We have often spoken of the fact that we live in a culture that foments false rape claims. This author understands what we're talking about. "Girls subjected to feminist indoctrination are undoubtedly more likely to interpret innocuous behavior as sexual harassment." From a June 2008 article:
Liberalism and victimhood
By Dennis Prager
If you want to understand the negative impact of feminism on women (and men) and, by extension, the destructive effects of liberal teachers, Democratic politics and liberal news media on African-Americans, here is Katie Couric last week on the CBS Evening News:
"A new study on teens and sexual harassment should give every parent pause.
"Most teenage girls report they've been sexually harassed. ... In a study that appeared in the journal Child Development, 90 percent of teen girls say they've been harassed at least once."
Millions of American parents and their daughters were told on one of the most widely watched evening news reports that nine out of every 10 American girls aged 12 to 18 are sexually harassed.
Suspicious that the feminist and liberal I-am-a-victim ideology was at play here far more than some real plague of sexual harassment, I decided to look into the report cited by Ms. Couric.
I therefore went to a leading feminist magazine's website, Ms. Magazine (msmagazine.com), and found this summary of the report:
"A study released this month reports that 90 percent of girls between the ages of 12 and 18 reported experiencing sexual harassment. The study found that girls who had a better understanding of feminism from the media, their parents, or teachers were more likely to recognize sexual harassment.
"Campbell Leaper, professor of psychology at the University of California, Santa Cruz, and one of the authors of the study, said in a press release, 'Sexism remains pervasive in the lives of adolescent girls. Most girls have experienced all three types of sexism — sexual harassment, sexist comments about their academic abilities, and sexist comments about their athletic abilities.'
"Science Daily reports that the study found Latina and Asian American girls reported less sexual harassment than the other girls who participated in the study. ? The most commonly reported forms of sexual harassment were unwanted romantic attention, demeaning gender-related comments, teasing based on their appearance, and unwanted physical contact."
This confirmed my suspicions.
First, "The study found that girls who had a better understanding of feminism ? were more likely to recognize sexual harassment."
There is no question that this is true. Girls subjected to feminist indoctrination are undoubtedly more likely to interpret innocuous behavior as sexual harassment. Almost the entire liberal-left Weltanschauung is predicated on portraying every group in America except white, male, heterosexual Christians as oppressed. Women are oppressed by men. Blacks and Hispanics are oppressed by whites. Gays are oppressed by straights. Non-Christians are oppressed by Christians.
Of course, the fact is that American women have more opportunity and more equality than just about any women in the world today and certainly in history. Moreover, if either sex is "oppressed" today, it is far more likely to be males. If women were incarcerated, let alone murdered, as disproportionately as men are; if only 40 percent of those getting a bachelor's degree were female; if girls dropped out of high school at the rate males do, there would be a national outcry. It is men who are, in fact, suffering. But for feminists, academics and CBS News, it is women who are still oppressed. And that is what they are taught in high school and college by feminist-oriented teachers.
Second, "sexual harassment" is so all-inclusive as to be largely meaningless: "sexist comments about their academic abilities, sexist comments about their athletic abilities ? unwanted romantic attention, demeaning gender-related comments, teasing based on their appearance, and unwanted physical contact."
If a girl's bra is snapped in elementary or high school; if a girl is told she should learn to throw a ball "like a guy does"; if a boy pursues a girl and fails in his pursuit — these are all instances of sexism and sexual harassment.
What this thinking leads to is girls and women seeing themselves as victims, and almost as often to the emasculation of boys. (And then women looking to marry a man wonder where all the masculine men are).
And third, "Latina and Asian American girls reported less sexual harassment than the other girls who participated in the study." One wonders whether this is one reason increasing numbers of American men seek Latina and Asian American women for marriage. Women who have been less influenced by feminism probably appreciate men more.
To an ever greater extent, schools and the news media do the same thing to African-Americans — tell them over and over that they are oppressed. And the effects have been even more corrosive. Just think of the wildly enthusiastic receptions the NAACP gave to the Rev. Jeremiah Wright and the black members of Trinity United Church of Christ gave to Father Michael Pfleger when he spoke of America being "the greatest sin against God" because it is so racist. The number of blacks who perceive of their lives as oppressed by whites can only lead to estrangement from the greater American society, not to mention anger toward and resentment of it.
