The Week in Review - There Was No Love For The Ladies

The week post vacation is always a tough one.  Back to the cold weather and dingy landscape.  Everyone is tired and edgy. Every moment of my day was consumed with the uninspiring work of unpacking, doing huge amounts of laundry, and sorting through the mess that piled up in one's absence.  There's not much time for anything else - except this week I was completely distracted by the insane headlines, clips, and blips circulating through the newspapers, online, and in my own inbox.  One thing rang through - women were having a really crappy week. 


A couple of things stuck out as just really bad for women.  Here are my top three in the the past week's parade of horribles.


1.  Chris Brown and The Please Beat Me Tweets
So, Chris "Still on Probation for Felony Assault" Brown, preformed at the Grammy's, and even won a Grammy last Sunday.  Bully for him.  Some people were bothered by the fact that Brown was invited to perform at the Grammy's in light of his conviction for the (fairly severe) domestic assault of then girlfriend, Rihanna.  That's all debatable.


Here's what I'm really bothered by - THE TWEETERS.  While Brown was performing, masses of women tweeted about how they would happily accept a beating from Brown, etc.  Of course, I assume some of these tweets to be tongue and cheek, but not all of them.  The theme went like this, "Chris Brown is so hot, I would let him beat me LOL."  Whether joking or not, it just goes to show that so many people still just don't get it - domestic violence, that is.  I presume these are the same women who suggest that women "choose" to be prostitutes and strippers.  Right.  These people make my head hurt.    
http://articles.cnn.com/2012-02-14/living/living_chris-brown-response-tweets_1_tweets-domestic-violence-joke?_s=PM:LIVING


2.  Don't Stand Too Close To Me Or You Might Get Raped
So, thanks to my friend Heather, this doozie found its way to my inbox.  In the below clip, Fox News Pundit, Liz Trotta, who makes Phyllis Schlafly look like a feminist, suggests that women in the military should expect to be raped.  Additionally, the 64% increase in sexual assault in the military is a result of "close contact".  You put men and women together in the military, and BAM - you get rape.  She goes on to mock sexual abuse programs made available to those victims.  Lots of incendiary comments.  Now, granted, Trotta has a demonstrated track record of crazy, but this was a bit much.  In a long line of "she asked for it" logic, this was over the top.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/02/13/fox-news-liz-trotta-rape_n_1274018.html?ref=fb&src=sp&comm_ref=false


3.  Women's Reproduction Rights - Where The Hell Are The Women?!  

Religious leaders came forward to explain why Obama's contraception policy disregarded their religious freedom.  They called it a hearing about religious freedom, I called it a hearing about reproductive rights.  No matter what you called it - where were the women?!  There are no female religious leaders or any women qualified to speak from a religious perspective??  Oh come on!  At least make it look balanced.  Ridiculous and unfortunately, the reality.  

    

By the time Thursday rolled around, I felt like my brain had been through the ringer (along with the gazillion loads of laundry I had done).  On the positive side, the weather was mild and sunny.  I took the dog for a long walk and grabbed the mail - and there it was . . . the icing on the cake . . . The Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Edition.  Insult to injury.

The magazine didn't make it past the trash cans in the driveway.  It never does.  This week's insults to the women of the world, however, will live on.  Valentine's Day week showed no love for the ladies.  Here's to a more promising week. 

   

Anyone have any other horribles to add to the list?