I think that this primary season is bringing out the sexism in our culture.

[undeterred]

I'm no Hillary fan, but I see it when men overreact to the idea of a woman leader, something which has been going on around the world for a century.

Some of the posts in GD and the responses bother me (hey, lets make prostitution legal~! as if girls and women, who are economically disadvantaged) don't get hurt or exploited by prostitution, legal or not. They get beaten, raped, and murdered all the time- do you think that would change if it were legal?

And some of the men I work with blamed the 16 year old girl who complained about being sexually abused by her 50 year old "husband" for lying to get him in trouble. Everyone knows 16 year old girls are sluts who lie. And we are a backward country for not letting men do what comes naturally, which is "fuck all the teenagers they want". Thats how the rest of the world does it- we just haven't caught up yet. When I pointed out that there are girls and women living in sexual slavery all over the world, the answer was "boys too".

I had to stop working for a Democratic congressional candidate who believed that men should have the "right" to force a woman not to abort a child they believed they were the parent of.

We have taken so many steps backwards I'm afraid to count. And the thing is, we have a female presidential candidate who isn't particularly focused on womens issues. She's just a woman. But men feel like they have to bring us back to cave man times to even the score.

[journalist3072]

1. Sexism...ageism...you name it. One of Obama's surrogates said that unlike Clinton, Obama

"doesn't have crying fits on tv and hasn't waited until 60 to find his voice."

Then Obama himself said that Sen. Clintonw was always the default candidate in this campaign "because she's Hillary Clinton as opposed to Hillary Rodham." (Translation: that b*tch would be nowhere without Bill Clinton.)

And then there was John Edwards commenting on Sen. Clinton's clothes during a live presidential debate.

The folks who stood up at a Clinton rally holding signs saying "iron my shirt."

And that's just the tip of it.

[AllentownJake]

8. Come on

Hillary is not a victim.

[judy]

2. I don't think it is just in the USA

I remember growing up in France, and listening to a song about a guy who collected women and was cool and studly, a "real" man. The "can't get my hands off women...la la la...introduce me to your sister...la la la"
A similar song about a woman would imply that the woman was a nymphomaniac, and a slut.

That always struck me as weird, and unfair.
I would say it is Western culture, except that women have more blatant inferior roles in the Middle East, including in traditional Judaism, as well of course as traditional Islam, AND Hinduism (purdah).

What's this about women???

[John Q. Citizen]

3. You might be surprised to learn that the Koran has specific rights for women.

The right to divorce, the right to inherit property, the right to engage in commerce.

None of these are found in the bible.

Just because certain sects and countries prefer to ignore these parts of the Koran and to focus on other parts shouldn't be surprising. The same thing happens with all religions. People end of picking and choosing to fit their own mind set.

Also, among the great apes, (including humans) only the bonobos are matriarchal. The bonobos and the chimpanzees are humans closest remaining relatives.

[judy]

4. No actually, John Q.

I am not surprised...
Thanks for the info :)

[mrreowwr_kittty]

5. You are right about the sexism, but wrong that this primary is bringing it out.

Bringing it out from where? When was it ever hidden?

Also, do you honestly believe that electing Hillary Clinton president will have a measurable impact on it? Why?

[undeterred]

10. No I don't conclude the opposite

in fact I am afraid men would continue to show how backward and sexist they are.

[adoraz]

13. sexism will never go away, ever. Doesn't matter if there is a female President.

racism I feel could eventually become a lot less mainstream than it is now, but sexism never will.

Sexism is out there because of gender wars. Now that blacks have full rights and aren't slaves anymore, race wars aren't out there nearly as much. Women have full rights, but gender wars will always be around because its all about relationships and being elite.

There is nothing racist people can do about blacks and slavery anymore, but they will always be in relationships and when people get mad at the other sex, they often say sexist things.

thats just my take on it.

[Bensthename]

6. Hillary being a dumb ass has nothing to do with her being a woman.

Though her surrogates would like to tell you different. She is still part of the majority of whities. How many blacks are there in the fed senate for instance??

[adoraz]

7. "I had to stop working for a Democratic congressional candidate.....

I had to stop working for a Democratic congressional candidate who believed that men should have the "right" to force a woman not to abort a child they believed they were the parent of.



just out of curiosity, how is this sexist?

Do people here consider pro life people to be sexist or something?

I'm not really pro life or choice, but making pro life people (or semi pro like he was) out to be sexist is ridiculous.

[undeterred]

11. You're not listening.

Pro life on religious grounds is not sexist. Pro life on misgynist grounds, which claims that men should control and dominate a pregnant woman and make decisions for her during pregnancy, is sexist.

[adoraz]

17. well I really don't know much about pro life/choice...

but I have a hard time seeing why that is sexist. The way you word it sounds sexist, but the way I see it is that a man owns the child just as much as the woman does. If one in the relationship wants to keep the baby, that should be allowed. If both don't want the baby, well that is a totally different subject.

edit: unless of course, if the woman was raped or something. that would be different.

