Picked sexism
international |
gender |
debate
Monday August 13, 2007 18:07
by Roy Strider
On a sunny day a young female is having a walk on metropolitan streets. A conspicuous-consumption-like vehicle stops at the sidewalk; the window of the car opens and a fattish male makes an outspoken proposal for oral sex. At the same time a group of dames are having coffe in a dimmed nearby cafe. They raise their coffeecups and declare: „All men are dogs!“ Upstairs at a job interview, the decision maker asks jovially: „Do you live with someone? Hope your not pregnant?! Have you ever worked as a callgirl?“
On a sunny day a young female is having a walk on metropolitan streets. A conspicuous-consumption-like vehicle stops at the sidewalk; the window of the car opens and a fattish male makes an outspoken proposal for oral sex. At the same time a group of dames are having coffe in a dimmed nearby cafe. They raise their coffeecups and declare: „All men are dogs!“ Upstairs at a job interview, the decision maker asks jovially: „Do you live with someone? Hope your not pregnant?! Have you ever worked as a callgirl?“ The same evening in some park a teenager declares excitedly: „Let’s call the chicks!“ His companions agree: „Yeah, let’s call the holes!“ And in a nearby house, paterfamilias says with a grin on his face: „Washing dishes is a womans job.“ The judgement is followed by pinching his wifes bottom.
These are usual frames of daily life in many countries. It’s called sexism. (The first, the third and the fourth can also be classified as usual boorishness.)
Famous reformator Marthin Luther declared 500 years ago that wives should stay at home and take care of the kids and the house. Sexism aka gender discrimination has existed throughout the world for more than 3000 years. In Eastern Europe and Russia, the combination of sexism and capitalism has resulted in a pornographied society and many people do not consider this as a problem. In the United States and Western Europe, sexism is an old and well-known problem, but the struggle against it is still rather feeble. Sexism in todays civilized world is just another form of oppression from the past, as is racism, fascism etc. The teachings of gender discrimination start from the disparaging remarks and jokes about the opposite gender in the childhood, continues while in school with an overemphasized distinguishing, develops into contemptible spit-outs by the time of adulthood and might just as well end with direct violence against ’dogs’, ’holes’, ’fags’, ’freaks’ etc.
Sexism is apparent when speaking about physical violence at homes (due to different reasons a common practice in rural areas); sexism is apparent when speaking about Eastern Europes old towns turning into well-known red-light districts, where womyn in pubs conquered by tourists are treated as ’loose’, socially and economically unsatisfied objects of sex. Sexism is a new tradition on the dancefloors of contemporary nightclubs – active markets of ’meat’, where human body is bought and sold with no big ceremonies. But if you can trade the body, can you buy and sell the soul as well?
The test tube of pornographied society
After breaking free from the era of ’socialism’, Eastern Europe – where different attitudes of different generations are clashing – has yet again been a phytotron for many social cancers. The new age has brought the same amount of double standards and hypocrisy as there was while being satellite countries for the Soviet Empire; and most people are totally unaware of them. This is where different views on discrimation and sex meet: a family man standing for conservative and traditional values might gaze at a deminude teenage girl on TV selling him beverage without seeing anything discordant in the situation. It is very difficult to reorient themselves for people born in the Soviet era: for example, sexual relationship with someone below 16 and homosexualism were criminalized in the past and all of a sudden almost everything seems to be permitted. Old systems of values do not work anymore and it’s impossible to adapt with the new ones. Or maybe, to be more precise – there are no new ones; theres a lack of a central paradigm, opposite to the catholic states or the former ’motherland’.
The contemporary fake-sexuality fueling wide-spread sexism is in most parts just a banal construction and the main architects of this are the flagships of the so called mainstream: entertainment industry and mass media. Sexuality is a commodity subject to trade and the logic of market. For example, sexism is widely spread in the field of popular music, which has shaped (and is shaping) the worldview and values of several generations. Hip-Hop and R’n’B have been considered almost 100% discriminative towards gender. The problem is caused by the transformed values of people, which see the situation as normal and worth to consume. I’m not surprised that juveniles can not live without showing up butt naked on the street or that internet is flooded with ’easy womyn’. There’s a huge industry behind this and it’s shaping a very clear meaning of what is beautiful and sexy and what is not. Creating constant dissatisfaction is an excellent ground for consumerism: „If you are not a ’babe’ with ’anorexic qualities’ and if you don’t fit in the criteria (created by the industry), then something is wrong with you. It’s a problem that can be fixed though: you just have to buy certain trendy and sexy products with certain trademarks. Then it might happen that you become attractive (but be aware – it might also not happen!).“
Sex – yes, sexism – no!
