Female Privllege

Does female privilege exist? is a really good and interesting (and lengthy!) discussion on Quora. The comments are all over the place which makes it quite informative and thought provoking.

There woman who posted the question started off with these observations:

• I just got stopped by a cop for speeding or running a red light . I get let off the hook because obviously I can’t go to jail or even be given a fine . I’m a mother or big sister that has kids or a sibling to emotionally support and nurture . Plus , I’m rather cute . No cop will send someone hot like me to jail .
• Me : I had a boyfriend once but it didn’t work out . Response : Really , what did he do ?
• I want to get a guy to do something for me that could get him fired . Do I face consequences for my actions ? Heck , NO !!!! I HAVE BOOBS , YOU MUST OBEY !!!!!!!
• I accidentally trip at my home . Friend sees bruises . Friend’s Response : OMG , is he hitting you ??!!
• I throw a hissy fit . Something must be really bugging her or it must be that time of the month , again .
• Crisis hits the country . WOMEN AND CHILDREN FIRST !!! My life is more important . Men are the expendable gender .
• My boyfriend dumps me . I’ll just falsely accuse him of sexual assault or harassment out of spite . Whoops !!! There goes his reputation , livelihood and career . Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned .
• Two unknown girls walk into a store at night . Nothing to be afraid of . Two unknown guys walk into a store at night . Get your guard up !! We might be dealing with thieves , gang-bangers etc. !!!
• There’s no way I’m leaving my house over the weekend under the care of my son . He’ll just invite slutty girls over for a wild teen party .
• There’s no way I’m leaving my kid alone with a man . He could be kidnapper or something worse .
• Two girls in a relationship ?? It’s all cool !! Girl on girl is hot !!!

Made In, Owned by

I have always been uncomfortable with the "Made in America" label? Why would you buy something just because it is made in the good old U.S.A.? First off is the moral issue. Are people in other countries somehow less deserving of jobs than us? I like to think not.

But there is also the economic issue. Would all countries, regions, states, and localities be better off if they produced and consumed everything locally? Imagine if you could only buy a car made in your home town. Imagine if farmers could only sell locally. The same economic logic that applies on the local level applies on the international one as well.

In a similar vein, I find it just as strange to see products labeled "Women Owned" like the container of Old Home yogurt I recently bought.

Am I supposed to buy from a company because it is owned by women?

Using my well worn substitute trick I have with gender (i.e. do you feel the same about something if the genders are reversed) would you feel the same about a product from a company labeled "Men Owned"? Now some might argue that because most companies are owned by men that it is acceptable to state that a company is owned by women. But of course most companies are corporations and these are owned by stockholders. And given that women actually control more money than men, effectively women are the owners. It is bit like the deplorable under-representation of women in elected offices where it is difficult to blame men when the majority of voters are women.

Another Gender Barrier in the Military Crumbles

The military has always been one of the most discriminatory professions when it comes to gender. Until recently women were barred from many positions but that has now changed. Which is great but I expect it will take some time before 50% of combat soldiers are women.

The irony of discrimination in the military is that it negatively affects both men and women. Women because they have been historically barred from many roles and men because they are the vast majority of casualties. Equality will happen when 50% of soldiers are women and 50% of deaths are too.

In a somewhat amusing minor note of progress on this road to equality, male marines can now carry umbrellas while wearing their service and dress uniforms. Female marines had already been allowed to.

The new umbrella rule has, believe it or not, caused a lot of controversy. Marine Colonel Mark Caballero stated, "Change is tough, and the idea of seeing young Marines walking around with an umbrella just doesn't fit my ideal of what a Marine ought to look like."

A generation ago a black man didn't fit what many marines thought a marine should look like.

Erasing Family - A Film By Ginger Gentile

Family court hurts people. Men, women and children. Why? Because of money. Money for irresponsible parents, money for lawyers, money for judges, and money for all the other business such as counselors, mediators, testimony coaches and others who make more money when more people are hurt. Not that everyone is bad, far from it, but the system is set up to reward the unethical and criminal not the responsible and good.

The pain inflicted on children is highlighted in the film Erasing Family by Ginger Gentile.

An interview with Ms. Gentile can be found on Dad's Talk.

Although I have zero contact with Spring, that was her choice. She tried to take the kids away from me, even petitioned the court to prevent me from seeing them at all. But it backfired on her. Without me even discussing it much with the kids, they quickly ended up living with me more and more. Now they only see their mother occasionally. You might think this makes me feel good but it hurts me immensely. The damage done to my kids is immense. Emotionally and financially. What is it like to your own mother treat you as a tool to criminally take as much money from your father as possible?  Erasing Family delves into this very issue.