Pro-Sex Assault, Anti-Condom, Anti-Abortion
Trump and Kavanaugh
Contradiction abounds among too many Republican leaders of the male persuasion.
These men are anti-abortion yet fight against contraception — the most effective means of preventing one.
Or they are anti-abortion until they want their partners to get one.
Or they engage in sexual assault even while acting to prevent women and girls from accessing abortion should they be impregnated by such a horrifying act.
It all sounds contradictory. But patriarchy ties it all altogether.
Right now Brett Kavanaugh is being considered for a seat on the Supreme Court. He is both anti-abortion and, if Christine Blasey Ford’s allegation against him is true* he sexually assaulted her when they were both teenagers. If Kavanaugh’s full intention had been rape he may have impregnated her had she not escaped. But of course he is against abortion.
In a related contradiction, former deputy finance chair of the Republican National Committee, Elliott Broidy, admires Trump’s “uncanny ability to sexually abuse women and get away with it,” reports The New York Times. Yet he and Trump have both been leaders in a political party that fights against both birth control and abortion. So Trump and Broidy think it’s okay to sexually assault women but women shouldn’t have access to abortion if they become impregnated by an assault?
Mr. Broidy also refused to wear condoms when he had sex with his mistress — and then insisted she get an abortion once he impregnated her. And despite his “official” stand against abortion.
Meanwhile, Donald J. Trump has not only raped women (as reported by his former wife, Ivana), he also refuses to wear condoms — say his lovers. Yet when his girlfriend (and future wife) Marla Maples got pregnant he asked, “Well, what are we going to do about this?″ Now what option might that be for an anti-abortion president?
It’s all contradictory on one level.
It’s all of a sort on another:
In such a world women have no freedom over their bodies but men have complete freedom to do whatever they will. Men get what they want. Women pay the price. It all sustains patriarchy.
______
*Christine Blasey Ford sounds credible, having passed a lie detector test, having corroborating notes from her therapist, and having nothing personally to gain by lying but much to lose even by telling the truth. She also wants an FBI investigation. It’s not illegal to lie to Congress. It is illegal to lie to the FBI.
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Posted on September 24, 2018, in rape and sexual assault, violence against women and tagged Abuse and patriarchy, Brett Kavanaugh, Donald Trump, sexual assault. Bookmark the permalink. 95 Comments.
BroadBlogs 
Trump and Kavanaugh’s actions towards women with little to no consequence show the disparity between men and women in the social realm. Trump and Kavanaugh have been accused, and yet they are still able to remain in high positions of power, even when there are testimonies and evidence that point to their wrongdoings. When situations like these arise, it is the women who are questioned relentlessly by the public. The majority of assaults happen between people who know each other, however, despite this, it is still hard for people to believe women when they are attacked by men close to them. In cases in which the men hold positions of power, the women get accused of having financial motivations. People assume that the woman’s life compared to the man’s life is not as valuable, and that is why she seeks to “takedown” the man in power. I think the patriarchy gives so much power to men, that even when they are accused of assault and rape, their lives get to go on. However, when a woman accuses a man of assaulting her, people get skeptical of her. She risks her career, family, and friends when she comes out.
Reading all of this makes my head hurt; it is so mind blowing to me that conversations like this exist to the public, especially people who hold power in our government. It is quite disappointing and hard to believe that our President of the United States was even elected in the first place, considering the allegations made against him regarding sexual assault. Like mentioned in the article, the whole idea of being against abortion but also wanting to eliminate contraceptives is completely contradictory at its finest. Racism, patriarchy and gender bias is not something of the past and is still very much alive today. I remember when Kavanaugh was being considered for a seat in the Supreme Court and I was so invested in the whole situation. I was so disappointed and heartbroken for women around the world who will potentially suffer from those who think it is their duty to make permanent decisions about a woman’s body.
Trump, Kavanaugh, and Broidy have used their positions of power to their benefit. They are dishonest, self-gratifying, and hypocritical. They are against abortion and contraception, yet get away with sexual assault and disrespectful acts and comments towards women. Nobody should have the right to dictate what another does with their body and no man for that matter should have the final decision on whether or not a woman goes through with their pregnancy, especially if it was the result of sexual assault. These government officials are sending the horrible message that it is okay to disrespect women and overstep boundaries without consequence. This is the result of a patriarchal society. Men have primary power in politics while women are portrayed as weak and unable to make decisions pertaining to their own reproductive systems. We have such a long way to go!
Men like the ones mentioned like to tell us what us what is moral and just so long as they are not held to that standard themselves. The truth is that women are unable to decide what they do with their bodies and even as these men would argue shouldn’t be allowed contraceptives is just a systematic from if oppression. If men can enforce this in women then they hold a type of dominion over them. Regardless of religious beliefs every woman should have the right to protect themselves and do what is best for their bodies and lives, to be denied that is evil and dangerous. There was a time in the not so distant past that women and young girls in a desperate attempt to protect themselves or chose their own life path sought out backdoor abortionist to terminate pregnancy and often ended up dead. Women need access to safe health care practices devoid if judgment.
Attributing the hypocritical attitude of these types of men solely to patriarchy I think lets them off of the hook. Patriarchy is in one sense male domination of a society but there is also a leadership and moral authority aspect to it, as well as responsibilities- what Donald Trump, Brett Kavanaugh and Adrien Brody do has nothing to do with any of these better qualities of patriarchy; I think they just take advantage of the system in asserting their true disordered self. What these men do and say, and many like them, actually smacks of self-entitlement in the narcissistic sense- no regard for the woman, she exists only to be used for their pleasure and discarded. It can also have the narcissistic element of putting on a false front, akin to hypocrisy in that their public image and attitudes are completely out of sync with their private, more corrupt ones. It seems hypocritical, and it is, to, for example, advocate against abortion in public but refuse to wear protection during sex and then insist on an abortion for their own concerns; it is actually a very disordered personality that operates in this way. Brett Kavanaugh sadly did get on the Supreme Court. I do believe Dr. Ford and I think Kavanaugh’s outbursts and admitting during the hearings that he likes beer in a cocky manner allowed people to see what he is really like beyond his carefully crafted public persona. Dr. Ford’s allegations damaged that image and did expose Kavanaugh’s personality disorder. Ironically Supreme court justice Ruth Bader Ginsberg recently praised Kavanaugh for having an all-female staff, something he actually has always had. I have much respect for justice Ginsberg but Kavanaugh’s staffing is actually the opposite of promoting equality in the work place- it is his narcissism to be surrounded by younger, well-groomed women for his image and underlying power issues- someone at Yale University (see Amy Chua https://www.newsweek.com/amy-chua-daughter-clerk-brett-kavanaugh-1443232) actually spoke about his penchant for requesting females that fit his requirements, referring to them as looking like models, and now denies it since her daughter is clerking for Kavanaugh. You can liken Kavanaugh’s need to be surrounded by these well-groomed younger women to Donald Trump’s desire to be have beautiful women around, that he also attempts to assault. These abuser types look much more like they are personality-disordered; think narcissism and sociopathy (lack of a conscience). They use the patriarchy as a cover to have more authority and power. Btw- contrary to the Mayo Clinic’s assertions that narcissism is rare and that they have only 200,000 “cases,” it is actually much more prevalent and generally affects males. These types actually don’t seek treatment – not that there is a cure – they don’t think anything is wrong with them- it is usually their victims that seek help. The bible says that men’s hearts are deceitful and desperately wicked- when it comes to Trump et al, no kidding.
OK. But I am unclear on what the better qualities of patriarchy would be. But I am unclear on what the better qualities of patriarchy would be. Well masculinity has good qualities patriarchy/male domination does not. While masculinity has good qualities patriarchy/male domination does not.
“I am unclear on what the better qualities of patriarchy would be.”
So let me get this straight. You’re living a priviledged life in the richest country in the world, (allegedly a patriarchal one) with an income and lifestyle tens of thousands of times greater than your supposed Cherokee and Minoan civilizations, and you are strugging to find any benefits?
