Have you ever wondered why people refer to TFG as Trump, but those same people tend to say Hillary when they speak of Hillary Rodham Clinton? Ever wonder why calling a man a douchbag is particularly insulting? Maybe calling a man a tool, jerk, dick or prick is just as insulting? Hmmm, maybe not, but that’s something to ponder.
Ever wonder why a man who is the master of his own destiny that has multiple sexual partners is a player, a guy sowing his wild oats; but, a woman, the mistress of her own destiny, doing the same is a slut, whore, trash or hussy, tart, wanton, wench. Maybe a more veiled description like madam or courtesan… Anyway, you get the idea. What’s notable is how many of these words started out somewhat benign. Hussy was slang for what meant female head of the household or hauswif. What’s more notable is the myriad of ways we can insult women.
Gender in language is everywhere. In Spanish you read a libro, a book with the O making it a masculine term. The book (libro) is stored inside a library, a biblioteca. The A is feminine. So the male book is stored inside the feminine library. Why does everything seem to come down to sex? Libra in Spanish means 1 pound, which is interesting, considering how weight conscious women tend to be; but I digress.
Sexism is baked into our language and society. It starts before birth. It’s how we decorate our babies’ nurseries. It’s how children’s clothes are genderized. Try to find Power Ranger’s underwear for a girl. Try to find boys’ underwear in pastels. I’ll wait.
Back already? Ok, here goes: Boys will be boys, Man up, grow a pair, don’t be a sissy, pink’s a girly color, man and wife, man flu are all genderized phrases. Usually these terms support the status quo of male = strong, smart, capable and good in contrast with female = weak, sweet, dumb, deceitful, fearful and sexually promiscuous. Women know from a very young age that they are supposed to be sexually pure, whatever that means, while there is no such expectation for men. Men are hunters, females are prey. Men have an inherent need to matter, be of substance while women crave safety and security and don’t mind having men take credit for their ideas (snort, good one!). All of these phrases I’m spewing in this paragraph (this diary, in truth) are nonsense! Women want to be appreciated for their efforts. Men like to feel safe, too. Women know how to hunt and conquer, too. Men like flowers just like women do. Women like to have sex and they don’t need your permission to have it. There is, however, room to criticize where and when they have it. On the kitchen counter is probably fine, but close the curtains and blind, first. And, probably better if the kids are at Grandma’s house.
I have learned to never underestimate the effects of core misogyny of everything, everywhere and all at once. It’s painful when I see it here. It’s most painful when I realize I’m being a hypocrite and or sexist. I also wonder why hypocrite doesn’t rhyme with white, but that’s just my ADD kicking in here.
Moving along.
The Bobo hi-jinks does highlight her hypocrisy about family values, sexual morality and the culture wars. It also showed Boebert has the capacity for incredible rudeness. The news coverage of her behavior shows just how sexist our society is. It also portrays Lauren Boebert as human. Who knows? Maybe she is doing her Saul becomes Paul on her path to Damascus transition. I can envision the fish scales falling from her eyes and she blossoms into the fiercest feminist imaginable. A virago fighting for women’s reproductive rights and paid child care from birth.
Probably, not.
A girl can hope?
Right?
¯\_(ツ)_/¯