America, let's talk about racial and gender bias

[Forkboy]

SENATOR BARACK Obama spoke courageously and thoughtfully last month about the history and legacy of race in America. It is a speech that will be remembered. Now we must start a conversation about gender in America.

Neither blacks nor women were seriously considered to be worthy of the vote when the Second Continental Congress met in Philadelphia in 1776. Abigail Adams addressed the role of women when she wrote to her husband John Adams: "Remember the Ladies and be more generous and favorable to them than your ancestors. Do not put such unlimited power into the hands of the Husbands. Remember all Men would be tyrants if they could."

Adams's reply was not helpful: "As to your extraordinary Code of Laws, I cannot but laugh."

It is inaccurate and incendiary to equate women's lack of rights with those of enslaved blacks. Yet, there are some parallels. Married women were considered the property of their husbands. They had no right to their own money or real estate. Divorce was nearly impossible and seldom sought because mothers would have to give up their children.

Both marginalized groups have experienced centuries of struggle to achieve full citizenship, a struggle that is far from over.

http://www.boston.com/bostonglobe/editorial_opinion/oped/articles/2008/04/06/america_lets_talk_about_racial_and_gender_bias/

[ruggerson]

1. We've already talked

gender bias is alive and thriving amongst progressives.

[Forkboy]

2. And where do we go from here, past the bitter comments?

:shrug:

[ruggerson]

5. I don't know since in all likelihood

our nominee will be someone who helped promulgate the gender bias. Of course, it might have been just the convenient political thing to do, and if he is lucky enough to become president he will try to steer the nation in a diametrically different direction than his campaign did.

We can hope.

[Forkboy]

7. I think we need to look beyond either candidate to find an answer.

Or any politician for that matter. The answer lies in all of us, not in their leadership or lack thereof.

[TheDoorbellRang]

3. As Obama said

we just have to keep working on forming a more perfect union. There's both sexism and racism to eradicate. It doesn't help either side to play one-up-manship on who's suffered more. Neither will be gone by November, but if we're wise, they will grow less and less with every decade.

[bhikkhu]

4. I can only hope that this is like another language to the newer generation

I was raised in a family that could be described as matriarchal. My mom raised me, my aunts were all strong women, my uncles good men, and my grandmother was the center of gravity for all. My strong great grandmother was the focus of family identity. My father was elsewhere. I admired my grandfather, but there was no great "gender-based" role model.

Racism was entirely absent from my peers, so I grew up without much of a notion of it. I had friends with the last names of Ramirez, Robles, and Garcia, but only years later realized they must have been hispanic. What difference does it really make? My first girlfriend was hispanic, my first boss was black, my ancestors were scandinavian...what difference does it make? I respect intelligence and sincerity above all else, and there is certainly no race or gender bias to this...

I hope that I represent my generation.

[Forkboy]

6. I hope you do, too.

:toast:

[sandnsea]

8. Leaving a marriage was abandonment

illegal. For both yes, but women, traditionally, the shame of jail hits harder so they respect law more. So while slavery was also legal entrapment, marriage was for many women too, moreso than men. I think the fight for justice for women has been as important as the fight for racial justice. Rapes can be compared to lynchings, rape and murder are about power too. But I also think racism was much more prevalent than sexism. I don't know why, but I never saw the kind of oppression some people speak out of 50's and 60's mothers, and my family were all Catholics. My aunts demanded respect. I do know they suffered from economic injustice though, my mother was told to go home and raise her family on serveral occasions. So there are similarities, but there are important differences too.

[Kahuna]

9. I find it odd that the opinions of black women who have experience

with both biases are not solicited more. And when they are, they are ignored.

I am a black woman who has suffered both. But I've always felt more bias against my race than my gender. Especially today. Years ago it was a little more even. But now I can cite countless instances where white woman are doing much better than both black men and black women. Heck. Just go into your workplace today and look around. I know to some just having one black person in an elevated position is EVIDENCE that blacks are well represented. But, c'mon now. That would be disengenuous and silly.

If that isn't enough, watch CSPAN today and look at the senate floor. Need I say more?

I used to think about the disparities a lot. I'm at the age where I have stopped thinking about it like I did in my youth.

[Forkboy]

10. I've noticed that myself.

Other than the black women here on DU that have spoken about it a little it's something that seems to really be missing from the conversation.

One thing that sucks is that when we do make progress in either area it's glacially slow, but when we take steps backwards, as we have in the last seven years, it happens quickly.

[Kahuna]

11. As you can see Forkboy, the very fine thread you started has sunk

because nobody really wants to talk about the realities of race vs. gender bias. Why? Because they don't really want to hear from people like me. That would be too much reality to consume. It's much easier to make unsupported claims.

[tishaLA]

12. "As to your extraordinary code of laws, I cannot but laugh."

It's too bad the Globe truncated the Adams quotation because=, if it were better known, it would be clear that Adams himself didn't find it incendiary to equate women's lack of rights and those of enslaved blacks.

"As to your extraordinary code of laws, I cannot but laugh.

"We have been told that our struggle has loosened the bonds of government everywhere; that children and apprentices were disobedient; that schools and colleges were grown turbulent; that Indians slighted their guardians, and negroes grew insolent to their masters.

"But your letter was the first intimation that another tribe, more numerous and powerful than all the rest, were grown discontented.

"This is rather too coarse a compliment, but you are so saucy, I won't blot it out."

[MethuenProgressive]

13. Welcome to the discussion.

Where have you been?