For conservative people, new roles seem unsafe. Ofcourse they are liberal against changes that seem personally comfortable and/or pleasant, but towards everything uncomfortable, people are rather conservative, being afraid of new burden and bigger responsibility. But it should be realized that responsibility is obligatory when living in a society.
Self-conscious sexuality and fighting sexism are the solutions that should be connected up with reorganizing the meaning of family and introducing equal opportunities with equal salaries – something that has already taken place in Northern countries. Egocentrism and the lack of information are not insuperable conditions today. Even the Roman-Catholic church – a known stronghold for sexism throughout centuries – is changing.
Here’s a litmus paper for sexism: in two mini-states of European Union, Estonia and Cyprus, the gap between the salaries of men and womyn is 25% - a figure shining on top of the chart in EU. In small societies, problems often seem amplified. But couldn’t this be the chance for small countries concerned with problems of gender discrimination? Maybe compactness and mobility can be used as a weapon for seeking new solutions and putting them into practice? Sexism is a very wide-spread attitude, but it’s caused by individuals. Yes, we can not choose our gender, but we sure can choose our views. A new era does not need new people. A new era needs new tolerance!
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Comments (2 of 2)
Jump To Comment: 1 2This article has been unhidden here on Anarkismo because it is talking about one of the most important issues in the world, an issue that doesn’t seem to have lost importance: sexism. However, we do not agree with everything in this article but we do want to have debates on it. Nevertheless, all of the ideas in this comment are solely mine and not Anarkismo's in general.
For example, the text says that wimmin have been discriminated against just because they were born wimmin for more than 3000 years in Eastern Europe and Russia. It has been proven by many scholars that sexism has probably existed at all times and in all places. However, I believe that the author wanted to point out the special situation in Eastern Europe.
It is true that our society is getting more pornographied every day and that every one seems to get used to it, hence, saying that it is a part of our daily lives and that’s why we don’t see that it is utterly sexist. Yes, pornography is not only sexist, it is also a serious problem within the movement to an egalitarian society. Even wimmin who claim to be feminists (so called sex-positives) contribute to this form of sexism when they say it is a woman’s choice to lapdance or make porn. It is not. First of all, only few wimmin do porn because they want to. The vast majority has either been forced into it because they needed money or because they couldn’t get another job. To say that it is a woman’s choice if she wants to be part of a sexist world is the same as to say that it is every persons right to be a fascist. We have to see that the pornography issue is an issue that affects all wimmin. If one womyn chooses to be part of this, then she is just another individualist who doesn’t seem to care about what her actions really affect. Pornography leads or has already led to a society where all wimmin are seen as sex objects. To minimize the harm pornography does is to close your eyes when it comes to sexism. The same is true for prostitution which is the most sexist form of wage slavery (that is very close to real slavery). It not only affects mostly wimmin, it’s also nearly always men who benefit from it. To say that prostitution is just another form of wage slavery, no matter where (and it does happen within anarchist circles, I just have to wonder) is a sexist statement. There are other aspects that could be addressed here. First, to organise sex workers can be seen as a bad attempt of men to get rid of their sexist guild and say that these are happy workers now that they are organised, so we can go and fuck them without feeling guilty. As communist anarchist feminists in the tradition of Emma Goldman and the Mujeres Libres we should be working against the sex industry that is just trying to commodify relationships between people. In the tradition of Mujeres Libres we should try get wimmin off the streets, teaching them other skills, rather than organise them. To organise a sexist industry without trying to change it is just as sexist as going to a brothel.
I am glad to see that this is an article that addresses this kind of sexism, if not overall. Too much shit has been written against so called “prude” feminists and anarchists just because they are against the sex industry. To be against sexism doesn’t have to do with being prude or against sex. But this always makes people who are not sex-positive defend themselves. No, I am not prude, yes I am pro sex, but I am definitely not pro porn. If you are sex-positive and think that the sex industry is just another industry then you should seriously ask yourself if you are not sexist and moreover, if you really are an anarchist.
