Woman-bashing all over DU today. What gives?

[crikkett]

I avoid DU for all but a few minutes to escape from Insanity and what I get when I allow myself to visit is a joke about a menstrual president, another about a PMSing Speaker of the House and another about how Kathy Harris is to blame for all our problems.

It's like a party, a Woman-bash. Fercryinoutloud.

Needless to say patience is in short supply here.

What's up with DU today?

[SeattleGirl]

1. Just the flavor of the day, would be my guess.

I have found it bothersome too. It seems like there is a feeding frenzy every single day, especially in GD, and as I said in another post the other day, some people end up sounding just like the freepers, only with better grammar. Yesterday it was tearing Steven Irwin apart. And a while back, it was ripping Jason Leopold of Truthout to shreds.

My theory on this stuff is three-fold:

First, there are just some people in the world who love to stir up trouble. Doesn't matter what the topic is -- they seem to get their jollies by going for the jugular.

Second, a lot of people (myself included, though I don't bash people) are very angry and frustrated about what has happened, and continues to happen, in this country because of the "leadership" of Bush. And because Bush lives in such a bubble, and because his supporters tend to marginalize anyone who doesn't think Bush walks on water, people reach out and strike out at whomever is most convenient. I experience this in my job. I deal with injured workers and the Washington State Dept. of Labor and Industries. My clients never see their claims managers, sometimes have a hard time getting them on the phone, they think their doctors walk on water, and they forget, if they have an attorney, that the attorney works for THEM, not the other way around. By the time they get to me, I get hit with their anger and frustration. I learned long ago to let them vent, and then I can go about explaining the system to them, and what I'm doing, etc. That usually works and they calm down. However, it is not okay to attack me personally, and I let them know that right away. So, I think some of the attacking of this person or that person, or this group or that group, is borne out of frustration at not being able to direct our feelings directly toward Bush. Thus, we end up with that infamous circular firing squad.

Third, I've been reading a lot about changing energy, and about how changes are coming very soon. This coincides with the fact that the mid-term elections are just over 2 months away, and Lord knows, many of us are ready for a change. Again, it brings frustration because we want it to happen NOW, but it won't happen until November.

I feel sad and disillusioned when I see those kinds of remarks against women, or whoever or whatever. Mostly, if I see a thread that is basically just a flamewar, I stop reading it. I don't need that kind of aggravation in my life, and really, lobbing insults and snarky comments around accomplishes nothing.

Just my 2 cents.

[marions ghost]

2. probably

it'll be kinda rocky through the elections at least. So much is riding on them. As for the woman-bashing, it's just another attempt at whipping up flame wars and creating negativity IMO. People should not bite the bait, but it's hard not to do.

How can we counter all the 'us vs them' hostility in general? It can be so draining. Already the news networks are whipping up this election period as "the Battle for Control of Congress." While there is truth to that, at the same time I am so tired of all this hype and overblown rhetoric. I don't want to see this as just another episode of The Gladiators. I realize that asking for sanity from the media is futile.

What can we do to counter this? How can we keep positive and keep our center intact? We are going to need to be strong around here this fall. Let negative things pass and seek out the positive. TRY not to be too thin-skinned. I'm NO master of that myself, working on it but it's a challenge. Trying to shoot for patience and deflection rather than tangling.

But I'm more interested in how we can actively keep morale up, send positive support to those who need, and how to maintain equilibrium during these times--rather than just avoiding the potholes. We should be looking to creating a more positive future now. My instincts tell me that we can do much more together than we can apart.

Anyway, these flammable topics will probably be coming up more as the tension mounts. We need to expect this and not let things get too depressing. There is a lot of reason for positivism and hope now. We will overcome this darkness. Because so many have seen the truth. There is much less denial.
The country wants to see big changes now.

[Why Syzygy]

3. I haven't noticed on DU lately ..

I stick to just a few forums and topics of interest. But we were discussing in another thread, the type of man (it could be either gender actually) that is threatened by goddess energy. I was thinking about that this morning when I woke up, realizing that we face that every day in our male energy dominated mis-administration. And I was naturally thinking of the current focus on the (so-called) Ascension, which I believe is the changing of the Ages from Piscean to Aquarian. I don't know how others view it because it is not something I study in depth. A change of Energy is a change of Energy.

I didn't find what I expected. Pisces is considered a Yin sign, and Aquarius a Yang. This does carry good news though, in that Yin is concerned with Becoming and Yang with Being. This gives a lot more to think about than I have time for right now. For example, does existing in a Becoming Age influence society to swing deeply the other direction, towards trying obsessively to prove we already Are? Does this mean that the Age of Aquarius (Being/Doing) will swing us in the opposite direction towards a more receptive, Becoming society? I don't know. :shrug: Something to think about during dull moments.

Ref:
http://www.isleofavalon.co.uk/GlastonburyArchive/time/lit09.html

http://www.snowcrest.net/sunrise/amalefe2.htm

And for fun:
http://noosphere.princeton.edu/

[Cleita]

4. DU has never been noted for being sensitive about women's

issues other than the obvious ones. There was a time that Skinner even told us to shut up about gender issues. He meant it too yanking every thread on the matter. I think this is why we still have a lot of testosterone in the mix as many of our women left in disgust. I have noticed though that administration has come around a lot since those days to the present. Give them time and we will get a complete awareness about it particularly when they start raising daughters.

[Chemical Bill]

5. I don't understand people who don't worship the Goddess.

I am not trying to excuse the so-called "lefties", "progressives", or even "moderates" who have no respect for women. But I also think there are many, many trolls here. They try and stay under the radar, but sexism is not something they think wrong and try to hide.

Just my $.02.

Bill

[TankLV]

6. Nope - but as in the case of Harris, she just happens to be a

female, and richly deserving of all the disrespect we can muster, just like kindasleezy.

If she were a male, like other males in OUR White House, she'd be correctly and justifiably labled as the dicks and assholes they are...

If the shoe fits, they get no passes just because they are female...