The good parts aren’t the patriarchal parts. Patriarchy is rife in poor areas of the world, too. In fact, patriarchy is even more prevalent poorer areas like South America, Pakistan, Afghanistan, China…
Patriarchy leads to higher levels of rape, violence, violence against women, low pay for women, less freedom for women… I don’t think you would enjoy living in a parallel matriarchal world.
Both Trump and Kavanaugh’s stance on this issue seems very self benefiting. To be “officially” one thing but “unofficially” another is not only hypocritical but also simply dishonest. The fact that they are both able to stand in both positions simultaneously while avoiding taking responsibility for their cations (alleged rapes, and unplanned pregnancies) simply speaks to the privilege they both possess. At the same time, it is completely unfair to expect women to take all of the responsibility for the actions of both them and their partners. Abortion gives women a chance to take back control when things may not go quite as planned. While I can sympathize with those who see the practice as inhumane, I do believe that it should remain an option that is available for women to at least give them a choice about what they want. Men always have the option to walk away, and with unplanned pregnancies, this seems to occur fairly frequently. Women, however, are not quite as lucky. Pregnancy can be a beautiful thing, but it takes a huge toll on your body, finances, and mental-state (Postpartum depression anyone?). I personally don’t believe that it is at all fair to simply assume women should have to welcome pregnancy with open arms. It is a massive undertaking and to assume anyone is up to the challenge even if they feel unprepared and/or unready is simply unreasonable.
“Men always have the option to walk away”
Actually, it’s the opposite. Women can dump the baby at an orphanage with zero repercussions. Men are hounded by the state at gunpoint for 18 years for money.
“but it takes a huge toll on your body, finances, and mental-state”
Apparently the mental state and finances of men is irrelevant as usual.
Women are much more likely to stay with the child.
And so birth ends up taking a huge toll on women’s bodies, finances, and mental-states. Much more affect on women.
I was speaking more to the fact that women are directly connected to the pregnancy, physically as well as psychologically. The hormones one experiences during pregnancy combined with both physical and mental changes that women often experience are greater than that of the man’s. It is also generally more common for women to take over parenting in situations where the pregnancy is unwanted or unexpected (90% of single parents are women). So to say that women often bear a larger responsibility (when concerning pregnancy and children) is simply an articulation of the discourses at play in our current culture.
“It is also generally more common for women to take over parenting in situations where the pregnancy is unwanted or unexpected (90% of single parents are women)”
Another area where the state favours women. So what you’re saying is because women are super privileged by way of the state giving them custody, we should grant them even more super privileges? Amazing feminist supremacy at work again.
It’s not that the state gives women privilege it’s that men are more likely to leave and the woman is left behind to care for the child herself.
Although in the courts women get physical custody most of the time, but that’s largely because most men don’t ask for physical custody. The other reason women are more likely to get physical custody is that judges rule in terms of the best interest of the child and put the child with whoever has the stronger bond. Because women are more likely to give up careers for their children women tend to have the stronger bond. With gender equality you wouldn’t find that pattern and men and women would be equally likely to get physical custody.
“It’s not that the state gives women privilege it’s that men are more likely to leave”
It’s a well known fact that in relationships, women are more likely to leave. Women initiate 70% of divorces.
“that’s largely because most men don’t ask for physical custody”
That’s not true. In cases where men sought custody, only 29% got primary custody. That’s female privilege right there.
“judges rule in terms of the best interest of the child and put the child with whoever has the stronger bond.”
Because women are ruthless in abusing their privilege. Not something to be rewarded in my opinion.
“With gender equality you wouldn’t find that pattern”
Since 29% of men seeking custody get primary custody, this almost seems an admission we live in a gynocentric society that needs reforming.
Women divorce their husbands not their children. In relationships where no marriage is involved it is much more common for men to leave the mother and children alone then for the woman to leave them father and children alone.
You missed the point that the reason why women are given custody is because women typically make more sacrifices of their careers for their children, creating a stronger bond with the children. So when a judge is determining “best interest of the child“ the judge usually awards physical custody to the mother because their bond is stronger. If we had gender equality and women and men equally sacrificed careers for children than men and women would equally be awarded custody.
” it is much more common for men to leave the mother and children alone then for the woman to leave them father and children alone.”
You’re ignoring half the scenarios. The 4 scenarios are:
1. Woman leaves, takes kids
2. Woman leaves, leaves kids
3. Man leaves, takes kids
4. Man leaves, leaves kids.
I was comparing (1, 2) with (3, 4), and now you’re commenting on 2 vs 4, for some unknown reason.
Also where do you get your stats, because unlike marriage where you can go to the court and get stats about who initiated, it’s hard to get stats on this.
“You missed the point that the reason why women are given custody is because women typically make more sacrifices of their careers for their children”
Non sequitur. There no mother-child bond when you’re pregnant considering an abortion. Megan reckoned women should have all the say in the abortion decision because women usually get custody. You tell me it’s because of mother child bonds which don’t exist yet when considering an abortion. If the father was given the chance to say “no, don’t abort, I’ll take the child myself since you don’t want it”, then this would be a non argument. But a man doesn’t get any say. So all the choice is on the woman’s part, and the man has no choice, neither about his finances, nor about his child. This is not justice.
The reason why women are more likely to bond with their children is because they are more likely to sacrifice their careers to stay home and take care of them. Just look at social patterns. Judges give custody based on best interest of the child and most children are more bonded to the mother because she spends more time with them. If men want equal custody they need to make equal sacrifices of their careers for their children.
Not long ago I was reading an article about the whole phenomenon of non-married couples having children and the father frequently leaving and forming a new family. In these instances the mother almost always stayed with the children and virtually never left them. I tried to do a quick Google search but couldn’t find it. Maybe you can give it a try.
“. If men want equal custody they need to make equal sacrifices of their careers for their children.”
Because bringing home the bacon is a worthless pursuit?
” I was reading an article about the whole phenomenon of non-married couples having children and the father frequently leaving and forming a new family.”
Because biology, men are on average, less interested in the kids. Not all, not completely, just on average.
Bringing home the bacon is valuable to families. But Custody is based on best interest of the child and judges award child custody based on who the child is most bonded to. Since women are much more likely to sacrifice careers in order to care for children the children are usually more bonded to the mother. If men want equal custody they will need to make equal sacrifices to their careers. And women will have to do equal bread winning. I know some families that do just that.
It’s true that men on average are less interested in children – all the more reason why women should get custody and why women should have more say in abortion. But it’s not at all clear that that is due to biology. Little boys and girls have equal responses to babies but boys are punished for interest in babies and dolls and learn to stop expressing interest. Girls are also given toys to encourage nurturing of children like dolls, whereas boys are discouraged from that sort of play and given different sorts of toys, like balls and cars.
” But Custody is based on best interest of the child and judges award child custody based on who the child is most bonded to. ”
Because a bonded child is better that a child with food and shelter…. oh wait no, because the court will STEAL the man’s contribution of food and shelter via child support, but is reluctant to take the woman’s contribution which is “bonding” and give it to the man.
The best interest of the child means being with the parent who they are most bonded to and getting financial support from the parents. The parent with custody actually tends to contribute most of the money for the child so women tend to have physical custody but to also spend more money on the child. I must’ve been typical since that’s what happened with me. Dad gave child support but mom still ended up spending much more of her money, and she had physical custody. When men get custody women provide child support too. It is not stealing from a parent to insist that the parent give money to support a child he or she helped create.
” It is not stealing from a parent to insist that the parent give money to support a child he or she helped create.”
Define “helped create”. If I give my friends a bottle of whiskey, a porn tape and a room for the night, and they get busy and pregnant, did I help? How much help is enough for financial responsibility?
Define “helped create”: Donated sperm. If a baby comes from you, you have a receive financial responsibility for the costs of raising the child.
