The real consequences on The War on Women is the every day stuff (to borrow a term from our current Veep) that shows up on the news scene. What is missing from the discussion is that this War is the longest running war in history. I think it started a few millennia ago; some say it started when Adam threw Eve under the proverbial bus with God. Since then, women have made progress. Women have more freedom to choose their spouses and careers, but it's also true that the overall disrespect for women simmers under the surface. Usually I can ignore it. Sometimes I can't.
It's still true that when a woman meets a violent crime it's most likely to have occurred at the hands of her lover, father or brother. It's still true that women earn less than men and still deal with a glass ceiling. It's still true that many believe women need (or want pdf) more "guidance" in making life decisions then men need or want. The War on Women is more than controlling our reproduction. It's more than sexual freedom. It's about seeing women as more than a vessel or merely a receptacle for sperm. It's about celebrating our intelligence and getting the opportunities to exercise our skill sets as well as self determination.
I first came across the varsity squad's "Fantasy Slut League" on the NBC sports site. They barely touched the bases as compared with the account of it on the Piedmont Patch. The gist of the league is that varsity players "scored" points on documenting (sexting?) sexual contact with draftees (female students) who may or might not have known they were game pieces. The league's game plays featured strategies that included manipulation, intimidation, gossip, alcohol and all the things we didn't like about high school. This league is typical of how (despite the lip service) we regard women. Hunters and the hunted. Although there is some implication in the write ups that some of the male players weren't entirely comfortable with the League, they still went along with it. After thousands of years of the War on Women we still find a woman's primary selling point still remains to be her pussy.
Wow, I just wrote that. The words just flitted off my fingers. They sound bitter, but I'm really just resigned to the idea that women are devalued. Maybe that's the problem - complacency. "Boys will be boys.""Girls want it.""No really means yes" You know the stuff. Thinking of sex as a scored game is not new. How many times have we gossiped about "How did he score her?" or "She's out of his league?" or "What does She see in him?" Mutual respect doesn't make it to the field of play.
The half-full part of this glass is that the "open secret" of the "Fantasy Slut League" was disclosed to a Piedmont High School teacher after the students went to a Date Rape prevention play. The empty half is that the league was in play for 5 or 6 years before "discovery". Piedmont High says the program has been disbanded, but the cynic in me wonders if it was driven further underground. The cynic also wonders if the program was known to adults who didn't see the harm of its existence. Maybe some adults knew about it didn't blow the whistle because they were concerned about the consequences in store for the players. Perhaps some adults considered the league to simply be another sex/sports scandal to be managed.
The letter (reprinted below the fleur de Kos) sent to the parents of Piedmont High School is good step. The letter lays out what happened and asks the parents to call out the wrong doing and to encourage their students to stand against peer pressure. More importantly, the letter asks the parents to model the behavior they want their teens to emulate. The cynic in me is begging me to ask the question that what if these players are modeling the behavior they see at home? in the news? on television? in movies? in video games? on YouTube?
Is it any wonder that the "Fantasy Slut League" was created when we see and hear some of the bunk coming out of Congressional mouths? Pundit mouths? Loudmouth mouths? I question the models of the Catholic church that plays a shell game with their molesting priests. I question sports coaches that cover up sexually molesting assistant coaches. I wonder which "models" these students were emulating. Is it any wonder? really? seriously? with all the mixed signals we give kids that this league was a bad idea?
The fact is the "Fantasy Slut League" has been exposed. Years ago, something like this would have been hushed up. The school is proactively dealing with it. The fact that a student felt comfortable enough to talk about it after seeing an anti-sexual harassment presentation is encouraging. Most encouraging is that the Drama teacher is creating a new drama presentation that specifically addresses the sexual harassment done under the "Fantasy Slut League's" game play. I encourage her to include a segment on how to choose an effective role model.
I'm encouraged that the league was exposed and ended. I'm encouraged to find out sexual harassment training works. Horrified that the league existed. That's sort of how I feel about the current laws drafted explicitly to affect women. Horrified that it's happening. Encouraged when some of the laws fail to be enacted. Alas, the fight is not over. I thought this stuff was settled. Reality bites again.