Tuesday, June 10, 2008

The "s" word... and the "f" word.



The race for the Democratic nomination for the US presidency was heated from the get go, and for obvious reasons. We're dealing with an historic election here - Bush is getting booted out of office (thank Goddess!) and the 2 main Democratic candidates are a black man and a white woman, so both of the major and sensitive issues of sexism and racism within the historic context of the United States are out on the table for everyone to pick at.



Now I don't want to get into all the nuts and bolts of it, because the purpose of this post is not to argue about who won or lost and for what reasons, but rather to draw attention to a much bigger issue that has been given an international platform on which to be exposed for all the world to see.




The issue? Sexism. (Yes, the "s" word.)



Now don't run away, kids. I'm not going to rant and rave about how sexism is *the* reason Hillary Clinton lost the race to Obama. I don't care to debate that, and in fact, that is entirely NOT the point of any of this. The point is that during this race, the kind of overt sexism that many people seem to blindly think is largely in the past for the Western world, well, it reared its ugly head dramatically, and there is really no way you can deny it. Whether or not it sunk the Good Ship Hillary is arguable, but the sheer fact that it exists and was put on display in such a disturbing and garish manner is what really got me thinking.



I was reading an article about this issue the other day in the Globe & Mail. According to the article, which was lengthy, the Women's Media Center in New York produced a short video called "Sexism Sells - But We're Not Buying It", to promote awareness about the sexist bullshit Hillary had to endure throughout her entire run.


You can watch the video here:



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g-IrhRSwF9U



With this video, the Women's Media Center wanted to "alert the population to the sexist treatment faced by female candidates, who are often discussed in the context of their looks, their emotions or their husbands". I have to say the video was quite disturbing for me personally, and it also outraged me at many points. The categories they were pigeon-holing Hillary Clinton into, and the very language they used, was purposely intended to severely divide her from the male candidates and to personally demean her as well, based on the fact that she has a vagina. Really, when you break it down, that's what it comes to. Sad, isn't it?



And the bullshit about the cleavage?? Are you kidding me? One minute they're ragging on her for being "like a nagging wife" and the next they're accusing her of using CLEAVAGE to her advantage. Come on, people. Really? Seriously? That's embarrassing. You look like assholes for even suggesting it. I'm sorry, but do we now have to start *apologizing* for having breasts? Breasts that just might possibly be visible if you're STARING AT THEM? When I looked at the clips they used as so-called "examples" of Hillary "baring her cleavage", I laughed out loud. Really, I mean, I just... I can't even continue with this paragraph, it's so fucking absurd.


But truly, what a terrible and demeaning way to cut someone down and to undermine her intelligence and her intent as a person, as a human being, by suggesting that she would even consider using her god damn chest as a tool to help her get votes, as if she had to, because she isn't smart enough or good enough to win votes on her own, votes based on her politics and not her "cleavage". It's like those strange, ancient, misogynistic myths about vaginas with large, sharp teeth that will thrash away at any man's penis that draws near - Hillary Clinton is now using her "cleavage" to seduce men into voting for her - she's dangerous!! Run for your lives!! That's like accusing John Kerry of wearing tight-fitting pants just to show off his bulging junk in order to gain the female vote when he was running. And then to declare that she's looking so haggard in some photos she might "scare off" some voters? What are the odds that you would you *ever* hear someone say anything like that about John McCain, who's about 700 years old? Slim to none. And that makes me feel sick.


Now, the question is not whether the fact that she's a woman had anything to do with her losing the race to Obama - it's the fact that the overt sexism seen here even exists in the first place, in the god damn 21st century, that members of the media can and do actually still make these kinds of comments to and about women, *just because they are women*. This is not an issue that only women should be concerned about, EVERYONE should be concerned about this, because sexism is the same as any other form of prejudice and hate-mongering, and yet it is so often never given the same attention or action against it. If people were making racist comments or comments that were a reflection of some more "subtle" form of racism about Obama or anyone in general, there would be total outrage from many voices, as there has been before. And instead, we have this under-the-radar yet HUGE issue of sexism going on right in front of our faces, and hardly anyone is paying any mind, at least not to the degree that racist comments would draw.


