What is going on with the women in the U.S. today?

[redirish28]

(Please I'm not male ego-manic.) I pose the question just as my wife posed it.


We are seeing the emergence of These female Tea-party candidates and speakers who are basically trying to set the progression of woman back 300 years -as my wife says-- These women have basically said in a round about way a woman should be in the home tending to babies and agreeing with the men.


And what really got my wife off on her rant was an e-mail she got from a friend today who was at work when one of her fellow FEMALE co-workers announced that women having the right to vote was the biggest mistake in America.

She went on to say no woman married she be in the work place because it is two income families that are causing the financial problems we are suffering today. If the Married woman would stay home the employment problem would be nonexistent. She went on to say that no woman should be anything more than a Teacher or receptionist.

My wife's friend pointed out to the woman her hypocrisy and the woman claimed she is in middle management because she has no choice to help support her family now but if things where as she said she'd gladly give up her job to a qualified man.

The woman went on to rant that "The women who played Xena and Gabrielle should be jailed for destroying a man's image. You have these woman running around saving the day no wonder the American family is suffering."

My wife's friend was floored by this woman's point of view my wife is dumbfounded and speechless except to ask What is going on the the Woman in America today.

[Taverner]

1. Its basically an extension of the puritanical 'slutshaming' that goes on at their churches

As for the term 'Slutshaming' - that's not my word, but the best word that describes the 'well she was asking to get raped' crowd.

[WhiteTara]

2. these are Phyllis Schlafflee (sp?0

graduates.

However, it might be Stockholm Syndrome.

[Bitwit1234]

24. No Phyllis pillus has been around since the seventies

and way back then she slammed women for not staying home and having babies and taking care of the men. I don't understand ...because the women who spew about this the loudest are the ones running around the country gathering in loads of money and telling other women to stay home. I think this again shows the mental deficiency of the republicans. The women are more ignorant than the men.

[left coaster]

25. I'd say it was a bit of both.. plus..

..the open misogyny of the past eight years of RW Christian political/social influence has had a profound impact on the collective American psyche.. some women actually bought into it.. hence we see the type of self-loathing teabaggette you cited..

[HipChick]

3. I've been told I'm the reason there's so much umemployment..

I'm a woman taking up a man's job..taking the food out of children mouth..kid you not..

[Fire1]

31. But what if YOU have a kid to feed?? What if you're divorced or

widowed? The stupid really does burn.:hurts:

[HipChick]

75. Then supposedly my place is with a new husband..subservient etc

all the same...I took the issue to HR..

[Grey]

40. That is exactly what my father said to me.

Said "I should quit and apply for welfare...." kid you not....

[treestar]

58. Reagan started that idiocy thirty years ago

:rofl: I remember when he first said it, condescendingly referring to us ladies as responsible for the recession.

[Sen. Walter Sobchak]

68. In 2003 I saw...

Some old geezer confront a female Alaska Airlines pilot and tell her she had stolen a veterans job and her kids childhood. All she said was "Enjoy your stay in Portland..."

[Darth_Kitten]

91. Did you tell this person where to go?

:D

[LiberalLoner]

4. I think everyone else made great points, but I think another layer to all this is

a wish that many women have of wishing they could just quit their jobs and stay at home and be domestic. I have read magazine articles saying more and more women are becoming disillusioned with careers and the working world and wish they could stay at home and be a homemaker, but most are unable to due to the economy.

If the articles I read are correct in reading the zeitgeist of many American women today, then maybe some women are blaming women's lib for the fact that they can no longer live on one salary and can no longer stay at home.

Anyway that was my guess.

[Tuesday Afternoon]

15. I think I have read some of those same articles.

[mitchum]

33. I agree with you...it is a wish to have what they think of as a "soft and comfortable" life...

and I'm being generous when I use the word "think"

[pitohui]

62. it's "women's lib" fault their jobs don't pay enough? say what?

well ok that's an argument against democracy because anyone stupid enough to think the only force fighting for women to get decent pay at all is at fault for women's jobs paying shit is just too fucking stupid to breed and should be sterilized now

[laundry_queen]

73. These same women

who blame women's lib are the ones who fight against any minimum wage legislation and anything that would strengthen unions and give us all a living wage so we COULD make it on one salary. Honestly, I don't know how any of them manage to get out of bed in the morning and get dressed. :crazy:

[valerief]

5. They're as stupid as the morons who married them. nt

[lunatica]

6. Teabagger women should take their own advice and stay home and teabag

And let us intelligent women work.

