Anybody seen those shirts?
You know, the ones with the disrespectful message that currently adorns the headline on this blog? The message proclaiming support for Obama in the most disrespectful way possible.
When I saw them, I'll admit that I laughed a little. Actually I laughed a lot.
It appears that I have some very bad sexism residing in my psyche. Who would have thunk it? Well, actually, I would have.
I mean, growing up in the same household with my father it would have been difficult not to be a little sexist. My pops, who I love dearly, wasn't one to think to deeply on the male/female power dynamic other than to make sure that he had the power. Not in a particularly bad way, but he did ascribe to the biblical view that men should be the dominant voice in their households.
I pretty much agree with him. I know that sounds horrible to many, and I understand why. After all, nobody wants to be the subordinant in a relationship these days. We all want to be partners. Cool, I respect that, and I think it's a good goal.
Notice I said goal. Cause right now it ain't happening. The gender roles are too ingrained in our society. Plus, there are all these weird exceptions where women shouldn't be treated as equals and deserve special consideration just out of tradition or common sense.
You know, like holding the door open for women, or walking on a certain side of the street to protect them from traffic. How about the rules on going dutch at a restaraunt? There are a few token benefits to being born a women in society, and it's unclear what will happen to them when we all become equal.
But, anyway, I digress. My point about the t-shirt is that it now has become a very telling marker in the Democratic presidential nomination. I mean, the whole race has now boiled down to who are you riding with. You've seen the news stories, the blog posts even the television programs. It's clearly time to choose.
The Afros or the Hairy Armpits. Black Power or Bra Burning. The bros versus the hoes. Obama or Hillary.
Sucks doesn't it. Not cause I don't know my side (bros for life suckers) but because it really doesn't solve anything.
I mean, it's a good exercise to show exactly how far we have to go as a country when it comes to undertanding racism and sexism, but I'm not convinced that anything is going to change. Everybody has gone to the mattresses, and nobody is giving an inch.
I don't have a solution, just making an observation. It's weird how easy it is for us all to pretend to like each other and then divide up again when the chips are down.
Weird, but not surprising.
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4 comments:
Good read Mr. Powell. I haven't decided who I am going to vote for yet myself. I don't want to play the Democrat/Republican card this time around. Whoever is going to present the values and traditions that I need to start a career and raise and family, that who. Obama does have experience living a pretty wild young adulthood. And he's interested in geneology. That's a plus. I've said my bit. Enjoyed your blog. I'll be in touch.
Thanks for commenting Glen.
"...The gender roles are too ingrained in our society. Plus, there are all these weird exceptions where women shouldn't be treated as equals and deserve special consideration just out of tradition or common sense.
You know, like holding the door open for women, or walking on a certain side of the street to protect them from traffic. How about the rules on going dutch at a restaraunt? There are a few token benefits to being born a women in society, and it's unclear what will happen to them when we all become equal."
Interesting that you picked examples that don't really depict anything to do with equality among the sexes. Opening the door? Walking on the traffic side? Those are nice things you do for a date, but seriously how is that benefiting me as a woman... You called it a benefit, but I really don't see it as such. How do I benefit? Those hardly are demonstrations of the impact of gender roles on anything. If anything I think it demonstrates the great fear that men having of losing their identity, an identity tied to a role as provider and protector. It hurts a man, more than it hurts me when I say I can open my own door because in telling him that I don't need him to do that, I'm by extension saying I don't need him at all.
I'm not saying you don't have a point that some gender roles are weaved so deeply into our society it would be disruptive to change then, but let's start with identifying those instead of the ones that simply make men uncomfortable.
Chaser, careful to flatter yourself , I am a self centered, I love me some me kind of person and I open doors for dogs, cats, men, women and aliens if I could. If they told me not too I would just think they were going out of their way to claim independence from an idea.
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