This article addresses a truly important matter for everyone in society today, not only women. There are many major issues wrapped into one. First off, one can be anti-abortion but they should only be in charge of that decision for themselves, for their own bodies, and the fetus inside of them. No woman, or man, should make that decision for any other woman. This stands regardless of how the woman was impregnated but should only be reinforced in cases of rape, child rape, or where the woman’s life is in danger. Second, the men discussed in the article should not be “role models” for aspiring politicians in the world, or any young man in America. When role models get away with sexual assault, and completely inappropriate comments towards and about women, the victim blaming (her shirt was too short, she was flirting with him, she..) is only enforced and deemed okay but the leaders of the American patriarchy. The behavior of these men sends the message that it is normal, and okay, to use women for sex and for their pleasure, but as soon as there is a “consequence” something that could deem their reputation, they step in and want to control women. Third, more recently than when this article was published, the laws passed in several states putting EXTREME restrictions on the cases in which an abortion is allowed and the punishment for seeking a safe abortion across state lines, are sickening. The fear of terrible legislation taken away women’s rights (by a senate of all men, may be important to add) is unfair. It is also important to note that abortion will never not exist. You can outlaw legal and safe abortions, but abortion, cannot be outlawed.
This article states the problems women face in society, at the hand of the patriarchy. The article explains the way men have freedom to do what they want while women suffer the consequences, and I think it is really important to shed light on these issues before our society takes more steps in the wrong direction.
I agree!
Donald Trump and Kavanaugh remind me of fathers wanting their daughters to remind virgins until they find the “right one”. Because if they are against contraceptions and abortions then what can a women do? These men want women not to have sex at all ! Trump is trying to display a sense of morale that he does not have. He wants to play the good guy (according him) by being pro-life but yet he has mistreated women on various occasions. Also , they claim to be good Christians that’s why they are pro-life. But I have never agreed with people who use their faith as reasons to go against abortions. I am a devote catholic, so I would never get an abortion. But my beliefs are not the same as everyone else’s. No man should ever he in charge of a women’s body. Especially one that is rich and has never faced any economic hardships.
The current relevance of this article is painful. Georgia and Alabama just passed incredibly restrictive abortion laws that make it even harder than it already was to get a legal abortion. In fact, Alabama’s legislature makes it impossible to get an abortion at any stage of the pregnancy. This article highlights how these laws, put in place by men but regulating women’s bodies, are mechanisms to perpetuate patriarchy. But, on top of that, these laws perpetuate systemic racism. If someone needs an abortion these laws won’t stop them, but it will stop them from getting a safe abortion. These laws will affect poor people and people of color the most. In fact, the majority of people who have abortions are people of color (https://www.guttmacher.org/fact-sheet/induced-abortion-united-states) and the fact that these states are in the south will have an even greater impact. The Georgia law indicates that women can be legally penalized for having an abortion but oftentimes this is under the discretion of the prosecutor. And it will be no surprise if the prosecutorial discretion and the sentencing guidelines benefits wealthier white people and punishes people of color.
After reading this blog post I am still in utter shock at the amount of hypocrisy that these men display. They seem to have decided that they can do whatever they want when they want to do it but then control what everyone else does and seem to be an exception to the rule. I do not think that any man should have a say over what a woman chooses to do with her body in any instance. The idea that these men seem to think that they can chose when a woman should have sex with them, how, and what kind of protection they should use is besides me but also that they then tell these women they are Anti-Abortion but what them to “deal with it” on their own when they get pregnant. Their logic is completely hypocritical and makes absolutely no sense. A woman should be able to choose what she does with her body and no law about her body should be made by a man.
I enjoy the content of this article as a woman; I feel emergency contraception should be accessible for anybody, men, women of all ages. No one has the right to tell a woman, or anybody what, when, and how they can treat their reproductive organs. Also, nobody has the right to tell a woman what to do with unwanted pregnancies. It is sad that leaders within the US government have been able to violate women’s rights with no repercussions. They can enforce their ideologies on to the American people and have grotesque ideas of about that is womanhood. Kavanaugh has been accused of sexual assault but not rape of a woman but yet he still in the running for the Supreme Court. Our president has a mistress who states he does not like using protection during sexual acts. Everything I read in this article is sad and heartbreaking our situation to occur like this and America.
This is a really important topic and I have seen different points of view on social media. Many people say that women should not have the right to abortion because that will be committing murder. In the other hand, people say that women should have the right to abortion because in many cases women want to abort because they were victims of rape. In my opinion, I think women should have the right to abortion but only when the fetus is less than 24 weeks. Many women are victims of rape and they should have the right to not have the baby if they know that it would affect them mentally to keep the baby. As the blog said “in such a world women have no freedom over their bodies but men have complete freedom to do whatever they will. Men get what they want. Women pay the price. It all sustains patriarchy.”
After reading the Pro – Sex Assault, Anti-Condom, Anti – Abortion article from a personal perspective I strongly believe that when it comes to these kinds of subjects. When a woman is exposed to these kinds of dangerous like sex assaults or an unmanly man she should have the decision whether or not she would like to keep the child. I have this opinion because there should be an equal right between both genders. Since the male has the right to decide whether they will take care of the child or leave and have the women be a single mother. Women should have the right to decide for their bodies and emotional thoughts whether it is right for them to go through the process of allowing themselves to have the experience to become a parent or to decide to end the pregnancy. Since the child is at risk of growing up and facing emotional thoughts of the mother that maybe will experience seeing the reflection of someone she doesn’t want to think about. I feel that this is a right for women to decided since they are the victims of these kinds of situations and male opinions are out of the subject.
The blog Pro-sex, Anti-Condom, Anti-Abortion is stating that most of the acts done by the male sex are contradictory. In this blog, some Republican politicians are being dissected here. The Republicans who oppose abortion and contraceptives think that these rules don’t apply to them. Rules that they themselves oppose. They are free to do as they like. They are allowed to have sex without a condom. They are allowed to make their girlfriends or women they have sexually abused, get an abortion. They are allowed to sexually abuse women as much as they like. This is the world of patriarchy. Where women get sexually abused and men get to laugh and imposed more rules that they themselves can’t even follow. This again reminds me of the part where the victim is the one who is blamed. You were rapped, well maybe you shouldn’t be wearing that short skirt. Where men say things like “she provoked me with her revealing clothing.” Everything is so convenient for these types of men. They oppose everything that a woman might benefit from, but when it is convenient for them, they will “let it slide”. Even in this situation, men play the victims. I can almost picture the men telling the women, “I don’t want you to get an abortion because I am against it but it is for the best that you do”.
In this article, Broadblogs first points out the irony in opposing both abortion and contraceptives by suggesting that banning contraceptives, a common measure of preventing pregnancy, would cause an increase in abortions. According to my women’s studies textbook, Hunter College Women’s and Gender Studies Collective’s Women’s Realities, Women’s Choices, the Supreme Court’s case Roe v. Wade allowed the United States to invalidate state laws prohibiting abortion. By opposing abortion and contraceptives, Republican leaders are undoing what previous leaders have already attempted to fix: a women’s right to controlling her own body. Prior to Brett Kavanaugh’s sexual misconduct allegations dismissed and his appointment into Congress as a Supreme Court Justice, Broadblogs used this article to discuss his potential seat in Congress, arguing that it would be detrimental this country since his opposition abortion and had allegedly sexually assaulted Christine Blasey Ford while they were teenagers. Although many Democrats were against his seat after he had been accused of sexual misconduct, many Republicans remained in favor of him. According to my textbook, dismissing rape victims and supporting rapists is very common since women are typically seen as inferior and aren’t taken as seriously as men. Not only are women in general dismissed when it comes to rape, marginalized women such as black victims of sexual misconduct, are even further dismissed based off of their race. Political activist Angela Davis was one of the first to bring up this issue by pointing out how people tend to believe white female victims while dismissing black females victims of sexual assault.
I have very strong opinions on the topic of sexual assault, related to, but not limited to the relevance of abortion and women’s reproductive rights overall. The biggest takeaway I have for articles such as this, no matter if it is high officials such as the President and Kavanaugh or just normal misinformed citizens is that men have no right to discuss women’s reproductive rights, nor choose what should be considered right or wrong. This discussion is highlighting the fact that these two individuals not only have been tried and accused of immoral behavior but also their contradictory nature that in itself is immoral as well. The mere idea that these men are public figures doesn’t help the situation at all, and if anything worsens the situation. Why? Because they are showing other men that this behavior as long as you get away with it is acceptable and no harm will actually come to them. So not only are they themselves hurting the woman they interacted with, but also perpetuating this terrible behavior onto younger and more naïve generations.
No, this is not correct that the behaviour of Kavanaugh or the president shows anything to young men. Whatever Kavanaugh did (probably nothing), or the president did (have a private conversation in the back of a bus) was long forgotten until Democrats tried to drag it up for political reasons. The same could be said for all of the nonsense the left goes on about. Take the recent events, a few Catholic school kids waiting for a bus in Washington DC were descended upon by some “Black Hebrew Israelites” shouting racist and homophobic slurs, and some native Americans forcing their way into the school group beating a drum. Not worthy of news, but the leftist identitarians beat it up into a race war with calls for violence. Yet again, events that should be quickly forgotten, are amplified by the left into a frenzy of hatred. The left has no nuance, the left never forgives. This is why no thinking people can take snowflake culture seriously.
I disagree with you on one issue but agree with you on another.
Public figures are role models and Kavanagh and Trump are not good role models.
But I agree that the video may have been misread. People jumped to conclusions not knowing that the Native American man had moved toward the young white men to protect them. But it’s unclear since I also just heard that the Native American man felt intimidated as the boys walked closer and closer to him. Whether they intended to intimidate we don’t know. But wearing MAGA hats that suggest a desire to return to a time of greater straight white male privilege does make it seem like that’s the case, whatever was actually going through their minds.
I found this article very interesting. Men in positions of power are always going to manipulate the system so that they always get exactly what they want. It also makes it extremely easy for these men to then elect similar men into positions of power because no one will question them, because if they do they will get ridiculed and ignored. This is especially evident with the Kavanaugh nomination. Christine Blasey Ford bravely stood up and told her story, knowing how traumatizing it would be, and knowing that there was the chance of her not being believed and ridiculed. There is a common misconception, mostly amongst men I’ve noticed, that women make up sexual assault accusations so they can achieve personal fame. This is simply ridiculous. If Christine Blasey Ford was lying about her accusations, she would not have asked for an FBI investigation. The entire situation is shocking to me as it shows a wealthy man who is in a position of power (Donald Trump) using his influence to help another man with a questionable background (Brett Kavanaugh). It also shows a woman who stands up and tries to tell her story, only to be silenced by the men in power.
In my opinion, Donald and Brett are two of the most despicable humans I have seen in high positions of power. During the time that Christine came forward with her allegation against Brett, I gained so much respect for her. She knew she was going to be torn apart in the public eye, but she also knew she could not just sit by and let such a horrible man be elected to the Supreme Court. The day he got elected brought up a lot of the same emotions I felt when Trump got elected. I was overwhelmed with a feeling of hopelessness and anger, mainly due to the fact that women seem to be so ignored in society. I believe that in the future, we will look back on this time period and shake our heads wondering how we could have ignored the rights of women and minorities so easily.
When the trial of Kavanaugh versus Ford came out and the judge declared his verdict, it was truly a moment of the government doing the wrong decision just for political gain. Both powerful men, President Trump and now supreme court judge Kavanaugh, are shown to be an example of the latest hypocrisy. Both men stand for anti-abortion, but also pro-sexual assault. Their stance is that women shouldn’t have the right of abortion even in the case of rape. The entire idea is absolutely ridiculous, but are exactly the political view of such powerful men. This ties into the social construction of gender roles, and how the men are to make decisions for everyone around them and the women just naturally accept it, and the reason why these men are trying to make abortion illegal without being female themselves just shows their patriarchal ways. Both powerful men have been proven in the past to condone sexual assault and overall go against everything they have a stance about. Its time for us as the people to use the power of democracy in our government, and get rid of the corruption of our government, and start to make a society of acceptance and free will.
Reading things like this boil my blood. Men, especially men who have a huge position in politics happen to always try and take control over things that they have nothing to do with. Abortions and condom use should be ultimately up to the women. It is their body. Men having a say in what women do with their body does not make sense, especially when they pick and choose what they want from specific women as if their body was some sort of game. In reality men always seem to assume that because they are participating in a sexual activity with a women their say on how things go is somehow the only thing that matters. Women are often silenced and shut down for wanting to use condoms, and even having abortions. When women do try and speak up they immediately get shut down.
Hey Bob, this inspired a post. It’s coming on Monday. I’ll be curious to hear your thoughts.”
The viral tweet I posted or topic just itself or my comment to what you said? I hope you read what I said too ha. I know I write too much sometimes, but I tried to minimize it as much as I could as there was a lot for me to say as you could guess as a man. It’s hard for me to understand that needed to point out or why guys don’t get catcalling women could be scary or like aware that women have fears that men might not think about in some ways. Like I didn’t need to see that tweet to know that. But it seems too many thoughts in life are binary. And like life, things can be complex. I already said the issues, but I don’t see why there couldn’t have been a duality. Men don’t have to fear rape, and sexual assault from strangers because women are more of a target of that from men, plus women are more vulnerable because of the size, strength disadvantage women have defending themselves. But tons of men die by male strangers every day too and yes they are by men.
But when a question specifically targets women, it’s purpose I get is to have empathy and understanding to women. But in a way it feels like with it being specific to women and not male victims from men or male victims, it seems as usual. Male victims matter less, just like in those videos I showed in the other post. Just like men can be ignorant of what women go through, the tweets and replies by women showed how sad it made me feel that many women have such anxiety. But some of the same women answering made suggestions as if men don’t worry about things. There are things I may not worry about like women would. But like going to my car at night with little lights and stuff, I’m on guard too. It doesn’t matter that I’,m tough or strong, criminals don’t play by the rules. A dude with a gun neutralizes things fast or a bunch of men or a man with a big knife or baseball bat.
I think that in certain ways the idea that men are big and tough can disadvantage them because people don’t think about how men are more likely to be victims of violence than women are, or how men can be hurt by sexual assault and sexual harassment. Our stereotype that men are big and tough keeps people from thinking about that. And then you end up with less compassion and concern for men.
Many of the current republican legislation impose their own ideas on without considering the other side. Elliot Broidery was a man who strictly agaisnt an abortion, but because he never had to worry about an abortion personally, i is easy for him to go against it. Now that he faced the problem first hand, he understood why it is important to allow women to get abortions. Even when they face the problem at first hand, they are still stubborn on changing sides because their stubborn ideas will stick with them because of their close-mindedness. As a society and as a country, we cannot allow these people to run office. Sadly, there are many people who have the same stubborn mind as many of the politicians in the government who vote for these people, but this should not dissuade us. With the Mueller investigation, we may be finally able to remove stubborn-minded people in the government so we must not give up.
I’ve had students who changed their minds once they were in that situation too.
I think the results of the Kavanaugh hearing show how the older generation feels about sexual conduct. To me it seems like until we either more women or men that have different ideals and/or motives to be in places of higher power to make a change. I strongly think that woman are entitled to do with their bodies as they please so I also think anti abortion is wrong because that basically diffuses the woman’s freedom to explore what’s best for herself. Also tying in the fact that a woman is raped or in some other way sexually assaulted and abortions are illegal that isn’t fair to her for multiple reasons especially in that situation it isn’t even her fault for being pregnant. Also with condoms, I think those are also a consensual thing. If people don’t want abortions to be legal they definitely better be ready to wear condoms if they want to prevent pregnancies. Also condoms are made for both sexes so there should be no excuse to try to deny those either.