[RKP5637]

26. +1000 +++ n/t

[TroglodyteScholar]

44. +1 n/t

[Dappleganger]

45. Brilliant!

I wholeheartedly concur. :fistbump:

[krabigirl]

49. hmmmm..so if you stay home, you are unintelligent?

[redirish28]

54. I don't think it was ment like that. I think if they want women to do just that

the Teabag women should lead by example and stay out of politics.


My wife and I have no disrespect for any woman who decides to stay home and be "homemaker" We believe it is a job that is really underrated BUT we and especially my wife feels these Tea bagger view of THAT IS ALLL a woman should do is sick.

[pitohui]

63. well it's a pretty good clue that you are unemployable and considered of no value to society

i will make no comment on intelligence, i don't think intelligence in women is considered to be of any great value, at least it is not valued in america BUT if you stay at home, there is clearly a huge problem somewhere

what adult would choose to be a helpless dependent if they had guts and a brain?

being a stay at home mom is the booby prize and a way to cover one's pride and not admit that you couldn't really earn, successful women easily balance both but the odds are so stacked against success for women that i don't ever blame anyone for not working, if your skills/brains/ talents are not valued and you can't worked, the world is as it is...

but, yes, there is a certain % of women who don't work because they have serious issues w. mental illness, addiction,e tc. there is no use pretending that the world is better off because they're sitting at home "watching" the kids while smoking crack


at the end of the day, what example would you set for your kids? do you really want to teach your daughter that she has to be dependent on a man to put bread in her mouth? no we all know that's a shit example, if you're a stay at home mom it is not because you think that's a good example to set, it's a terrible one that even if it's OK for you could v. easily lead to your daughter being an abuse victim...we all know this...girls MUST get an example that women can be strong but sometimes the world says fuck you, i'm not gonna let you work, so you have to put a brave face on it

so, i'm not saying "unintelligent" but what stay at home mom do you know who doesn't have some serious issue that kept her from being a success? it doesn't have to be stupidity, it prob. isn't, maybe she's a genius who didn't sleep w. the right professor or the right mentor and is now forever unemployable...many other times it's physical or mental illness

nature intended for women to raise children and be able to feed the child too, any women who can't do that, look (and it isn't usu. too hard) to see...she has an issue, it may not be her fault, in this world it prob. isn't but it's still not a "choice"

the women i hear bleating about how they "chose" to stay home are invariably fundy crazies who don't mind indoctrinating their daughters in fundy crazy hood and it's apparent to everyone but them that they chose nothing, their religious hysteria "chose" for them

[CBR]

80. ....

"so, i'm not saying "unintelligent" but what stay at home mom do you know who doesn't have some serious issue that kept her from being a success?"

I know plenty. I support men and women who choose to stay home because day care/pre-school costs an arm and a leg. I would love to stay home with my kids when I have them. I am one year away from earning a PhD and have been the ED of a nonprofit.

My mom stayed home until I was 13 and my brother was 9. Now she works full-time and is successful. Your whole statement is just shit.

[mercuryblues]

83. Nice broad brush you have

What am I? Do you think I have a mental illness, stupid, addiction or etc? I stay at home and I am almost as liberal as you can get. I teach my children right from wrong. Maybe according to you I am just setting a terrible example for my children. You know with things like community service, homework help, sports, and college, just to name a few. My kids see me as someone who taught them they can be a success in their own right. They will be able to bring home the bacon AND fry it up in a pan. My sons won't need a woman to cook and clean for them nor my daughter to marry a man to support her. But hey, what do I know, I must be a mentally ill, addicted, unintelligent person who would not fuck her professors and bosses to get a promotion, so all I can do is stay at home and feed kids.


"maybe she's a genius who didn't sleep w. the right professor or the right mentor and is now forever unemployable"

So you really believe that the only way a woman can get ahead in a job is to sleep around? Or are you implying that woman who stay at home aren't whores and working woman are a success because they are?

The next time you label a stay at home Mom or Dad as a bleating crazy fundy, consider this. Some people do choose to stay at home, not to indoctrinate their daughters into crazy hood, but to raise their children themselves.

