Time Out

After considerable thought, I am going to put this blog on hiatus. I simply do not have time for making my original vision come to life. I still think that women must come together, find common ground, and stop sabotaging each other. We need to speak up and stand up to sexism and misogyny and demand better. I hope it happens but I don’t have much faith right now that it will. I still see women writing articles a month after the election, bashing Palin while they wrap themselves in the cloak of “feminist”, because the writers think abortion is the number one cause of feminism, and it doesn’t even make my top 10!

Top 10 Reasons to Embrace the Term Feminism

10. Women are still paid less then men.
9. Reporters and writers can slam women on TV and in print with impunity
8. I’m sick of young women growing up believing this is “just how it is”
7. No woman has ever won a major party nomination for president
6. Only 2 women have EVER been on a major party ticket as a VP candidate
5. Institutionalized sexism and woman-hating defeated Clinton and Palin, with women colluding
4. Women undermine other women more than support them
3. Women are in danger of rape and attack every time they leave their homes. Think I’m over-reacting or kidding?
2. Beating women is still called “domestic violence”, like that makes it understandable/less appalling than what a similar assault on any other person would be called
1. Women together can do anything

Howard Dean Awakens from 9 Month Stupor

…to point out the – gasp! – “untold story” of sexism in the just ended presidential campaign!

‘Say it ain’t so, Howard!

Because remember back when a prominent female candidate and member of the Democratic Party was being skewered by members of the press and of her own party, you told us you didn’t know about that because you “didn’t watch cable”.

Get the cable connected, did ya?

Just so you know, Howard, many people have been talking about and writing about the sexism and misogyny since the beginning of the primaries! Well, except for the mainstream press, who still maintain that there wasn’t sexism, but then they are only now beginning to admit their culpability in the overwhelmingly glowing terms with which they covered Obama, which contributed HUGELY to his victory because things like sexism, caucus fraud, illegal contributions, well, they just weren’t important compared to important stuff like Obama shooting a basket or eating a waffle.

This is why women have to unite behind other women. Men will not fight for us. Sexism is allowed and encouraged. Dean was silent when it mattered, but now, siting on a panel for C-Span’s Presidential Election Analysis Panel, sponsored by the Smithsonian Associates, Dean suddenly wants to talk about this untold story, like he is the one who just now, just his minute!, discovered it.That this panel is all men says all that needs to be said about where the power is in this country. We need women to stand up and demand all women are treated with at least – at least! – the respect men receive. Not special treatment. The same standards and expectations applied to ALL, not just those with penises.

Check it our, around the 3:45 mark.

more about "Too Little, Too Late! | www.partizane…", posted with vodpod

What does this picture have to do with poker?

I used to subscribe to “Bluff” magazine, but cancelled it. For some reason, in the past months, a few stray issues have appeared in my mailbox, including this jaw-dropping, and totally irrelevant, cover.

These two women in their underwear are, supposedly, professional poker players. Perhaps part of their strategy is that they don’t want anyone to take them seriously. If so, hey, it’s working. They embody the bimbo stereotype, the kind of woman who is so foolish as to think being asked to pose pretending to pull down your panties is a compliment. They look like two girls ready to fulfill every man’s two-fer sex fantasies, rather than two young women to be treated respectfully.

How can young women continue to take off their clothes and pose like this, allowing themselves to be masturbation fodder? Does the idea of men jerking off to their photos seem like something good to put on a professional resume?

Here’s how seriously Bluff magazine takes them – which is not at all. From the Bluff website:

“Since the inception of BLUFF we have been waiting for the perfect opportunity to have a cover featuring beautiful women wearing lingerie. We’ve thought long and hard about it, attempting to create the perfect scenario where we could go ahead and pull the trigger. Well, we finally have our chance with the lovely Lacey Jones who was named the Hottest Woman in Poker by Wicked Chops Poker and the equally hot up-and-comer Christina Lindley. While neither has won a major title yet, it’s clear that poker is in their blood.”

How is that clear? Do they have spades and clubs on their panties? Is their naughty girls pose a sign of poker skill? I don’t think so. Professional poker players who happen to be women must be rolling their eyes over this disgusting display. Women pros only have been on the cover of “Bluff” twice before – Jennifer Harmon in February 2007, and Jennifer Tilly in October 2005. Both were fully dressed and photographed as professionals, as women of skill in the poker world who are respected and accomplished. Both are World Series of Poker bracelet winners.

These two gals? As Bluff tells us, neither has won a major title. The only reason they are on the cover is to be in lingerie. How sad is that?