The main reason he got confirmed is that billionaire Republican donors have been wanting to stack the court in favor of the billionaires for decades and this was finally their chance. More important than Republicans keeping the Senate because the court changes law for a generation. The Senate changes every six years. And not even the entire Senate. Billionaires > US.
I was shocked, but I understood deeply. I believe having a baby is great things for everyone’s life. I want to have some children in my future with my future husband. It means men and women should be careful and wear a condom and take pills if they do not want to have a baby or they can not be responsible for them and their partner’s lives. I was taking a pill because my period did not come more than 3 months because of stress. Then I remember that my ex-boyfriend became not to wear a condom because he noticed that I took a pill. I know that is ridiculous, but I think so many men do or did same things. My female friends took pills or wear IUS because their boyfriends do not want to wear a condom. Many male guys want to have sex without a condom because that is more comfortable, but they were not ready to get married. Every time, if people do not want to pregnant, female should do something by themselves to protect. That is so sad.
The contradictions you bring up are so common in today’s politicians, and seem to be a shared trait in many republican “leaders”. I find that despite these visible contradictions, many voters will still want to vote for these people. I actually don’t understand an anti-birth control stance because I have yet to hear a good reason to support such a stance. When I see these people who identify as supporters of stances do things that are a contradiction, that stance loses credibility in my eyes. Personally, I am pro-choice and believe that nobody but the woman should really have a say in what a woman does with her own body. I think that birth control and abortion both should be left to the choice of the woman. I don’t think it should matter if a person has religious reasons for being against it, or if they think it’s morally wrong. It should be a choice for the woman as the woman is the one that would have to carry a child. These contradictory politicians especially should not have a say.
History has shown time and time again that hypocrisy plagues those in power. Brett Kavanaugh is anti-abortion, but if the allegations are true, he may have impregnated an unwilling person. Elliot Broidery refuses to wear condoms, but makes his spouse receive an abortion. Trump in 1999, was once sponsored a dinner for the president of the National Abortion Rights Action League, Emeritus, at his Plaza Hotel in 1999. One of the problems plaguing powerful politicians is the self-centered attitude they take about serious topics. Many of these people base their beliefs on traditional views and the views of their peers. Many people use distorted interpretations of the Bible as a evidence to support pro-life. An example people to support their cause is a story in Exodus chapter 21 in which a pregnant woman steps between two couples and gets punched by the man. She miscarriages because of it and the man is punished for it. What most people forget is that the miscarriage was payed back as if it were a loss of property, not a loss of life. These politicians uses wrong interpretations of the bible, but even if the bible did support abortion, they have no right to prevent any non-Christian from having an abortion. These politicians know what their doing and know that their stance is false which is why many politicians are hypocritical in their beliefs. This raises the question of why these politicians support their controversial views even if they don’t believe it it? It is because these greedy politicians only worry about how they are perceived by others and in the case of Trump, Kavanaugh, and Elliot; they want to look good in the eyes of republicans, but as soon as their own ideology turns on them, they contradict themselves in their actions while still trying to keep up the false persona.
Truth be told it’s not really surprising republicans pushed Kavanaugh through since it is neither a unique event in American history (nor did they ever state the contrary). The stance of being both anti-abortion and birth control has been contradictory, since being anti one does not preclude the other. Perhaps it lies in conservatism basses in religion, however I am unsure if there is explicit mention of either in the bible (not that matters). Roe v. Wade being overturned would stand a tremendous blow to women’s reproductive rights, yet this has been happening in red states for decades disregarding any court decision. Republicans lawmakers have been over regulating to shut down planned parenthoods for a while, not to forget the ruling on running fake abortion centers. One thing that has always confused me is even if you have some disingenuous argument (I.E its murder) there are societal reasons abortion should exist like cases of rape, incest, pregnancy’s that threaten the mother’s life. I think it strange to me republicans think abortion will go away since in countries that have bans on it just causes people to either migrate or seek an illegal abortion. Honestly this whole ordeal has just told that republicans are permissive when it come sexual assault vocally, repeatedly and in a large public hearing(again).
Yeah. Making abortion illegal doesn’t make it go away. It just drives it underground. And then more women and girls die.
Republican billionaire donors Are absolutely determined to get a conservative Supreme Court that will consistently rule in favor of corporations and wealthy interests and against ordinary Americans. If you look at the Republican nominees so far that’s how they consistently rule. The donors thought it was more important to get the supreme court packed than to Keep the Senate Republican since the court will affect an entire generation. The Republicans would have lost their donors if they hadn’t forced him on.
That’s funny, the right wing news outlets’ talking point is that the democrats are full of neocons who want to pack the supreme Court because their billionaire donors are making too much money from planned parenthood and abortions and are captive to their wealthy donors against ordinary Americans’ interests.
Arguing something should be made legal because people will do it anyway is the most morally bankrupt argument ever, and could be deployed to justify anything.
The difference between left-wing Billionaire donors and right wing Billionaire donors Is that those on the right wing are making an investment. They give a relatively small amount of money and get huge tax cuts in return, huge deregulation that saves them a lot of money even as it poisons the air and water of ordinary Americans, or make products they buy more dangerous, or makes working condition is more dangerous, etc.
When left-wing billionaires give money to politicians they are working against their own monetary interests, but with their values of more fairness for everyone. No one is getting rich off of abortion. But I’m not surprised at all that right wing talking talking points would try to make it seem like that’s the case. And I am unfortunately not surprised that a lot of right wingers swallow the lies.
I know you said it’s once a week you check or answer which is fine. I’m sorry it’s been tough on your eyes. I just wanted to say, ignore the long post I had. I had a newer on I put up which is short to respond to instead when you get the chance.I just wanted to add that incase you thought the newer post was an additional read to the longer one, which it is not. I wrote again and just had it for your thoughts and then said I’d respond after. My older first posts had my thoughts which I ended up writing a lot or more than I initially anticipated. What happens with me is once my thoughts get going, I just have to much to say.
OK. I will read the newest post.
Meanwhile I do have to approve a bunch of student comments for a class where the students are required to do 200 word responses. So it could be a while before I Read something that isn’t required for class.
ok my bad. Your students are doing 200 word responses to your blog posts? Is it for this specific one or other ones from your blogpost site?
All
That’s cool, so they look through your blogpost and get to choose which one to comment too? Or you choose for them? Have you done this before? I know you’ve had students many times comment on here, but I didn’t know if you’ve had assignments before for them to comment on them.
They can comment on anything on the blog, even from years ago. It helps them to learn, helps me to see what they are not learning, and I get a writing sample. And apparently when you write on a public blog people tend to Better develop their writing skills a bit more.
I do see and believe in the hypocritical statements of men, especially those in high political power in the topic of abortion. What does surprise me is that although the amount of unconsented sexual acts down on women by men, there are those who have even participated on these evil acts, still say they don’t associate with the idea of abortion, but to prevent having a future and potential child, they aggressively force their partners to have an abortion. If these men were truly about anti-abortion, then they would practice sexual activities using protection. The idea of having an abortion, is very controversial in the modern society we live in, many believe that it is considered murder to have an abortion because you are killing a fetal baby, but many argue, what happens if you are raped and impregnated, how can you keep the child of the man that has taken advantage over you. Personally, I believe that abortion should be allowed, but in a certain time period after the female is diagnosed with being pregnant, I believe the time frame should be roughly 1 month after you are pregnant, because at that point, you are in the early stages of development, and also there should be a valid reason as to why you want an abortion. Reasons being you have been raped, or something else very personal and sensitive to you. But going back to the topic, how can we allow these politician males to be the ones representing our nation of “freedom”, when all they really believe in is gaining power to fit their needs, and the freedom of males. In order to fight against this corrupt system, us as those who care about the safety and wellness of not only women, but everyone in America, we all should band together and stop these certain individuals from succeeding in their plans.
Yeah, it’s really about freedom for the powerful, not freedom for everyone. If those who are more powerless are harmed and miserable apparently that’s OK. So long as the powerful can do whatever they want
“He has clearly lied about things and yet he should be on the Supreme Court? That’s crazy. And there is plenty of evidence that he sexually assaulted someone. No one like that should be on the Supreme Court.”
