Louse

The Equal Rights Amendment (ERA) was written in 1923, two years after the suffragist fight for voting rights was finally won by the passing of the 19th Amendment. It has since been ratified by 35states, just three states short of the threshold for putting it in theconstitution. The fact that we live under a constitution that fails to provide fundamental equality for all citizens no matter their presumed, implied, or affirmed sex is unjust. The injustice of it is directly related to laws that govern women’s bodies, that center on shaming and blaming victims of sexual violence, that simply do not allow for the same rules to apply to woman in the justice system as they do for men. For Patricia Arquette to use the Oscars as a platform to be a strong loud voice in support of the ERA is, in my opinion, a beautiful and brave choice. What is even more important though is what she actually said.  

I steered clear of the Oscars on Sunday but I was taken by the social media buzz about her words. In her acceptance speech, she stated, “To every woman who gave birth, to every taxpayer and citizen of this nation, we have fought for everybody else’s equal rights. It’s our time to have wage equality once and for all and equal rights for women in the United States of America,” hear, hear right? I was listless. I puzzled. I wondered if I was hearing her right. That taxpayers, birth mothers, and citizens of the United States have been fighting for “everybody else’s" equal rights and it’s time now for “them” to have the attention. Her language reminded me of speeches of white suffragists arguing that if the Negro has the right to vote then so should we. The same rhetoric of “we” in which White Suffragists who were abolitionists felt entitled to the support of people of color because they fought to end slavery.

Just in case I was completely taking her words out of context from the acceptance speech, when she was backstage with the press she shared, “It's time for all women in America and all men that love women, and all the gay people, and all the people of color, that we've all fought for, to fight for us now," which to unpack this by deduction of “us” and “we’ve” what she is leaving to fight for is white heterosexual woman. The yuckiest stomach churning acidic piece for my feminist belief system to chew on is that this, I am certain well-meaning belief on her part, hurts the woman’s movement. It hurts the movement because it denies the reality of Intersectionality, of Interlocking Oppression, of Racism. It reinforces a sense of entitlement among whites and furthers the misnomer that Feminism is an exclusive rather than inclusive movement. Not that I heard any affirmation of feminism in her comments. Which I argue to do so could marginalize her from the “us” she is so passionately fighting for.

Post-Election Reflection:  If the Tea Party “a small faction” can demand and elect officials who only support policies aimed at white supremacy, economic/social inequality, racial discrimination and a middle finger to the environment. Then this speaks to me of the power with which this “small faction” holds.  If the largest corporations and the wealthiest among us continue to devote devastating amounts of money to back these same policies and politicians.  Then it’s fair to deduce that they are members of this “small faction.”  But really this is not about a small faction of power. I see something different.

  What I see is an opportunity to be louder. To be smarter. To come together more often in meaningful ways to demand social, economic, and workplace justice, a truth out and full frontal acknowledgement of racism in this country, equality on all fronts and the expansion of civil rights to include the right of all to a healthy standard of living.  But how can we use the results of this election as an opportunity when white supremacist, capitalist, patriarchy, wins another day?    One way is to call out this white supremacist, capitalist, heterosexist, patriarchal faction for what it is.  To stop calling these power systems the Tea Party or attaching names like Republican or sadly even Moderate Democrat. To stop being shamed by family, friends, classmates, co-workers, clergy, neighbors, teachers, politicians, and so on for calling out their support (intentional or unconscious, apathetically or ideally) of a mainstream society that is unabashedly (if you watch Fox News) saying loud and clear that white is right, money is power, the poor are to blame, war is the answer, homosexuality is wrong, workers are shit, and woman need to step off. To use this as an opportunity to recognize if you are personally turned off or weirded out by the idea of white supremacy, capitalism, heterosexism, and patriarchy as bad things. Or to otherwise be fearless in saying out loud white supremacist capitalist heterosexist patriarchy is literally the elephant in the room.