CAN WE TALK?

My last posting on marriage and religion generated a lot heat, which I expected. But some interest, too. One woman responded with the question "Okay, so what do we do now?" And my response? Well, that depends. I believe, as our economic and environmental status quo crumbles there will be perilous times ahead for us all that will demand the leadership of women. Yes, I know there's lots of good men out there (I think I know most of them personally) that's not the point. The point is that it is male culture that has gotten us into this mess. Male culture? What's that? Male culture is what we all live in and it always tetters on the violent side whether it's ball games or outright war (yes, Canadian men are less violent than most and some are very sweet) but the absolute, over riding rule of male culture is that women are inferor because they can be oppressed in sex specific ways. These sex specific ways of sexual oppression against women are what keep women from assuming real leadership roles domestically and gloably. Shall I count the ways?

(a) Prostitution: This scourge on the face of our earth must go. As long as there is one prostitute then all women are potential prostitutes if they get poor enough. And if all women are potential prostitutes (are, have been, will be)then is it absurd to even think of any women as real leaders? And when men get angry enough they will accuse even well off women of being prostitutes. Remember when Blinda Stronach crossed the floor to the Liberal side in Parliment and her former Conservative colleagues flung accusations of prostitution at her? Prostitution will go when enough women get strong enough to link arm and arm with prostitutes and sexually abused children and accuse those who need accusing...brothers, husbands, boy friends, sons, male teachers, politicans, corporation CEO's,church leaders...no person, no citizen, woman or man can hold heads high with pride as long as prostitution exists. Aside from being a crime against humanity, prostitution encourges all men to think of women as inferiors.

(b) Pornography: Women will not,cannot be thought of as world leaders, or even believe they can be leaders of any kind when almost every time a woman opens the computer she sees what men consider important in women: tits and ass. And children with computer access also know how to open up the really good stuff...hard core pornography. Many men love pornography or it wouldn't be such a hugh money maker. And when women are constantly presented as being primairly orifices for men to bore into then women get depressed. Which is what is happening when porn becomes main stream as it is now. My God, even China recognizes that pornography is bad for everybody and stops it from going into their country.

(c) Rape: Breaking and entering a house is taken more seriously by authorities than breaking and entering a woman's body against her will. And children's bodies, I might add. The police and courts and politicians pay attention if a woman or a child is killed in the process but rape happens so often it is still not dealt with seriously enough. Women know this and many raped women are too dispirited to even report it. Rape should be given the same seriousness as attempted murder. Then women and children would know that they matter.

(d) Battery: Funny how wife beating or woman beating has become spousal abuse. By called it spousal abuse women could also be beating on men, right? How many women do you know who physically beat their men? I'm eighty years old and I've never met a single one. But I've met way, way, too many women who have beaten by men. Men beat women on a fairly regular basis and when they are extremely angry and feel justified, even kill them. A woman who is beaten frequently, or even slapped around occasionally cannot consider herself or women in general as leaders of any kind.

So first, let's demand an accounting of these four sex specific crimes against women in order to consider ourselves in the process of preparing for domestic and world leadership. We must overcome these stumbling blocks if we want the human race to survive. Women must demand a full humanity even if we have to do it in a porn ridden, prostituted, sick and violent society. Our children and grandchildren demand it. The earth demands it. Life demands it. Let's start talking. Betty Krawczyk