[seabeyond]

93. you must have had a really fucked up childhood pitohui. nt

[RadiationTherapy]

94. Because 40 hours is a fucking ratrace joke of a prison.

Housework and caring for one's family is soul food of the most ancient and reliable type. I'm not saying you are "unintelligent", but how many people arrive at their deathbeds thinking "I spent too much time caring for my family"?

[treestar]

59. +1000. If they want to help the job market why don't they lead by

example? Why don't they take their own advice? That's the mystery.

But not really. They just mean our peons.

[madrchsod]

7. sarah is certainly not home taking care of her special needs baby....

that woman is an idiot...well i think i should`t disparage idiots

[HipChick]

76. +100

[enough]

8. Strange phenomenon indeed, because the women who are saying this are not DOING it.

They're out in the world trying to make careers in politics and/or entertainment.

[IcyPeas]

22. ha ha - so true, enough!!

[Raksha]

41. And they don't know the difference between politics and entertainment...

Re "They're out in the world trying to make careers in politics and/or entertainment."

Especially not on the right. I've come to the conclusion that RWWs just LOVE to hear other RWWs telling other people (presumably third parties, "them" whoever "they" might be) how to live. They don't give a damn that the speakers are major hypocrites, even though it's pointed out to them over and over again.

"Do as I say not as I do" seems to go over big with the brain-dead element in this country.

[MichiganVote]

9. Some women hate their own gender. Men too at times.

[janx]

10. I have an academic friend/colleague who has written a book

about that and is shopping it around to academic presses as we speak. This isn't paranoia on your wife's part, believe me. If/when the book is published, I'll let DU know. I've only read parts of the manuscript so far, but what I've seen is very well documented--the research is impeccable.

[DesertFlower]

11. in 1975 my mother in law told me

that i should quit my job so a man could have it.

[grasswire]

12. women vote for *softer* issues

That's what the neocons say.

Women vote for family issues.

Women don't vote for war.

That's why Ann Coulter and others say women should not have the right to vote. Seriously.

[grasswire]

13. women vote for *softer* issues

That's what the neocons say.

Women vote for family issues.

Women don't vote for war.

That's why Ann Coulter and others say women should not have the right to vote. Seriously.

[LiberalLoner]

23. Why is it war and destruction is considered more important and better than raising families and

creating a better society for everyone to live in???

[provis99]

14. I blame men.

[REP]

16. Interesting essay in the new Harper's by Susan Faludi that touches on this

No link; it's for subscribers only and the pearl-clutchers get upset when I reproduce excerpts. It should be n newsstands in a day or so.

[life_long_dem]

17. Maybe these wingnuts have read " The Good Wife's Guide" from

Housekeeping Monthly- 13 May 1955.

[redirish28]

30. I thought this was some work of fiction--Urban Legend!

[life_long_dem]

37. It probably is an urban legend. But, that doesn't mean people

won't believe it.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Good_Wife%27s_Guide

[Abq_Sarah]

69. The 1950 Betty Crocker Picture Cookbook

Had similar (but not as blatantly offensive) tips in the helpful hints section.

[tularetom]

18. Jeezus what guy would actually want a woman like that?

You could get everything from a sheep that she could give you and a lot cheaper besides.

Indeed what IS going on with the women in America today that there are so many like her?

[RKP5637]

27. Weird times and weirder people. IMO there are some very peculiar people

running around today often spouting things that are in their own worst interest. Soon they'll be telling old and/or sick people to go kill themselves, they're taking money from others and/or insurance companies.

[SoCalDem]

19. I think that WWII showed "business" something very powerful

They saw first hand that women were JUST AS CAPABLE as men when it come to "work", and they also saw that women LIKED it, and were willing to be paid LESS.

Is it any surprise that business set out to wreck unions and encourage more women to enter the job-market?
How they did it?

Pressuring men (once de-unionized) to accept give-backs, and denying them real wage increases, thus cutting the family income, and simultaneously prodding more and more women to HAVE to work, so the family income could be stabilized.

The de-stigmatization of divorce also led to many more single mothers who had no choice about working..

Then business took it another step ahead, by outsourcing & constantly moving jobs away from the workers, forcing them (men and women) to compete more and more for fewer, and lower-paid jobs.

[Raksha]

43. Very good summary of the last 30 years or so.

I think we've all been had. The big question now is--what are we going to do about it? What CAN we do about it? That's the question that haunts me every day, and I'm not even close to finding an answer.