This is where Bell Hooks comes in, one of my favourite authors. Now I'm going to use the "f" word, so don't freak out, ok? Bell Hooks is a 'feminist' author and she wrote one of my all-time favourite books, Feminism Is For Everybody. It's a tiny little book, kind of like a handbook for anyone who wants to know what feminism really is.


To start, let's clear out this old, junky, social closet that's full of misconceptions and silly stereotypes about feminism.


Feminism is NOT:

- about hate or anger against men
- about segregating the sexes
- about alienating men
- about women becoming "like men" or men becoming "like women"


In Bell Hooks' view, feminism is about the eradication of ALL forms of oppression and discrimination. In other words, if you're racist or prejudiced in any way, you can not rightly call yourself a feminist. Quoting directly from her book Feminism is for Everybody, Bell Hooks states, "simply put, feminism is a movement to end sexism, sexist exploitation and oppression". Hooks writes, "I liked this definition because it did not imply that men were the enemy. Practially, it is a definition which implies that all sexist thinking and action is the problem, whether those who perpetuate it are female or male, adult or child".


Here is a short passage from the introduction to that book to help clarify what it's all about, in Hooks' words:


"As all advocates of feminist politics know, most people do not understand sexism, or if they do, they think it is not a problem. Masses of people think that feminism is always and only about women seeking to be equal to men. And a huge majority of these folks think feminism is anti-male. Their misunderstanding of feminist politics reflects the reality that most folks learn about feminism from patriarchal mass media. [...] There was indeed a great deal of anti-male sentiment among early feminist activists who were responding to male domination with anger. It was that anger at injustice that was the impetus for creating a women's liberation movement. Early on most feminist activits (the majority of whom were white) had their consciousness raised about the nature of male domination when they were working in anti-classist and anti-racist settings, with men who were telling the wolrd about the importance of freedom while subordinating the women in their ranks."


If you like, you can read more of the intro here:


http://www.amazon.com/gp/reader/0896086283/ref=sib_dp_pt#reader-link


So why are so many people (men and women) still apprehensive about the idea of, or even just the word, feminism? It seems only sensible that it's a good thing to be passionate about, just like anti-racism movements, or anti-homophobia movements. According to Hooks, this is all part and parcel of the entire package of sexism, and is a result of "systemic institutionalized sexism", i.e. social conditioning on all levels - in the home, the work place, and in every day interaction with other members of society. It is simply built right in to our lives. This can be fairly easily observed in the world around us on a day to day basis, so for the rest of your day today, or tomorrow, just bring your attention to the concept of sexism in your daily interactions and see what pops up. I guarantee you, it will be interesting.


Ultimately, feminism is really just about getting rid of the bullshit social conditioning we are all subjected to from the moment we are born, both men and women, and really getting to the guts of the issue, taking it apart and seeing it for what it really is. We should be honouring the differences between men and women, appreciating them and acknowledging that neither sex is inferior, just different. Women of all ages are absolutely just as powerful and meaningful, in every sense of the word, as their male counterparts, and need to be respected and honoured as such, instead of being pigeon-holed into these narrow-minded and demeaning "nagging wife" or "ball buster" categories, particularly by some ignorant members of society. Sexism is still a very prevalent problem in our society, in so, so many ways, but in some cases it has become much more subtle in its form and communication, so it passes under the radar all too often. I have experienced sexism first hand more times than I can count, in both my personal and work life, and it is a terrible feeling to have to put up with.


The fact remains, sexism exists and it is damaging to everyone, as it makes us resent one another and continue to demean each other as retaliation, among many other negative consequences. All you have to do is read up on Hillary Clinton's campaign and her experiences to see a major example of this in broad daylight.


And if you still really think it's not an issue, have a look at this:


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FjS8_WWhjao

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