God Bless The Woman That’s Got Her Own
A hipster tipster forwarded me an interesting editorial written by Larry Wilson, apparently a candidate for Sparks City Council. In his epistle, Wilson demonstrates some extremely outdated ideas about the capabilities of men and women and the roles they should play. Portraying a mistrust of women’s capabilities as gallantry does not change the underlying point of Wilson’s editorial–women belong in the home.
First, Wilson idealizes mothers at the expense of fathers:
Mothers are the first parent most kids seek when they are hurt or just need a hug to reassure them. In short, mothers are huge in our lives and deserve all the love, respect and adoration we can give them everyday. In short, they should be on a pedestal apart from any man in this world.
Personally, I’m all about being “on a pedestal apart from any man in this world;” it’s how I roll if you know what I mean. But as a member of a larger society, I realize that it benefits men AND women to get beyond confining either one to strict parenting roles based on gender. It’s condescending to both and demeaning to all.
Wilson then goes on to use the “far above rubies” trope that makes any kind of sexism seem A-okay at first glance:
Some sorry individual, probably a man, has figured out that women are worth $145,000 a year. I think women, especially mothers, are priceless and I resent someone figuring out how much they are worth annually.
As a woman who is not a mother, I’ll settle for $145,000 annually. Thank god childless women still qualify even though it’s a risk according to Wilson:
I know there is a risk of putting women, especially mothers, on a high level of esteem, as some will take advantage of their elevated status, but I still think they are deserving of that on the whole.
It’s always a relief to find out that someone like Mr. Wilson thinks you’re “deserving” of a level of esteem–especially a high one. Of course, I’m one of the women who will take advantage of my elevated status, mostly because I deserve it.
Wilson seems alarmed by the fact that women have been “allowed a great deal of latitude as far as the jobs they can do” in the military. In fact, he seems to be alarmed the fact that women are allowed out of the house period, let alone allowed to serve in the our military. And I think it’s safe to assume that, as a firm believer in that old time “Women’s [sic] Lib,” I am one of the many women who cheapens the status of all women in the “human food chain:”
Some women, by their actions, cheapen their status in the human food chain, but women still deserve our overall elevated respect. Society also lowers women’s stature by allowing them to have “Women’s Lib,”
I don’t get it. Does being a feminist make me more appealing to cannibalists than someone like Mr. Wilson? Do feminists just taste better than non-feminists? (Please keep in mind that men can also be feminists–and many are–so I’m not implying that men aren’t as tasty as women.
Attitudes like Wilson’s are condescending to both men and women, whether or not they have children or choose to be of service to our country by serving in the military. Just for the record, the U.S. military does not place women in “close combat” situations; however, this does not mean that women do not and cannot serve crucial roles in the military. As of September 2006, women make up 15% of active U.S. force and they aren’t all secretaries and cooks.
The old gender stereotypes about men and women have no place in today’s America, in which the majority of families are two income households out of economic necessity, not as a result of “Women’s Lib.” Women need to be safe from gendered violence, not protected like children from the horrors of the big bad world. The human race is better off when everyone is able to live up to their potential–regardless of gender. I hope that the citizens of Sparks think twice about electing someone who espouses such antiquated ideas.
Similar Posts:
- McCain Mocks Women’s Health During Debate
- Lilly LedBetter on Pay Equity
- Single Women, What Was Your First Time Like?
Enjoy this post? Leave a comment below or subscribe to my feed. You also can sign up for email delivery by clicking here.
Trackbacks & Pingbacks
Comments
Leave a comment
Line and paragraph breaks automatic, e-mail address never displayed, HTML allowed: <a href="" title=""> <abbr title=""> <acronym title=""> <b> <blockquote cite=""> <cite> <code> <del datetime=""> <em> <i> <q cite=""> <strike> <strong>
You nailed it with “portraying a mistrust of women’s capabilities as gallantry.” The whole thing made me cringe. I hope he didn’t try to teach English.
http://www.elkodaily.com/articles/2008/05/21/opinion/editorial/edit1.txt
Dawn Gibbons will get what she wants from her divorce now. It may not be $145,000. but it could be more!
Wow. What century is he living in?
Sheesh! Where do I even start? But, yeah, I’ll take the $145K. My freelance salary doesn’t even start to come close!
Yes, Mr. Wilson would appear to be, at best, misguided. So please consider channelling what you are feeling in a positive way. His opponent for Sparks District 1 is a terrific lady named Julia Ratti (juliaratti.com). Howzabout everyone who is upset at Mr. Wilson’s letter go to Julia’s website and make a campaign contribution. If you live in the area, shoot her an email and volunteer to walk a precinct. Nevada has enough elected officials like Mr. Wilson, and way too few like Ms. Ratti.
Amen, Let’s channel that energy into political philanthropy for sister Julia. My daily battle is to assure women participate in the political process–from voting to running for office, from volunteering to canvass or phone bank to giving to the right candidates. And Julia is one of the right candidates. Sexism is the embarrassing tea so steeped in the fabric of our being we cannot see the stains. Let’s start tossing out those old sexist rags for fresh, greener, more comfortable political attire.