Well, I did not hear the lies you are referring. A man (or woman) should not be judged on their behavior in high school. Judge Kavanaugh has a better track record for his treatment and support of women than even a lot the male feminists.
His daughters should be very proud of their father. He demonstrated to them what a REAL man looks like and stands for in life. He was a true fighter. He would not roll over for the likes of these whinny male feminists like Chuck Schumer and Cory Booker.
I was in awe of the great speech made by Senator Collins. Senator Collins used logic, reason, and fairness in evaluating Judge Kavanaugh. She is no right wing Republican. She has a record of voting to defend women in the Senate. I know she has consistently voted to keep federal funding for Planned Parenthood. Of course now she is a “fake feminist” according to the angry mob of the Left. Sigh.
Real men and strong women (Senator Collins) stand firm in their beliefs. They stand on principle and will not be bullied. They eschew all the emotion. They rely on logic and reason.
I keep coming back to one Keith Ellison. Why has the Left ignored his issue? Why don’t they believe his girlfriend? Is it not the view of the Left that ALL women should be believed? Or is it because the female accuser is NOT a white woman? I will tell you why Keith Ellison is getting a free pass from Democrat leadership and the Left. He is Black AND he is a Muslim. Democrat leadership is terrified of offending these protected groups. That is the outcome of identity politics.
I am convinced that the silent majority will prevail in America. Liberty, freedom of speech, and respect for individual rights will prevail in the end. Group think and identity politics will not ruin our great nation.
God Bless America!
I think Keith Ellison should get the same treatment as any Republican.
The Republicans were under tremendous pressure from their a billionaire donors to get a supreme court nominee confirmed who will do everything he can – and who has a record – of ruling in favor of corporate elites and against working people. That is why Susan Collins managed to find an excuse to support him. She is good at dressing up a vote as being moderate when it turns out not to be. She voted for Repeal of the affordable care act by saying that she wanted something done to bolster medical care for ordinary Americans, and said she was confident the Republicans would do that. But then they didn’t. And her SCOTUS speech she said she was confident that Justice Kavanaugh would be moderate. So far he has already voted against voting rights for all Americans. Every now and then she has supported things like family planning but she also has a history of supporting the powerful over the more powerless members of society, whether it is corporate elites over workers Or billionaire interests over healthcare for ordinary Americans, or billionaire interests over the tax interest of ordinary Americans etc.
These men embody and perpetuate the exact thing that many of them try to deny exist, and you have said it simply and beautifully, “In such a world women have no freedom over their bodies but men have complete freedom to do whatever they will. Men get what they want. Women pay the price. It all sustains patriarchy.”
What kind of message are we sending to our nation’s youth when we are time and time again refusing to hold our male elected officials accountable for their contradictory words and actions? I say male because a certain Ms. Clinton didn’t seem to receive this same leeway and unspoken understanding when facing her previous wrongdoings. Well, obviously because ‘boys will be boys’, but women should know better!
In regards to Mr. Kavanaugh, I am very saddened, but ultimately not surprised, by the unwavering support from so many of our nations men and women even before any “investigation” *insert eye roll* even took place. The unfortunate reality is that when we have a president who has escaped responsibility for his own heinous crimes against women, this now becomes accepted and lessened from the atrocity it is to merely a mindless act ‘every high school boy can relate to’.
I look forward to the women and men who will lead by example and be a voice of empowerment and hope for our nation’s future.
I look forward to a future of greater partnership and respect for all.
“In regards to Mr. Kavanaugh, I am very saddened, but ultimately not surprised, by the unwavering support from so many of our nations men and women even before any “investigation” *insert eye roll* even took place.”
Just because a woman makes an allegation does NOT mean it is true!!!! It’s like you want to hang a man without due process. That is wrong. That is un-American. We MUST consider facts and evidence.
It was a woman, Sen. Susan Collins who provided the most reasoned and logical approach to evaluate Judge Kavanaugh. It was fair!!!
Personally, what a man or woman does while in high school should NOT be considered in evaluating their life as adults.
Well, her story seems more credible. She was willing to take a lie detector test and he wasn’t. Even his calendar fit her side of the story better than his. And he was shown to lie in small ways, suggesting he would lie in big ways. Not the best for a supreme court justice.
Whether or not something should count against you that you did when you were young depends on what it is, it seems to me. Someone who is willing to be so hurtful as to sexually assault someone and laugh about it isn’t fit for the supreme court. It’s not like he’s the only conservative possible. And it’s not like he would end up in jail, in which case a presumption of innocence is vital. But when it comes to a job interview it’s not so important to assume innocence until proven guilty. A lot of companies check peoples Facebook/ social media to figure out whether to hire them. The people wouldn’t go to jail but you can see that they’re not the sort of person you would want to hire.
I saw this because it became a viral tweet and made it’s way on Good morning america, yahoo and even BBC. I have mixed feelings, I wrote a bunch but it was long winded. I figured I’d let you answer first and share my thoughts and I can get all my thoughts which would be shorter by replying back and forth with you
“What would you do if all men had a 9pm curfew?”
Dudes: Read the replies and pay attention.
#metoo #Kavanaugh #Cosby #feminism #maleprivilege #privilege
Here;s the persons’s twitter page
https://twitter.com/DanielleMuscato?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1047263792260820992&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.goodmorningamerica.com%2Fliving%2Fstory%2Fmen-curfew-twitter-question-prompts-viral-outcry-women-58253631
And Good morning america page talking about this and the issues. https://www.goodmorningamerica.com/living/story/men-curfew-twitter-question-prompts-viral-outcry-women-58253631
That’s a fascinating question. The point, is of course, isn’t that we should actually make a law with a 9 PM curfew for men. But as a thought experiment I am fascinated by how safe in the world I suddenly feel. I would feel free to do pretty much anything I wanted in a way that I do not now.
I know that’s not the point, and to bring home the point of things. I have tons of empathy for women, so that’s why it’s conflicting. It bothers me for a couple reasons. Why things aren’t better for women to feel safer and the things women go through or have to think about with cat calls, sexual harassment, at the bar at night, rape and how women can be targeted for stuff like that. And how women are more vulnerable just because of men being bigger and stronger. So yes, I get that. With saying all that. Just like the point isn’t about there being a curfew, plus it wouldn’t even work because criminals don’t follow rules to begin, But what was annoying about that tweet was how it generalized men. And also, it was just to ladies. Yes women are more vulnerable and have more fears and such. But to have a tweet and question just to women, dismisses male victims, like that matters less.
Kind of like the videos I posted in the other blogpost. Like the tweet could’ve been if bad men had a curfew at 9pm. The question some may ask is how do you tell that? Or enforce that? . Well you can’t enforce a curfew with men anyway, so if we’re going make believe, we might as well go that way. I would be more comfortable and do things at night too as a man. It’s not even a bad neighborhood, but even as a man I’ve had nights going to my car alone where i’m a bit on guard where a group of guys are walking by and like just one light out in the city so dark out and feeling I would be quite vulnerable to being robbed or mugged right now.
Many men die from strangers too. Yes they are from other men, but I’m glad this was to just women. And I saw these tweets and responses and women saying all these things of what they would do. I felt bad women had to feel they couldn’t, but it;s not like guys, well only stupid guys go walking and feel invincible. I mean if that were the case, there wouldn’t be so many law abiding men who carry a gun on them. Not because they are criminals but for self defense. It was just upsetting seeing the answers from the women, with the generalized tweet to men, which kind of felt sexist. But how completely safe they now would be, beause they would be amongst their angelic sex, other women at night. Yes I know the stats. But there’s many reasons for that. Stats show black men commitiing more crime than white men and that;s systemic and societal reasons, not inherent. And I’m sure people would find it racist if there was a tweet of BLACK men having a curfew at 9pm, but for some reason a tweet about men was fine and not sexist. It doesn’t matter if it wasn’t meant for all men. It still means, like the tweet was how women are better than men morally. I’ve seen it from otherwise liberal men, I’m not liberal, and have the same empathy so having mixed feelings. But it still rubbed them the wrong way which it did for me too.
