Taxonomy
I’m a man, living in the USA, in 2018.
It seems like every day, the airwaves are filled with virtue-signaling politicians, “journalists,” feminists, social justice warriors, leftists, and “woke” men proclaiming that we live in a horribly sexist society. Further, I’ve been told that simply because I’m male, I am part of the misogynistic patriarchy that perpetuates an ongoing, angry, testosterone-induced oppression of females of all ages at all levels.
Never mind that I have a mother, and a wife, and a daughter, all of whom are very intelligent, independent, and who openly profess to be very happy with not only their lives in general, but also with their respective relationships with me. Never mind that throughout my professional life across multiple careers and industries I’ve reported up to more women than men, including two female CEOs and a female University Provost.
Despite outward appearances, all of these women are oppressed, and since I’m a man, I am allegedly the problem.
Simplicity
The USA is a representative republic, a government by the people, meaning the citizenry vote on practically all matters of importance either directly on majority-rule issues, or indirectly by electing representatives tasked with championing the electorate’s wishes.
According to the US Census Bureau, females represent:
- 51% of the total population
- 52% of eligible voters
- 53% of registered voters
- 54% of actual voters
There’s more!
According to the National Center for Education Studies, 56% of college students are female, leading to the majority of both Bachelor’s and Graduate degrees being awarded to women. Given that, one could conclude that in general, women are clearly more educated. In addition, according to the Harvard Business Review, women control 51.3% of the nation’s wealth, some $17 trillion.
Simply put, American women collectively have more votes, more education, and more money than American men.
As such, it could be argued that American women have it entirely within their united feminine power to control everything! Together, women can pass or defeat any balloted measure or legislated initiative, they can enact or repeal laws, and they can elect or defeat any candidate.
But evidently the fact that they don’t is somehow my fault? Perhaps someone could share with me the recent photos or video of men blocking women from voting, and/or preventing women from declaring candidacy for elected office.
Reality
In a market-based economy rife with opportunity, there will always be those who have it easier than others, and those who have it more difficult than others. Over the course of time, most people will experience both sides of this as they navigate through evolving circumstances, because anyone seeking to accomplish anything of significance typically faces challenges. It’s not oppression, it’s life. Often times, our greatest sense of accomplishment comes from overcoming difficult challenges, regardless of how or why those challenges came to be.
That being said, if you are of the opinion that American females are horribly oppressed, facing countless, unfair, male-generated obstacles impacting all aspects of their dreadfully problematical lives, then perhaps a not-so-subtle reminder is in order: “Uh… Ladies? I know we’re just males, but we (at least most of us) can count, and clearly you have the means by which to be in charge.”
However, if you choose to reject that premise, well then, you can always just point in my general direction and announce “This is terrible, and I think it’s all his fault!!”
Five by Five from the 457 