Those are two of the lasting legacies of the modern-day left. You heard them again last week on the CBS Evening News.
Link: http://www.jewishworldreview.com/0608/prager060308.php3
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39 comments:
It isn't that they're more likely to recognize sexual harassment, but that they're more likely to imagine they've been sexually harassed when they haven't been. Feminism is all about the sky is falling routine.
That article rocked. I don't always square with Dennis Prager, but he nailed this one.
Also, equity feminist Christina Hoff Summers has been in the news a lot lately documenting how men are becoming the second sex.
Becoming? We're already there.
I think 'white male heterosexual' is enough to be oppressed, no need to throw 'christian' in there. That's usually only a problem once you've given it away to atheists, but if you're religious you don't run in those circles, right?
btw I am pretty much an atheist, not all atheists harass christians. On the other hand I have had strangers who are religious try and convert me (like 2 guys in a Barnes and Noble who approached me); or some lady in a convenience store who sat down beside me and started in sulting me saying I am a sinner.
It works both ways. Most atheists just mind their own business, that's one reason they're atheists..
Also I usually vote left...I'm not sure why you want to introduce politics on this site, or politicize the men's rights. I've noticed right wing mra's do that a lot.
Then men's rights movement will not succeed without unity. I figured you already knew that.
you know, i read the article a couple more times and I must say the writer appears to be an asswipe. He's pretty much right abuout the harassment thing, but somehow, I have no idea, he links that to liberal teachers then to African-americans. Then he finishes off by saying "you heard them both here on CBS."
No, we didn't hear anything except Couric's statements about girls. Unless she said something about blacks that the guy isn't telling us.
This is a classic example of how right-wingers try to politicize the 'anti-feminist' movement - they label the other side as 'liberals' then extend their argument to all kinds of inane subjects. Apparently they're trying to piggy-back onto the growing anti-feminist sentiment to overthrow the left. Moxon does it too in his book.
Left-wingers in other countries aren't necessarily feminists, btw. A lot of them are very solidly pro-male.
American style feminism largely consists of upper middle class white women making themselves out to be the world's biggest victims because they have nothing better to do with their lives. This isn't a class that appeals to most socialists. So you can be a strong MRA and be a right-winger, or a left-winger. These issues cut across political and social lines.
""One wonders whether this is one reason increasing numbers of American men seek Latina and Asian American women for marriage. Women who have been less influenced by feminism probably appreciate men more.""
Gotta laugh at that one. My son's last 'latina' girlfriend left him $10,000. in debt, and his big beautiful home lost to foreclosure.
Actually, I notice younger men are attracted to older women - something utterly UNHEARD of when I was younger.
It's not flattering...it's sad.
This is a classic example of how right-wingers try to politicize the 'anti-feminist' movement - they label the other side as 'liberals' then extend their argument to all kinds of inane subjects.
Norm, let's be honest. This happens on both sides. Neither right NOR left in this country give a rat's ass about men's rights. Only about how much power they wield. Prager, however, hit's the nail pretty squarely on the head with this one. As for the race portion, I got that he meant that liberalism has been more about pushing 'victimhood', than pushing self determination and responsibility. But that's just my interpretation. To each their own on that one.
Sgt mom,
Curiosity makes me ask....do you know how many generations her family has been here?
My wife is first generation. Her father was born here in the U.S. but raised in mexico, my MIL was born and raised there. My wife and my BIL were raised with some very strong traditional familial values. I've noticed that 2nd (and beyond) generations are much more americanized (obviously), and so tend to act more like spoiled little thugs and princesses.
YMMV
Uh, we needed a STUDY to tell us the obvious?!
Valid question. At least a third generation - her mother is a toxic militant feminist - a vile woman.
My son referred to her as a 'spanish diva'.
An Hispanic person with a decidedly Nordic name is probably a second generation dead give away, I guess.
I know a man who's married -and divorced- THREE Russian mail order brides, as well as a guy who gave up on mail order brides from Singapore after the second wipe out.
