SOUR GRIPES OF WRATH

The sore losers in the Women's World Soccer Match were never on the field.  They stayed, as usual, firmly ensconced behind their "sport's desks," safely insulated from world opinion.  Make no mistake about it, that match and its outcome royally pissed off many in the sports establishment cadre, and their sour gripes have reverberated from sea to shining sea ever since.

Understand now that we are not speaking of the many male sports fans and other admirers who cheered on their mothers, daughters, sisters and friends with no damage to their masculine ego.  We refer to the BOYZ -- males and their fembots -- who are threatened when any woman gets attention for doing anything except stripping or hooking.

The Boyz reaction stems from at least two circumstances.  First, it was an affront to them that women could be world champs in ANY sport, especially in a sport men played, and most especially because the U.S. men's team do so poorly in soccer matches.  No matter that they had always considered soccer sort of un-American -- an effete European game -- women just had no business on their testosterone turf.

Secondly, these women gained world attention for all the wrong reasons.  They weren't dressed in the latest fashions and they weren't dripping with makeup.  In short, they weren't acting like "BOYZ-Defined Women."

Add to that, the reaction of many girls and women to the World Champs.  Jumpin' Jehosaphat!  They could change a whole generation of dumb, pliable females into WOMEN WHO DEFINED THEMSELVES; women who were strong and bonded to each other as a team; women who played hard and were competitive; and worst still, women who sweat when they weren't even having sex!

So these sports announcers lace their commentary with nasty bits to entertain their fellow guys and fembots (women who knew their place and stayed there; women who paid proper attention and adulation to their men).  Their post mortem on the game became a litany of pent up backlash.

They characterized the World Cup Match as "2 hours of nothing with 5 interesting minutes at the end and the best part of that was when Brandi took off her shirt."  But even that act angered them.  Instead of being naked, she had something on underneath so they were robbed.  They grumped that there was not even a bit of cleavage to ogle at.

If this one small boot for women is truly to become a mighty wallop for all womankind, we must expect the backlash to intensify.  "The RIGHT WAY" for women to act is deeply ingrained in our culture.  As Ellen Goodman noted in her column, Soccer is real women's movement, "For every Mia Hamm there are still dozens of supermodels.  For every message of self-confidence there are still a stunning number of folks investing in feel-bad visuals."

Women, what we do, where we are and what we wear are still subject to Good ol' Boyz rules -- rules that protect this type of male and insulate him from human responsibility.  It started with Eve and still continues, largely unabated, throughout our society.

Recently, 1st Lt. Ryan Berry, 26, refused to work in the missile silo with women.  He declared that he is "a good catholic boy" and working in closed quarters with women "would tempt a man to sin."

Because of Berry's refusal, the military decertified him from silo work which could dead-end his military career.  His attorney, preparing an appeal, stated that "this is another clear signal that if you're someone with conservative, traditional, religious values the armed forces are not for you."

Many question why a man with strong moral values would even be tempted when working with women.  The women silo workers were insulted at Berry's refusal to work with them, finding the idea of romance in a Minuteman Nuclear Missile Silo preposterous.

'Gappers asks, "Who could possibly want any person, female or male, that is this UNSTABLE, trusted with missile silo duty?"

"Boyz rules."  The idea that a male can blame a woman for his own lack of moral character is egregious.  That so many in our country insist that she must also sacrifice herself and her abilities to maintain his frail ego is atrocious.  [liznote]

Twanda@ConnRiver.net

1999-030

Copyright 1999 Renee T. Louise and Ruth M. Sprague, Ph.D. These articles may be republished for noncommercial use only, provided that they are copied intact, and that this copyright notice is attached. Address all queries to: twanda@ConnRiver.net.

G e n d e r G a p p e r s   ^{T M}