Interesting thing is the person who started that viral tweet is still a man. A transsexual, born male. I wonder if said persons hate for their own sex caused him/her to transition. I find that hypocritical. Throwing shade at men, like person is a different sex or not bashing themselves because of operations. Still a dude, I’m pretty sure still has y chromosomes, adam’s apple and twig and berries, He/she can gtfo as far as I’m concerned, with such sexist shit. I wonder how well a tweet would go even if statistics backed something about women that was negative that was more done by women than men and such a tweet was viral at women? I think there would be a huge sexist uproarm but it;s fine if it’s at men…..
Hey Bob, this inspired a post. It’s coming on Monday. I’ll be curious to hear your thoughts.
OK let’s try the male curfew thought experiment. All the law abiding men stay at home, and all the lawless men are out roaming the streets. Do you feel safer now? I’ve seen videos of Swedish female police trying to arrest men, and its rather funny.
Anyway, weren’t you trying to convince us all the gender is a social construct and that men and women are basically the same? If that’s true, how is this a thing?
And furthermore, if feminists are serious that they are aiming for equality and not supremacy, why are we continually seeing feminist thought drifting into female supremacy with thought experiments like this? A man and woman disagree on what happened 35 years ago? #BelieveWomen. Men want to gather together to discuss male issues like suicide? They have to be shut down by feminists. Women make up most graduates? Not good enough, they still need affirmative action. Feminists have become tyrannical and totalitarian and it needs to stop.
let’s try the male curfew thought experiment. All the law abiding men stay at home, and all the lawless men are out roaming the streets. Do you feel safer now?
I don’t get this. Of course not. But then toxic masculinity is on the loose and good masculinity is walked away at home. If you had reversed it and toxic masculinity had a 9 PM curfew and good man we’re all out outside I would feel completely safe.
Women police officers have no trouble Arestin man if they are using guns. But women police officers are especially effective at community policing, more effective than men because the community is more likely to trust them.
To your other points it’s not that women are better than men, it’s that we socialize girls to be nicer than men. We could change male socialization to Encourage more positive masculinity. Look at our founding fathers. They were socialized to be good men.
To go with what I wrote too. I guess it’s different living in a big city, but I wonder with some women who tweeted in response to that viral question where they said they would or could shop late at night or grocery shop if that was more women in big cities. I never thought of that because I’ve come from a pretty decent small city. And I had to get stuff last night. I waited forever, but went at 11pm at Wegman’s grocery store. And it’s just in general obviously not busy at that time and fairly quiet, but the parking lots are very well lit and still enough cars where you’re like walking without people coming in and out. But while there wasn’t a lot of people shopping. The ratio of men and women there was fairly even, even though it was 11pm. younger girls, older women, some with kids, even though Idk why they had their kids still up that late, but not my problem ha. But I wondered, maybe that’s less or less likely women shopping at that time of night in the big cities because feel less safe? I’ve been in bigger cities visiting or on vacation or a night out. But never lived in a big city. I like the small city, country, small townish like places more with living. Big cities can be fun for a night out, but I like the low key living otherwise. So much less stressful driving in a small city than big city too. And less impatient, aggressive drivers.
Sounds like you live in a pretty safe community where people feel safe. You’re lucky!
Sorry to hear you are having medical issues with your eyes. I hope the therapy works.
Yes, I know my reply was long. Sorry.
This will be very short. We have to simply agree to disagree. I see things much differently than you.
Get well wishes to you.
Cheers!!!
🙂
There seems to be one constant with men in power, hypocrisy. Your quote “Or they are anti-abortion until they want their partners to get one.” rings true, over and over again with these guys… But, good news is more & more we the people can call them out on their BS and make change (as tiny as those changes end of being).
I’m hopeful. But we’ll see. The Koch brothers are so desperate to get a Scotus appointment who will favor the wealthy above everyone else that they might just push the nomination through via a GOP that is dependent on their $$$$ donations.
Sigh..
This matter with Kavanaugh is a pack of lies. Pure and simple.
This is all done to try to derail his nomination. IT WILL NOT WORK!!
Most of the women who are married have husbands who when they were young tried to get laid by being a bit aggressive. Now, due to “MeToo” this behavior is called sexual assault. Absurd.
MeToo it self is hypocrisy. Might I remind you of this woman Argento who had sex with the under age teen? Or Keith Ellison of the DNC? Where is the outrage on the Left? Oh I forgot…when a woman has sex with ANY one, it is a gift to the man. The underage boy should be happy. Right?
I don’t believe this woman one bit. It is all political.
Democrats cannot win elections so they try to use the courts to make laws. The is what Congress is for the last time I checked.
STDs are on the rise in America. It is not because men are not using condoms. Women are voluntarily asking us men NOT to use them as well. Don’t blame us men!!
As usual it is patriarchy and men..blah blah blah. Feminism is hatred of men. It is not about equality any more. It seeks domination OVER us men.
Btw, it IS a crime to lie to Congress if you are testifying under oath.
If I didn’t have long experience with you reading my blog I would probably think this was trolling and I would not respond. But because I have seen some semblance of heart in you I will respond. Although I wanted to take some time before doing so.
“Most women who are married have husbands who when they were young tried to get laid by being a bit aggressive.“
That is a more common belief among men who have tendencies toward rape. That is not all men. And it’s very important that men understand that aggressive sex is sexual assault.
You seem to have no idea how harmful it is. I don’t know if you listened to Dr. Fords testimony but did you see the trauma it caused her? I recently saw the movie “eighth grade” with some friends of mine and the worst thing that happened was when a young girl — out of naïveté – found herself alone in a car with an older boy. All of us were freaked out, worried that he would hurt her. He didn’t. But it brought back scary memories for some of us. That alone was enough to freak us out.
How can you possibly think that it would be OK for two 17-year-olds to trap a 15-year-old in a bedroom, one of them throws her on the bed and covers her mouth and starts to try to undress her.
You have no idea what it would be like to be a woman in that situation. I wish you would try to imagine what that might be like. And apparently you have no idea what it’s like to tell anyone, given the hate that women who have been sexually assaulted get, while the perpetrators get all the empathy, as you and others have demonstrated.
Yesterday I watched the ENTIRE hearing.
Here are my observations:
1) I thought Dr. Ford’s testimony was semi credulous. Why? One she could NOT recall dates, times, location etc. Second, the people whom she stated were present have refuted her claims. Lastly, she stated she never knew they could come to CA. However, she admitted she was in Delaware the whole time.
2) We MUST favor evidence over emotion. The preponderance of evidence clearly favor Judge Kavanaugh. I am not interested in emotion. I am interested in facts and evidence.
3) This entire hearing has been a circus orchestrated by Democrats. From day one, even BEFORE President Trump selected a nominee, there was opposition. No matter whom appointed, the Democrats were going to oppose that person.
What you and other women want is for ALL women to be believed regardless of the facts and evidence. That is wrong. That is also un-American.
Dr. Ford presented her side. Judge Kavanaugh presented his side. I believe Judge Kavanaugh over Dr. Ford due to the evidence.
The Left has just gone overboard in this country since Trump was elected. You simply cannot get over the defeat. I have attended three Presidential Inaugurations (Reagan, Clinton, Obama). These were times when Americans put aside their political differences. Yet, in 2017 you saw cars overturned, building vandalized, and other extreme acts. . Yet when Obama defeated McCain and Romney, you saw no such behavior on the part of people on the Right.
I am just tired of all the emotion. I am tired of all the screaming and yelling. I am tired of all the outrage over petty things. I am tired of the gender and race politics.
Our country is built on the notion that the individual is supreme. Yet the Left is all about group politics. If anyone expresses a different opinion, he or she is deemed a racist, sexist, homophobe, Islamaphobe, xenophobe…etc. I am just sick of it all. Most Americans (who are the silent majority) are also sick of this nonsense.
