Forget the election, can we all agree that sexism kills?

[jobycom]

I've seen too many comments along the lines of "Racism is way worse than sexism" in the last few months, mostly in the national media. Racism is rightly painted as an evil to be stamped out, and commentators have been suspended and fired for jokes about lynching, racial slurs, etc. That's a positive trend, that the general public no longer stomachs it, even though racism is still alive and well in America. At least there is an awareness of it, finally.

But Chris Matthews gets away unscathed with claiming that Clinton's only achievement is being cheated on by her husband. Protest signs at Clinton rallies scream "Iron my shirts." Marketers sell Hillary Clinton nut crackers and toilet brushes labeled "First Cleaning Lady." All in good fun, though, right?

Last month the body of a "coed" was found in a vacant lot in Reno, raped and strangled. Before that an "alumna" hiker was found in a canyon. A cop in Illinois has a missing wife to go with his previous dead wife, who was murdered and then classified as an accidental death. A man in Alabama tossed four children off a bridge to punish his wife, who probably wishes she had been killed instead. These are a few of the stories that our national media found entertaining enough to mention, but I'm sure wherever you are, your local news has similar accounts closer to home. Missing women, abused wives, terrorized and stalked ex-girlfriends, murder-suicides, even little children litter our nation's vacant lots, abandoned houses, car trunks, lake bottoms, and who knows where else. Black, white, Asian, Muslim, Christian--there doesn't seem to be any racial, religious, or economic divide when it comes to dead women.

White supremacy is an issue we all get. It's when white journalists and white people assume they are automatically right. It's what allows Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton to be dismissed as ambulance chasers, it's why our jails are full of African Americans convicted more often and sentenced more harshly than whites who statistically are shown to commit the same crimes more often. It's what allows an Austin cop to shoot a prone unarmed black man in the back several times and to face only the punishment of being fired. White cops know best. White people know best. Racism is horrible, and nothing I say is meant to imply otherwise.

But male supremacy is glossed over. It pops up in little ways, such as when a student becomes a "coed," or a crime show kills attractive women for your entertainment, or when a presidential candidate is accused of running only on her husband's name. It happens in big ways, such as when an angry husband pumps several bullets into the head of his wife's body because she just wouldn't obey him. It happens in waves of incomprehensible evil, when a man decides to rape a woman he couldn't otherwise have, then after making the last few hours or days of her life pure hell, wraps his hands around her neck and squeezes away the last breaths of her existence, then dumps her body in field because the thing is no longer entertaining to him.

Sexism dehumanizes. It discriminates. And it kills--for pleasure, for revenge, for honor, for any number of other reasons centered around one constant attitude. Women are inferior. They are entertainment. They were made for men. Regardless of our political preference in this primary, I hope we all continue to fight this evil--in ourselves as well as in others.

[leftofcool]

1. Great Post!

[LostinVA]

2. Glad to give this it's first rec

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

3. "Racism is way worse than sexism"

"I've seen too many comments along the lines of "Racism is way worse than sexism" in the last few months"

The fire marshall is worried about your post. It's stuffed with too many strawmen.

[pitohui]

11. "racism is worse than sexism because racism affects men"

i don't know if anyone would say it right out loud like that...but too often it's what they mean

at the end of the day, one sad thing about this election contest, is that it has left me in no doubt that i, as a woman, am simply not considered as an equal to a man nor will i ever be in my lifetime

a slight against a black man is considered a terrible thing, a slight against a woman is considered "feminists have no sense of humor, get over it honey"

it just gets old

for the record i think both obama and clinton are terrific candidates but i think "we the people" are projecting our own issues on their campaigns and what i'm seeing about "we the people" is that women are still not treated the same -- too many molehills being made into mountains over misunderstandings and mis-statements where i don't believe any sexism or racism is meant, just aggressive campaigning

racism kills, sexism kills, we know all this, but we are doing damn little about sexism, if anything we're going backwards on that one

[femrap]

22. Great post....

Anyone who lived thru some of the '60's and/or '70's sees today as a big DEJA VU. Women are fighting the same battles we did back then, but today there is an added amount of cruelty...probably from the easy access to violent pronography.

I can't believe the number of women who now feel it is necessary to carry guns. I guess they're tired of being held captive in their own homes and said, 'I've had it. I have as much right to be out in this world as they do.' I see a number of women at the firing range these days.

[selador]

4. get real

"It's what allows Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton to be dismissed as ambulance chasers"

no.

what allows them to be frequently dismissed is their behavior, particularly sharpton.

tawana brawley, freddie's fashion mart, etc.

you (kind of ) had me until the sharpton/jackson thang.

guess what? anti-semitism HURTs too. see: jessie "hymietown" jackson

[jobycom]

8. Thanks for the illustration. nt

[uppityperson]

9. So because you don't like Sharpton/Jackson, sexism is ok?

wanting to clarify rather than assume here.

[selador]

12. to clarify

what i am saying is that the op claim that it is racism that allows jackson/sharpton to be dismissed as ambulance chasers is nonfactual.

if anything, it's sensitivity to being called/accused of being racist, that prevents many people (of good conscience) from criticizing sharpton for his actions.

nobody is untouchable.

that's my point. it is NOT racism that causes (most) people to dismiss sharpton. it's SHARPTON

when people are worthy of criticism they should be criticized without fear of "racist" allegations being tossed about.

that's a great way some people have of stifling a debate. criticize sharpton and you are a RACIST!!!

