Seeing Double Standing
Original: emptylamb.com
The world we live in today is a very different world than the one we as humans existed in twenty and even ten years ago. Some things have changed for the better and through certain perspectives, some, yet for the worse. The shocking truth being that there are many different worlds in our world and unfortunately such a concept is hard to comprehend unless one were to leave their "safe places" and move to broaden if not enlighten themselves.
As an American citizen I've found through my life that discrimination is as rampant as it could ever be. Have I seen as violent amounts of racial discrimination as could be seen as early as fifteen years ago? No. Though have I seen emotional turmoil that could rival such experiences? Of course! I went to high school after all. Needless to say, though the times have changed, the only thing that's really changed with the "game", are the players. The game of course being the musical chairs-esque game of charades where we try to find "common" ground by forcing someone to "sit out" while an ideal "picture" is formed by the removal of certain "players". Players of course that represent certain ideals and beliefs. All in effort to gather that next clue towards a perceived perfect world that for all intents and purposes is as far from attainable as it has ever been.
Is it an extreme prediction stating that the world could end for global peace is acquired? Of course! Although would such an accusation be so far from the minds of the people if it were made with the alteration of the time of such an apocalypse? That is to say, would it be so hard to imagine an Armageddon that would take place after global "peace" is achieved? Perhaps not, but such just as all else is subjective. Perspectives exist on so many different levels and can change in so many different ways. Really, any particular outcome could be practical.
Speaking of practical or even just logical. We move into the state of the current world. As an American I'm aware of many of the liberties and freedoms I have. But that isn't to say I wear my coke-bottled colored lens with pride shunning the turning of my head. I'm willing to become aware of the other worlds that co-exist with mine. But I'm far from willing to dictate that a whole world - read culture- is inferior or just plan wrong in comparison to my own. In fact, as news spreads of some of the cultural differences spread through the internet, such influxes in knowledge usually only make me more aware of how much I can be thankful for. There are a lot of terrible things that happen outside my world but it is far from accurate to declare that such atrocities never take place within my own or to do worse and accuse another world for sparking such extravagant exercises in perceived depravity. And there in I believe lies an issue that could very well led to the end of this world of worlds.
The world can end in so many ways. The most troubling to many would be through a global conflict. Now the nature of many struggles and wars through history have seemingly spawned from the desire to impose upon someone else the personal views of another. That being said, leaps in bound may have been made to promote equality amongst the different ethnicities but lobbying for cultural changes to be forced upon a nation can't be the next logical "right" step. Telling the world that we are "all one race. a human race" but then to in essence gang up upon a culture to tell them that they are wrong and then to go to such lengths as to pushing economic sanctions in effort to alter their culture in ways the one, as an outsider, sees fit seems to mark the next stage in development of discrimination. Which brings us to CEDAW. I realize that by mentioning the organization I've killed off a percentage of the few readers who've reached this point already. But this must be completed. And so it shall.
I've never thought of myself as a true sexist. In fact through my life I've never actually had much true experience with sexism. Out of the myriad of employment opportunities I've taken, I've never once found myself to make MORE money than any of my female co-workers. I've never found myself to be treated BETTER than any of my female co-workers. And I've never found to hold resentment towards a co-worker of the opposite sex for reasons outside of them having screwed me over (i.e. dumping extra work on me or not doing their required workload leading to everyone else having to pick up the slack). I would like to point out that there were many co-workers of the same sex who've done the same but just that for the sake of this particular section, the focus is on the differences I've observed between different sexes. All that aside, that brings me to the understanding that CEDAW has taken up the goal of proving that fictional female characters should have the same rights as non fictional females. Now I am in no way purporting that discriminations or assaults against women aren't significant but merely voicing my fear of where such action will lead to. Censorship of entertainment media of course would be first. Comic books, cartoons, video games, The less perceived abundant forms. Then movies eventually since the audience is so enormous. And of course down to books and eventually the internet as a whole for all the content that fits into the broad charter of ending discrimination in all forms against women. All forms including fictional. Censorship of fiction to regulate fact.
It begins with the guise of censorship of fiction to regulate fact but then how does that affect us as individuals? Isn't this the same as the old proverb of speaking, seeing, or hearing evil. If you cover your ears, eyes, and mouth, then there's no evil? Does making "discrimination" against women inexcusable to all but the most savvy enthusiasts make the "discrimination" less rampant. Does it lead to such actions becoming infallible nonexistent? If history tells us anything with slavery, prohibition, book burning, illegalities of low-risk narcotics, and ect, such actions only tend to make such active endeavors more extravagant and desired. SO where are we going if not towards a point where censorship becomes so rampant that police states and rebellions start to knock. If statistics have shown us anything, it's that regions with the highest level of censorship tend to have the highest amounts of crimes of immoral nature. It should be of note that Japan is the target (read first) of this crusade for the rights of fictional women. So where does it end?
Endings. I used to believe in the stigma of double standards until just recently. I'd even wrote about possibilities of such but now in retrospect I realize I was merely foolish. The obvious answer was of course the best. There is no double standard. It's about perspective. It's a cliche, women wondering why men who sleep around are considered "cool" while women who sleep around are considered "sluts". But who ever asks why women who sleep around are supposed to be considered okay and men who sleep around are supposed to be considered bad? As a man I don't believe a guy who sleeps around in a "G". I may jokingly make such a remark but I'd never look at a guy who did such a thing as awesome just as I don't consider a girl who sleeps around a slut. But I'd be damned if I were to state I believed her to be a saint. It's about perspective. Out of all the guys I know the general consensus has been a sense of wonder at why it matters at all. Whereas just about every girl I've known has seemingly focused on said semantics. And such is the way of things.
The only truth on the male perspective that I can gleam is that such titles are irrelevant unless they pertain specifically to the one pondering them. Unless a man is being declared a "slut" there is little interest or concern with such a term. Of course there are the circumstances when a personal acquaintance, family or close friend is dealing with such a label and significance is found but that is to be expected since there does seem to be a correlation between appreciating friendships with friends that have similar or equal standing. It's always about perspective is what it comes down to.
Perspective is what separates us all. And it is the grouping of mass perspectives that can make such a plethora of worlds within one. So attack a collected perspective in the name of a righteousness that's only found consensus in your collective is quite a dangerous road. Be it the escalation or rather the evolution of discrimination, one thing is clear. Unity and subjugation have never been so synonymous.