With regard to a recent piece on Forbes, I would like to focus on this excerpt:
“But to mention what sexism remains in American society in the same breath as the brutal misogyny still pervasive in many parts of the Islamic world is absurd. If Joe locks his wife in the closet, beats her senseless, forbids her to talk to other men and monitors every penny she spends, Bill should be able to express disapproval of his actions without castigating himself for failing to do exactly half of the housework and child care.”
I’m having some difficulty understanding this statement. First, it seems to be implying that there is not much sexism and misogyny that remains in the United States, an implication that I find to be unsupportable (one needs only to look at the rates of sexual assault in the U.S. to find ample evidence which counters this assumption). Second, there is the implication that a husband who doesn’t share the responsibilities of housework with his wife is somehow exempt from any criticism regarding his own behaviors and beliefs. I believe the author has set up a bit of a false dichotomy here.
Men should criticize misogyny and sexism both abroad and at home; they should offer criticism towards the behaviors of other men as well as themselves. It is not an either-or situation.
UPDATE: I posted this on the writer’s blog and an interesting dialog ensued in the comments section.
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