Sexism is not only so obvious, there is sexism everywhere. If you don’t think women’s opinions are as important as men’s, or you only listen to women when you want to be politically correct on the “gender issue”, this is also sexism. And all forms of sexism are disgusting! It just doesn’t make sense to exclude more than half of the humyn population or even perpetrate against them. Yes, in this aspect sexism is worse than any other form of oppression, because it affects so many people.
And sexism is really getting worse because of all the sexist media, one cannot deny that. It spreads to the youth and nowadays it is normal for guys to be sexist and girls being called “chicks” and those girls who try to be accepted in a macho-society have to dress up as striptease dancers and be “sexy”, because that is all that counts in our new raunch culture. There is sexist media everywhere, from pictures where you can only see breasts to posters where there is a naked women just trying to hide her private parts.
The sex industry is not sexually liberating! All these things contribute to an even more sexist society. We can’t change the media but at least we can start changing ourselves and those around us (within a movement and so on) and try to open our eyes when it comes to sexism. This is especially important within the anarchist movement, because after all, anarchism wants to build a better world for everyone. That should include, of course, wimmin. And if anarchist organizations don’t address sexism then we will build our own anarchist feminist collectives, as we did at all times and places, because men, unfortunately, don’t seem to change or think that the class struggle alone will lead to an egalitarian society. How I wish it was that easy!
As anarchists we are opposed to central paradigms of any kind. It is about people’s morals and not about dictating from above what is correct and what not. Also, higher salaries are of course important because it is sexist to give wimmin smaller wages. However, as anarchists we only see that as a first step, to make life better here and now. But we also know that to be really happy we need to change the world. And yes, the smaller the society the easier it could be changed, but small societies are also very likely to be influenced by bigger states. That means, as anarchists we also have to work to change the whole world and not just a few small states. Not tolerance but respect for each other, that is what we need in this world. Men have to respect wimmin and see them as fully equal. It is really sad we still need to discuss this.
"To say that prostitution is just another form of wage slavery, no matter where (and it does happen within anarchist circles, I just have to wonder) is a sexist statement."
Well.. In my mind it can be. There are so many forms of wage slavery (a word many of us anarchists use for work basically).
Workers are always pressed to accept even shittier jobs when they can't find other work, and some are tempted to make a fast buck on REALLY awful work (examples can be soldiers, prostitutes, drug dealers or whatever). Many women are forced physically by pimps, and that is for sure pure slavery (incl. "human trafficing") and not just another kind of work(!). But a lot of those who get into stripping, porn, and "luxury prostitution" do so by "free will" (i.e. by getting the "choice" to go without work, or doing sex work - not really free will at all). If you see it that way it's just another form of wage slavery.
Also: a lot of wage slaves live more or less like slaves: in a lot of third world countries a lot of people work in uncomfortable, dangerous conditions, 14-15-16 hours a day, seven days a week, and it's just wage slavery isn't it? Aren't a lot of prostitutes just ordinary wage slaves then?
Some employers only buy the workers time and physics for routine work (working at a factory for instance), while some also buy some parts of the workers personality (as is the case with for instance sellers, advertising workers, etc.). Can't prostitution etc. (if it's not physically enforced by a pimp) just be described as a kind of work (wage slavery), where the worker has to sell a lot of her personality?
Does it really matter to discuss whether it's just another kind of work or not? Obviously we're not for making it legalized in such a way that unemployed people might risk getting forced into a legal brothel, when they register as unemployed(!). And surely we're for better work and work conditions for all, and prositution, etc. must be some of the worst jobs and have some of the worst work conditions - i.e. we fight for a world were prostitution won't exist as a job category..
..these were just some random thoughts, and I'm not sure where I stand on legalization. If it's illegal prostitutes might be abused first by pimps and customers, and then by police, and it will be forced underground where the pimps rule. If it's legal they can organize and pimps might loose some control, but it'll also be more legitimized. Neither are good "solutions". An easy solution for me as a revolutionary anarchist is to proclaim: "One solution: Revolution!", but this kind of just escapes the matter.