[abelenkpe]

20. I have wondered the same thing recently

Really, it's depressing. Palin, Angle, O'Donnell are shameful role models for young women today.

At least there's Elizabeth Warren. Now that's a woman to look up to and be proud of. :)

[RKP5637]

39. Well said!!!

:toast:

[NMMNG]

21. It's not "the women"

It's conservative women who've fallen under the spell of this patriarchy crap. They actually believe the garbage their RRRW churches and "news" outlets spew about how men are superior because Gawd said so, that men and women have unique and narrowly defined roles and if anybody deviates from them society will fall apart and Armageddon will ensue, blah blah blah. Men are for running things, except for those few women who spew the right dogma to help keep the others in line (and they only "run things" to the extent that they are tokens) , and womenfolk are for making babies and serving the menfolk.

Sick freaking shit they're selling.

[seabeyond]

28. some pretty insulting posts to women that do chose to stay home.... as we attack these other women

such as, a sheep would be more handy than i. thanks a lot poster.

i would think on this, oh so progressive board, in order to attack these women, we dont need to attack choice. a choice a family makes

that is no ones fuckin business

keep the progressive ways... strong. :toast:

[redirish28]

32. It wasn't my intent. And my wife has no problems with a woman who

wishes to be a stay at home mother. She has no disrespect for that but to see these women want to take away the right to vote and make a living is beyond belief.

[seabeyond]

34. i wasnt addressing your post... but thank you. nt

[krabigirl]

50. I agree, but I am used to it. People do think you are stupid if you stay home.

[seabeyond]

51. yup

i, too, worked for two decades.

[CBR]

82. I am amazed by some of these posts. Un-fucking-believable.

I support women and men having the choice to stay home if it is what works for their family.

[seabeyond]

84. amazing how it continues as if not recognized, even when pointed out. nt

[RKP5637]

29. Well, IMO her friend's fellow FEMALE co-worker should quit her job if she is that

distressed about it all.

[etherealtruth]

35. What's going on with the men in the U.S. today?

The "crazy" and stupidity seems pretty gender neutral to me:shrug:

[RKP5637]

36. Good point. I call the US United Stupidity, anymore.

[mrcheerful]

38. I knew one woman back in 1979 that believed women shouldn't vote, drive auto's, work outside

of the home, voice any opinions that contradicted her husband/mate's opinion, didn't have the right to say no to sex anytime husband/mate, she was also against unmarried sex until her son started living with a girl, she also never said a word against sons live in even after the live in gave him an STD, once they broke up though it all came out, and husbands decided how many was spent, which food was ate, what time they went to bed at night, in other words the wife in her opinion was the mans slave.

She actually thought that was how women should behave. Never mind the fact that she met her husband because he rode a motorcycle past her house every day to and from work, or the fact that the only reason they met was because she leaned out her bedroom window topless which made hubby to be to turn around to see if he saw what he saw. Or that their first child was a premature birth by 6 months before her marriage, this was 1948 btw. The difference between the stories this woman and hubby told was the later was told before she became born again, the former was what she said after her re birth.

The tea baggers are just born again hypocrites who very quickly rewrite their history and personal beliefs whenever it suits them or their self image.

[totodeinhere]

42. Don't blame women. Actually, the Tea Party female candidates are getting most of their support from

men, not other women. There have always been a few bat shit crazy right wing women around, but overall, most if not all polls show that as a whole women are more liberal than men.

[sohndrsmith]

46. My simplistic take on it? The TPs/GOP have discovered that "sex sells"

And they have been able to find individuals who (for whatever reason - be it egomania, celebrity, ignorance, greed, careless, power-addiction, gullible, in it for self-benefit regardless of it's effect on women, or some other reason be it innocent, shrewd, calculating, complete lack of thought or depth) seem to have a complete lack of consciousness of the sense that their actions have consequences... or they don't care.

Perfect example (though not necessarily gender-specific) was Palin's (oh, this is painful to type) : "goin' rouge" and both implying and inciting her supporters to view Obama as a terrorist, foreign, un-American and so scary (black)...ugh... that being armed to the teeth and destroying his presidency - at the expense of the lives of millions of Americans, the governmental process and the country itself - was appropriate.

