Welcome to the Planet of the Savage Strident DKos Feminist Supervixens!
This week's diary theme came from an email I received from a reader. More below the intro.
"Feminist Supervixens" of every sex and gender are invited to participate in this discussion of feminism, women's issues, and anything even tangentially related.
This is a regularly-occurring "Feminists' Circle" for Daily Kos, where all the supercool feminist Supervixens can pull up a chair and chat, get things off their chests, and get to know each other.
Everyone is free to complain and moan and air their pet peeves - this forum can be "What's Your Fucking Feminist Problem?!" if you're in that frame of mind - but humor, fun, happy stories and congeniality are encouraged.
Notice to anyone who is NOT a feminist and wants to come here and complain about how bad feminism is, the problems inherent in feminism, etc.: you're welcome to write your own diary on the topic, but we don't want to talk about it here. That's not what this diary is for.
Previous "episodes" in this diary series have been written by hrh, with guest-host diaries from mem from somerville (here and here), Elise, righteousbabe, and irishwitch. Some more guest-hosts are waiting in the wings. Feminists who are interested in being a guest-host can email hrh at: feministsupervixens (AT) yahoo.com
Here is the email I received from a Kossack who wishes to be anonymous:
I've been thinking a lot lately about how totally pissed off I was at Sen. Allen's comments. I'm in a mixed-race marriage, and it just hit that much closer to home. Would he call my husband that? My kids? Ugh, jerk of the highest order!! I've been oh so pleased that his polling has taken a plunge and donations have been pouring in for Webb. With any luck, this will drag down Allen so much he'll be kicked out of office. So, YAY for justice on that.
But....I started thinking, and again, I don't want to demean the importance of what happened with Allen, but would people make such a big deal about someone making an off-hand remark like that about WOMEN? And I can tell you from experience, the answer is no. Look at Arnold! His awful "girlie man" comment. Why is it ok for people to demean women all the time? Where is the outrage for us? Where is the plummeting in the polls? etc.
I really think this needs a diary. I think a nice title would be, "Woman is the Macaca of the World."
I completely agree. For example, nearly every time I see a discussion of women doing "men's jobs" (e.g., playing contact sports, driving race cars, being in the military, being politicians) I see a few people trotting out the old stereotypes about gender abilities. "Women" can't run fast enough, throw hard enough, have enough upper-body strength, carry enough weight, kill people efficiently enough, appeal to men/women enough, etc.
I always wonder: these gender stereotypes that flow so "trippingly on the tongue" - would they be accepted so readily if they were RACIAL stereotypes?
I believe - like John Lennon did, and expressed in his song "Woman is the Nigger of the World" - that, for some bizarre twisted reason, demeaning of women is still widely acceptable, even in societies that no longer tolerate the demeaning of minority races.
Many thanks to the anonymous Kossack who came up with such a great idea and title.