General Discussion
In reply to the discussion: Misogyny should not be tolerated on DU [View all]freshwest
(53,661 posts)Perhaps those who indulge themselves by dismissing or outright abusing women here, may want to rethink what they are doing here in line with the stated mission of DU. And I wonder how much of the misogyny is being tolerated because of *cough* this guy:
The First Feminist President, Barack Obama
by Mandy Van Deven
March 23, 2009
On January 20th the first self-identified feminist was named President of the United States of America. Just two days after taking office, Barack Obama performed his first presidential act of solidarity with women around the world by repealing the Global Gag Rule. Established in 1984 by President Reagan, the Global Gag Rule denies aid to international groups "which perform or actively promote abortion as a method of family planning." The Global Gag Rule has come to be seen as a litmus test of the current US President's stance on women's rights, though it is just one aspect of the complicated story of the impact of American reproductive rights policy in countries around the globe. [17]
After witnessing the impact of President Bush's reinstatement of the Global Gag Rule, Michelle Goldberg, journalist, author, and long-time critic of the Bush Administration's policies on sexual and reproductive health, decided that a book about the global battle for reproductive justice was long overdue. So she wrote The Means of Reproduction: Sex, Power, and the Future of the World [17]. The cover art depicting a woman holding the Earth on her shoulders is more than appropriate for this deeply-researched, historically-informed examination: fifty years worth of research about four continents has convinced Goldberg that women's oppression is at the crux of many of the world's most intractable challenges. She illustrates how US policies act as a catalyst for or an impediment to women's rights worldwide, and puts forth a convincing argument that women's liberation worldwide is key to solving some of our most daunting problems. "Underlying diverse conflicts - demography, natural resources, human rights, and religious mores - is the question of who controls the means of reproduction," she writes. "Women's intimate lives have become inextricably tied to global forces."
http://rhrealitycheck.org/article/2009/03/23/controlling-means-reproduction-an-interview-with-michelle-goldberg/
The war on women is not just a war on women, but on men, too. Men who don't support women's rights are sealing their own fate. That's what division does, divide and conquer, and those so conquered are not winning anything by their callous treatment of fellow humans.
Some will say they never saw it coming. I say, take a deeper look at what's being sold to us. It's not just an American problem. It is about global control and reducing all of mankind to commodities.
What is done to women and minorities is a move against all humanity, and if one calls oneself either a champion of the good or a victim of this evil scheme, they'd better join up with us because the people who are trying to dehumanize us are not going to stop.
Women and minorities are being attacked by those who hate Obama on other sites as he's clearly in their corner from the onset. The knee jerk reaction against him translates less into ODS and more into one that is a reaction against the people and values he supports. It's no wonder this is happening.
Those who do this should stop being team members for the reducing humanity to things which is what has been done to women and minorities. We should not play this game at DU.
Just sayin'
Heavily edited from:
http://www.democraticunderground.com/110212801