I think there is a calculation behind it (its not unexpected that these prominent women - Palin, O'Donnell, Angle <sp?> - seem vastly one-dimensional) are the ones who might better "get away with" saying such incendiary, idiotic, small-minded, bigoted, sexist, xenophobic, everything-phobic, biblical cherry-picking and extremely dangerous bumper-sticker politicking - that someone else might not be able to deliver....

I know - it's an ugly thought that this could be the case and it makes me uncomfortable to have it, but i think it could be just this simple.

These women don't represent the women of integrity, depth and awareness that I admire and hope there are more of than these nitwits who represent nothing I respect.

Well, there you go... (heck, I rant without even realizing it -sorry about that!) : )

Edited to remove accidental smiley face due to my funky punctuation... <g>

[seabeyond]

47. +1. nt

[RKP5637]

53. Well said!!! n/t

[Lydia Leftcoast]

65. None of these women would be popular among right wingers if

they looked like Bella Abzug or Shirley Chisholm.

Palin and O'Donnell, with their country-western looks, are placed to appeal to the knuckle-dragging male and to the dimwitted female who thinks that feminism means forcing women to work outside the home.

[shimmergal]

92. That's so true!

I notice nobody is giving that much attention to that weird RW female representative from one of the Carolinas who looks like a sixytish Church Lady from the 1950s. (Sorry, can't think of her name offhand.)

We have lots of attractive political women on the Democratic side. Unfortunately, maybe, most have "paid their dues" and by the time they've risen to national attention, they're some ten years older than those kooks, which disqualifies them for admiring photo essays from most of our sexist MM.

[krabigirl]

48. I hate this kind of thinking, and I am a stay-at-home mom. bugs me to no end ro

And yes, I am judged by people who think what I am doing is wrong, but it's right for our family. However, I worked for many years before having kids in my mid-thirties, I still do freelance work now, and I don't intend to "stay home" forever, nor do I think women SHOULD stay home. However, I don't think moms should HAVE to work outside of the home, either, if the family can afford it and they value this. (I feel the same way about stay at home dads :) )

[RKP5637]

52. It's a good way to look at it... people should do what works best for them w/o

others being judgmental. I really hate the one size fits all mentality for anyone and those who want to force their ways on anyone, whatever their ways. What you're saying makes perfect sense to me too.

[redirish28]

55. Please note my wife and I mean no disrespect. If it is a choice you

made we respect it nor do we believe you are dumb or anything like that. It just amazed us how this woman thought women voting was wrong.

If it is choice you made yes we respect it. BUT that choice shouldn't be Forced upon my wife and me when it takes both of our income to stay just slightly above water.

[sohndrsmith]

57. I admire you (and the rest of your family), personally... I did the same

for several years. I couldn't agree more - value of purpose isn't always measured by dollars... often, what really matters never is.. : )

[Book Lover]

56. The patriarchy is a poison

It warps everyone's way of thinking and, as evidenced in the OP and in some comments here, leads to the immoral devaluation of nonpaid work. (And insulting Xena, which is beyond the pale!)

[sohndrsmith]

60. "She went on to say that no woman should be anything more than a Teacher or receptionist."

.....um.....

HAHAHHAHAH!!

The he-man-woman-hater <g> who wrote this email to your wife (I know it was a she, not a he, but that's what popped into my head) never met, befriended or ever had a relative who was a teacher, clearly....

Plus - this middle-management career person is a mom with these views? She needs to quit - yesterday and walk the walk so that a qualified PERSON could do her work (and clearly better qualified, since she's distracted by her children vs. her paycheck) while she does the *right* thing by her family. What a hypocrite.... ugh.

My mother was (is and will always be) a teacher.

She had a traditional role at home, except my father made dinner (and bread) - he was a miraculous cook and I was raised (spoiled) on exquisite french cuisine. Mom did the housework, laundry, grunge work for the holidays (Dad did the cooking and received the accolades while mom spent hours polishing the flipping silver). She took care of my brothers and my medical/dental needs and emergencies as well as those of our big ol' St. Bernard and numerous cats.

But mom was a full-time, dedicated teacher *and* for the first 10 years of my life, a full-time mom at the same time since we attended the same school. She was always available (when needed), and always Mom - and never further away than the other end of the (very) small school. She got up at 5:30 at the latest every day, drove us to school (what's a school bus?) taught both of us (1 year for my brother, 1 year for me, too, plus every day after kindergarten the year prior, so 1.5 years - lucky me).

