windoe]

20. Domination began again under Raygun

after the women's rights movement in the 70's. Women again were depicted as bimbos in popular films, and amnesia set in to mask the issues and the progress. The clock was turned back. Fascism depends upon women to go along with the program.
Unfortunately there are too many women who have been indoctrinated into powerlessness, reproducing themselves, and belittling women who ask of them to question their subservience and self image.
It seems that women must start over again, from the beginning, educating and exposing atrocities, differences in salary for the same work, and especially by emulating strength, empowerment and confidence.
Then perhaps women will once again learn their true power, that without consent, domination becomes impossible.

[Ignis]

22. Too late for an R but here's a K! Great article, thanks. (nt)