Wednesday, February 6, 2008

Short Change... Ladies First

I listened to the Michael Baisden show today and an extremely interesting illusion I had long not thought about... resurfaced Now, I could profess that the reason I had forgotten was due to it not directly affecting me daily... it would be true... but I dare not write that =(wink)=

Sexism is very ugly... any type of ism is ugly. Even that little tingle you feel about certain subjects means you carry an ism with you... and to deny it, would be to lie... and that's worse than ugly... that's fugly (for my hood challenged folk, that's f-ing ugly... I would go ahead and curse but I'm not trying to have a black eye in behind a seven letter word *Hi Mommy*).

What's fuglier is a man obtaining a position just because he is male.

What's more fuglier than that... is a well-qualified man obtaining a position just because he is male... and for said well- qualified man to believe he obtained that position because he was... umm... well-qualified.

Then... running neck-and-neck with the more fuglier example would be... a well-qualified man obtaining a position over a well-qualified woman because he is male... and for both to think it was fair play...

Yeah, some of that went over you all's heads, didn't it? Okay, maybe not... but WOMEN... when you hear or see sexism in action... do something about it. Brothas... it would be nice if you chimed in too... we need back up! Even if what you do is bring more awareness to it... it's needed....

It's needed because ism's are more undercover now. Our children need it... their children need it.

No one is going to discriminate you, at least not someone SMART, openly and obviously... they'll do something as sneaky as white men voting for Obama because they'd rather have a Black male leader than a female leader...

Yeah, that was a small portion of a big thing Baisden discussed on his show... but I'm not saying much more about it... support a brotha by visiting his website...

Now, I'm by no means a feminist... I'm more of a realist... but I am a Woman and I can't help but want Long Change... for-a-change

Here, I pay homage to Sojourner Truth in her speech "Ain't I a Woman"

Women's Convention, Akron, Ohio
Delivered 1851

Well, children, where there is so much racket there must be something out of kilter. I think that 'twixt the negroes of the South and the women at the North, all talking about rights, the white men will be in a fix pretty soon. But what's all this here talking about?

That man over there says that women need to be helped into carriages, and lifted over ditches, and to have the best place everywhere. Nobody ever helps me into carriages, or over mud-puddles, or gives me any best place! And ain't I a woman? Look at me! Look at my arm! I have ploughed and planted, and gathered into barns, and no man could head me! And ain't I a woman? I could work as much and eat as much as a man—when I could get it—and bear the lash as well! And ain't I a woman? I have borne thirteen children, and seen most all sold off to slavery, and when I cried out with my mother's grief, none but Jesus heard me! And ain't I a woman?

Then they talk about this thing in the head; what's this they call it? [member of audience whispers, “intellect”] That's it, honey. What's that got to do with women's rights or negroes' rights? If my cup won't hold but a pint, and yours holds a quart, wouldn't you be mean not to let me have my little half measure full?

Then that little man in black there, he says women can't have as much rights as men, 'cause Christ wasn't a woman! Where did your Christ come from? Where did your Christ come from? From God and a woman! Man had nothing to do with Him.

If the first woman God ever made was strong enough to turn the world upside down all alone, these women together ought to be able to turn it back, and get it right side up again! And now they is asking to do it, the men better let them.

Obliged to you for hearing me, and now old Sojourner ain't got nothing more to say.


pic: www.kyphilom.com/www/truth.html

speech:www.infoplease.com

3 comments:

Yasmin said...

Okay why you making a sista think this hard at night...lol.
xoxo

Poetic Genesis said...

I couldn't help it...lol It had me thinking hard ALL evening!

Gwyneth Bolton said...

Great post, Genesis! I do consider myself a feminist--black feminist, hip-hop feminist, womanist.... depends on what day you catch me on. :-) I claim the label because not claiming it is not going to stop the sexist idiot who want to do me harm from harming me. If a person is really trying to hold a woman back just because she's a woman, it doesn't matter if that woman doesn't claim a the label. So I figure, I'm fighting to eradicate sexism... I'm a feminist. And after reading this post, I'm thinking Genesis is my hip-hop feminist sistren whether she claims it or not. :-) Great post!

Gwyneth

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