They'll tell you all about how horrible American women are, but seem far more forgiving of worse behavior from foreign women they paid for.
Having been in the military, I've heard guys talking about how compliant and appreciative Asian and Filipino women are...later to see them being fussed and shoo'd about the Commissary by their tiny little Americanized wives....
Not making judgments, just observations...
Let it be noted also that American women risked life and limb going outside their race for male companionship for quite some time now.
Feminists see offense where there is none, like a lot of outspoken groups.
A lot of men will claim something isn't 'offensive' when in fact, it is.
I think a lot of men will insist something isn't sexual harassment --unless it's said or done it to a woman THEY care about.
Then it's different.
I believe there has been a sharp increase in sexual harassment since the moral shift of the '60's.
The blame isn't to be laid on 'feminist' over reaction, either.
It's real - and it's bad.
Our society in general has become over sexualized and disrespectful, irregardless of gender.
I'll repeat that - IRREGARDLESS OF GENDER.
I have to ask you fellas what 'feminists' consider sexual harassment that YOU don't?
If anything, women sexually harassing men has spiked, but few men take offense or speak up about it if they do, fearing reprisal.
Our society is more disrespectful than it has ever been - Women are disrespected. Men are disrespected. Elderly people are disrespected. Children are disrespected. We disrespect ourselves -our family structures, our forefathers, our history, our religions, our schools, our institutions, our nation --it seems nothing is sacred, nothing is spared.
"I believe there has been a sharp increase in sexual harassment since the moral shift of the '60's."
You are reading far, far, far too many features articles -- almost exclusively written by and for women -- where anything "gender" is exaggerated, underscored and blown way out of proportion. Such
as "Hard Times For White Males!" One would think white males are rudderless, spun out of control by forces of change they aren't part of. Absolute rubbish. In the real work world, gender is not an overriding issue on any normal person's agenda.
The fact is, actual sexual harassment has sunk to an all-time low as the genders mingle at the workplace -- but male harassment claims are on a sharp increase as men are finally speaking up.
The real problem is in the schools, where kids aren't allowed to be kids any more, thanks to parents, especially mothers with perpetual sticks up their asses. Teenage horseplay and teasing, where neither bodies nor feelings are hurt but kids are able to vent off some of those exploding hormones, has been going on since the beginning of time. But only recently have parents -- especially mothers -- become so damned constipated about it.
All of this feeds into what might be called our society's false rape continuum, where "zero tolerance" school policies lead to over-reactions about innocuous male conduct, which leads to wild overreactions about innocuous male conduct, which leads to covert suspicion of anything male, which leads to overt suspicion of anything male, which leads to outright lies about sexual assault, which leads to innocent men and boys being accused, arrested, convicted and imprisoned for rapes they did not commit.
Ack, I HATE that kind of molly-coddling parenting. Kids are NOT that breakable, so why parents insist on being paranoid about them is beyond me.
All of you have made good points.
In this day and age , it is as if paying a woman a good and proper compliment such as telling her she has beautiful hair,eyes,smile,teeth and personality are being considered sexual harassment, if she wants to consider the compliment as such. This is ridiculous. It is also ridiculous to condemn men for things I have seen and heard women do. What human being is going to ignore taking notice of someone who is fairly attractive? I have seen women check the guys out and I have even heard women make "cat calls" at men.
Here is an experiment I would like for everyone to try. Go to a hotel,restaurant, department store or, any other establishment that serves the general public and watch how customers speak to and treat male and female employees. I, myself, have noticed the differences in how the public speaks to and treats them.
Most of the women I have met are easily offended by what they consider sexual harassment while, most of the men I have met don't seem to realize,or care, that they are being sexually harassed.
""Most of the women I have met are easily offended by what they consider sexual harassment while, most of the men I have met don't seem to realize,or care, that they are being sexually harassed.""
My son had to quit a job when the over-weight middle-aged woman who hired him seemed to think he 'owed' her a favor for hiring him.
It was a good paying job with medical & 401k. He is on a sex offender registry from a false accusation, and she was willing to 'over look' it.
