General Discussion
In reply to the discussion: It is not about the swimsuit issue it is about basic respect for women [View all]VanillaRhapsody
(21,115 posts)and there are some women.....who WILL do anything to impress their male peers by the way so pointing out a female did it...is no excuse...(there is a term called Stockholm Syndrome)
The point is.....that it was used to send a message...and it contained some vile comments to support that contention....
It was meant to stir up emotions about whether or not there is gender discrimination....That women should just STFU. There are a number of men you know that feel rejected by women and somehow think that women have all the power in the world....because they aren't popular with women (probably because women sense this). Because they think women have power over them.....they subconsciously hate women.... one that got banned today is an example that comes to mind. Men like that think THEY are the victim of women.....so they want to hurt them! There are other men who subconsciously feel the same way....and will react similarly but deny that is their motivation...they may not be as overt about it....but they hold deep seated resentment of women for some perceived previous rejection....
We women are exposed to that kind of thinking ALL THE TIME! Day in and day out....
YOU will note that many of the same ones on that thread are the same ones that OUTRIGHT deny that women are discriminated against. Some even went so far as to outright deny racial discrimination....thinking somehow they too had been discriminated against (for things they CHOSE in life I might add, completely missing the point). The only thing they proved is that they do NOT have empathy or respect for those who actually have been. This minimizes the problem ....its insulting and degrading.....and it is a disgrace. It has a chilling effect and it stifles debate....
DU should not be a place where people that do that kind of thing are tolerated because they are "cute" or funny....Denial of racial or gender or sexual identity discrimination should NOT be tolerated on DU! It should NOT be an argument here that minorities, women or the LGBT community should HAVE to fight. Isn't that part of the Democratic platform? Democrats are fighting to END discrimination....to end it....you have to be willing to accept that it is very real.
Being one of "us" should mean that we accept these truths and we are fighting to improve the civil rights of those that have been discriminated against....we should be about EQUALITY for everyone. To make that happen first we have to all agree that it IS the reality we live in...and we should NOT allow women and minorities and the LGBT community to be treated like they have been recently around here....Women should come to DU and expect a level playing field where the fact that they are women doesn't mean a Tinkers dam. Objectifying women in that environment makes them feel like peices of meat to be devoured....THAT is the message that OBJECTIFYING women creates....that we are nothing more than slabs of meat.....so therefore how can we have legitimate political discourse and expect that we are being taken seriously? That our voice matters?
If the things I have seen in GD regarding women and minorities lately occurred on the job.....you can bet, at the very least, someone would be watching those sensitivity training videos.....at the LEAST.