Last count, females outnumbered males in human world population, although male population was increasing at a greater rate (8 years ago). In the USA, the proportion is 51% female, 49% male. Women are the majority. What we know is that on planet earth, the treatment of the female amongst humans has always been suboptimal. In only rare circumstances are females held in higher regard than males, and have power over males. Not in many societies across the globe does this exist.
‘The abuse of women and girls is the most pervasive and unaddressed human rights violation on earth.’ – former US President – Jimmy Carter –
MeToo
A movement is changing this slowly, and deliberately. The brave person that tweeted #MeToo from which the viral spread of the MeToo movement stemmed, lifted the organization founded in 2006, from a survivor support organization (one of many) to one that is in the news most days, sometimes many times on most days. The https://metoomvmt.org/ website, which is the organization’s base, has more information.
A brave person talked about sexual assault and kicked the #MeToo movement in October of 2017 into high gear. At the one year mark, it is now becoming prominent in politics, and government, as it was initially in the entertainment industry; this has also roots in recent cases against educational institutions especially involving fraternity and other club situations where there were group sexual assaults against women, reported, but not dealt with by school authorities. As well, Olympic sports, professional sports and the athletic training areas have been targeted for past neglectful behaviors by their organizers or practitioners.
Since the viral hashtag first emerged in social media, the movement is continuing to become deeply embedded in the hearts of women who have been unclaimed victims of sexual assault, sexual abuse, and sexual harassment – especially those who didn’t speak up at the time due to ignorance, or fear, or shame – primarily because the culture that surrounded them did not support their doing so.
However, recently, there has been a revolution in reactions which is embodied in the resistance to the election of a president of one of the “most powerful countries on the planet.” Yeah, you know who I mean. Because of his behavior towards women and others not of his racial makeup, he has notoriously become the main driver of this up to recently, quiet rebellion.
Movements and protests have been held and are continuing to be held whenever it is an opportunity to drive change. The world wide expansion of the movement is happening.
Women in the USA
The US is supposed to be culturally advanced and more sophisticated than other countries, yet it still is not at a pinnacle of equal rights for women – and it has some way to go before it is.
Decades ago, the focus on sex as a category of concern for equal rights, and a driver of many behaviors towards women stemmed initially from the early 1970’s legislative action from the movement combating “sexual harassment in the workplace” coming from of the 1972 amendment to the civil rights act affecting employment – the EEO (Equal Employment Opportunity) and its commission (EEOC) began to have scope over the use of sex as intimidation or harassment in employment situations, extending the category of sex under the categories under the EEOC rules.
In almost every aspect of life, the current #MeToo movement is driving the need for change. It is also exposing past acts towards girls and women going back decades. Most recently, actor Bill Cosby, was sentenced to prison for crimes of sexual assault he committed over thirty years ago.
Recent and Current Events
As well, with the recent U.S. Senate hearings for confirmation of Judge Brett Kavanaugh, his past has been brought forth in testimony by a former schoolmate who testified that he made an attempt at rape, when they were still in their teens, but old enough to be prosecuted for this as a crime. Much furor over these allegations, and two others are bringing the male vs. female aspects of this situation to the forefront.
Questions of privilege, race, men turning a blind eye (some women, as well), and the power of the white male dominated politics in the US, are coming to the surface. Equal rights under the law – equal treatment under the law, especially with a person being considered to hold a lifetime seat on the highest court in the land, give pause to think that in a situation where his earlier behaviors are in question – should this matter. What matters is that he has denied it. What also matters is that his angry outbursts on camera showed that there is something including frustration that is being generated by his not getting his way (or is it more, not getting away with this?).
We will see what the FBI will uncover in a tight timeframe given it, in an investigation that normally takes months to conduct – it’s a set-up to give a cursory brush over – lip service perhaps, to something that is landmark in history. At least they have been given some substantial leads.
One big question is: If another candidate cannot be considered, then why put a flawed candidate in and leave him in the running? It’s all about the power and retaining it – where white men are worried and struggling with this worry for the first time ever, that they may begin to lose control.
Lawmakers have had a chance to do the right thing. Yet they did their best to discredit, to defend the accused, to turn this into a circus and attempt to drive down and embarrass the one woman who stood up for what is right – whose conscience could not let her stay silent any longer. Yes, at the last minute, it was desperate, but it was not too late. She reached out, despite dreading doing so.
These men in the Senate – They have demonstrated that they will not do the moral ethical thing – and this includes that they will not simply ask that another candidate be recommended – pull the lever on this one, “reject”, then “next!”
Nope. It’s now a power-struggle – my way or the highway – it is party over anything – power over anything – money over anything – white male privilege takes on the moral, and ethical crisis – the “what is wrong that should be dealt with”. These all white so-called “leaders” are hell bent and hell bound to push this over the goal post, so to speak.
It’s worse than the Clarence Thomas confirmation debacle – it’s the behavioral issue that has been granted the status of a “norm” for young men (let’s say those who are hormonally stimulated adolescent and post-adolescent males in a school setting) vs. what it is granted in most other demographic segments of the population, where it’s supposed to be a crime.
It is actually more of a deep concern that this Kavanaugh fellow denied the allegations (and not well, not plausibly to most professional behavioral scientists who can recognize when someone is either lying or covering up the truth (lying). Then kind-of said such things like that people did drink too much back then, or the uh, well he maybe had too much beer sometimes back then, and lame attempts at showing he wasn’t there using a conveniently produced calendar – and saying that she must be confused – how she must have got him confused with someone else – because he couldn’t place himself there (maybe he was drunk?) – and he is arrogant enough to think that this is all it takes – to deny – his word against hers – after all – it is his right to be a Supreme Court Justice – how dare she do this?