The woman was relentless, and he finally had to quit. He couldn't complain of course. He's the 'listed' social pariah, not her.
Pierce ""You are reading far, far, far too many features articles -- almost exclusively written by and for women -- where anything "gender" is exaggerated""
I can tell you as a young lady growing up in the '50s, if a boy snapped a girls bra, they were harshly dealt with. Cursing, off color jokes or sexual remarks would not have been tolerated as well.
I didn't need any 'feature articles' to inform me the sexual respect climate had shifted dramatically while serving in the military in the '70s.
I was relieved when sexual harassment laws first came to being - it WAS literally out of control.
Thousands of men whistling as the WAF squadron marched by -not 'wolf' whistling, but whistling like for a dog - was just good clean fun! Don't be a bad sport! You women's 'lippers' wanted it".
Barely 18 years old, my 40ish alcoholic supervisor leaning in as though to whisper something to me, instead sticking his tongue in my ear - everyone in on the joke, laughing uproariously as I ran crying from the room, spittle dripping from my ear the rest of the afternoon.
That sort of stuff happened on a daily basis. If you complained, you were hissed and boo'd for being a poor sport, having no sense of humor, or you deserved it for being in the military,all-women-in-the-military-are-whores-anyway.
But I digress...
Like all 'good intentions' those laws are now abused, and have become abusive in turn.
Your convicted sex offender son was hired by a major company? BULL SHIT. And he quit his job because his boss was sweet on him? Again: BULL SHIT
Sgt. Mom, this is going to sound politically incorrect, but don't be comparing the military/the black male population in the inner city/workplaces populated by lower middle class males such as auto mechanics shops with "men" as a class. The vast majority of us have not engaged in those childish games -- now or 50 years ago or ever. But, yes, there have always been cultures where crude comments are made.
And before you go all high and mighty on us, please note that it's MEN, not women, who are victimized at far greater rates, and far more seriously, by the bad people. The bad guys might whistle at you, but they beat the hell out of US. So please spare us the self-righteous feminist whining, we ain't in the market for it here. Men, not women, need to 'take back the night'
Sgt. Mom said...
" Like all 'good intentions' those laws are now abused, and have become abusive in turn. "
True.
Norm said...
" The men's rights movement will not succeed without unity. I figured you already knew that. "
Very well put and very true Norm.
Remember when I mentioned male rivalry in an earlier post,on another topic? This is one of the biggest hurdles men have had in the Men's rights movement. It keeps men divided.
My first job after leaving the military was a Document change clerk at Hughes Aircraft in Culver City. Highly educated, well paid engineers - Not 'black males', or GIs, or Auto mechanics - ENGINEERS. All suit and ties, well paid and totally entitled.
To be blunt, 'lower class males' are far more decent and respectful than entitled frat rats or elitist rich boys. That was a jack ass comment if ever I heard one. (not to mention men AND women from very good families serve their country - patriotism isn't exclusive to the 'low class'),
Again I ask, if you weren't around "50 years ago", please don't rewrite history and tell those of us who WERE 'how it really was'.
There's nothing 'high and mighty' about it - it was a problem. They made laws to aleviate the problem. As usual, people have taken advantage and blown 'the problem' out of proportion to promote their own agenda.
If I'm not mistaken, women get beaten and murdered by 'bad guys' too.
This has always been a chivalrist country. It was 50 years ago and it is now. The vast majority of men won't whistle at you unless your boobs are hanging out because you left the top five buttons of your shirt undone.
Women have always been given special treatment and have never had to do the dirty work. It is the feminists who have rewritten history.
Sgt. Mom, the word is "jackass," not "jack ass."
I know for a fact, from decades of practicing law, where the harassment claims emanate.
Your "I was there" brand of reporting is unpersuasive, and your "noble working class hero" crap is an urban myth.
"To be blunt, 'lower class males' are far more decent and respectful than entitled frat rats or elitist rich boys."
That's precisely the sort of thinking that put three young Duke University men in fear of lengthy prison sentences. You have borrowed a page from the Crystal Gail Mangum/Nancy Grace/Feministing.com playbook. That crap isn't tolerated here because it is the worst kind of misandry.