Be part of the solution!

Look what crawled out from under the rock… and how to stomp on it. Tricia points us toward groups working to see that the woman-hate of the past election is eradicated.

Campaign for Gender Equality

and a petition worth signing on Women Count

We can’t afford to let this crucial subject fade from the public mind and our national dialogue. Let’s this be the last year women are ridiculed for their looks, voices, clothes, and hair, rather than being judged on their policies, experience, and resumes!

(Cross-posted at Spiral Gate.

More Glass Ceiling…

Marie Cocco writes that The Glass Ceiling Holds Strong and gives us the numbers that show women made no advancements this election cycle:

“The Senate will add one woman next year, bringing the number of female senators to 17. Ten newly elected House members are female. This means that as the class of 2008 enters the Capitol’s marble halls, it will include less than half the number of women who first won office in 1992 — the so-called “year of the woman.”

Including incumbents and newcomers, a record number of women will be serving in Congress, but still only 17 percent of its members will be female. This is where that record places us: on a par with the legislative representation women have achieved in sub-Saharan Africa, Latin America and the Caribbean. The United Nations, which tracks women’s global political advancement, says that at this rate, it will take women in the developing world 40 years to reach parity with men.”

And she says plainly what needs to be said, heard, and understood by women, if we are ever to end the horizontal hostility that keeps us from expanding women’s representation in ever area of life:

“Those who watched the media’s sexist hazing of both Clinton and Palin often rationalize this treatment as the result of these two candidates’ particular personalities and the legitimacy — or presumed illegitimacy — of their campaigns. But Barbara Lee, whose Boston-based family foundation has conducted extensive research of gubernatorial races involving women, routinely identifies the same undercurrents in state campaigns. Voters demand more experience of a woman candidate, and judge her competence separately from whether she is sufficiently “likable.” Male candidates typically must clear only the competence bar to be judged — as Obama indelicately put it during a primary debate — “likable enough.”"

First Woman Baseball Pro In Japan

Eri Yoshida, a 16 year old, will play for the Kobe 9 Cruise, in the Kansai Independent League. This is the U.S. equivalent of being on a farm team for the majors. No matter. It is pro ball, she’ll get paid, and she’s made history.

“I’m really happy I stuck with baseball,” Yoshida said in a news conference after she was chosen with 32 other players in the new league’s draft. “I want to pitch against men.”

Yoshida throws a mean knuckleball, one of the hardest pitches to hit. She started playing baseball in second grade, played on a high school team, and has continued to work on her game.

Yoshida’s accomplishment may signal a rise in the number sof young Japanese girls into the sport of baseball. Congratulations, Eri!

That Glass Ceiling…

A poll from The Daily Beast, outlines “the depth of women’s anger in the aftermath of Hillary Clinton’s and Sarah Palin’s campaigns.”

Some numbers to ponder:

* By an overwhelming 61% to 19% margin, women believe there is a gender bias in the media.

* 4 in 10 men freely admit sexist attitudes towards a female president. 39% of men say that a male is “naturally more suited” to carrying out the duties of the office

* Only 20% of women are willing to use the word “feminist” about themselves. Only 17% of all voters said they would welcome their daughters using that label.

* 48% of women thought Hillary Clinton received fair media treatment and only 29% believed Sarah Palin was treated fairly. In contrast, nearly 8 in 10 voters thought the press gave fair treatment to Barack Obama and Joe Biden.

* More than two-thirds of women said they were being treated unfairly in the workplace (68%)

The race appears to have crystallized attitudes among women that they face discrimination in almost all areas of private and public life.

It’s worth a read so please visit the link.

Officer Germaine Greer, Fashion Police

Germaine Greer, who used to be a major voice in Feminism, has joined the ranks of the fashion police. In a column in “The Guardian”, Greer criticizes the dress Michelle Obama wore at her husband’s victory party in pretty ugly terms:

“all black with an eye-burning red panel that splattered itself down the front like a geometrical haemorrhage, held in by a criss-cross sash of black. The red extended upwards almost to the neckline, and downwards to mid-thigh, petering out top and bottom in a sort of cast-off splatter. The effect of the strong contrast was to turn a mere frock into a poster in the most disturbing colours known to man, the colours of chaos..”

And worse, Greer then criticizes the clothes of Michelle’s daughters as not being “girly” enough.

Yikes!

This from a woman who encouraged other women to get to know and accept their bodies, and railed against the constraints of the bra?

