By Darren Mcvey
Traditionally, sexism meant judging a person based on their sex. Sexism is manifested in disenfranchisement and workplace discrimination.
However, since America has made tremendous strides in fixing this sexism (nearly 60 percent of college students are female), the definition of these terms must change to keep the term relevant.
The transformation of the term sexism is quite invidious. To modern feminists, whether one is sexist pretty much comes down to whether they support abortion or not.
This is why those in the media such as CNN’s John Roberts can question whether Sarah Palin can be Vice President and raise her child with Down syndrome at the same time. Would Joe Biden get such questions if he had a disabled child?
At the risk of falling into the vapid political discourse of this election season, let’s turn our attention to the real sexism in America.
The threat to women does not come from pro-life activists or supposed workplace inequality. The biggest threat to women comes from MTV, hip-hop and the porn culture that America is deeply mired in.
MTV has long made a business of mixing porn and pop music, but it seems this year they want to try their hand at mixing porn and politics. “Declare Yourself,” the offspring of “Rock the Vote” and “Vote or Die,” is this year’s annoying campaign aiming to motivate young people to get out and vote.
Besides the campaign’s assertion that anyone who cares what Christina Aguilera has to say would be smart enough to vote in the first place.
Most disturbing is the sadomasochist imagery employed in the ads for Declare Yourself. The ads all consist of a celebrity with their mouths either gagged or fastened shut by some torturous device. Aguilera dons her usual Jazz Era prostitute look with her lips sewn together. Some guy named David LaChappelle is sporting headgear secured with a billiard ball in his mouth like the torture scene from Pulp Fiction.
Most disturbing is the ad featuring Jessica Alba. She is wrapped in black tape with her eyes casted upwards while her tears smear her heavy dark eye makeup. She looks like the victim of some deranged man’s pornographic torture fantasy.
Most will contend that I am overreacting, but more disturbing than the fact that these ads were made is that this is the stuff that the culture sells as cool.
Hip-hop is currently built on the objectification of women as mere sex objects.
Modern Rock songs immerse themselves in sadomasochist themes.
The “safe-sex” movement tries to convince young people that there is no emotional or psychological element in sex as long as you use a condom.
This insidiously endorses boys to go from girl to girl and for girls to let it happen.
As a man with a heart for the moral plight of young women, it angers me that my culture bombards girls with these messages.
How can a girl respect herself if all she ever hears is that she is only good for sex? What standard does she hold herself to if the society’s stand is in the gutter?
The real sexism in American culture is what the culture does to the minds of young women. This isn’t a call for government regulation or censorship.
This is a call to girls to ignore the message that your culture sends you, to respect yourself and make boys respect you too.