Sgt. Mom, why do you keep posting here? What is the real reason?
She's going through a bad spell, treating the blogger and the commentators here as the enemy. Just ignore it and we'll see if it rights itself. There is no greater impediment to good works than self-righteousness.
If I said "it's only low-middle class, inner city black women, and cocktail waitresses that make false accusations -you'd have every right to call ME a jack ass (low-middle class spelling).
Not "high class" chicks, right?
Or not right?
I'm confused...or going through a bad patch, I guess.
"High class" guys like the Duke LaCrosse team are frequent targets of false accusations, but 'low class' guys aren't?
I didn't realize this was a 'class' problem. Didn't mean to step on any high class toes.
My personal observation has always been that evil is gender neutral - it's ageless, and it's classless -
That's where 'innocent until proven guilty' comes into play -
Maybe you can correct my foolish misperceptions and myths as readily as you corrected my spelling of Jackass.
""There is no greater impediment to good works than self-righteousness.""
Actually, I believe there is no greater impediment to good works than losing one's perspective, losing one's empathy leads to losing one's moral compass.
I'm not the 'enemy' here for not going along with bashing of either gender. It's not 'self righteous' to empathize with victims of injustice - of either gender.
The 'my way or the highway' attitude here is frighteningly familiar. . . I expected to find it on feminist sites.
I'm sorry to find it here.
Sgt. Mom, I am sorry to have incurred your disfavor. I say this with all due respect and sincerity: if you don't like our site, please don't comment here -- I don't have time to unruffle anyone's feathers. I've got about 100 emails I haven't had time to answer from people looking for help. Seriously -- it's not a sign of disrespect, but I have a million other things I need to do, and any further commentary on this issue will have to be a monologue from you.
I stated a politically incorrect truth that I know does not appeal to the sensibilities of a lot of people. If you want to see harassment claims, go to an auto mechanics' shop and places like that where the men are not "trained" to behave in a manner acceptable to female co-workers These men are, in many ways, to be admired for not worrying about political correctness. The big companies, on the other hand, are political correctness run amok. Does that mean the men working at banks are "better"? Absolutely not. They've got more thorough coaching from their HR departments.
This, of course, is different than taking a cheap shot at "privileged" white boys. That is fucking unacceptable on this blog, pardon my language. Prof. KC Johnson has written millions of words on this subject, and your kind of thinking is what almost sent three innocent Duke lacrosse players to prison for many years.
And please don't try to tell any one here that the inner city isn't inundated with a macho culture that finds it perfectly acceptable to make such comments to women far in excess of what we hear in white suburbia. Politically incorrect, but true. Does that mean these men are evil? Absolutely not -- but the absence of male role models in the home does strange things to boys as they grow up.
Shhhhh! You're supposed to blame it on the music, not the absense of a dad!
Sgt Mom:
I think a lot of men are just sick to death of being told that the things they do/say are sexual harassment when they're not intended to be.
Frankly I see uptight people all over the place and I would just LOVE for them to chill out and not see anything and everything in the worst possible light. That leads to Political Correctness, and I ABHOR PC.
It's time to relax and go back to calling a spade a spade.
"This happens on both sides. Neither right NOR left in this country give a rat's ass about men's rights"
that was precisely my point.
the other point is, is that as I said, many right-wingers do try to introduce the family court problems, etc. as leverage to overthrow the whole left, instead of just focusing on the problem. Sorry, it is a fact of life. Ned Holstein does it all the time. So does Marc Rudov. On the other hand, it would be absurd to say the left grabs ahold of anti-feminist sentiment to overthrow the right, so I'm not quite following you on 'both sides do this'.? They might do something similar based on other issues, but we're talking about men's rights.
Re: complimenting women, there are really two are three aspects, or 'arms' of that issue: One is that if a guy is ugly or low-status, or if a woman is simply not in the mood, then if the guy compliments the woman, then what happens is this: instead of being honest and saying to herself 'this guy is ugly so I'll just blow him off', or 'I'm not in the mood so will just politely excuse him', now instead she deludes herself by telling herself 'this guy is sexist so I'll read him the riot act - then go get my boyfriend, then later tell all my friends what a creep he is.'
