Wednesday, January 26, 2011

British Member of Parliament takes on reverse sexism

This week two Sky Sports pundits were rightly taken to task for sexist comments about a female linesman. But, when I pointed out that some feminists routinely make sexist comments about men – and that equality cuts both ways – I was rounded on by Harriet Harman. This is the same champion of Labour’s Equality and Diversity agenda who believes that 'men cannot be left to run things on their own’ and hints tantalisingly that the collapse of Lehman Brothers might have been averted had it been 'Lehman Sisters’.

Harman has been consumed by the prejudice she seeks to purge. This kind of subtle, but insidious, bigotry is no worse than the cruder comments made by Andy Gray (for which he has been sacked), and a lot more hypocritical coming from the self-styled champion of equality. This week two Sky Sports pundits were rightly taken to task for sexist comments about a female linesman. But, when I pointed out that some feminists routinely make sexist comments about men – and that equality cuts both ways – I was rounded on by Harriet Harman. This is the same champion of Labour’s Equality and Diversity agenda who believes that 'men cannot be left to run things on their own’ and hints tantalisingly that the collapse of Lehman Brothers might have been averted had it been 'Lehman Sisters’.

Harman has been consumed by the prejudice she seeks to purge. This kind of subtle, but insidious, bigotry is no worse than the cruder comments made by Andy Gray (for which he has been sacked), and a lot more hypocritical coming from the self-styled champion of equality.

Earlier this week I wrote that from cradle to grave, men are getting a raw deal. Men work longer hours, die earlier, but retire later than women. I also noted that while some say we should be less precious about light-hearted banter between the sexes, you can’t have it both ways. If sexism is wrong, the same standards apply to men and women. On the other hand, if you buy into the whole Men Are From Mars, Women Are From Venus theory of gender difference – with all its pseudo science - you can’t complain about inequalities of outcome that flow both ways from those essentially sexist distinctions.
Read the rest here.

No comments: