Compare these two cases:
- ”A Virginia teen is facing two felony charges after he was caught sexting with his girlfriend. If he's convicted, he could be forced to register as a sex offender and spend time in jail.”
- “The girl had sent several photos of herself scantily-clad to a boy. And why not? He liked her. He was a cute boy, athletic — and he told her often how much he liked her. So when he asked her for pictures, she didn’t say no.”
Both teens are guilty of the same crime: manufacturing and distributing child pornography. The boy is facing felony charges, while there is no mention of charges being pursued against the girl. I’m not arguing that there should be harsher penalties for the girl, as both so-called “crimes” are lacking a victim. Comparing these two cases does, however, display the rampant bias in our culture against men when it comes to expressing sexuality.
In cases such as these, it is interesting for me to consider the myth of patriarchy. If there is a bias in our society that favors men, wouldn’t the result be the opposite? Wouldn’t the “patriarchy” rush to the aid of this innocent, naive young man, and punish the girl for her licentious display of sexuality? If there is an advantage to being a man (besides in brute strength) I don’t see how it is manifest in our culture.
Notice how readily the author of the second article absolves the girl of accountability, and gives her the patronization of naivete. In the first article, the author maintains a journalistic distance, and allows the defense attorney the sole platform for sympathy.
These instances are only part of a larger trend against men in the justice system, ranging from family courts to criminal courts. In criminal cases, men are given sentences averaging over 60% longer for the same crimes. http://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=2144002 In family courts, women are explicitly favored by legal tradition, as expressed here: http://scholarship.law.stjohns.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1522&context=lawreview Mothers are favored for custody over 80% of the time. http://www.divorcenet.com/resources/divorce/for-men/divorce-for-men-why-women-get-child-custody-over-80-time
Of course, there is a place for feminism. That is, there are places in the world where women are undeniably discriminated against, oppressed, aggressed against, and otherwise abused with no legal recourse. Unfortunately, most of the feminist energy that exists today is more fixated on decrying the latest Dolce and Gabanna ad then addressing more tangible offenses. http://www.businessinsider.com/these-modern-ads-are-even-more-sexist-than-their-mad-men-era-counterparts-2012-4?op=1 Then we see the ultimate hypocrisy: these same factions seeking to stamp out misogyny in the western world are demanding tolerance for traditions of the cultures that are the most egregious offenders of sex discrimination. http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2013/dec/22/this-isnt-feminism-its-islamophobia
(from the article)-- “I am writing this as a white feminist infuriated by white men using dog-whistle Islamophobia to derail any discussion of structural sexism; as someone who has heard too many reactionaries tell me to shut up about rape culture and the pay gap and just be grateful I'm not in Saudi Arabia…”
Considering the fact that rape culture lacks a coherent definition, and the gender pay gap is non-existent, or even favors women if they don’t have children (http://content.time.com/time/business/article/0,8599,2015274,00.html), I would say maybe it is time to shut up about abstract, subjective perceptions that lack empirical evidence, and focus on the tangible horrors being committed every day in cultures in the Middle East and Africa, among other places; otherwise, it just sounds like first-world whining. Furthermore, there is evidence that there is good reason for employers to favor men over women with children, seeing as “Roughly four-in-ten mothers say they have taken a significant amount of time off from work (39%) or reduced their work hours (42%) to care for a child or other family member. Roughly a quarter (27%) say they have quit work altogether to take care of these familial responsibilities. (Fewer men say the same. For example, just 24% of fathers say they have taken a significant amount of time off to care for a child or other family member.)” http://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2014/04/08/on-equal-pay-day-everything-you-need-to-know-about-the-gender-pay-gap/
No comments:
Post a Comment