How do you spell oppression? …maybe E-I-E-I-O. Today it almost looks like we’re down on the farm!
Let’s look at some names, shall we?
HEIFER/COW – connotation towards female: “a fat woman”
(actual meaning: a female cow who has not borne a calf/female cow)
VIXEN – connotation toward females (according to the dictionary) “a spiteful and querrelsome women” (but a google search turns up very racy photos indeed)
(actual meaning: a female fox)
SOW -connotation toward females: “a female police officer, or a degrading name for a woman”
(actual meaning: a female pig)
NANNY– connotation toward females: “a female caretaker of children”
(actual meaning: a female goat)
HEN-connotation toward females: “a gossiping woman”
(actual meaning: a female fowl)
QUEEN – common connotation: “a man behaving unmanly and defectively as a woman” (as in flamboyant homosexual male) Also used for a female monarch.
(actual meaning: a female cat)
TOM -common connotation toward females: “tomboy” a female who does not behave as expected.
(actual meaning: a male cat)
BITCH – connotation toward females: “an annoying or whining female, a disparaging name for a woman, or a person who is dominated”
(actual meaning: a female dog)
SIRE – a respectful and formal name for male royalty, such as a king.
(a male dog, or other male animal parent suitable for pure breeding)
COUGAR– connotation toward females “a sexually aggressive woman”
(actual meaning: a large wild feline)
NITTANY LION – a pedophile named Jerry Sandusky (okay that one is just a joke I heard)
MADAM: connotation toward female: “a woman in charge of prostituting women”
(actual meaning: a formal way to address a women in respect)
SIR: A polite way to refer to a man.
MISS: An unmarried woman
MISTRESS: connotation toward females: “A woman having an illicit sexual relationship”
(actual meaning: The prefix of a formal name referring to a married woman or the female head of a household. Abbreviated as Mrs.)
MISTER: A formal way of referring to a man, and sometimes used humorously. Abbreviated as Mr.
(And finally, my least favorite. Scientific studies show that this word is also typically the one men most dread being called. Seriously.)
By now, you probably have noticed some commonalities. And maybe you can even think of further examples I left out.
What surprised you most?
To me, it doesn’t seem that language favors women. Not the English one anyway.
It also seems that if a man is degraded or thought of an less than, a woman serves as a reference point of that inferiority. This is male privilege in action–every. single. day.
The standard of male as apex not only supports male dominance and heralds masculinity as the preferred societal and ontological ideal, but also works to continually degrade women as inferior. Since language is spoken everyday, every day we learn and re-learn the expectations and norms.
With many names women are highlighted as having defective qualities sexually, morally, physically and are routinely animalized (reduced to sub-man/sub-human) in a hugely disproportionate ways as compared with males. Yes?
Our language reinforces power structures and privilege, and sustains oppression. We should be honest about this. We should be aware.
People will refer to a women as a “girl” but rarely to a man as a “boy”. Plenty of other examples or preference exist.
So, now what can we do to make things better?
…how do we turn this around? I’m taking your suggestions.
Oh, and what’s with all the cat comparisons anyway, right?
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Michael Hyatt says he features the “Best Leaders” (Men) Click http://wp.me/p1g2iA-3bK
Thought-provoking post, Lisa. It is sad that many of these words enjoy such widespread use in the American lexicon. In fact, I have met many women, who are not even necessarily of a self-loathing nature, who do not hesitate to use the B-word in referring to THEMSELVES in certain instances. Personally, I make a conscious effort NOT to use any words which degrade the dignity of other people. I have spent the last five years of my life as a volunteer working with preschool-aged children. During this time, I have become especially cognizant of the messages (both overt and covert) that we send to children as they grow up. I especially worry about the little girls. Although the most rude, raucous person might be compelled to behave himself in the presence of a little girl, this “protected status” doesn’t last for long. Some men who would not think of harming a four-year-old little girl would not hesitate to exploit a twenty four-year old woman in order to get what they want from her. This ought not be so. We become schizoid in our thinking when we take any segment of humanity (based on age, gender, or [insert name of characteristic here] and dehumanize them based on that characteristic.
I’m not sure exactly what causes a lot of the antagonism against men towards [adult] women, but my guess is that part of the problem lies in some of the invalid modes of thinking that we sometimes unconsciously adopt. Human beings unconsciously adopt an “us-vs.-them mentality in many aspects of our thinking, and this is not necessarily always bad. It probably came in handy during those times of human history in which small tribes or bands of human beings competed for limited resources or were threatened by more powerful groups. Us vs. them thinking, however, becomes detrimental when it is directed against those who should be our allies. But we do it all the time:
1. Against children: “If only that rude, insolent brat would listen, we wouldn’t have any problems. A good trip behind the woodshed might do him some good.”
2. Against those of races other than one’s own (I’m sure the reader is capable of generating his/her own examples of this)
3. Against women. I’m not sure why some men rail against women, saying that they are overly emotional, unreliable, senseless. When you have a track-record as bad as we men do (with the overwhelming majority of murders, rapes, child molestations, violent assaults, etc. being committed by men), you think we’d be a little more charitable about broadly stereotyping people on the basis of gender. I can remember talking with an older gentleman (a friend of mine, actually) about an interpersonal issue I was happening with my then-girlfriend, and he said (referring to her behavior at that time), “Well, that’s typical of a woman.” He did not mean the remark as a compliment. Many men, in talking to each other, often offer up such an explanation as a “word of wisdom” when they are really
just regurgitated pablum.
I’m not sure what has helped me to identify with the plight of women as I was growing up; perhaps my growing up surrounded mostly by female cousins helped me to overcome the tendency of “us vs. them” thinking with regards to gender. I can remember being about five or six years old and sitting with one of my girl cousins (who was close to me in age) at her house. We were listening to the radio and talking about the singers, and she convinced me that the “lady singers on the radio are the best!” I believe that those formative years still continue to have an impact on my thinking.
I really appreciated reading your comment, Jack. I’m thankful for thoughtful people like you!