I think it's safe for me to say that the male species are fucking up our world in a major way!
In the past few weeks the United States has the largest mass murder of all time, a second mass murder in a church in Texas and as I write this another multiple shooting in northern California. Then you have Harvey Weinstein and every other male actor/producer/director in Hollywood that has taken advantage of their power positions and abused what seems like the entire population of Hollywood for the past 20 years. Not to mention, all the wars throughout history, rape of women and politicians trying to take away women's rights and send us back to the 18th century.
I love men, and hate to single out an entire species but let's face it - the world would be a better place without them.
The bottom line that nobody wants to admit, is the United States has become the laughing stock of the rest of the developed world. When my European co workers talk about the United States now, they refer to it as the "wild, wild, west." They can't understand how we are ok with everyday people walking around carrying weapons that belong in a war zone. They can't understand why our government allows citizens to be killed every day all under an Amendment that is 400 years old and wasn't meant for this sort of thing. They can't understand how our government is unable to make any changes to this Amendment all because our politicians are given huge sums of money by a lobbying group called the "NRA." It's beyond their comprehension, and mine as well.
Putting all that aside, the truth is, in the United States, we have become a country that has raised multiple generations of deviant, misogynistic men. Men who feel no shame or remorse for actions that are abhorrent.
According to the Huffington Post, "the number of American troops killed in Afghanistan and Iraq between 2001 and 2012 was 6,488. The number of American women who were murdered by current or ex male partners during that time was 11,766. That’s nearly double the amount of casualties lost during war. This is only the tip of the iceberg as it pertains to violence by men against women."
All throughout history, women have had to defend themselves against men who felt it was their right to abuse women physically or exert their power over women into doing things that they are not comfortable with. In reality not much has changed in the past few hundred years in terms of men taking advantage of women.
So, I ask myself what is the common denominator in all of these acts of violence against women and innocent children and people, and the answer is "men." Try and imagine how different things would be if women were in charge of everything. War? forget about it. Mass murders? Nada. Domestic abuse and rape? Maybe, but very low amounts. Imagine, a place where every body can go about their daily lives without fear of being shot or sending their kids off to school without worrying that some psycho is going to gain entry and take out a semi. No casting couch, no having to climb the corporate ladder to get ahead. Sounds like bliss to me in this day and age.
Women are not naturally violent - we are problem solvers that want to be liked and respected. We don't have the ego issues that men have - this need inherent in men to prove their power and dominance over the population at large. We're not going to take our rage against whoever did us an injustice - whether it's a lover, spouse, employer - and leave the house with an AK47 and shoot up a concert or school. It's not to say, we don't get angry or do bad things - it's just that we are able to work it out and handle ourselves in a mostly non-violent manner. We're problem solvers, skilled at negotiating with husbands, kids, parents, in-laws - we are wired to find ways to co-exist with others as peacefully as possible.
I love men, and think that they do have their uses, but when I can't feel safe going about my normal life, when I see a room full of men deciding what I can and can't do with my body, when I don't trust the people in power to do the right thing for our Country, when young girls have to cover their drinks in bars and clubs to make sure they don't get drugged and raped there is something seriously deranged and dangerous with the species as a whole.
I find the world today scary in a way that I never did before.
Maybe it's because I am older now and things affect me more deeply. In the past, I never really cared much about politics - I've voted both Republican and Democrat in the past and consider myself a "centrist," but what really amazes me is that I feel increasingly unsafe in a world that I used to feel reasonably safe in. Standing in line at CVS before, there was a dissatisfied customer at the register - inside, all i'm thinking is I hope this guy doesn't get too pissed and whip out a gun. I hate myself for even thinking like this, but this is what is becoming the norm in our society. What is going on in the world in which we, as a population, become used to mentally unstable people going into schools and shooting little, innocent children, shooting innocent bystanders at a concert, domestic violence against women? I tend to think I would be safer walking around Afghanistan than I would be going to a Target these days.
I love the idea of an all-woman society. Besides the fact that I would probably save a fortune on hair and beauty products, I wouldn't have to panic whenever I feel bloated, or gain a few pounds because other women don't really care what you look like - it's about what's inside that matters. I also wouldn't have to worry about "ugly man/tiny wife" syndrome - which is when you see a fat, ugly man with an attractive thin women. We have this phenomena due to the fact that woman are ok with a man being "less than" in the looks department as long as he has other redeeming qualities like a good personality or is rich. But men, on the other hand - even when they are not the best looking feel naturally entitled to the beautiful woman.
When Wonder Woman came out this summer I was happily surprised to find out that she comes from an all-women paradise known as Themyscira - where the women are warriors, protecting their paradise from men and the outside world. It's interesting because you don't see or read about men wanting an "all-male" society - only the women - and who can blame them. Women have been targets of male rage and anger for centuries and the thought of all all female society, where they can be safe and nurtured is appealing.
Millennium Hall - published in 1762 by Sarah Scott - tells the story of an all female society in the 18th century, when women had practically zero rights. These women are taught skills to better themselves, education is important and property is owned and shared as a group. Women in the 18th century had no rights and were at the mercy of men on every level. They depended on them for food and shelter since they were not allowed to be educated or hold jobs - so again, we see the appeal of an all women society.
While a world without men, may not be a reality, the idea of an all female world is hardly a new concept - it seems more timely than ever in today's day and age where we, as a species have to deal with the consequences of men that have deep anger issues and hate issues and feel empowered to take that anger out on innocent people.