Our country has become increasingly feminized in its behavior. . Men cannot be men any longer. Everything has to appeal to emotion. Logic, facts, reason no longer matter. Such a society is on the road to hell in my opinion.
In my personal opinion what a person did in High School should NOT be a factor in judging their adult life. Judge Kavanaugh has nearly a 100 women whom he has worked with or befriended who have spoken out in his defense. Those are facts. That is evidence of who he is as a man. But, when you are guided by emotion and/or you have a political ax to grind, you ignore this.
The #MeToo movement has been weaponized to go after men and silence men. Sexual assault is very wrong. Our country now hate White, Christian, heterosexual men. It really is ALL men. We Black men are the next targets for White liberals.
Back to the sexual assault issue.
I am NOT making light of sexual assault. I like nearly all men believe the accusations should be taken seriously. However, that does NOT mean the woman is to be believed 100% always. Look at the Duke lacrosse team. Clearly after examining the evidence (witnesses) such allegations were proved false. There are numerous other cases where men have been falsely accused. Look at the comedian (cannot recall his name) who had a young woman accuse him of sexual misconduct over a bad night of sex.
It seems that women and their male feminist supporters want people to just accept that the woman is truthful AND ignore all evidence to the contrary. Yet these same people are silent on Keith Ellison and Ms. Argento.
I can recall 30 years ago when teens would fool around. It was not uncommon for the boy to “feel up” the girl. That is now considered sexual assault. Yet, if you are a guy and a girl (or woman) grabs you hard cock through your pants it is OK. Only men are targeted.
Lastly, I know from my volunteer work in women’s homeless shelters that what occurs to a young girl can impact her for a lifetime as a woman. I know this for a fact. Research also clearly show this to be the case. All of this is based on facts and evidence and NOT emotion.
Hi Huggy. First, as I told Bob:
I’m sorry that it takes me a while to respond to comments. Especially long ones. I’m still working on healing my eyes, which got very strained between writing three blog posts a week, responding to comments, and trying to write a book, and other computer work. So I have vastly cut down the amount of time I spend on the computer. And I’m doing physical therapy for my eyes, which mostly consists of stretching them. They are getting better! But I will probably be responding only about once a week for a while, at least to long comments.
Regarding your comment:
You have to consider how memory works when someone is traumatized. They remember the trauma — which is seared in the brain — but they don’t remember all the details of the surrounding circumstance. How many details do you remember high school parties?
Overall I found her testimony to hold water much better than his. Even his calendar (Who keeps a calendar from 1982!?) Supports her testimony more than his own.
I used to wonder why women didn’t report sexual assault. I’d heard the theories but this was the first time I was able to see firsthand what happens: the victim is shredded to pieces and people support the victimizer. And it happens with male victims too. Incredibly sad.
Also, while I believe in innocent until proven guilty when it comes to sending someone to prison I have a higher standard for putting someone on the Supreme Court. He has clearly lied about things and yet he should be on the Supreme Court? That’s crazy. And there is plenty of evidence that he sexually assaulted someone. No one like that should be on the Supreme Court.
And outrage at the process makes no sense given what the Republicans did to Merrick Garland.
Otherwise, I don’t understand why so many working people support this nomination. Economic elites are trying hard to make it difficult for billionaires to have to pay taxes to support things like Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, unemployment compensation… As soon as the tax bill was passed with 83% of the benefit going to the top 1% several members of Congress (who depend on billionaire donors) began insisting that now we will have to cut social security and Medicare. Paul Ryan, Orin Hatch, Tom Cole are a few are a few I personally heard.
And these billionaires are desperate to have a Supreme Court that will bind Congress from creating legislation that helps the middle class if it means taxes to support Social Security, Medicare etc. If you look at what the Trump administration has done they are constantly acting in ways that support the moneyed elite and hurt the rest of us. Trump just passed something making it easier to expose workers to dangerous conditions like radiation so that corporate executives can make more money. Judge Kavanaugh has a long history of ruling for elite corporate interests and against workers.
If these billionaire donors ever get what they want the economy will collapse. Especially since automation and globalization are taking so many jobs. Plus pressure the put on Congress to bust unions and keep the minimum wage low. All of it leaving the middle class with little money in their pockets.
But then they use racism and sexism to distract people from the real cause of their problems. As if Mexicans and black people and women are taking jobs from white men when the real problem is a massive redistribution of wealth from the middle-class to the top 1%. But because so many people are racist and sexist the distraction totally works. The people of our country will be much worse off.
The billionaires want everything to be about individual freedom rather than collective action and collective good because if you don’t have collective action the wealthy win. The wealthy elite beat workers who can’t organize, for instance. Unionbusting, lack of a decent wage and poor working conditions. That’s the main issue for these billionaires. Just watch what happens to working peoples living standards over the next few years if conservatives stay in power.
You also don’t seem to understand feminism. You have some stereotypes about it. But I’m glad you’ve done volunteer work at women’s homeless shelters.
This says it all..
http://www.suzannevenker.com/uncategorized/this-is-the-most-important-takeaway-from-the-brett-kavanaugh-debacle/
This may make sense to you but it doesn’t make sense to me.
Women can make a lot of money by acting as anti-feminists. Just as racial minorities can make money and/or gain status by arguing against antiracism. Witness Clarence Thomas.
I don’t find either convincing.
My view has always been if a woman wants to use contraception or have an abortion, that it is her body and her business, nobody else’s.
Me too.
for many years I was actually against abortion until I realized a number of things.
Laws against it don’t stop it, they just drive it underground and women die.
But I also started noticing that the people who were “Pro life“ were also commonly against things that help people live: Obamacare, Medicaid, prenatal care for poor women, food stamps, pollution controls, gun controls.
They didn’t seem to be pro-life so much as against women’s agency. Trying to prevent abortion is trying to prevent women from having freedom over their own bodies, freedom over their own finances (if women are forced to give birth it is harder to have a job), etc.
I could go on!
“But I also started noticing that the people who were “Pro life“ were also commonly against things that help people live: Obamacare, Medicaid, prenatal care for poor women, food stamps, pollution controls, gun controls.”
All these things are the welfare state. Where has the welfare state got us? 77% of black children are born to single mothers. This ultimately leads to all the social ills like massive crime rates, massive unemployment rates, children and mothers living in poverty and so forth. This didn’t happen when there was no welfare state. Women took responsibility for themselves because they knew they couldn’t substitute the state for a husband. Now they are totally irresponsible, and who pays the price? The children.
You’ve got to be cruel to be kind. Democrats are still keeping them as voting slaves, just like olden times, by teaching them how to not take responsibility for themselves. This has led to the total breakdown of the family. This nonsense happened to me. My 13 year old daughter didn’t like being told to clean her room and go to school. So she went to the state and told them some nonsense story about how I was mean to her. They said oh dear, there there, let me give you a free home and free money. Later on she had a child to some loser who rapidly vanished, and now she gets endless free accommodation and free money. The welfare state is vandalism against normal human and family relations.
The welfare state isn’t what caused the problem in the black community. Lack of economic empowerment, backed by discrimination is what caused the problem.
Today you are finding white people suffering economically as we face a massive redistribution of wealth from the middle class to the top 1% (via outsourcing, offshoreing, union-busting, failing to raise the minimum-wage and automation, for instance. With this economic insecurity the white Working class is beginning to look very much like the black experience.
If we continue on this road without any social support our economy will collapse as working people lose their jobs.
Why should the rich and powerful abide by the rules they make for the rest of us? That defeats the purpose of being rich and powerful, which is to indulge your every whim.
Ha! Good point.
Racism, patriarchy, gender bias have been practiced for 1000s of years, that will be difficult to change soon. The individual mindset is needed to be changed for the old, putrid, rancid culture to change. Until then, “Men get what they want. Women pay the price.”
Yes. We have come a long way in the United States and in the world. But we sure have a long way to go.