OK – so after her testimony came out and it was his turn – no doubt he had heard about her testimony by then – he acted very differently – emotionally upset, defiant, crying, as if he was being denied something he felt he deserved – like a petulant teenager – he lashed out – accusing conspiracies – oh, it’s so wrong, he said! It’s unfair! He fell into the trap of behaving the opposite of what someone being confirmed to be a justice should be – he lost his shit. Right then and there on camera the next moment, it being virally blasted across the world in millions of different directions — yup, not a good look for a dude trying to become a dignified high court justice. Epic fail on that part of his performance.
So, it begs the question – why don’t they just disqualify him and seek to confirm another candidate? So, this fellow had skeletons in his closet. It comes out, they see it, they should move on. Right? That would be normal. This isn’t normal. Remember – this is America in 2018. Normal it is not. Probably, never will be again, truth be told. Besides, what is normal today is not our parents normal, or even our normal of three years ago. Normal has been morphing.
What did the Senate Judiciary proceed to do? Most of them moved onto shoving for confirmation, once again. Somehow they accuse the victim of being a part of a political ploy. Lash out across the aisle as if it was these people were the problem, not the Supreme Justice candidate that has likely done something wrong in his past that wasn’t revealed until recently. It’s these deadlines that are artificially imposed – you don’t find out before the deadline, it somehow makes the “undiscovered” null and void, and the guy checks out ok despite anything that comes out later. Hey, what’s better – discovering this now, or having it come out later and having a Supreme Court Judge be taken out because of the sex crime forays in his young adulthood? It happens. Think Catholic Church. Think Bill Cosby. A card laid, is a card played. No denying it.
But again, these politicians are definitely not going by the playbook grounded in the higher plane. Interesting that lawmakers are some of the worst offenders of ethics and morals. Oh! That’s why they call it “corruption”. This is not just a third world problem, folks, it’s right here, right now.
So, a senior senator speaks out. He’s a piece of work. A hard case “asshole” who comes from a state known for its racism, and the southern white boy privileged cultural institutions like The Citadel. That’s a whole other world if its own, trust me.
So what happens? All the tactics are used – Reframe the lying. Distract. Divert. Push the deadlines. Complain. Blame anyone but the candidate under confirmation. Cover up. Ignore. Discount. Defend. Blame the victim. Undermine the process. Scream. Throw tantrums. Rail and stomp. Cry, even. These are the words and the actions of the day of these white men of privilege and entitlement, who are still in power, holding on for dear life – desperate times require desperate measures.
With Every New Situation Exists an Opportunity for Women to Raise the Bar and Illustrate the Imbalances
It is an “all out effort” – and we have never come so far until #MeToo. Social media viralizes the message and despite there being many negative aspects of social media use, this has been one that is effecting change for the better.
If not this, there will be another time when we will see this emerge – the volume is growing louder and louder – eventually, every women (except the stupid ones or those with a vested interest in staying quiet) will stand up against these atrocities.
They will communicate the message that “No, it is not okay to do this to our girls, our daughters, our granddaughters, our sisters, our mothers, ourselves – no one should put up with this – not ever – not as a young girl, not as a teen, not as a college student, not as a worker, or a person who is supposed to be a friend – or anyone who says “no” – “no thank-you” – “stop” – “I don’t want to do this with you” –
Yes it is a “rejection” and this is her right – and if you do push yourself onto her, you should know that this is illegal – it is a violation of a person – in many states, you can be charged and you may go to jail – and if you do penetrate her against her will – and you end up impregnating her – you do not “own” her unborn – you have no right to tell her what to do with the unborn, because you did this while committing a crime – she has 100% of the rights – because, she said “NO” – and unless she asks you to have involvement – you will stay away. You may pay, and not with money, but in a court of law, because you broke laws and you violated her – and violations, if violent are even more extreme — more criminal — and you should be punished for this as any other criminal would be that broke the laws against sexually assault or rape of a person.
This situation has happened to many of us in many forms in our lives. We had been told by our parents various things about this and that this might happen. Or maybe we weren’t told and had to figure this out ourselves. But, it must stop. It will continue to happen until it becomes something that only criminals do. Oh right. Actually, it is.
Let’s vote them out, Ladies! You, too, Men who are respectful of women – who do not subscribe to this “culture club”.
Explain the difficulties of this attitude to your friends and colleagues who subscribe to it, although changing hearts and minds is the most difficult thing to do. It is human nature to resist change, to cling to old beliefs that were the point of reference for guiding what was “ok” and what was not. With men, it is particularly difficult to say that they support the #MeToo effort, because it is so directed at men. However, just standing up for your daughters, your wives, your mothers, and your female friends – supporting that they should not be the victims of these behaviors – and teaching boys that this is wrong – that this is not what you ever do to girls – no matter what – telling them “you must resist peer pressure to do this in any scenario – ever. It is wrong. It is against the law. And if you do this, it may come back and impact you decades later… You do not want to live with having to look over your shoulder because you committed a crime.”
The impact that this has on victims is incredible.
If this impacts you, personally. You are not alone. Take comfort in this. Do not forget. #NeverForgetHer #MeToo #ThankYouChristine #ThanksForStandingUPforAllWomen #NoMoreSexCrimes