back in the 70s ..............

[iverglas]

when the need for greater economic equity for women (like recognition of rights in family property and family businesses), and for women to take charge of their lives and plan for their needs, were seen as urgent issues because we were realizing how many women ended up in poverty as a result of a divorce or their husband's death, the watchword was "we are all just one man away from poverty".

Well, not all of us. But a woman who hitches her future to a man and depends on him economically will too often be up the creek if he exits the picture, voluntarily or otherwise.

It was brought back to my mind when I posted in one of the interminable I want to say crappy creepy things about women and I'll do it if I want to threads.

Yes, when someone calls Ann Coulter a bitch I feel oppressed. Because she gets called a bitch for all the same reasons I do: some man doesn't like what I say and how I say it. (I'm just not going to get into women bitch callers just now.)

We are all just one man away from bitch.

And really, I don't think anybody gets through life without meeting that man, and more likely many of them. The encounters can be close or not, and may be very dangerous or just annoying. But they will happen.



Wouldn't it be nice if we weren't all just one man away from anything?

I might make that my new birthday wish.

[monmouth]

1. I've often been called "bitch" over the years. I knew in my heart I was in the right on those

occasions so I wear the word with great pride. I got under someone's skin because they heard the truth from me and I feel it's a good thing...

[redqueen]

2. I was called a bitch, most memorably, while being raped.

The word means nothing but an exercise of male privilege to me.

Since we're sharing anecdotes...

[monmouth]

4. I'm sorry that happened to you.

[iverglas]

3. not to start it over again here

but wouldn't it be much gooder if we could get under someone's skin and make them hear the truth and not have foul, degrading label slapped on us for doing it and being women? That's our original sin, of course: being women. Anything else we do just compounds it.

And then there are the women who have the label slapped on them by the men who are abusing them, whether physically or mentally, and destroying their ability to feel proud of anything about themselves. The women who are labelled with it by total strangers in public spaces because they did something to displease a man, often not even having any warning they were about to become subhuman parts of the landscape and found wanting at that. And then these days, there are the little girls treated to the thrill of knowing they got under the skin of some boy of their acquaintance in the schoolyard by having him spit that or worse at them.

I'll give up the label, myself, in all their interests, if not my own.

[MadrasT]

5. I was called a bitch, most memorably

by someone, right before he slapped me across the face and told me I "deserved it for being a bitch".

Right before he told me I could "eat shit and bark at the moon" if I didn't like it.

Right before he raped me.

People saying "I'll call her a bitch when she's being a bitch" does not fly for me. Not even if it's Ann Coulter.

[seabeyond]

6. we bought a business and simply asking one of the male employees a question

for clarification, places me as a b____. it does not take much at all for a woman to be a b_____. open mouth, b_____. dont tippy to, coddle, or stroke the ego, b_____. it really is so very simple to be a b____.

the man on the other hand would be competent, respected, responsible or even competitive.

but a woman, b_____

it is a stupid argument, for sure.