PILLARS - PART 1

It's a man's world and he has secured it upon four, strong pillars. They have supported how he shaped the past, how he is shaping the present and how he will shape the future.

What we hear and see via the media is what we come to believe. The Political Party that owns the media controls it. It is certainly no accident that Dubya, oozing charm from every pore, has dominated all the media with little or no critical appraisal. Nor is it accidental that Clinton's actions are put in the worst possible light by exaggerated claims. For example, he is accused of "cleaning out all the furniture in the White House."

Meanwhile, none of the press notices that "W" appears only for short announcements and takes only selected questions on selected topics. This isn't just the usual honeymoon, it's a cop out by a media in collusion with Cheney and the White House staff to make a silk purse out of an asshole.

Clinton is assailed both for the pardons he made and the ones the media think he should have made. For eight years, the Repugnants investigated everything they could think of to topple him from the Presidency and now that he is finally out, they are still investigating him. We can expect this to intensify as the GOPpers continue their campaign to gain a larger majority in Congress in two years.

The media is also berating Al Gore as he goes about his new role teaching graduate courses. Meanwhile, we hear little from our Democratic Congressional Members, in fact, nearly every voice of opposition is stilled, except for that found at Web sites. While the media is telling us that opposition to Dubya^Òs presidency has nearly vanished, we know that it really is gaining ground and flourishing via the many internet sites that link together to spread the word. http://www.thenation.com/special/2001electoralreform.mhtml

We are watching and listening to a huge media blitz to demonize everyone and everything in the Democratic Party. The tone of this blitz is mostly low, soothing and seductive. Their polls say that this is the way to reach women and influence them. That's also why Dubya is all cloying, sweet and lovey-dovey. Is this the same creep who took such delight in mocking a woman who pleaded to him for her life just months ago? Is this the candidate in one of the presidential debates that took such joy in carrying out the death penalty when he was governor of Texas?

Yes, it is the same person.

Maintaining the status quo -- male domination. Women are the majority gender in our country but not in our government. They are certainly allowed to be political, but they are cruelly under-represented and they have very little clout. They are not able to raise the huge amounts needed for campaigns because of society's suspicion and low expectations of women's abilities -- unhappily, many women concur, so both genders tend NOT to support women candidates.

How did this come about? By conditioning and training for generations. How she dresses, what she wants and how she acts is pre-determined by years of a culture that has conditioned many women into remaining little girls in their tiny dresses, silly hair styles, painted faces and hairless bodies than men desire. Then, having attained the goal the culture demands of her, she accepts as normal that the culture describes her as vain and self absorbed, and calls her a slut and a whore.

We also may be suspicious of women candidates or critical of them because of what the media has told us about what a woman should look like and what a woman should aspire to. Our thinking and feeling regarding the abilities of women are carefully orchestrated by the information we have received throughout our life.

Look at how our society excoriates strong, independent women who go into politics. Look at how women themselves are leading the disapproval and criticism. In her time, Eleanor Roosevelt fought the constant condemnation of her own gender and powerful men directed and financed it just as they do today. For more examples of how strong women were buried in the past see: http://www.gendergappers.org/1997-010.htm

During the last 8 years we have seen the media assail now Senator Hillary Clinton. The independent council was not able to prove any of the many charges lodged by the GOPsters against the First Lady. Today, they are still assaulting her in the media. The latest criticism of Hillary is that she is not glamorous! Neither Hillary nor Janet Reno has gotten the support of women that they are entitled to. They both courageously assailed the barriers thrown up against women's right to autonomy. The male supported "feminista" leads the charge against them and against all women who dare to define themselves and especially those that would aspire to political leadership.

"[Hillary] began her Senate committee work looking like a bug-eyed, droopy derelict flushed out of a train tunnel."
            -- Camille Paglia http://www.salon.com/people/col/pagl/2001/02/07/inaug/print.html

It wasn't so long ago that voting was denied for idiots, imbeciles, aliens, the insane and women. This was a standing law in Texas until 1918. Which one of the above best describes us now?

Part 2 of Pillars in next week's article.

twanda@gendergappers.org       

2001-007

Copyright 2001 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@gendergappers.org.

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