Isms

Imagine being the victim of racism. Imagine being the victim of sexism. Now imagine being the victim of both. Imagine being the victim of sexism by victims of racism. That is a dual isms to deal with. Think of that and you get a black woman. In the era when slavery was legal, black people were victims of an inhuman form of racism obviously, but lesser known is the plight of the women within those victims who were commonly subjected to marital rape, non-marital rape and other forms of torture (by tormented husbands or other men - both white and men). Black women have had to bear both and today, black women are amongst the strongest people in the world. Nerves and guts of steel.

Widely written about by black women authors (like Nadine Gordimer who won the Nobel prize in literature for her work and Toni Morrison) yet unknown as a mainstream theme of concern, the subject remains largely unknown. What does it take for something like this to be noticed ?

What is with these angry women some people wonder? Why are some women angry? What are they angry about? Read on to find out what.

The concept of power comes up. For women everywhere in the world, oppression and male dominance is something commonly encoutered - sometimes daily. Women who are free are no different from others, except for a key difference. They have declared their own independence. One learns that power is not something that is given, it is something you take. If you take it, it is yours to keep. So goes the famous Joan Baez song:

Whoever treasures freedom,
Like the swallow must learn to fly

Women world-over have and will identify with the deep anguish and resentment against being treated like calves as Baez puts it. Slaves or calves - they are both 5 letter words with the same meaning.


"Stop complaining," said the farmer,
"Who told you a calf to be?"

What a question to ask.Callous.Stings.

Who told you a non-white non-male below the high income group with non-mainstream ideas to be( to capture several different isms).

Is it surprising that there are angry women in the world? Oppress anyone, and it sows the seeds of revenge. Revolutions result. The real question then is about those who are not angry..

Coming from a traditional Asian family, the anguish of this song rings true. Luckily for me, my parents somewhat revolutionary in their thought, broke away from some of these things significantly and here we are.

Let the previous paragraph not lead to any illusions however that the western world is devoid of sexism. Indeed women in the United States have "jobs" and are not financially as dependent on men, but are these equal jobs, CEO jobs, or in large part secretarial jobs? Secretarial in salary and secretarial in mindset. This country cannot even comprehend - today, in the 21st century when the world has made astounding advances in so many domains, voting and being led by a female president. There is UPROAR in parts of the United States about this. This one fact makes all the so called progression here sound like regression especially when compared with India which had a female Prime Minister in the '70s. In fact, America today is in a laughable state with both the chief contestants for the presidential post being societal "outliers". The situation brings up a most unique question - Bitch versus Black. What is worse - woman or black? What would you like on your burger today - sexism or racism? America is unable to decide.

The Baez song pasted below, applies to both forms of isms. To any ism.

Joan Baez and Bob Dylan of Bob Dylan fame were married briefly.

Dona Dona

On a wagon bound for market
There's a calf with a mournful eye.
High above him there's a swallow
Winging swiftly through the sky.

How the winds are laughing
They laugh with all their might
Laugh and laugh the whole day through
And half the summer's night.

"Stop complaining," said the farmer,
"Who told you a calf to be"
Why don't you have wings to fly away
Like the swallow so proud and free?"

Calves are easily bound and slaughtered
Never knowing the reason why.
But whoever treasures freedom,
Like the swallow must learn to fly