05 March 2012

Quote for the day -- the power of sexuality

"It's the power of human sexuality — and the exercise of that power free of religious or political constraints — that frightens the right wing. That it has a patriarchal mindset is merely a truism. And nothing threatens that patriarchal control as much as female sexuality. For centuries the Christian church taught that women were wild sexual beasts, put on earth to tempt hapless males from God's path. Nocturnal emissions were the work of succubi, female demons sent to drain men of their essence. Woman was the source of all of man's ills, stemming from Eve's initial disobedience, and her temptation of Adam into the same disobedience..... With every advance that women make — sexually, politically, economically — the patriarchal mindset suffers another defeat, another existential blow. It's on its last legs, at least in the West, and in its death throes thrashes about like a dying lion. But it's not a lion in the prime of his life, killed in a hunt; it's an old, toothless, limp animal, feebly striking out, its blows failing to land, looked on with pity if not laughter. While women have every right and reason to react with anger at the ire being directed their way by the likes of Rush Limbaugh for wanting contraception covered by all employer health plans..... they should take comfort and more than a bit of satisfied joy that the majority of their fellow citizens don't view female sexuality as the right wing does. It's one more nail in the coffin of the conservative movement. And it's one that they hammered in themselves."

Liberal Librarian

2 Comments:

Blogger Leslie Parsley said...

This was posted on my FB and speaks to this excellent piece:

In Sunday's New York Times: "A Thank You Letter To Rush Limbaugh"

"We, the women of America, want to express our deep felt appreciation for throwing down the gauntlet. You have awakened a sleeping giant. You have given us the power to crush the Republican party. We are coming after all elected officials, Republican or Democrat who have failed us miserably. Smart strong women are coming after you." ~
Dr. Walton, PhD 816-853-1355"

BUT, one GOP group in a SC county isn't limiting their prurient sexual obsessions to just women. They are requiring that all potential candidates sign a pledge, which, in part, includes:

"You must favor, and live up to, abstinence before marriage.

You must be faithful to your spouse. Your spouse cannot be a person of the same gender, and you are not allowed to favor any government action that would allow for civil unions of people of the same sex.

You cannot now, from the moment you sign this pledge, look at pornography."

Of course, that knocks out about 98% of them, providing they tell the truth.

05 March, 2012 15:46  
Blogger Infidel753 said...

Of course, that knocks out about 98% of them, providing they tell the truth.

Of the items listed in the pledge, there's just one, "You must be faithful to your spouse", that a normal non-prudish person could agree is actually a valid standard of good behavior -- and of course that's the one that would knock out most of that 98% of Republican politicians, based on past experience.

I hope Dr. Walton's expectations are borne out. I find this stuff infuriating and I'm not even a woman.

05 March, 2012 18:13  

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