This is a Facebook post from June 26, 2022
Disclaimer: Let me begin by saying that I have absolute love for our Country. If you know me, you know that love runs deep, particularly for the founding of our country, the men who founded it, and the Constitution. The form of government crafted for our country was, well, revolutionary at the time, and still stands as the hallmark of democracy and how a representative republic can work in this world.
I have spent the last couple of years mostly off Facebook due to illness. I found my way back through some shares of Star Wars info, Dad jokes, and of course pics of Michael. In the past few weeks, I have had a lot more of my personal time than normal on this platform due to major events in the world that simply cannot be ignored. I have found a voice I forgot I had, a sincere honesty based on experience, what I think is common sense, and genuine feelings of disbelief in positions that have spread out values in unusual ways.
If you do not know me or did not look at my profile picture, I am a white male. I was born an American Citizen of Scotch-Irish-English-Swedish descent. When they were handing out post positions, the only thing that would have made mine better would have been able to add “too rich, influential parents” to the sentence.
If you are of Judeo-Christian background and faith you may believe or be taught that God created man after he created the heavens and the earth (from the very clay of the earth). He gave man dominion over the land, animals, etc., and then God gave him a woman (made from his own rib) to have as a wife and companion. Whether or not this creation story guided ancient civilizations and their development, the simple fact is that men are stronger and have more power than women and therefore ruled & determined the way society developed. In (almost) every part of the world societies developed patriarchally, the man dominating the home and control of the children, religion, government, agriculture, production, diplomacy, and war. The role of the woman ranged from property to barely less than a noticeable class (depending on the point in history and the society and with notable exceptions).
I will just say it… It is great to be a White Man. The expectations are fairly low. I mean yes, graduate from high school, register with Selective Service, get a job (preferrable after completing college), pay taxes, plan for retirement, and die. I mean that’s pretty easy. We usually complicated it with sports, dates, marriage(s), friends, family, interests, houses, etc. We don’t have to worry about things like being pulled over randomly, being gawked out obsessively in a store, or being shot because of the color of our skin. We don’t have jokes made about us because of physical features (like our eyes or hair textures) unless we have mullets. When it comes to health unless we are born with issues things are pretty easy until the bad stuff starts popping up later in life. If you’re smart enough to exercise, eat decently, and lean over and cough, your chances are pretty okay… Then there’s sex, all of us dudes, no matter of color has it easy there whenever we can convince, con, beg, or pay a woman to have sex with us (okay maybe one actually likes or loves you). For us dudes, it’s as easy as in and out and go. No worries. You can have “the sex” and run away never to be seen again. Not necessarily true for the woman who either liked you, took your money, or took pity on you🙂.
According to the Bible, man and woman were made in God’s image, but the woman from the rib bone of the man. This suggests a certain subcontract situation to me and a certain eternal debt that women owe to men. It suggests that women must forever remember that they are first and foremost to be a part of a man. Ummm, no. I don’t think so… I’m sorry if this offends your interpretation of the Bible or religious teaching. I just cannot wrap my mind around that… Does Not Compute. Does Not Compute. Does Not Compute. Does Not Compute.
I began this writing with a disclaimer about my love for this country. Its founding doctrine and corresponding documentation were drafted by Men who were raised by Men who were raised by Men who were raised by Men, etc. forged by a singularly focused patriarchal society (no matter the corner of the globe) where the Man dominates, owns all, and the women were property. My wife pointed out that in the dissent to the Roe v Wade decision this week, Justices Breyer, Sotomayor, and Kagan write “Those responsible for the original Constitution, including the Fourteenth Amendment, did not perceive women as equals, and did not recognize women’s rights. When the majority says that we must read our foundational charter as viewed at the time of ratification (except that we may also check it against the Dark Ages), it consigns women to second-class citizenship.” Let, that sink a moment……. it consigns women to second-class citizenship. How many of you white males that are married and are still reading this (meaning I didn’t pi$$ you off enough in previous paragraphs to stop) are willing to go tell your wife they are a second-class citizen. C’mon Man?!?!
How many times have you heard the expression “It’s a Man’s World” or “Boys will be boys”? How about “King of the Castle”? Have you ever stopped to think about how (many of) our lives are structured to look at a dominant male figure, a passive female figure, and children in a household? Entire books, movies, and television series are built on these characterizations.
My chief and primary issue regarding the safety of children at school and people in public from gun violence is due in large part to male dominance in law-making. Men, needing to feel more powerful, or not feeling powerful enough, had to put in an amendment in the Constitution to ensure access to firearms. There was the necessity to ensure the quick development of the military in case the Redcoats came back, but I suspect the Boys in Blue also wanted to make sure they could get their guns on without anyone telling them no. Now we have conservative talking heads calling AK-47s “Modern Muskets” and being cheered. Yay testosterone.
So, it’s not so great to be a woman of any color in America. Until Thursday things had been the best it’s ever been in our Nation’s history, but then it took a dramatic and dangerous backflip backward. And if the activist, Donald Trump packed Court has its way, things will get much worse for women in the extremely near future. But that is an issue for another post.
Let’s focus on why it has not been so great to be a woman in America, particularly after reading what a relatively easy existence you can have as a white male if you just get off your ass and do something. Remember, the Constitution set forth our government and laid out protections for the rights of citizens. Unfortunately, at the time women were property, not citizens, and have been fighting since our founding to acquire the rights and freedoms they should have had automatically as human beings. All people no matter the color of their skin or the parts in their bodies should have these rights and freedoms. As you read through this list, particularly any white dudes still reading, imagine not being able to just do some of this stuff… Rights you have just because your mom and dad did it and you popped out nine months later.
I am going to start this from the beginning of time (according to the Bible) but move quickly to the good ole USA.
Historically
• Everybody’s Grandma Eve – Ruined Everything by making Adam eat the forbidden fruit which introduced sin into the world. This proved women can’t be trusted with responsibility and that men must handle the decisions, the household, etc.
• Throughout Ancient and Medieval times – Women could not inherit, could not (in most cases) be in royal lines of succession, and could not be part of land transfers
From the time of our Nation’s founding until today
Rights of Citizenship
• The Founding Documents of our country did not recognize a woman as a citizen so of course did not permit women the right to vote
• Since our country has been around legal action was necessary to permit women to hold office, write their own will, and keep the pre-marital property
• The 14th Amendment specifically says “male” in reference to its actions.
• Before the 1975 Supreme Court decision that made Jury exclusion based on gender illegal, women could not serve on most juries. They were deemed to be too “fragile” to hear most court proceedings and of course, had no real legal standing.
Rights of Person
• COVERTURE. Men, don’t know what it is? If you don’t know what it is then I hope you are a well-rounded, healthy individual who doesn’t believe in treating women as property, and not a sicko who treats “your woman” as property”. I suspect some men know what it is and fit in the first group. I suspect some fit in the second group and think the law needs to be as vigorously defended as the right to bear arms. Coverture is a legal doctrine from English common law that determined a female belonged to her father as property and then she transferred to her husband as property and her legal existence was considered merged with that of her husband. Under this law, adopted nationwide in the good ole USA in 1850, women had NO rights to pile on to the rights they already did not have. Consider the following in regard to this law:
o Women could not enter into contracts without their father or husbands’ permission
o They had no right to the children they produced, and widows did not get automatic custody of their children… The children were not theirs, to begin with…
o Their physical bodies belonged to their father and then to their husband – beatings and other things were okay and not legally punishable (with the exception of death)
o Assault of a woman in some states was considered a property crime
o Women could not be educated in some states – there was no legal requirement – education could happen if allowed it was just unlikely because there were no legal ramifications if it did not happen
o Women rush to the courthouse to change their name when they get married in our modern times. In the past, they had no choice because it was essential to a property tag. I had no problem when my wife wanted to keep her last name. I am even more proud now that she did, and I think more women should… Maybe some husbands should consider taking their wives’ last names. We gave Michael both of our last names and he can decide how to handle last names in the future. Patriarchal bull crap.
o There is much more to this, but I have more examples to share of other things. Coverture has never actually gone away; it’s only been whittled away a piece at a time. Women are human beings! Not baby oven, house cleaning, sex dolls!