Don’t our young girls get enough of that crap without hearing it from a woman who used to be representative of putting an end to this kind of body/clothes consciousness?

Sadly, Michelle Obama’s wardrobe will be the major focus of media coverage of her, from now until her husband’s term is over. Once again we are seeing a complex, intelligent, and interesting woman presented as a caricature – as a clueless airhead who can’t dress herself appropriately, or worse – as someone who purposely and selfishly chose to wear a shocking dress to draw attention to herself on her husband’s big night.

I really doubt Michelle Obama is that small of a person, and shame on Greer for painting her as such.

Dangerous Game

Obama met with Hillary Clinton on Thursday, to discuss the possibility of her becoming the Secretary of State. Now, this is the same Hillary that he did not vet *at all* for VP. But now, he is “looking at her” for SoS…

if this is posturing, it is a dangerous game to play. There are many women who feel the best candidate – who happened to be a woman – being skipped over for VP was a slap in the face of all women. Will the “hope and change” guy deliver on the gender make-up of his cabinet?

If he floats her name, then chooses a man, no one should be surprised. But it would be a further insult to the highest profile female leader in this country today. She campaigned tirelessly for him. If this leak of her name is a trial balloon, or meant as a sop to those who were outraged at his choice of Biden, it is patronizing in the extreme.

In a November 7 posting Lynette Long notes that Bush’s cabinet of 15 people contains 4 women (Condoleeza Rica the current SoS, Elain Chao SoLabor, Mary Peters as SoTransportation, and Margaret Spellings, SoEducation. Seven other people also attend cabinet meetings, and one of those is Susan Schwab, U.S. Trade Secretary. That means 23% of those in the meeting are female. Since women comprise the majority of population, and women swung the election for Obama, will he increase that figure? Or will he decrease it?

In his campaign, there were more men in leadership positions than women. He paid women less than the men. I am not hopeful that his new cabinet will reflect anything different, but we really do not know what he will do.

But back in March, had my suspicions…

Scapegoat

Women delivered the presidency to Obama with our votes. In a rambling op-ed at the Boston Globe’s website, Ellen Goodman, provides the numbers that show how women in swing states made the difference. Goodman’s point was that women vote for agenda, not gender. But the way she made her point is far more telling. She devotes the majority of her piece to unnecessary Palin-bashing, including ridiculing the way the Governor speaks and, of course, what would a mainstream media piece be without bringing up the clothes and restating the unsubstantiated rumors and lies allegedely coming from the McCain campaign, about Palin. Perhaps Goodman missed that MSNBC had to apologize yesterday for their role in failing to verify information and instead rushing it out to the airwaves, thus spreading out and out lies…

Goodman’s op-ed is a classic example of how women tear down other women, even when there is no need and it serves no purpose.

I left the following comments on the Globe website:

I came across your piece and was interested by the title. Yet when I started reading it, I had to look up again to be sure I’d followed the correct link. I studied journalism and know that a well constructed story has as its lead its most powerful piece of information. If your story is about agenda, not gender, you missed the mark.

Instead we are treated to yet another round of Palin-bashing that rambles on for four paragraphs, in case, I guess, we didn’t “get it” that you voted for Obama and don’t like Palin.

But when you FINALLY made your point, buried in the middle of the piece, it was a very interesting one. I find it terrible disappointing to see that so many women are still throwing their votes away, on candidates who aren’t going to do a thing to help us, unless there is a gun to their head of some metaphorical kind. Obama remained silent when the two women running against his ticket were bashed and slashed by the media, and in Senator Clinton’s case, by her own Party. He knew he could do that because he knew women were more inclined to tear down another woman than expect a man to stand up for sexism. And you who voted for him proved that right.

Your op-ed, perhaps unintentionally, was the perfect example of your story’s theme – agenda over gender. You embody in your own words exactly why women are underrepresented in every area of life. It is that need to tear down another woman unnecessarily, to ridicule and diminish someone, while trying to elevate yourself.

I do commend you for closing with an important point about the historic nature of Palin’s run – how she has transformed the landscape for the Republican party. It’s just unfortunate that you had to bring up the clothes again as an ending since, as everyone knows who has been paying attention this week, she didn’t ask for them and does not possess them.

Perhaps the day will come when all women, you included, Ms. Goodman, will realize that while we snipe at each other, and hold each other back, men continue to dominate politics and run our country. And it may be another 24 years before any major Party puts another woman on its ticket. That is nothing for women to be proud of, in my opinion.