She spent hours before school and after school _daily_ preparing for and creating curricula, lessons, setting up science experiments, and writing or making notes for her reports. She had playground and lunchtime duty, helped with holiday pageants and basically went above and beyond. I don't think there was ever more than a day or two that she didn't work on something for her job - year round (unless we were camping, etc.)

Of course, as a teacher (as emphasized by your wife's unwitting coworker), she *cough* had summers and spring/winter breaks "off".

HA!

While she wasn't being a mom/household manager, birthday/holiday scheduler, present buyer/wrapper, etc., she worked on her "reports". Since it was a day school (not-public), she was required to write individual, detailed reports on every student several times a year, which would then be presented to/discussed with each child's parent/s.

My mom didn't just write her reports, she immersed herself in them, taking them as seriously as if someone's life depended on it. In a way they did. I couldn't respect her more for being such a responsible teacher - when her colleagues would work of boiler plate formulas that weren't nearly as meaningful as writing fresh reports - even for children she'd had for 2 years, or in a special reading class. She'd get up super-early do do them so as not to interfere with her being a mom.

Your wife's 'colleague' (or anyone) who considers the job of teacher as something of an aside, something for bored mothers to do just to fill their time because "anyone can do it" or such minimal effort is required its not much of a real "job"... is uninformed or holds a negative bias based on something other than fact.

(Um... who are Xena and Gabrielle? I don't recall either in my faded memory of Greek Mythology, and I think Gabrielle was a male angel - in Christian mythology... but I'm not sure on that either).

[redirish28]

64. Xena... The TV show. It was a spin off of Hercules in the 90s

[Cleita]

71. I loved Hercules and Xena. So did my husband.

It was campy and fun. I liked the fact that Xena could kick entitled male ass and my husband liked the fact that both ladies were hot. There was something for everyone.

[pitohui]

61. in america women don't have NEVER have had equal rights under the law in our constitution

i think this is not understood in europe or canada or wherever you might live that you are so puzzled by this, but it's CORE

in america as a woman i do not have equal rights to a man under the constitution, and i will NEVER have it, we gave up even pushing for it long ago - i have been crushed financially by this little fact as most women of my class have been crushed, for a woman to get ahead, well, it ain't gonna happen unless she's pretty and sleeps w. the right person (unless she has powerful relatives)-- we do not have a system that allows for meritocracy for women in america

women do not have equal rights, if we are raped/harassed on the job we couldn't even LITIGATE abt it until the 1980s, even today you prob. wouldn't win the case and would be barred from working forever for even trying, and the reality for most women is...we don't have equal rights unless we're the daughter or wife of someone powerful

yet we no longer have any protection under law from being abandoned (alimony)

so women are scared, angry, and bitter, we are pretty much only a tiny step above slaves, we are good enough to do all the work and raise all the fucking kids (look at the rise of single moms and the wholesale abandonment of the family by men) but we are not good enough to be considered equal in pay or in intelligence .. we are apparently put here on this earth to give blowjobs

look at hillary and bill, two folks of equal intelligence and charm, only ONE of them ever had a realistic chance of being president (and this is NOT to take anything away from bill, his achievement was incredible starting from where he started as a poor hillbilly boy, believe you me, but a woman in america COULDN'T do what bill has done or what obama has done, it simply wouldn't be tolerated) -- the first american female president will be the widow/wife/daughter of a "real" president or else she will be a fascist figurehead put up there as a pretense...

it's the way of the world

women are the majority, women are the fucked who don't get paid anything yet have to raise the families on nothing...yes, some people are thinking, let's appeal to these scared women and scoop up their votes

and the advantage of putting up these teabag/crazy lady women is that they're fucking STUPID...reagan was a moron and was easy to manage, bushes were morons and easy to manage, but nixon actually had a brain, uh oh, look how that worked out...if you're looking for a figurehead you want a WOODEN head that's the first priority

[Tx4obama]

66. All the NUTTY females are republicans, not democrats.

Many nutty REPUBLICAN females these days:
Sarah Palin (AK), Michele Bachmann (MN), Orly Taitz (CA), Sue Lowden (NV), Virginia Foxx (NC), Jan Brewer (AZ), Sharron Angle (NV), Debbie Riddle (TX), Victoria Jackson, Ann Coulter, and now we can add Christine O'donnell (DE)

Feel free to add to the list ;)

[donheld]

67. It seems to me like the GOP is desparately seeking to find

the most insanely stupid woman they can find to thrust into the lime light of their party. Just when you think they've found the stupidest someone another one steps up.

