So, I was totally going to talk about something incredibly different than this topic, but I got so pissed off that I had to write about this jackass. And who am I referring to?
Jerry Falwell.
Now, I had never heard of this guy before today, when I was looking up catchy feminist quotes (yes ladies and gents, I am a professed feminist, though I MUCH prefer the term equalist) because I was going to discuss my greatly hated philosophy on guys paying for dates. I came across this quote and needless to say, it royally pissed me off;
"I listen to feminists and all these radical gals - most of them are failures. They've blown it. Some of them have been married, but they married some Casper Milquetoast who asked permission to go to the bathroom. These women just need a man in the house. That's all they need. Most of the feminists need a man to tell them what time of day it is and to lead them home. And they blew it and they're mad at all men. Feminists hate men. They're sexist. They hate men - that's their problem."
Author? Reverend Jerry Falwell. Though, honestly after what I've read about this man, his intollerance of diverse non-heterosexual-Anglo-Saxton peoples he should be stripped of this title. Originally, I had saved this quote for the topic of later blog discussion, but then I looked this douche up on Wikipedia and I was so done. But, before I outline is ridiculous platform of beliefs (hold your horses, I'm not dumb enough to slam his religion, I'm simply slamming his other opinions), I want to analyze what infuriates me with this lovely monologue. So, why does this paragraph of garbage upset me?
Three sentences:
1. These women just need a man in the house.
2. Most of the feminists need a man to tell them what time of day it is and to lead them home.
3. Feminists hate men. They're sexist.
Here we go-
1. These women just need a man in the house.
I mean, comeon. What irritates me so much about this claim is that, to me, it insinuates that women can not be successful without a man by their side. That is utter bullshit. Look at Oprah or Ellen or or MOTHER THERESA! None of these women need a man to validate themselves. Moreover, from the general gist of this statement and from what I've read about Falwell, it sounds like he feels like a woman's place is to be barefoot and preggers in the kitchen. This statement then, to me sounds contradictory, because I feel like he's basically suggesting that women can't even be successful in the home, in their supposedly "correct" occupation, without a strong alpha male. So basically, this statement is not only offensive, uneducated and insensitive but it raises the great and powerful Y chromosome up onto a pedestal untouchable by those of us bereft of a heterogeneous sex chromosome mix. Awesome. So, you are glorifying the role of a "real man" whilst simultaneously cutting down the role of a female. Great, next you're going to tell me that God loves the meek as a way to justify this claim about the subservience of women...and all this time I believed that argument to apply to ALL people, not just women. Interesting that you've played up this strong, loud, bold man as the ideal role model for men... Good to know that you value me as an equal human creation loved and cherished equally as my ballzy counterpart by my CREATOR. What a man of God. Three cheers to you.
2. Most of the feminists need a man to tell them what time of day it is and to lead them home.
Wow, really, I'm two decades old and now I still need someone to help me cross the road? I thought I graduated from that after the first grade. Oh wait, you're right, I'm a woman. That's right, because I have a cootch and some fabulous knocks I must lack a brain. Yes, indeed, elementary school was a waste on me, apparently, the Y chromosome not only endows one with the power to autonomously define yourself but to comprehend information and learn. Yup, you're right, all that work with analog clocks in the second grade was wasted on me. Oh, wait, give me a sec; "Honey! What time is it?? I can't read the digital clock." Christ, what an idiotic statement. Not having a dick doesn't mean that I have a fragile and uttery stupid disposition. Oh and Falwell, if women are this stupid and insufficient, why are 71% of educators female? Why on earth does Western society trust women with the role of domesticated motherhood if they have such insufficient mental facilities? I mean, if we want to take your "women are only valuable as mothers" approach let's think about this; loving, everyday interactions such as cuddling infants closely or singing to toddlers for instance, help children learn better. How about the fact that the first ten years of life are crucial to the development of language skills and the fact that children learn any language best in the context of meaningful, day-to-day interactions with adults or other children who speak the language? What about the fact that ensuring a child's health, safety, and good nutrition are critical to their adult mental capacities? Or the fact that encouraging safe exploration and play, talking, reading, and sing to those little snot-heads are essential to their cranium's development? So, you're telling me that women are stupid? Geeze, Falwell, maybe we shouldn't have mothers raise their children. I mean, how can we entrust them with raising intelligent and moral individuals if they themselves cannot find adding one and one within their grasp? These tasks of motherhood seem too weighty for ones with such delicate dispositions. Seems like revoking this duty from them would solve the problems of the ever increasing stupidity of modern society. Maybe I should consult a male about this however, seeing as you know, I still can't cross the damned road.
And shockingly, Falwell, I do know my ABC's. Oh, and not only do I know my 123's, I am more than proficient in upper level calculus. So, why don't you suck on that one you cockmonkey.
3. Feminists hate men. They're sexist.
Woah, hold on their partner. I hate men!?!? WHAT?!?!? Uh....maybe you should refer to a post I made a few days ago about a certain Garrett Hedlund. Oh wait, you think I'm objectifying men?? Wow, you're a real winner there Falwell. WHAT THE FUCK DO YOU THINK YOU'VE BEEN DOING THE PAST FIVE SENTENCES?!?
Now, I know, this is a general bias against feminists. Supposedly we're all suppose to be butch, lesbian, have our tubes tied, and hate men. But seriously, that is outrageous. That's like saying Reverend Martin Luther King Jr. must love chicken and grape drank. Ummmm, okay? Pulling the hate card to create a socially debilitating stereotype is real classy. And it just goes to show that we pose a threat to the current social definitions of gender. I mean really, just because I want to bridge that 70 cent wage gap DOES NOT mean I hate men. And yeah, I know that there are radical feminists, who I will agree with you Falwell ARE sexist (or reverse-sexist??) against men. No doubt about it. But, those women are a terrible representation of the feminist movement and what we stand for. That's almost akin to saying that the Al Qaeda accurately represent the Muslim faith.
They don't.
So, why don't you actually think about what you're saying. Either that or go take a flying fuck into the sun (ehhh! see, I USED that one!). Because really, I don't see what's so wrong about being considered equal to a male. I am, I already know that. And I know that as the wondrous Eleanor Roosevelt said, "No one can make you feel inferior without your consent" but if I had a daughter I would not want to raise her in an environment that depreciates her worth as a human being. She already has the barriers of sexual objectification and materialism to destroy that, she doesn't need the world belittling her ability to be herself. I mean, to me, without considering someone an equal and respecting that they are different from you (as ALL other individuals are, gender shouldn't be such an isolating difference in my mind) you basically are saying that you don't value them. And if you don't value your wife or your mom or your sister as much as you would your husband or father or brother that's, well, that's just disgusting. You're breeding hate and contempt and a devaluation of women that continues to keep males on top (no, literally).
I'm not going to make this argument any longer than it already is. I mean, I'm pretty sure that it is readily apparent that Falwell's opinion of women makes him a chauvinistic, arrogant, self-justified and ignorant bastard. And I'm not going to go into anymore of his personal and political beliefs because they will just upset me to the point where the only intelligible sounds to come out of my voice will be "fucking asshole" and "shithead." I need to calm down before I try to explain my feminist perspective any further. And, trust me, my views are not as radical as they sound.
Oh, and if you were wondering, the title is another gem of Falwell's. To what was he referring?
The Antichrist.
Yeah, like I said, this guy is a winner. Never been so glad to hear that someone is dead before in my life.
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