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Switching the double standard
In our women-run, sexist society,
men are treated more like sex
objects than human beings.
A male friend of mine recently became
involved in what he and others call the
masculinist movement. And from his
newfound cause, he has developed an
awareness of the inequities between women
and men.
Suffice it to say, he is not satisfied with the
current state of affairs and so asked me, as a
woman with a voice, to speak out on his and the
Laura
Daniel
resi 01 me mascunmsis
behalf. What he and many
others are so urgently try
ing to rectify are the dou
ble standards society
holds for women and
men.
My friend, a gorgeous
researcher with a degree
in chemistry, is tired of
having other chemists,
who are primarily female,
ucal uuu umciciiliy CU1U Ulilcill JUM UcUdUotJ lit;
has external genitalia and a different hormone
balance. With passion, he utters a few complaints
about his working situation.
He says they assume that just because he is
good-looking, he is inept. He complains, “No one
questions the intellectual abilities of a beautiful
woman. Why should a beautiful man be any dif
ferent?” Why, indeed.
Unable to go an entire eight-hour work day
without being called “Sweetie” or asked to get fe
male chemists of equal rank a cup of coffee, he
feels that a woman in his position would never re
ceive such treatment.
In fact, a female chemist, who was hired just
two weeks before he was, was recently given a
substantial pay increase while he has yet to re
ceive any recognition for what he considers valu
able work. To support his claim of inequality in
the workplace, he points out that in 1994, male
college graduates made, on average, $11,667 less
than female college graduates.
Perhaps my friend is getting a little too worked
up about working conditions. Sometimes one just
has to buck up and take it like a woman. Are affec
tionate nicknames and small chores really that big
of a deal? I don’t think so.
But some of his claims have some merit. He
asked me how I thought he felt every time he
went to the mechanic and was surrounded by
greasy, sweaty women who stared at his crotch
and had pictures of naked men with perfect mus
cles and large penises covering the walls. I had to
admit, I could see his point.
Brought up in a traditional and religious family,
he cringes thinking about the lack of respect he
and his father received from his mother and sister.
When his sister stated she would rather believe
the wrong religion than chance going to hell, he
was outraged, demanding, “How can you be
lieve in something that subordinates half the
population?”
She replied: “There is an order to things:
women first, then men, then nature. Men
were created to be playmates, to be extensions
of women. The only true achievement of man
is to marry and supply his sperm so the woman,
the one with the power of reproduction, may
extend the family line.”
Religion and family values integrate with enter
tainment to form one of the most sexist industries
in the world. Men, my friend points out, have few
role models on television or in the movies.
Women are constantly given the starring roles
in movies and the leads on television. Sure, there
is usually the token man appearing in shows, but
he is always unnaturally beautiful, while the
women may be balding or fat.
The latest movie to hit my friend’s mas
culinist sore spot was The Next Element, the
sci-fi action movie set in the 23rd century. He
complained that there were few speaking
roles for men but an abundance of D&A—
dick and ass.
The supreme being was male, amazing
ly enough, but couldn’t take care of him
self. Instead, this “perfect” being,
built and beautiful, needed a
woman, the
only
charac
ter with
a brain, to'
take care
of him. The
message, he feels, per
vades society.
While as a woman, it is
difficult for me to identify
with these male problems, I
have to admit many men work
hard and deserve to be given equal
opportunities in life. We must remem
ber, as masculinists point out, men, like
women, have valuable ideas that warrant
welcoming ears.
And though men don’t have nutrient-giving
breasts, and they don’t receive that empowering
monthly reminder of life, they do constitute half
this world and therefore deserve a chance to
prove themselves.
Besides, they’re just so darned cute.
Laura Daniel’s column appears every other
Thursday in the Emerald. Her views do not nec
essarily reflect those of the newspaper. E-mail:
moonpie@gladstone.uoregon.edu
CHRIS HUTCHINSON/Emerald
What la
pi till!
What do you
think?