[undeterred]

20. Well thats not how it works

One is pregnant, and although she will probably want to consider the others feelings, only one can untimately decide. And that has to be the one whose body carries the pregnancy. For the non pregnant person to develop a law to force the other person to remain pregnant against her will is pretty damn harsh and sexist as far as I am concerned. A fetus is not a child and it is not "owned". Neither is a woman "owned".

[adoraz]

22. Thats not how it works, either.

""A fetus is not a child and it is not "owned".""


You see, theres the problem. According to pro life people, life starts at conception.

This is just getting into a pro life/ pro choice debate.

I am listening to you, I honestly am, but if you want to make the argument that being pro life isn't sexist while this other thing is, you can't say stuff which is hypocritical to the one view point.

[AtomicKitten]

9. Hillary's gender has NOTHING to do with what is going on.

[undeterred]

12. The pigs are just squealing louder than usual for no reason?

[AtomicKitten]

15. The "isms" used as a wedge aren't going to work -- Not this time!

Criticism of Hillary has to do with her campaign strategy of knee-capping her Democratic opponent and saying whatever the hell she thinks it will take no matter how ludicrous.

She is the master of VICTIM politics, launching a nasty campaign and trying to hide behind her gender to deflect criticism.

She is no better than the wingnuts that use wedge issues like this to manipulate the masses.

[undeterred]

19. FYI I am not a Hillary supporter and I think the primary is bringing

out the sexism in our culture.

[AtomicKitten]

25. And so is racism and classism, etc. -- the "isms" rear their ugly heads every election.

But the Clintons are using the "isms" as a political tool. Acknowledging that is not a betrayal to the female gender. It's the truth. The truth matters more than anything else this election. The truth shall set us free. Don't be distracted from the truth of this by the pandering, whining, sniveling, complaining and blaming coming from the Clinton camp. Can't you see that that is the antithesis of feminism? Perhaps we will have to agree to disagree on this. :hi:

[undeterred]

31. Its not just coming from the Clinton camp.

It may start there but there is a lot of fertile ground for those seeds to grow. Believe me, I see it every day at work and it doesn't have anything directly to do with this primary or election.

[crankychatter]

26. anyone that calls another human being a pig has questionable motives

You're misrepresenting the facts regarding your motives

You are clearly not interested in women's issues... just making an inflammatory post to stir up conflict

I wonder if you are a woman or a man...

I don't care actually... just wondering

[undeterred]

32. blah blah blah

[AtomicKitten]

14. oops

wrong place for this post

[madfloridian]

16. I am a woman.

My feeling toward Hillary has nothing to do with her gender. She is not running a campaign based on reality.

[mmonk]

18. Imagine if she were considered a radical unAmerican

with terrorist connections.

[crankychatter]

21. Clinton accused a 12 year old Rape Victim of "fantasizing about older men"

You want us to re-focus Clinton, and blame sexism for distracting us from that golden opportunity?

she's not poorly focussed, she's reptilian

...this pretense to cool objectivity...this Faux Feminism...

...is yet another intellectualized excuse to bring up and stir the
race/gender - democratic division pot...

it's bullshit flamebait

Oh, I forgot... oops.... let me correct myself

A GIFT FOR FICTION with an AIM TO INSPIRE DISCOURSE

The Tenth Anniversary of the Battle to End Violence Against Women happened in New Orleans yesterday with thousands of real activists and real feminists in attendance...

Did you call your local station and complain about lack of mainstream coverage?

Or were you too busy banging the pots in front of NBC?

Did you even know?

[TragedyandHope]

23. This election is shedding light on America's dirty little secret

We don't live in a fair and equal society. Plenty of the bad old -isms are alive and well and bubbling up to show their ugly faces. Anyone who thinks we've moved past all of them and that our country is a level playing field with equal opportunity is deluding themselves. This race is bringing these issues back to the forefront of mainstream discussion for the first time in a long time.

The country still has a long, long way to go.

[crankychatter]

24. Give me a feminist candidate

she'll have MY vote

[crankychatter]

27. in fact, I think I'll consign you to the nether realm

where dragon's live

[eek MD]

28. Nice stereotyping job....

"men feel like they have to bring us back to cave"
"when men overreact to the idea of a woman leader"
"or not letting men do what comes naturally, which is "fuck all the teenagers they want"."

No putting "some men" into there... No acknowledging that there's men who aren't sexist... Just blanket lumping hatred....

Thank you for lumping me and all other men in DU in with the likes of wife-beaters and rapists..... And you wonder why you've been seeing more and more sexist statements on DU lately...?? sheesh..

A man-hating woman is just as sexist as a woman-hating man...

Just my 2c... :) Have a nice day!

[undeterred]

30. you put yourself there

[eek MD]

33. In what way?...

By being in DU and being a MAN?
(Edited to add: And being unfortunate enough to open your post?) :)

[backscatter712]

29. I don't have a problem with a woman leader.

I have a problem with that particular woman as a leader - she's a pathological liar, who emulates Rove with her campaign tactics. I'd have the exact same problems if she was a man.