Calling Bullshit on Obama's "Recommitment to Women"
by Sunsara Taylor | January 28, 2013 | Revolution Newspaper | revcom.us
I've been hearing too much oohing and aaahhh-ing over Obama's inaugural address. Supposedly he recommited to the equality of women. Bullshit!
"We are true to our creed when a little girl born into the bleakest poverty knows that she has the same chance to succeed as anybody else, because she is an American; she is free, and she is equal, not just in the eyes of God but also in our own."
Fuck you, Obama. First of all, girls in this country do NOT have the same chance as everyone else! Girls will be molested, raped, abused, and demeaned at horrifying rates. Girls will be shamed for having sexual feelings, demonized if they have sex, face enormous restrictions and judgment if they seek abortions, will be taught to starve themselves or hate themselves or cut themselves, will be discriminated against in employment and underpaid in every field, will be surrounded by images of degradation and misogyny in pornography and the broader culture, even if they do not themselves become the direct victims of the pornographers and pimps. How the fuck is that "equal"?
Further, those born into poverty in this country do NOT have an "equal chance." They disproportionately remain locked at the bottom of society—condemned by the worst education and worst opportunities. They are disproportionately Black and Latino and face incredible segregation and oppression because of it. Women, especially poor women, make up the fastest growing population of the U.S. massive prison system; fully one-third of all women in prison in the world are imprisoned in the U.S.
And finally: how the hell does the "little girl born into the bleakest poverty" only apply to those who are American? The women of the Tazreen factory fire in Bangladesh don't count? The women who make our iPhones don't count? The women sold into brothels and sex slavery worldwide don't count? The millions of girls who make up a huge portion of the ten million children in the Third World who die unnecessarily each year of preventable disease and malnutrition don't count?
And to all who bought this bullshit and were moved by "Obama's recommitment to women and girls," WAKE UP!
As Bob Avakian, Chairman of the Revolutionary Communist Party has put it, "American Lives Are Not More Important Than Other People's Lives."
If you really care about the liberation of women, stop pretending that Obama is something other than the Commander in Chief of a truly oppressive and monstrously violent empire that is contributing to the worsening conditions of women here and all over the world. If you really care about the liberation of women, stop thinking like an American and start thinking about humanity! If you really care about the liberation of women, stop cheerleading the empire and start fighting for that liberation: join the movement at StopPatriarchy.org.
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