:l

[uppityperson]

17. Thank you, and what about sexism, the purpose of this post?

[selador]

20. i'm against it

*channeling donald sutherland in without limits as bill bowerman*

[uppityperson]

5. k&r with agreement. sexism hurts and kills and hurts many in many ways

[LulaMay]

6. Truly, really, actually KILLS.

[Ichingcarpenter]

7. Cathy Williams was a slave, not because of her gender or sexual orientation

Once a slave in Independence, Missouri, Cathy Williams lived and
worked in the 'big house' as a servant to its mistress. And though
being a house servant carried greater privilege and status than
that of the field hand, Cathy began to resent the menial tasks she
performed as much as she resented her masters.

After the death of her owner, and having the good fortune of not
being sold to pay debts, Cathy realized that the fundamental premise
of slavery was a lie and this life was not her chosen destiny. So in
November 1866 she disguised herself as a man, used the name William
Cathay, and enlisted in Company A, 38th U.S. Infantry and became a
Buffalo Soldier. As the first and only African American woman to
serve in one of the six black units formed following the Civil War.
Interestingly enough, Williams was able to become a member of the
Army without detection of her sex, and it was imperative that she
keep her true identity unknown. Her adventures took her from Missouri
to the Mexican border where she served for nearly two years. After
her military career Cathy did not envision returning to her roots in
Missouri, plus her heart was now in the West. So she
created a life for herself on the Western frontier, as a business-
woman in Trinidad, CO.

http://www.storytellers.net/saf06/bhm.htm

Sexism is bad, but I just wanted to make a point.

[jobycom]

10. And maybe you did

But I don't see the point you're making. A black woman disquises herself as a man and can accomplish more because of it, then becomes a woman again and is successful... I mean, it's a great story, but you seem to be arguing against something I said, and for the life of me, I don't know what.

[pitohui]

13. the point seems to be fuck those of us who aren't superheroes

i'm tired of hearing how one in a million can break thru the barriers, it doesn't do diddly for those of us who are 999,999 in a million and want equal rights without stepping into a phone booth and putting on our superman tights

[Ichingcarpenter]

14. First and foremost Blacks were discriminated, lynched and hunted down not because of their sex

I think that is the point I was trying to make. I also agreed with your OP, but think
that racism is worse because it is gender free in its discrimination.

[LostinVA]

16. Sexism is world-wide, including in very homogeneous societies

[Cherchez la Femme]

28. It affects 50% of every people

every color

everywhere

But hey, it's not THAT bad... :eyes:

[jobycom]

19. I didn't want to get into a debate over which was worse

Just wanted to talk about one. I thought I made that clear, but I guess not.

And sexism crosses race lines just as racism crosses gender lines.

[femrap]

23. Women of color get the added 'bonus'

of being raped. Even one's own father, brother or uncle will avail himself of the female property.

Do yourself and everyone here a favor and educate yourself on the topic before prancing out and looking like a fool. Read something on patriarchy. Check out Shirley Chisholm.

You epitomize sexism. 51% of the population is women....yet our labor has no value as counted by the United Nations....go read Marilyn Waring's book on the topic. Check out genital mutilation which occurs even here in the US.

Please stop being stupid and unenlightened in this day and age of the Internet.

I'm disgusted by your words.

[LostinVA]

15. It's not "sexual preference"

[KoKo]

18. K&R!

[femrap]

21. Thx, jobycom

K and R...great post. Hope your Ignore List doesn't grow too much!

eta: I just looked at the thread and I'd say half of the responders I have on Ignore...:rofl:

[jobycom]

26. Not so bad so far.

:)

[kiva]

24. Thanks for the op.

So often discussions about sexism focus on economic inequality, on limiting opportunities for women, and on cultural differences. This allows many people (including some on this board) to dismiss sexism as unimportant, except to a few raging feminists; thanks for reminding everyone that violence is also a consequence of this -ism.

[gaspee]

25. The real terrorism

is the terrorism women face from men every day of their lives. How many women are raped every year? How many murdered? How many murdered by their significant others?

And why is nothing ever done about it?

Sexism kills thousands of women every single year.

[alittlelark]

27. Excellent points... all experienced by women the world over.

BUT.... blind feminism could lead us to disaster.

Hillary is neither the right person, nor running at the right time.


I'm hoping my Sen Boxer will run in the future.;-) :bounce:

[jobycom]

29. My point had little to do with the current political battle.

I and Senator Boxer, whom you mention with respect, disagree with you on Clinton (and Boxer knows Clinton perhaps better than anyone else in this whole game), but that's a tangent.

[Marie26]

30. Great post. nt

[VotesForWomen]

31. you're right, but don't expect to get any support at DU. nt

[jobycom]

32. The replies have been almost all positive.

There are a lot of non-DU DUers these days, just here to flood the net with defenses of their candidates or attacks on someone else's. Once they go away, the voices of reason, maturity, and liberalism will return. I hope. Used to be a lot of good discussion here. Threads had a lot more angles and a lot fewer straight up-and-downs to them. Maybe after the convention, we'll get the board back.