The Value Of the Individual
Deborah Venable
09/28/08
Women
need to hear the truth a lot more than they ever do in our politically correct
environment. Not that everyone is lying
to women, but this environment seems to filter truth from much of what society
is trying to say. It cannot be argued
that women have managed to gain more ground in the last century that ever
before in history – at least here in America – but in doing so, we have lost
ground in the overall quest for respect.
I don’t think that point can be adequately argued either.
Are
women today respected as much or more than women throughout history have been?
Oh,
we may have more legal rights to property ownership, political process,
education, and employment than ever before, but at what price? Few men hold women in high esteem just
because of their gender. In fact, the
gender card is more apt to work against an intelligent, caring woman than any
other single fact about her.
In
the “old days” little boys were taught to respect and protect ladies just
because they were female. They were
actually taught to “treat women differently” than they treated men. Somehow along the way, though, society has
decided that women should not be treated differently, and everyone publicly
bought into it wholeheartedly. Publicly
– but not really.
I
must admit more than a little skepticism to the acceptance of women as men’s
equals because of the way it has all come about. Many people scratch their heads in wonder that we still have a
racial problem in this country and swear that “equal rights” reigns supreme
across the land and in the hearts and minds of all Americans. While it may well be the “law of the land”
that races and genders are equal, forced acceptance of such a concept will
never make it so.
The
more the laws attempt to “create equality” for any group of people, the more
resentment is eventually spawned in groups being forced to relent to such
laws. Human nature naturally lends
itself to group identity and competition, but human survival and prosperity
demands that individuals identify their own choices as good or bad and be
allowed to fail or succeed based on those choices.
The
wording of law should confine itself to simple language meant only to right
obvious wrongs and lay the groundwork for eventual social justice. It need not include a false codicil of
forced equality, but all too often it does.
Resentment breeds the potential for continued social unrest. True acceptance of all things and all people
as equal must evolve from respect. It
has not and will not come about through demand from social laws that allow no
individual judgment or choice.
Feminism,
like racism, refuses to judge the individual beyond the boundaries of the
group. In much the same way that
religious zealotry feeds on emotion and bypasses common sense, the group places
itself well outside of the “equal” status as it breeds hatred and suspicion of
anyone different. Radical feminists and
racists will always have an ax to grind.
They will always be trying to get retribution for past injustices
instead of accepting responsibility for their acquired equality and moving away
from a group mentality for support.
From
the beginning of this campaign for the presidency, we have seen a group
mentality driving the bus of “politics as usual” toward a history-making
destination. Hillary Clinton expected
to step out of that bus first, and women all over the country turned a blind
eye and deaf ear to the individual as they cheered for “their team.” Ditto for the Barack Obama “team”
members.
Enter
John McCain’s vice-presidential pick, Sarah Palin.
When
she got on the bus at the last stop, her “group” was not as easily
identifiable. As a truly successful
individual, she has “stepped away” from that obvious support group, and that
has many women perplexed, angry, and defiant.
We
don’t even have to argue the point of whether or not she is being judged
because of her gender – we know she is.
Much more importantly, though, she is being judged because of her race,
her religion, AND her gender. Never let
it be said that “equality reigns” where politics is concerned, ladies and
gentlemen.
Only
those of us who have truly evolved past the coercive laws of equality can see
the value of the individual that is Sarah Palin. We recognize that she has earned our respect and thus our votes,
and we will be at that destination to cheer when she gets off the bus.