Oh ancient women . . . what power did you wield in ancient times to stir the furor, fear and persecution of men?  What strength, intelligence, fortitude and vision did you possess to cause the angry retaliation from men that has persecuted you all through the centuries? Really. I’m serious.  Something must’ve happened thousands of years ago where the men got together and decided that something had to be done about WOMEN . . . something to strip them of their power. . . something to mark them as the “weaker sex” and “less than.”  I picture all of these men living in fear that the women were too much in control and that their masculinity and domination were in jeopardy.  I think that’s where it all began . . . the stories . . . the untruths . . . the mind control . . .

The above paragraph came to me in a rush after I read Ashley Judd’s brilliant article for The Daily Beast -

Ashley Judd Slaps Media in the Face for Speculation Over Her ‘Puffy’ Appearance

 

I don’t watch television anymore and even when I did, I never watched these so-called Entertainment News shows or news shows in general. But, even I remember a bit of a bruhaha happening over Ashley Judd’s face.  It was either at HuffPo or some other outlet .  . .  there was Ashley’s face and some derogatory remark about her and the “work” she had done.  I didn’t click on it  but when the Daily Beast article came to my attention on Twitter, I knew exactly what she was writing about.

I’ve been meaning to write something about this topic, not Ashley Judd in particular, but the topic of women and how they are viewed in society, for a long, long time. (I did write a piece about women a few years ago after an experience in an IntenSati class: The energy of women . . . divine power!) In fact, I’ve avoided doing it because I think I have so much to say that I’ve been afraid my head would explode and I wouldn’t be able to get everything out! Ha!  So, I’m going to try to do a little bit at a time. . . this might turn into one of my three-parters . . .  It’s just my way of joining Ashley Judd’s conversation, because even though I’m a man, I’m a gay man. I feel there is a strong connection between what’s been done to women over the centuries and to gay men, in particular.

As I wrote in the opening paragraph, I often wonder when it all began . . . this backlash, for lack of a better word, towards women. . . And, it’s not a new thing for me.  I grew up in a household where my mother stayed home, did all the cooking and cleaning and housework.  My parents were also Jehovah’s Witnesses.  I bring that up because it definitely influenced how things ran in the home.  I mean, my dad wasn’t what I would call a demanding husband, where things had to be done his way and he was the “man” of the house but it was understood.  The religion itself taught it.  Women are in zero position of “power.”  The entire organization is run by men.  Every congregation is run by elders – only men – and women are relegated to less-than secondary status.  They are there to preach, door to door, and honestly . . . I can’t think of any other function. . . Like I said, women hold no position of authority within the religious hierarchy.

So, I grew up watching my mother and the women in my family, always allowing the men to run things. Even though I know for a fact, most of them were ten times smarter than the men running the show. But, nothing could be done about it.  They held strong to their beliefs about women being put here on earth to be man’s companion . . . and nothing else.  NOT their equals but, companions . . . It all came down to that wonderfully detrimental story of Adam and Eve and how Eve supposedly messed up and we’ve been paying for it ever since. . .

I think THAT’S where it all began, isn’t it?  The blaming of women for the state we’re in?  The not trusting that women can do as good a job as men or even better because, Eve, the first woman ever, did a terrible thing . . . I’m not sure how other religions view it, but, in the JW world, this woman really messed everything up.  And the way it was all taught from the bible, I can see how it could instill in many, women included, the idea that women just might not be the best people to trust things to. . . Luckily, right from the start, I didn’t believe a word that was taught to me from that book.  My entire being recoiled and could not be made to understand the stories I was being taught. . . The ones about women, stuck out in particular as a massive witch hunt and mind control. . . All the way from Eve to Lot’s wife to modern times, the overwhelming theme is that women were definitely untrustworthy and needed a man to reign them in . . . It makes me a little sick even writing these words. . .

So, again, all of this brings me back to wondering, WHY? Why were women signaled out, in the bible and in societies world wide, as less than, weak beings that needed men to steer them in the right direction?  WHY the squashing of the Divine Feminine and the unabashed dimming of their light?  WHY does it continue today, in 2012?  What is everyone, men in particular, afraid of?  When did this all begin?  Maybe that last question is an unanswerable one. . . Maybe it’s just part of the evolution of our species and for whatever reason women were the chosen target by a much larger majority?

All I know is that the persecution has to stop and for the first time in history, I think we’re finally ready for some changes.   In the last decade or so, I’ve begun to see a link between the constant barrage of anger and hate towards gay people, men in particular, and the centuries old attack on women and their rights as human beings.  The derogatory words used to insult gay men, such sissy, nellies, nancies, queens, are all connected to something that real men should not be compared to: A WOMAN!

Oh, this is over 1,000 words already and I’ve got a couple thousand more still wanting their turn . . . I’ll continue this coming week . . . Until then, Be kind. Be loving. BeYOUtiful.

Gene-Manuel
© 2012 Gene-Manuel

 

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