Write us a tetter
expressing your
opinion or E-mail
us at ode@ore
gon.uoregon.edu
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tor must be limit
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than 250 words,
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and the identifica
tion of the writer
must be verified
when the letter is
submitted.
The Emerald re
serves the right to
edit any letter for
length or style.
LETTERS
March together
A year ago, hundreds of
women, and quite a few men,
gathered to protest violent
crimes against women at the an
nual “Take Back the Night”
march. Women shared their per
sonal stories about being assault
ed, and those who were angry
that they couldn’t walk alone at
night had an opportunity to ex
press their frustration. Overall, it
was a very supportive environ
ment, if you were a woman.
As a woman, I hate that I can’t
enjoy the night alone. I under
stand the frustration, but so do
my male friends who over the
years have walked miles out of
their way, concerned that I
might be attacked or raped if left
alone. I was surprised to hear
the announcement, as we start
ed the march, that men would
be segregated from the women
they supported and forced to
walk behind them.
While men are not victims of
rape nearly as often as women,
many of them are just as furious.
If I were male I would be hurt
and offended at being pushed to
the back because of my gender.
As a woman, I was hurt and of
fended to see the men treated
that way.
I called the ASUO Women’s
Center recently to see if this
year’s march would be different
and I was told that men “can
march, but they have to be in
back.” This year I will boycott
the “Take Back the Night”
march and I urge anyone else
that objects to sexual discrimi
nation to do the same.
There will be no progress un
til we learn that we cannot fight
sexual assault by dividing our
supporters. I agree with the goals
of the rally, but I cannot partici
pate until women and men can
fill Eugene’s streets together
screaming a new catch phrase:
“Let’s all take back the night.”
Amie Corbin
Biochemistry
What I know
Before people race to the de
fense of Jesikah Allen and pub
lic nudity, they should be aware
of some of the facts that were
left unmentioned in last Thurs
day’s article (ODE, May 15).
Here’s what I know: several
news sources and friends of
mine have mentioned that
Allen was arrested because she
was “gyrating her chest at
passers-by.” Moreover, the top
less young woman that I saw
downtown two Fridays ago was
wearing a leather collar that had
a chain leash attached to it. And
a young man was holding the
other end of the leash as they
walked together. This woman
may have been Allen. I don’t
know. Are these descriptions of
“political statements”? It would
not appear so.
I agree wholeheartedly that
women should not be forced to
“be ashamed of their bodies”
nor to keep their breasts cov
ered, as Allen suggests they
have been. However, I find it
ironic that someone favoring
these liberties would place her
self in such an obviously sub
missive or sexual position. Let’s
not lose sight of the real reason
that Allen was arrested.
Sean Williams
Music Education
All
thumbs
\
UNIVERSITY DAY
Yippee! The cam
pus is clean. After
the University
wide cleanup day
on May 15, fresh
barkdust and
flowers were in
the gardens, and
we even had a
new drinking
fountain. Just in
time for Parents’
Weekend.
JUDICIAL
COMMISSION
The Oregon Judi
cial Fitness and
Disability Com
mission recom
mended on May
15 that Oregon
Supreme Court
Justice Edward
Fadeley should be j
suspended. Con
sidering he sexu
ally harassed his
employees and
slept with his judi- \
cial assistant,
Fadeley’s suspen- I
sion should be
quickly imple
mented and slow
to expire.
THE GLOBE
This isn’t the first
time a supermarket
tabloid has graced
this section. This
time, the Globe
paid a woman to
entice ABC sports
caster Frank Gif
ford to sleep with
her. His wife, of
course, is Kathie
Lee Gifford. This is
called creating the
news, not reporting
it, Globe people.
Evenyourfeliow
tabloids are leaving
you high and dry
on this one.
ANNETTE
SORENSEN
The 30-year-old
Danish woman left
her baby outside a
New York restau
rant while she ate
dinnerinside.lt
may be a Danish
custom, but we’re
talking about New
York City. What
was she thinking?