(I call these aspects 'arms' because often more than one is at play.)
Another is that many, if not most, women like to pretend a guy whom they are not attracted to is some kind of 'threat' if he compliments her. This is enforced by our current misandrist thinking. The psychology here is a little more complex than most men seem to realize: It's fun for a woman to alienate men in general (and a given guy in particular), and one way she can do this is to pretend he's dangerous. This is why in recent years, for example, psychotherapists and other jackasses use the word 'safe' and 'non-threatening' when giving dating advice - that is, any overture by the man which would have the faintest possibility of forcing the woman to make a decision (which is something women do not like to do with regard to dating), would previously have been viewed as confidence or firmness on the man's part, but in the twisted psyches of therapists and advice columnists, becomes a 'threat' and thus places the woman in an 'unsafe' situation. It's also why they say "ask out to a snack on the first date"...dinner or a movie is 'unsafe' for the woman. What is paramount here is protecting what these losers consider to be women's feelings, whereas in the past, say in the 50's and earlier, women preferred 'strong', decisive, forthright men.
But it has backfired on us as a society, because it has had the following results: 1)Men respect women less; 2)fewer women get asked out; 3)women become victims even regarding dating and thus they become weak and are more likely to run to mommy (or the police) than stand up for themselves in a given situation, such as if a date tries to 'force' a kiss on her or something.
Basically we have come to be a society of ninnies, yet if you make the above argument (about past times) some moron always says something like, 'oh...so you want to bring back McCarthy?!' The moron cannot see you said nothing about 'bringing back' anything, or even if you had, not to bring back the bathwater with the baby.
I guess since I've already gotten off on a tangent here, one other thing I'll mention is how women 'professionals' alienate customers or clients who are men. For example, women dentists invariably wear those stupid paper masks when working on their male patients. The pretext is they are protecting from germs and bad breath, but the former would only be a medical issue if male dentists wore the masks too, while many do not; and the latter is only an issue in extreme cases of smell, or if the woman is an unprofessional ninnie who cannot stand a little discomfort now and then. The *reality* behind the wearing of the mask is that it provides a level of alienation for the woman, against the man...it is the placement of a physical object, or 'wall', between herself and him; and as well it conveys to him that he is unsavory in some manner.
The fact that women dentists also wear masks when working on female patients, is merely an issue of consistency. If all their patients were female, they would be less likely to wear the mask in every case.
"Your 'I was there' brand of reporting is unpersuasive"
Someone else noticed that?
Perhaps you guys are starting to see the pattern with Sgt. Mom. First she makes a comment which is meant to ruffle a few feathers, then when a guy or two disagrees fashion. Then after a couple of heated back-and-forths, she assumes her "I'm a peaceful beatnik" stance (but still tries to get in the last punch).
The reason I recognize this method of arguing is because I used to have a 'friend' who would do precisely the same thing. (Good thing he wasn't an MRA.)
the above should say,
"First she makes a comment which is meant to ruffle a few feathers, then when a guy or two disagrees, she responds in a bombastic fashion. Then after a couple of heated back-and-forths, she assumes her "I'm a peaceful beatnik" stance"
The above should say,
"First she makes a comment which is meant to ruffle a few feathers, then when a guy or two disagrees, she responds in a bombastic fashion. Then after a couple of heated back-and-forths, she assumes her 'I'm a peaceful beatnik' stance"
Norm, I don't think I've ever heard the dentist mask thing. Is this your own observation? Have others noticed it? I am not doubting you, and find it interesting.
Pierce,
it's based on my own experience being treated, and also from occasionally glancing at the chairs of other doctors in multiple-doctor offices.
I've required quite a bit of dental care throughout my life, and I would say over the last 15-20 or so years, including oral surgeons, endodontists, and other specialists, I've had about a dozen men work on me and five or so woman dentists plus a couple dozen assistants, x-ray technicians etc, (practically all of whom were female), To the best of my recall, all the women wore masks, and only one or two men did.
In the old days almost no-one wore a mask, but we've all had our 'awareness' (paranoia) increased about germs since AIDS and HIV become issues.
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