Misogynistic Mannerisms
There was a time in my life that I thought whenever I would hear a woman speak about mysogyny I always that it was the wailings of a bitter, unfulfilled feminist who had nothing better to do because she couldn't get a man. All praises due for information and elevation because that is not where I am today. There are alot of conceptions and misconceptions about the meaning of this word, much less the mindset so let's clear some things up. Misogyny is defined as hatred (or contempt) of women or girls. Misogyny comes from Greek misogunia (μισογυνία) from misos (μῖσος, hatred) and gynē (γυνή, woman.
In a patriarchal society such as the one we live in the vast majority would be quick to point out that women have just as much opportuinites to advance, socially, economically, culturally as men do, but how true is that? Let's look at a couple of things; money or holding "so-called posiotns of power is not the problem. Everyday on television, media print we see the objectification of woman scantily clad to promote and sell items. We understand that sex sells but it's the pimp vs. whore complex from Madison Avenue to the neighborhood. Mysogyny is not a just a pervasive way of life but it is a mindset that will not allow the individual to see a woman like an equal. Yes, they find the fullfillment of their physical needs in a woman, but other than that their treatment, their views of woman remain deeply rooted in contempt and a second citizen type of mindset.
Unfortunately, this type of behavior has not missed our community. In fact the mindset of a lot of black men tdoay speaks very strong to it. You know that it has become a very sad situation when during a basic conversation a black woman is referred to as a bitch or hoe 10-15 times within a couple of minute. Now what has changed is that there was a time that only a woman living a certain lifestyle would be labeled with these words, but today everyday woman it seems is freely given this label without a second thought. Recently I asked a young brotha why he referred to sistas in this manner? His response was "They all bitches or have been bitches at one time. From Grandma to Mama to sisters. It don't matter. A woman has always been a bitch to me."
That's a sad and maddening statement for the simple fact that without that black woman you wouldn't even be catching breath. To hate where you come from and be disillusioned to think that type of mindset is normal, something is wrong. But the sickness goes even deeper than that when you have woman who openly refer to themselves and other women in the same manner. I't often said that it's not meant in that context but it's not so much what is meant as oppose to the choice of words used. When woman use these terms to converse, describe and label each other not only has the trend switched, but now it has become self perpetuation. You would think that only men can be misgynistic, but it stands to reason that with the attitude of self hatred that some sisters exhibit it wouldn't a be a long stretch of the imagination to think that a woman could have the same disdain and contempt for another woman.
I understand that my viewpoint is that of a man who doesn't always have the same traditional thoughts and viewpoints of most men. Through my experiences I learned that just because I see something one way doesn't mean that's the way it is. Nonetheless, misogyny seems to be a monster that is not only being fueled by the male of the species but the practice is being picked up by the sisters. Within this post it wasn't my desire to harp so much on the negativity that surrounds this behavior but to touch upon th fact that this pervasive, crippling mindset has become more aof a way of life in not just general society, but the business, cultural and religious world as well. Will it change? Can't say, but what I will say is some traditons and that's what it seems to be, are here but the energy we give to them decides whether the will wither away or continue to be a destructive force within the societies that we live in.
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