Women: It's All Their Fault, Right?

You might remember a post from a few weeks ago in which I featured black and white photographs by Vivian Maier. There was one photo in her collection which really stood out, but I decided not to feature it because I knew I would write this post at some point, and would feature her photo in it.

1954, New York, NY

What are these women doing? Hmmm...1954...they must be communists, lined up against the wall having been outed by McCarthy's acolytes. Perhaps not, but then, if McCarthy's acolytes were not involved, then who did put them there, and for what reason? That's the puzzle.

Vivian Maier's work shows her to have been a street photographer who photographed what she saw, not someone who used models to pose for her, so it's highly unlikely that she put these women against that wall. They don't look like criminals, either, and they don't appear to have that much in common. What on earth could be the reason for them being put there?

I hope you are metaphorically jumping up and down by now, yelling, "nobody put them there!" If you are not, then perhaps you should ask yourself why not? I think I can answer for you - it's because we are quite accustomed to seeing and thinking of women as second class citizens who could be put there, even when there is no evidence to suggest that it's the case. Why is that?

Maybe it's because we have been taught that it was a woman who was taken in by a talking snake (after having been made out of a superfluous bit of a man's body).

Maybe it's because Confucius said: "The female was inferior by nature, she was dark as the moon and changeable as water, jealous, narrow-minded and insinuating. She was indiscreet, unintelligent, and dominated by emotion. Her beauty was a snare for the unwary male, the ruination of states."

Maybe it's because, even in 'well-balanced' Yin and Yang, Yin is described as, "a principle in Chinese philosophy associated with negative, dark, and feminine attributes."

Maybe it's because, under Sharia 'law', a woman's testimony is worth only half that of a man's.

There's plenty more of that sort of shit floating around the world, polluting people's minds. Maybe we should be doing more to flush it down the toilet of history. I suppose you could label me a feminist. I wouldn't necessarily argue with that, as long as feminism is defined like this:

Feminism ≠ female superiority, but rather a drive for gender equality, and eradication of gender-based discrimination, in both directions.

Here's a song which is as relevant today as it was when it was released. John Lennon took a lot of flack from people who were unable (unwilling?) to listen to the whole song rather than just one word. Of course, it was all Yoko's fault! Sigh

John_&_Yoko_-_Woman_Is_The_Nigger_Of_The_World.mp3 Listen on Posterous

Posted via email from Jo S Wun on Posterous