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Katie Couric Flies Her Freak Feminist Flag
| posts about #anotherconvowithkatie more → |
Katie Couric Flies Her Freak Feminist Flag |
01/07/09
FreakFeminist FlagMegan, these two things are not on a par with each other, and I suspect you know that. The noose thing is more on par with progressives who talked about wanting to rape Sarah Palin, or the need to kill Hillary Clinton.
Remarking on the appearance of female news anchors and politicians isn't maybe/ maybe not sexist, it's sexist. It fits the established cultural pattern of oppression. It's an additional criteria that only applies to women, that they walk that tightrope. "Fluffy" and perma-grin" or "strident bitch" and "unemployed"
I've never quite understood what feminism means to you, as you often sound to me like a post feminist with the "it's all relative" "Jon Favreau is a hottie so lighten up" stuff. I'm glad reproductive rights matter to you, but they'll always be up for debate within the system that says our bodies are not our property and we exist for the pleasure of men.
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/sarcasm
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...not to mention judgment calls made of people - but especially women - based on their body weight, or hair color, or what have you.
i don't think it's sexist to consider a person to be attractive and say it out loud...what's wrong with thinking someone is good looking and saying so? it's when those comments cross the line, and that's where people fail.
01/07/09
Both isms are capable of threatening our physical safety. For example, one of the reasons rape and violence against women is used during wartime is because of the many ripple effects it creates to crumble women, and the society of the enemy as a whole. Even though no one has openly declared war on women in America, look at the statistics: Somewhere in America a woman is battered, usually by her intimate partner, every 15 seconds. One out of every six American women have been the victims of an attempted or completed rape in their lifetime.* And what of the Not Rape epidemic?** This is no small deal. There is a silent war against women in America. I don't say any of this to belittle anyone else's daily reality; only to reinforce that women have their own fucked-up daily reality too.
When we talk about the isms, why do we have to quantify them? I am a minority in many ways, including race and gender. Sexism traumatizes me in the same way that racism does. It hurts just as bad. And most of the time it is never outright. I don't need threats. Racism and Sexism is practically in the air in this country, and I have been aware of both since I was a child.
Sexism should NEVER come in second place to racism. Women should NEVER feel like we have to quantify the prejudice we face. Because then sexism has belittled us further and done its job.
Prejudice and hatred should never be quantified with one group over the other.
I'm sorry my comment was a novel, and perhaps people will pick apart what I wrote, but that is my life experience.
But in a day any age when too many people are scared to even call themselves feminists, having Katie Couric say that she is one is a pretty good step in the right direction.
Amen.
*[www.feminist.com]
**[www.racialicious.com]
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01/07/09
FreakFeminist FlagYes we need to stop with the oppression Olympics but it is not a fair point, it is an ignorant one. One is not more palatable than the other. They are just administered differently.
01/07/09
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FreakFeminist FlagAnd I completely agree that if more people like Couric stood up and said, "I am a feminist" hopefully others wouldn't be less likely to balk at the word, which is of course, not bloody likely.
01/07/09
This is what caffeine withdrawal looks like, kids.
01/07/09
FreakFeminist Flag01/07/09
FreakFeminist FlagSHT P!
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01/07/09
Did I miss something?
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She didn't say in the article that racism is to be taken less seriously than sexism, or that they were equal. She was talking about how they are both viewed to the public. Get off it!
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This is not how I personally feel about the article, nor how I believe it was intended, but that's why sound bites and pulled quotes are so damning. They are easily read out of context, more often than not.
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I can be super mature and constructive too!
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Racism is just more covert and institutionalized. Sexism a lot of the time is overt. For example, sexist language is perceived as okay( men saying, "It was just a joke.") but society moves the racist language behind closed doors. When people think they are among like minded people, they will spew ignorance. This something that is acceptable in society. Just because we don't see it doesn't make it less so.
01/07/09
I guess I should just hold my ramblings until Wednesday night Socrates Cafe!
01/07/09
I also think that sexism and misogyny doesn't have the...for lack of a better word...power(?) behind it that racism does, and because of that the conscientisation that happened with race awareness has not yet fully happened with sex identity and awareness, albeit the many waves of feminism.
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01/07/09
I do agree with Couric that sexist language is perceived by many as acceptable in mixed company and in many more settings, wheras, as you rightly point out, people have taken racist language behind closed doors among their own. I only agree with her sofaras language and culture are concerned. When you go deeper than that, into anything institutionalized or conditioned or socialized, then her comment makes no sense, but I do give her the benefit of the doubt that she was talking only about what people feel comfortable saying in public or in pop culture.
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With Curic's statements she simplify both sexism and racism. Racism is not just calling someone a slur or just disliking a certain race. It is a power struggle that happens under the surface.
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The degree to which any of us experience racism or sexism is so heavily dependant on individual experience, which I would argue vary according to class as much as race. I don't think it's fair or useful to have a discrimination off! to quantify whose experience is more legitimate or representative of How the World Is.
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Yes all experiences are different but a white person does not experience racism the same way a person a color of would. They have a white privilege to shield them from the institutionalized racism that goes on daily.
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When I say more, I do not mean more than sexism I mean it is carried out commonly in an institutionalized way more so than in a people shouting racial epitaphs way.
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01/07/09
FreakFeminist FlagJust wanted to say: Go,Katie!
01/07/09