 |
 |
 |
HITS, RUNS AND TERRORS
A
recent item in our newspaper described an attempted sexual assault on a
women jogger. Although her assailant grabbed her, she got away from him
and gave police the usual description and more:
"he had scratches on his face and was probably limping from a kick
in the shins."
Ooooh! Mustn't put THIS story on the newswires. It raises hell with the seductive, ARMLESS, therefore helpless, woman-image of Venus.
Images that condition us and reinforce the cultural programming of women assault us every day -- especially from television. As the new T.V. season started, we checked out a couple of new women-lawyer sitcoms -- what a contrast!
The first few minutes of Judging Amy sickened us. The central character is shown meeting all her life problems by leaping back into bed and pulling the covers over her head. In case you might not get the point that women remain immature girls all their life, there are even flashbacks to Amy when she WAS a girl.
Other characters include the "domineering, well-intentioned mother stereotype," various family members, and Judge Amy's male clerk. We love Tyne Daly but not the "mother dearest" role she portrays.
Although Judge Amy is given lines to say that show her to be capable and intelligent in her judicial decisions, the effect is soiled and spoiled by her continuously looking to the male clerk or her brother, for approval.
However, Family Law was a pleasant surprise and really funny since the situation was made the joke, not women per se (usual treatment). The principal character is a woman lawyer who finds out that her spouse/law-firm-partner has removed nearly all of the furniture, staff, clients and cash from their newly formed law firm, as well as himself, and opened shop across the street.
The only stereotyped character we noted was a ditzy, young woman secretary who had been left behind by the runaway husband/former partner when he cleaned out the firm.
Only one of the firm's lawyers chose to remain. She is a critical but supportive foil to our hero, showing great instincts and facial expressions in humorous situations; her role is smart sidekick and friend.
In a hilarious scene, our hero, after learning that hubby had replaced her with an even older woman, strips her body of all the accoutrements she had often times painfully worn to keep herself looking young and sexy for him.
It was obvious all through this show that the writers had "been there, done that." Far from dissolving in tears, fear and self pity, our hero's tears were shed with anger and resolve as she vows to fight for what is hers -- her children and her business.
In a memorable, gut wrenching and extremely funny segment, she is seen prying the "men" sign from a door, declaring that this bathroom, which was nearest to the offices, would now be the "women's." Men must now walk way down the hall for their relief just as women had to do formerly.
She then vows, "no more compromises, no more making nice. No more going along to get along."
With the one remaining fellow lawyer and a potted plant, she enters the women's room and further voices her determination without a whit of self-pity.
"This is MY company, this is MY bathroom, and if we don't take ourselves seriously, who is going to?" With that, she slams the potted plant into the nearest urinal, flushes, and goes out the door.
This was indeed a high point, but there was more to come, especially a few golden moments with THE TERMINATOR. You may remember that nickname for "Julia" (Dixie Carter) from Designing Women. Julia had the fantastic ability to spit words out without mincing a one. We look forward to more episodes; we've missed her buttkicking, ballblasting "I am WOMAN hear me roar" attitude.
We sure hope Family Law is NOT canceled but has a long run. However, a lot of determined viewers will have to fight for it, especially if it keeps presenting this believable group of kickass women week after week. If the past is prelude, we predict that the writers will be forced to tone it down to prevent exposure to this image of women.
The episode reminded us of the following quote that sums up the self-knowledge needed for self-definition: "To conquer others is to have power, to conquer yourself is to know the way."
While we're on the subject of new media shows there is a program WE HOPE WILL BE A NON-STARTER. It is a proposed talk show to be based on the vomit spewed forth by planet-man, John Gray.
His rigid ideas of human thought and action, based on gender, which defend bad acts and stereotype, are what lead our male children to think that something is O.K. because they are from a "take whatever you want by force" war planet, Mars. My, what an image to live UP to, just like the armless, helpless Venus is an image that women are directed to live DOWN to.
St. Paul, Minn. -- A 9-year old boy admitted to participating in the gang rape of his 8-year old sister. The boy persuaded his sister to enter an abandoned house and "to some degree directed the activities of the others," said a representative of the St. Paul Police Department.
Seven boys -- ages 6 to 13 are suspected in the attack. Four of the boys, including her brother, raped the girl.
Betcha the Gray apologists will claim this hideous thing happened because the children had no daddy. In other words, the blame for this will fall on women.
Refugees from Venus, are we? Sans arms, sans mind, sans everything? No way! We are women and we shall battle on!
Up URANUS, Mr. Gray, and take those bloody cultural cliches you rode in on with you.
1999-040
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
|
|
|