Saturday, February 23, 2013

The myth of American hypermasculinity.

See the Three Female Fighters Cut from Return of the Jedi (click here)

Ah, but the pilot has a pretty face.

The one aspect of advocating women's rights across the decades has always met with an intractable dynamic.

Patriarchy.

The idea when women step into traditionally masculine roles they have to act and be masculine.

The idea that women are pretty, vulnerable and need protection permeates the American culture. We have witnessed this in the military related to rape. The sexual assaults of women, in the patriarchal culture of the military, are welcome and needed and a payment for the protection they will receive. 

We all know the old paradigm where women fucks their way to the top when they achieve higher paying management positions. So, therefore, women really can't achieve the pinnacle places of power and wealth. It just isn't possible.

Recently, there has been ads for a program whereby contestants wear robot armament and go into battle with each other. The ad features a woman. So, there in the face of equity of the gender is a female wearing armament

The favorite wrestling venue for women is mud wrestling. They just can't compete anywhere else.

Colette Dowling, author of The Cinderella Complex wrote a second book titled "The Frailty Myth." Dowling really gets down to it. She notes how women have been pitchers of the 90 mph baseball, but, never get to the Hall of Fame. Women aren't known to use steroids either. 

The more women show their strength the more hypermasculinity emerges. She talks about physical equality with men, the organism, the virgin, their is a chapter called, "The Backlash." 

The reason women can't compete with men is because men don't want them in the club unless they are sexual.

There is this idea that patriarchy is the pinnacle of any civilized society. Some feminists accept that as true. I never did. Women are very capable of being a part of any game, be it Wall Street, manning a NGO in the Middle East or flying a helicopter into battle. There really is no limit. 

When anyone states, patriarchy is the pinnacle of any society in history for as long as organized society has existed, I simply state, "She has a swing to her hips." 

Is it up to women to 'break the mold?' No. It is up to women to 'set the standard' and then we will have a civilized society where hypermasculinity is removed and women are as much a part of any game.

Have a better day.

The Frailty Myth, Women Approaching Physical Equity (click here)

If anyone is involved with female athletes this is an excellent book to begin the advocacy for their equity.

The dilemma is simple and easily validated. When men are 'Aren't Tough Enough" they accept a greater definition of physical strength to separate themselves from advancing women. Hypermasculinity. That hypermasculinity permeates the gun and violence culture of the USA.

So, one more time. 

Do women seek to break the mold? 

No.

Women seek to set the standard.

It is the only way to remove this hideous race of defining gender. When a woman dons a robot armament to compete in a televised fight, where will the poor man go to define his stronger persona. It would a far better exercise to explore where masculinity has been before women have sought equity and revisit it through fashion, theater and movies.