[Cleita]

70. Maybe we need to give out a burqa award to these

ladies. Years ago I had a fight with a woman, who was my supervisor, over this. She really didn't think women should be in charge of anything, although she was, or make more money than men, etc. etc. I answered that we weren't a separate species but just as human as the men so therefore we were entitled to access to the same privileges and money. She had no answer for me but our relationship deteriorated afterwards to the point that I had to quit the job.

[demmiblue]

72. On the positive side...

the last comprehensive political/issues poll I read showed women to be a little more liberal than their democratic male counterparts.

[felix_numinous]

74. Religious schooling has a powerful effect on demographics,

so are public schools being pressured to teach abstinence and creationism. In the school system, the separation of church and state is dangerously eroding. Public schools have in the past taught civics and social studies, which to my knowledge many do not now.

Changes in education and the M$M have radically influenced conservative thought, while many women have always chosen traditional roles, now this radicalism is causing them to aggressively challenge progressive lifestyles. They are being taught intolerance and bigotry.

It seems to me there has been a surge of people who call themselves conservatives in this country since W got in office. I would be interested to find out if this is due to actual numbers or if it is because a few people are being funded by more and more money.

[Orsino]

77. This really is a byblow of feminism.

So we value women as human beings, and encourage them to raise their voices and be politically active? Watch out--they'll prove themselves every bit as capable of Stoopid as men are.

[seabeyond]

85. that is why i never pay the "let women rule and see the fairness crap" human... more

in common than some people acknowledge.

[Orsino]

86. Well, a nation capable of removing men from power...

...and installing women in their place would be a nation somewhat disengaged from all the macho stupidity that drives some of our worst politics and wars.

"Letting women rule" couldn't possibly happen in a vacuum. It would mean a sea change.

[Generic Other]

78. take away our educations, lobotomize us and make us wear burkhas

We are all Eve, and we should never forget our place.

The rest should be burned as witches or stoned.

:puke:

[DiverDave]

79. Gawd, I wish my wife COULD stay home

But, see, we really need the money, what with the bills and all...
Sheesh some people really will cut off their noses...

[LWolf]

81. Religious conditioning. nt

[hayu_lol]

87. Single women(unmarried, widowed, divorced)have always worked...

in the bad old days, usually at menial labor of one kind or another.

World War II made the difference. Women were needed at all levels of employment including the bomber pilots who ferried the planes to Europe. After the war, many women did not want to return to be stay-at-homes...they preferred to work...and they did so.

Situation has changed today:

Men's jobs are no longer stable or long-term
Men have a habit of disappearing from the family, essentially deserting the wife.
Men do not have a good record of paying alimony/child support.

Prices of the basic ingredients of a marriage: homes, cars, furniture, medical expenses, kid's education have all gone through the roof. Takes, in most cases, two or more incomes to support such habits.

Women today can reasonably expect at least one divorce.
Women today can see where they might be the sole support for themselves and their kids.
Women today earn their own educations.
Women today, at most levels, must work or their families fail.

Dammed if you do and dammed if you don't.

There is no equitable division of labor that goes on within a marriage. Everyone suffers. No question that women, trying to do it all suffer more than their male counterparts.

Worse today because of the depression we find ourselves in. Either his income or her income can be suddenly terminated. Sometimes both at the same time.

Safety net has many holes in it.

We do not have a society today where women can stay at home if they wish.

No one has yet come up with an answer to these problems that work.

[LWolf]

89. All true.

Products of a patriarchal society based on religions whose structure makes women second class citizens.

[Mushroom]

88. It's called fallout

from patriarchal values, BS politicking/careering, rhetoric, propaganda, male ego, female ego, political ego, religion, misogyny, you name it.

Tell your wife about FOCA.

[Darth_Kitten]

90. Send them to Canada, I'll set them straight....

In my world, women don't have to explain ANYTHING to ANYBODY.

:)

Seriously, women shouldn't have to be on the defensive, having to explain how they live, love, work, etc. It's nobody else's beeswax. :)