Editor:
Oink! Oink! Oink! I am here to speak to that apparently tongueless member of society, the American man. Now everyone get your drums and form a circle (see Iron John).
Long before you were around the women's movement was born, but somewhere along the line it turned into the womyn's movement. The main theme: "Man bad Ÿ Woman good." Recently, they have used the most powerful tool/weapon known to man to infect us with this nonsense Ÿ the television.
Item: one-half of all the made-for-TV movies that aired in 1991 depicted women as victims. While we are focusing on the wrongful domestic abuse perpetrated by one Orenthal James Simpson, we have conveniently forgotten about the domestic abuse perpetrated by one Susan Smith. I've said it before and I'll say it again Ÿ there is nothing in this world like a mother's love. Can you hear it? If you listen carefully, in the distance you can begin to hear the "yes, but"s and the "boo hoo hoo"s.
"But exalted speaker, that is just one medium. Are there more examples?" Yes. One need only to take a trip to the local theater to see this malarkey on celluloid. As we watch, we see "the bad guy" slap the "defenseless young lady." The audience gasps. Later, she gets her chance. We see it a mile off Ÿ the infamous kick to the testicles. It invariably is carefully framed to elicit the remark "good, he deserved it," or better yet, laughter.
The print media. Oh, that print media! In 1989, Time magazine featured the story "Seven Deadly Days" focusing on the shooting deaths across the nation in a single week. Of the 464 victims, 390 were men Ÿ but it was a woman that was pictured on the cover. Again, the message was clear. Any time a woman is beaten, shot, stabbed, etcetera, we call it violence against women. What did we say when we saw the faces of the 390 men? When Rodney King was hit, kicked and electrocuted we called it violence against blacks. Had it been Regina King, would we not have screamed at the top of our lungs to stop the violence against women? Let's face it, men, this is nothing more than disrespect.
How 'bout that court system? Now, here's a hot potato! Every blessed day we hear all about how women are always treated unfairly in the courts. The person telling us this certainly "proves" this by including some impressive-sounding statistics. You have heard it before but I would like to remind you Ÿ statistics don't lie, statisticians do. When this person tells us of the tribulations that the woman is subjected to in the courts, the one subject which is often omitted is divorce. Divorce is a disease which afflicts about half of those who get married. However, nine times out of ten it is the man who ends up ill from it. I guess that is why we get the bill for services rendered.
Men, wake up! We are in danger of drowning in an undercurrent of hate. But then again, we probably won't notice. It will be shoved back to page nine. Don't get me wrong Ÿ the women's movement has much to offer, but the womyn's movement offers little. I refuse to be some rat (some would have you believe otherwise) led by the feminist pied piper down the primrose path to one-sided "equality."
My advice: men, take a long hot testosterone shower. Grab a beer and the remote and wallow in your maledom.
Now, let the whining begin!
Chris Brightwell
Tucson Resident