Flying Pigs and Eating Crows

Its pretty difficult for most people to admit that they were misinformed, misguided, or just plain wrong.... myself included! Consider this me eating crow about how I was completely wrong about feminism, and that the world is-right now- just as it should be. And yes... that was a pig flying by your apartment window ;)

WOW! How could I be so wrong about a gender balance that favors men? Women can be anything they want to be. With the right motivation and education can't we all?

Facts:

• Since 1964, male voters outnumbered female voters in every presidential election.
• BJ Gallagher (author of "The World's Best Advice from the World's Wisest Man) says men make great bosses because they are 
• better coachers 
• better mentors
• better problem solvers
• Men hold 98 of 535 (18%) seats in the 113th Congress
• 79 House Representative are male 
• 20 Senators (plus 3 delegates) are men 
• Of the 100 largest American Cities, 12 have male mayors.
• Men have better aim throwing a baseball at all ages.
• 2012 elections saw 5 male state governors elected.
• multitasking test had 50 men and 50 women do four tasks in 8 minutes: results show men better able to reflect on problems while also doing others tasks 
• men are better at multitasking
• James Flynn is a researcher that found the IQs of men in the US, Europe, Canada are higher than women's
• men are smarter
• Bureau of Labor Statistics says that since the Recession hit in 2007, 80% of the workers who lost their jobs were women.
• men are recession proof
• Harvard Business Review recently published a study on male to female leadership ability. The study says that leadership is quantified by 16 central personality traits
•  men are judged to be better than women on 12 of the traits (10 showed a statistical significance). 
• men better leaders
• Men are judged in employee evaluations to be more positively perceived at:
• Executive Management (Men 57, Women 52) 
• Senior Managers (Men 56, Women 50) 
• Middle Managers (55 Men, 51 Women).
• US Census Burea says 17 million men and 12 million women live in poverty in the United States, which is the highest level since 1993.
• Rothstein Kass finance shows that male hedge fund managers outperform female competition.
• 48% of all men experience psychological aggression in their lifetime
• 37% of families led by single fathers nationwide live in poverty.
• only 6.8% of married parent families do (2009 Heritage Foundation Study)

Clearly, men make better leaders, are smarter, and are generally more valuable and have more to offer than women in the workplace. Most of you shouldn't be surprised... Americans just "know" these facts to be true: males as a group are supreme to the weaker, more fragile feminine sex.

April Foolsssss :)

All the above "truths?" Just replace every man/male/masculine word from the above quotes with woman/female/feminine to switch the statement. Every single fact originally was written to be the exact opposite...for example "37% of families led by single mothers nationwide live in poverty" is the true information.

They are exactly opposite of what the data from many studies are finding when comparing the average man to the average woman.

As in- studies are showing that women in general have more leadership skills, higher IQs, vote more,  are rated higher in employee evaluations, and are more educated as a group than male peers.

Surprised yet?

How can a congress of 82% rich white men know anything about making laws that govern the contraceptive and maternity rights of 51% of the population? It can't.

Although feminism is geared to helping girls and women reach the equality that males are privileged with from birth, feminism at its core promotes equality of all people regardless of gender, sex, race, or class. The movement is about not about being better than men, its about women being valued by the world as more than a "slam-piece;" more valuable than the sum of her curves. Women are human, too.

I hate to have tricked you reader, but with all the "Men's Rights Movement" propaganda floating around, I wanted to make sure you realize that we all still need feminism. I am so about helping men-central issues like the high suicide rate of teen boys, the male problem of homelessness, and the constant societal pressure to be an alpha male. Such a shame that legitimate concerns like the above (and many more) are being ignored to solely bring down the feminist movement.

Make tomorrow better,
Brooke

Using the F-word in Public

And no, not the one you're thinking.
Please hear me out before you just dismiss this as another femi-nazi rant.

If you know me, you've probably heard me say something about being a woman, being taken seriously, and being treated with the respect that men are granted freely. I believe in equality: I am not better nor worse than a man, but with different strengths AND weaknesses. To claim that I am a FEMINIST-- however-- makes people uncomfortable. If a misogynist means someone who hates women, then would a feminist be someone who LOVES women?

I don't understand why this is something negative?

Power heels like a boss

I personally, right this second, know multiple women who let their boyfriends:

• beat them
• degrade them 
• control their money 
• restrict their access to their friends and families 
• tell them what they are/aren't allowed to do/say/think

It is for them that I can not and I will not smile and say that, yes, women being "allowed" to have jobs and vote is enough. It's more than that-- its challenging ourselves and those around us to change how we view girls and women. 

Being a feminist means being a voice for the women who can't or won't speak for themselves. We must teach our girls that being opinionated isn't being "bossy;" its showing potential leadership ability early; its being more than a doormat. Little girls NEED to hear that they deserve to be loved, to make their own choices, and to be respected. To DEMAND respect if they must.

 Can you imagine a guy telling me what to do? To quote Drake's The Motto, "Wish a nigga would." 

Our boys need to be taught that being a REAL man isn't being controlling- its respecting the women in his life, and walking away from anger rather than resorting to violence. Its knowing that by his strength, of course he could control any woman he chooses to, but being a MAN means choosing love and respect over threats and intimidation. 

 Maybe you're thinking,

"Brooke- I'm all for respecting women and my boyfriend doesn't beat me.... I still don't need feminism? It doesn't apply to me?"

Theres a 3ish minute Miss Representation video at the bottom of the page you should check out;  its pretty entertaining, and is clips of different news anchors and advertisements from 2013.

Here's a few of the best quotes:

• Rush Limbaugh on Beyonce and Jay Z,  "She married the rich guy, she understands its worth it to bow down." (because its not like she's successful on her own or anything...)
• Joan Rivers on Adele, "You know that song 'Rolling in the Deep?' Yeah, she should have added 'fried chicken.' "
• "I'm not saying you deserve to be raped, but..." (?????????????????)
• CNN's headline about the Steubenville Rapists says they "have a promising future and are very good students" (ummm? no jail time?)
• Male to female news anchor on the hannity show "Know your role and shut your mouth"
• Multiple references to women in power being dismissed as "hysterical" and "too emotional" when speaking logically and using facts to win arguments

We have came a very long way from sitting at home and vacuuming in pearls, but if you think you don't need feminism, because the world will treat you correctly--- I guess you must be doing something these world class athletes, politicians, reporters, and entertainers are not. 

Being pro-woman isn't being anti-man. By reading the above, however, its clear that to be female is NOT to be respected, and that is the root of the problem.

Our female senators get dismissed as "chemically imbalanced" by their colleagues and it. must. stop. Our female professional athletes are reported as "not very pretty" in the news, as if that is their job or focus. Superbowl performer BEYONCE is dismissed as "bowing down" to her husband as the reason for her success. Very gifted, Grammy award winner Adele is judged specifically on her weight.

Women can't voice their opinions without being dismissed as "moody" or told to "stop being so sensitive." Until this changes, and I can get the respect that my male peers do, I won't stop talking about it. If you don't feel the same, I really would like to know why.

"Challenge the negatives and amplify the positives"

Think about it,

Brooke