D A H L I A
  • HOME
  • PODCAST
  • SPEAKER
  • VIDEOS
  • NATIONAL SHOW
  • DAHLIA
    • DIARY
    • PORTFOLIO
    • NEW BOOK
  • BOOK DAHLIA

Women Should Weep

10/21/2010

8 Comments

 
Picture
Women should weep.

If this is what the proverbial “we” consider feminism, then I say down with feminism.

Today, in the Toronto Star, Heather Mallick wrote an article about the specie that is Russell Williams. A thing that brutally tortured and killed two courageous women, and committed many other horrific acts.

More specifically Mallick wrote about men in general, in comparison to Williams.

“Men should weep,” she wrote.

“They bruise women’s bodies, they humiliate us in the House of Commons, they expend great effort in keeping us pregnant, booting us away from the bigger salaries, they are tireless in their attempts at control and resent our efforts to advance. Frequently, they kill women.”

What?

WHAT?

Which “men” is she referring to here?

There are some men who bruise women’s bodies.

There are some men who humiliate women in the House of Commons.

There are arguments to be made for society’s efforts to create family units in the name of consumerism.

And there is indeed the whole glass ceiling debate.

All points that Mallick takes too far with broad, invalidated generalizations.
Picture
But to say men frequently kill women? That is blatantly sexist and irresponsible. Sexist for her to write. Irresponsible for the Star to print.

These were thoughts running through my mind, until I read Mallick’s next point.

“We know this to be true. I am a feminist but all women know what I mean because they live it every day.”

Why do “we” know this to be true, Ms. Mallick? Because you say so?

Because we live it every day?

You know what I live every day?

I live in a world where women – and men – get abused every day.

I live in a world where the gap between the rich and the poor grows wider every day. On either side of this gap you will find penises and vaginas.

I live in a world where men are raped, men are bullied, and men have eating disorders, but these men may never get help for these serious problems, because they have to be men.

I live in a world where women harass and say terrible things about men in articles that lack credibility entirely. And this I know to be true, because you did so.

Picture
But, that is not all Mallick wrote. To be fair, she continued her piece about something “miraculous” that happened…

At a point, when all that Canada saw was this monster, Russell Williams, who clearly represents all men, Mallick discovered a “wonderful man named Jim Smyth,” who interrogated the monster.

Wow. A man who is capable of siding with the poor women who Williams so sickeningly killed - and he even rooted out a confession from the murderer. To think Smyth, a penis-inflicted individual, actually had it in him.

Mallick writes, “It was strange watching the two men together, one decent and one evil. When Williams would stand up, his face away from the ceiling camera, you’d see the top of the two men’s heads. Both were balding, which I found touching in Smyth’s case and pathetic in Williams’.”

One decent and one evil. Such a "wonderful" man is just decent? What happened to comparing good with evil?

Even when complimenting men, it is backhanded for you, isn’t it, Ms. Mallick?

And then there is the bald comment. It is touching to see a decent man go bald, and it is pathetic when an evil man loses his hair?

Thank goodness the man in question was just decent, and not good, otherwise Mallick may have cried over his hair loss.

PictureHeather Mallick
In the end, Mallick writes that there was a “parade of men” that helped all they could to find the carcinoma that is Williams. And ultimately, the shared feeling in the room, between all men and women, who honoured the victimized women, astounded her.

“There was a wonderful unanimity in the place that gave me hope that men and women will one day team up and see the best in each other.”

Well, let's hope the best is "decent" enough for Mallick.

At a time, when the victory of our justice system deserves the attention of the country, as an example and warning for others…

At a time when the beautiful lives lost deserve the attention and honour of the world for the courage they displayed…

Why even waste your platform, in Canada’s largest newspaper, to divert the attention to men – in general – and the awful things you insinuate they all do?

All men are created equal. Not equally horrible.

As a woman who believes in equality of condition for all, I value feminism - it is part of who I am, but consider myself an equalist. There are injustices faced by many, and this needs to be addressed.

But, at a time when feminism has reached such a level of sophistication, I would expect it to be far beyond the point of misandry.

If misogyny is wrong, it stands to reason misandry is too.

And by Mallick calling herself a feminist, women really should weep, because she just generalized us too.

8 Comments
Michael
10/21/2010 03:40:27 pm

Bravo, Dahlia!

Reply
Ron Fine
10/22/2010 12:05:50 am

Hear, hear!

Reply
Sue
10/22/2010 12:08:13 am

As a woman I couldn't agree more. Well done!

Reply
Tif link
10/22/2010 01:45:53 am

I think Mallick's misandry has also caused a point missed in her original point.

When there is an estimated 520,000 murders world wide EVERY year and nearly 90% of all murders are committed by males there is a cause to call attention to male accountability.

Trust me.....if women were creating the mayhem in the world that men are there would be a "shoot to kill" mandate on us.

While most men do not commit heinous crimes, obviously....where is the line of accountability drawn when men who speak down to women, verbally abuse women, beat up their girlfriends, marginalize women in the work place, where coaches call their slacking players "ladies" to demoralize them, when men sexualize and harass women......and all of these things are almost socially acceptable....don't you think this "accepted" behavior (save the physical abuse) lends itself to marinate these hostile outbursts?

We can adjust the lens to also of course apply that to men's hostility to other men as well.

This is a much bigger issue than simplifying Mallick to a misandress....it's throwing the baby out with the bath water.

I wholeheartedly agree with your focused point but certainly not on the bigger issues.

I have compassion for men who are drenched in a culture that promotes hostility, ego, false superiority and applaud men who rise above the brain washing.

~Tif

Reply
Dahlia link
10/22/2010 03:02:13 am

Tif... I very much agree with you. I was speaking to the simplifications and generalizations in Mallick's argument. If I were to go further into the story (which I touched on in points referring to Mallick's story) it would venture into the territory of your comment. I just felt that would be a separate story. Thanks for the comment.

Michael, Ron, and Sue... Thank you.

Reply
Eshli Biggs
10/23/2010 12:54:34 am


very nicely put dahlia. Have you ever thought about running for president? I wonder what Rosseanne would think?

Reply
jose
10/23/2010 02:31:38 pm

i think mallick needs a climax. then she will love men.

Reply
G DANTE
10/30/2010 01:15:53 pm

YOU PEOPLE ARE FOOLS !.

Reply



Leave a Reply.

    Archives

    April 2021
    February 2021
    March 2020
    September 2018
    July 2018
    April 2018
    October 2017
    January 2017
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    September 2013
    April 2013
    March 2013
    September 2012
    April 2012
    January 2012
    October 2011
    September 2011
    July 2011
    May 2011
    April 2011
    March 2011
    February 2011
    January 2011
    December 2010
    November 2010
    October 2010
    September 2010
    August 2010
    July 2010
    June 2010
    May 2010
    April 2010
    March 2010

DAHLIA
Live And HELP Live
National Talk Show Host | Podcaster | Digital Entrepreneur | Speaker 
Writer | RIghter .
Copyright © 2023 DahliaKurtz.com
  • HOME
  • PODCAST
  • SPEAKER
  • VIDEOS
  • NATIONAL SHOW
  • DAHLIA
    • DIARY
    • PORTFOLIO
    • NEW BOOK
  • BOOK DAHLIA