A challenge to male subordination abuse of women with a call to action of how we may move toward a more just world.
spoken word
musicadiction
renaissance the poet
the cornerstone open mic
Story behind the song
How the hell is a man going to jump up and scream for Liberation and Justice, Equality and to be treated fairly, to have greater bargaining power, and to be treated like a human being; then turn around to promote Misogyny and Patriarchy which are mechanisms of Colonization and the Exploitation of the bodies and minds of women?
There is a manifest contradiction when these two opposite ends of the spectrum—justice vs. injustice—coalesce into one individual, wherein the latter completely disqualifies the former to the point that the man promotes a system of injustice instead of justice. Any ideology or societal organization principle that systematically relegates a particular group of people to a position of inferiority in a hierarchical structure, simply because of their affiliation or identity with the group is discriminatory, bigoted, and unjust to its core. Patriarchy is one of those unjust ideologies because it systematically seeks to relegate all women to positions of inferiority simply for being women. Ideologies that generalize and discriminate based on qualities beyond the will and volition of the individual is ignorant, short-sighted, and unjust.
Capability, merit, previous accomplishment, and potential future contributions are by far a more efficient and just means of distributing power and respect among and between people. Some men are promoted to positions of prestige and power, but lack the integrity, the intelligence, the character, and the communication skills necessary to perform the role they are selected for because they were selected solely on the basis of gender. This is a detrimental and foolhardy practice. Likewise, denying a position of prestige and power to a woman because the very same vital qualities that are necessary to fulfill the role are ignored for men and discounted in women, that is, they have not been considered in the cases of many women, qualities that they in fact possess. This is also a detrimental and foolhardy practice. If people were evaluated, both male and female, in terms of their capability; their merit, their previous accomplishments and their potential future contributions instead of their genders, sexes, ages, or ethnicity then the roles they are selected for would actually be fulfilled and the outcomes would be much more productive and achieved more efficiently.
A person should be judged by the contents of their character; not by their gender, sex, color, creed, or religion.
Adding Sexism to this discussion of the unjust hierarchical social structure of patriarchy, wherein the bodies of women are objectified and commodified, denying their humanity and instead attributing value to women only in sexual or monetary terms; the dehumanization of women is a glaring and unacceptable problem. It is also a dangerous and harmful combination.
Patriarchy is insidious because it has been the norm for thousands of years, and as a result the many ways it crops up could seem to many of the cisgendered men to be benign. For instance, the oldest reference to women as bitches I have found was in Homer’s “The Odyssey” from Ancient Greece. The term and the hatred of women, misogyny itself, is old, very old. Furthermore, contemporary women may be subjected to continuous unwanted sexual advances from men; men who feel entitled to do this because they are men and feel we must be macho and promiscuous to fulfill our roles as men. Patriarchy also denies women the same sexual freedoms granted to men and instead they are condemned and shamed by men and other women—who have been indoctrinated with patriarchy—for expressing themselves sexually, or dressing in a revealing manner. For thousands of years women have been thought of as being naturally 'incompetent' in some fields or activities, and their opinions in leadership roles have often been viewed as less credible. Women have rarely been given the same space to express their thoughts as men, regardless of how correct and astute they are and have been
Lyrics
Verse 1
There's a very real problem that needs to be addressed
And I hope my words offend, cause you to question your intents
As a man, a male, privileged, to live without regrets
This letter is for you, from a man who finally gets
That Oppression of women is the sickest form there is
there is nothing that epitomizes hatred more than this
Weakness, feeling the need to express dominance
Prominently, by suppressing a woman's right to live
& to live un-assailed by male hostility
In the streets, on the job and in our families
Sexual harassment an infectious demon,
Spreading because men feel entitled to bodies bein
Perceived as property, a fallacy Contradicting we
The liberty we scream for we constantly recede
Cuz our greed makes us think we can take all that we see
We'd never tolerate being another man's property
Chorus
Sisters, Mothers, Daughters, Aunties, Girlfriends, Wives, Friends
The Women of the World combine to be the best there is
I just can't take the hate no more, I'm calling out the men
You have a duty to us all to be the best you can
Verse 2
Walking down the street women have to risk the cat calling
Being asked for numbers, getting groped, raped and can't stop it
& when they Stand Their Ground, flipping around the situation
Denying a man has the Right to incur this inflammation
She is insulted, threatened and in the worst cases
Women have been killed for denying men to their faces
& if that is not entitlement then I don't know what is
Because who has a claim to another's life
Let alone to a smile or even her mind
If she graces you the privilege, it is a gift, not a right
And she has the Right, like us, to be left alone
On her way home, to school, work or talking on the phone
& She has the Right to associate with you or not
Without fear of reprisal or the way being blocked
It's not for you to decide, this is her choice
Infringement is Wrong, man, so cease all the noise
Chorus
Sisters, Mothers, Daughters, Aunties, Girlfriends, Wives, Friends
The Women of the World combine to be the best there is
I just can't take the hate no more, I'm calling out the men
You have a duty to us all to be the best you can
Verse 3
Women should be valued and cherished not disrespected
They're Amazing, Intelligent, Partners, and they're Finished
They do not need anything added or taken from them
There is nothing a man has that a woman needs from him
Not even semen, if that's what you're thinking
You can Check a sperm bank if you think that I am beefin
Paternalism a joke, they're as capable as men
Neither need concealing nor protection, because they're Women
They're Human and were born with all they will ever need
Save respect and to be loved, just like you and me
And humans deserve to be treated with dignity
That means treated with equity, honor and esteem
Fail in any of these and you'll see that she up and leaves
And finds one who can provide all the things that she needs
But I see that so many out get this wrong
& that's why I wrote you a letter in the form of a song
Chorus
Sisters, Mothers, Daughters, Aunties, Girlfriends, Wives, Friends
The Women of the World combine to be the best there is
I just can't take the hate no more, I'm calling out the men
You have a duty to us all to be the best you can