Discrimination still haunts modern U.S.

THERE IS AN oppressed and often hated demographic in our American population. Passed over for athletic scholarships, downtrodden and objectified as the either slender and beautiful or useless, they are either reviled for being too gifted and overstepping their calling or for living the stereotype.

As is the case with stereotypes, their stereotype is not comforting. Like children, they are to be seen and not heard. They are the at-home spouses. They will live at home. If they dare defy the society’s expectations or stereotypes and have an occupation, they face mocking objectification.

They are women.

Oppressing, suppressing and ridiculing the thoughts women produce as being malformed or childish has been all but a pastime for centuries the world over and continues today. But to dismiss the ideas of another for solely their background, heritage or race, aspects of themselves over which they have no control, is undoubtedly unjust.

There are words that describe this behavior: chauvinist, sexist and discriminatory. But, when these words are used, the persons who use them are branded as feminist, sexist or feminazi.

Those so branded are assumed to have ulterior motives, as if they wish to place women above men to all exclusion, oppressing men as they had oppressed women.

In reality, it is far more likely that these people are merely fighting for equal rights, equal treatment. They are merely tired of the propaganda that depicts them as foaming at the mouth and wholly insane.

And there is another oppressed and often hated demographic in our American population. Passed over for need-based scholarships, downtrodden and objectified as the either sleek and athletic or useless, they are either reviled for being too gifted and overshadowing their genetic betters or reviled for living the stereotype.

As is the case with stereotypes, their stereotype is no more comforting. Like children, they are depicted as moronic buffoons on television and other media. They are the breadwinners and they are expected to solely support their family. If they dare defy the stereotype and become the at-home parent, they are estranged from the both the norm and the community.

They are men.

Oppressing, suppressing, and ridiculing the thoughts men produce has become all but a pastime for many activists, especially related to issues for which it is believed men should not have opinions. But to dismiss the ideas of another for solely their background, heritage or race, aspects of themselves over which they have no control, is undoubtedly unjust.

There are words that describe this behavior: feminist, sexist, discriminatory. But, when these words are used, the persons who use them are branded as chauvinist, sexist, masochist.

Those so branded are assumed to have ulterior motives, as if they wish to place men above women to all exclusion, and are assumed to want to oppress women as they had oppressed women.

In reality, it is far more likely that these men are merely fighting for equal rights, equal treatment. They are merely tired of the sensationalist media that depicts them as either the blubbering idiot or slanders them as the rapist-waiting-to-strike.

Granted, in other countries this debate is much more one-sided. If we choose to intervene over therein the bloody tradition of our western values, that is another issue entirely.

But in America, there are equal rights under the law. There is nothing that prevents women from holding office besides the cynical and slow-to-change leadership of the political parties. There is nothing preventing men from voting on abortion measures besides perhaps some outspoken activists.

There is nothing to suggest that men and women are the same, but equality is in any case something else entirely than sameness.

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