• Speaking of Coverture, are you listening? And I want you to lean in real close… It wasn’t until 1993 that Spousal Rape was made illegal in all 50 states. Ummm. So, let me get this straight up until I graduated High School a Husband could command his wife to have sex and she had to comply no matter what? That is messed up. And if you think that is right and the way things ought to be… you are messed up in the head.
• 1981: The Supreme Court overturns the absolutely disgusting Head & Master Law. This Louisiana law gave sole control of all marital property to the husband and complete dominance over the wife.
Rights of Property & Employment
• In 1873 the Supreme Court said women could not serve as attorneys. In this climate, women, in small numbers were attending universities and receiving legal, medical, and engineering degrees. A woman received her legal degree in 1870 but was refused an opportunity to take the bar, she never practiced law. My wife, who works for the College of Engineering at UK told me about early women graduates of their college who earned Engineering degrees and were denied jobs as Engineers. They would typically get jobs as a drafter, a good position, but one below the education level they had received. Ruth Bader Ginsburg, my wife’s hero, and recently deceased Rock of the Supreme Court was denied jobs as an attorney for years. She taught law until she finally had the opportunity to argue cases, winning landmark cases and then taking her place in one of the top jobs in the land.
• It took the 19th Amendment of the U.S. Constitution, ratified in 1920 to finally allow women the right to vote. This amendment was won by women and some men who were often beaten, jailed, or even killed. Incidentally, Good Ole Mississippi finally got around to ratifying the 19th amendment in 1984. Gotta love them Runnin Rebels.
• It actually took an Act of Congress for women to even begin to get close to equal pay. The Equal Pay Act of 1963 aimed and closing the pay gap. I can tell you from years of hiring and managing people that women still earn less than men for the same jobs.
• In 1971 the Supreme Court said it was illegal for private employers to refuse employment to mothers with preschool-aged children
• It wasn’t until the Fair Credit Act of 1974 that women could be guaranteed to get a credit card in their name
• 1971: An Idaho case sees the overturn of law that automatic presumption of the administration of a will be the next male relative be removed, meaning that it opens it up to both genders.
• 1973: Supreme Court decision makes gender-specific help-wanted job postings illegal
• 1974: Housing and Credit discrimination based on gender made illegal though Congressional act
• Before the 1975 Supreme Court decision that made Jury exclusion based on gender illegal, women could not serve on most juries. They were deemed to be too “fragile” to hear most court proceedings and of course, had no real legal standing.
I have spent the better part of the day today writing this… I have no agenda, except that I am mad, and I have people I’m fighting for… One of the ways I’m fighting is by saying things I feel need to be said in an honest and blunt way.
In 1993, my innocence was ripped away and nearly 30 years later no one has done a damn thing to keep kids and teachers from being murdered. NOT A DAMN THING. This week the Supreme Court just told people everywhere that it is okay, to carry a gun everywhere! No big deal! And to top it off, they told my wife, my nieces, my sisters-in-law, my mom, my sister, and all the other women important to me that they are still second-class citizens. That their healthcare is a matter of governmental debate.
The Pro-Life movement has scared the Religious Right into thinking that there are a bunch of wild and crazy women running around having sex with everybody and then storming abortion clinics on every corner killing babies. I’m embarrassed to say that is what I used to believe (well almost). The issue, as I have pointed out in other posts is so much more complex. But instead of allowing human beings to address medical issues with their doctors, the Supreme Court has determined that a select group of humans will not have that option. In the land of the Free and the Home of the Brave, you can only feel very secure if you are a white male like me.
