Can a man......?

"Can a man comment on a woman’s clothing without them thinking it’s sexist?"

This question appeared at Quora this week.

I guess it's the currently charged atmosphere of
#Me too and suchlike that has set a few male nerves jangling, perhaps a tad overmuch. Once upon a time such a question wouldn't have seemed at all relevant.

There are some good answers. I especially enjoyed reading the one from Andrew Cullum - a little story of his encounter with the boots of the woman standing behind him in line at a 7/11.

I didn't contribute to the thread myself, but the question did set me thinking back through my long lifetime, my interactions with humans of the male variety, searching for examples of commentary from them on my wearing apparel.

You know... my opinion of men on this front is that, in general, they simply do not notice a woman's clothes, unless one wears something deliciously revealing, wildly eccentric or when there's a huge stain on the back where you'd managed to (for instance) sit down in some cheese sauce. The only instances I recall of my clothing being under scrutiny, complimented or commented on have been in conversation with gay guy colleagues, who have always had the knack of doing so delightfully and gracefully. My husband will, occasionally, notice the pattern on a shirt I'm wearing and say he likes the pattern (he's arty farty by nature), but I usually have to ask him directly whether I "look alright". Earlier male significant others in my life have had much the same attitude - even my first husband, an Italian with fairly snazzy fashion consciousness himself, didn't seem to give a hoot what I was wearing.

Maybe it's me! Maybe (I snigger) they loved me for my mind.

All the above being so, I suppose that I'd be flabbergasted more than anything else, if a male commented, unbidden, on an article of my clothing. I would certainly not think he was being sexist - nor would I have thought so when I was much, much younger - but then, I come from a different era.

Introducing the misses: -andry and -ogyny

Misogyny: The hatred of women. Misandry: The hatred of men. Sexism: The belief that one gender is superior to the other.

A few years ago, when Sedna and Eris arrived on the astrological scene, two recently discovered celestial bodies both given names of goddesses from mythology, some saw it as an indication that, at last, women or at least "the feminine" would come more to the fore in world events. Bearing in mind, though, that Eris was Greek goddess of strife and discord, Sedna goddess of the Inuit underworld and sea creatures, who went through all kinds of tribulations before being killed and sinking to the bottom of the sea, portents were not too good!

C.E.O. Carter in his Encyclopedia of Psychological Astrology has no entry for misogyny, misandry or sexism. I suspect because in the mid 1920s when the book was written these were not yet perceived as problems; or if so, in certain enlightened circles, an author - even an astrologer - might shy away from voicing an opinion on the matter, if selling books and maintaining a reputation was the aim. I've noticed quite a bit of sexism arising in casual turns of phrase in vintage astrology books I've picked up in antique/junk stores.

If a tendency to be misogynist/misandrist/sexist could be found in a natal chart (which I doubt) it might stem from Mars and Moon (representing male and female respectively) and antagonistic aspects between them.

But there's this, too:

Allied with Venus in honourable positions Saturn makes his subjects haters of women, lovers of antiquity, solitary, unpleasant to meet, unambitious, hating the beautiful, ...
— Ptolemy, 'Of the Quality of the Soul', 2nd century

I wonder if there's a word for the hatred of those who embrace misogyny, misandry or sexism? If so - that's moi! If we simply have to hate something let's hate war, poverty, injustice, cruelty.....Alright - I know someone's already thinking that the greatest perpetrators of those ills have traditionally been males. But ALL males were not involved. Hatred, if at all, should be directed at the actual perpetrators not at a whole gender.

Misandry is not nearly as common a word as misogyny...in fact I'd wager many people don't even know what it means, but that doesn't mean hatred of men doesn't exist. Rabid feminists display what many see as hatred of men. That would be truly ironic if so!

True misogyny and misandry are, I guess, more rare than commonly thought. They are often, maybe always, the result of life experiences, "the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune" as The Bard called 'em. Some people can quickly get over unfortunate and uncomfortable experiences such as rejection, the cruelty of abuse, or something even worse. Some never do though, and that's completely understandable. Still, even in the worst possible case, spreading hatred to cover a whole gender isn't going to take away the pain; in fact I suspect it only serves to keep the pain alive.

Sexism, an overall -ism covering both misogyny and misandry, can and does operate in the absence of both. What often passes for misogyny/misandry could be more accurately described as sexism, which does not entail actual hatred. The prevention of women from voting didn't spring from hatred of women. It sprang from the idea that the genders are not equal. Tacky comedians' jokes at the expense of women (or men) could, in a few cases, spring from misogyny or misandry, but more often simply from sexism.

All this pitting of sex against sex, of quality against quality; all this claiming of superiority and imputing of inferiority, belong to the private-school stage of human existence where there are 'sides,' and it is necessary for one side to beat another side, and of the utmost importance to walk up to a platform and receive from the hands of the Headmaster himself a highly ornamental pot.
— Virginia Woolf (A Room of One's Own)

(Originally posted on 2 August 2011.)

Astrology and Sexism

Skimming through my archives, looking for something to click a switch in my head and lighten inspirational darkness, I hovered on a post from the summer of 2011:
Thoughts on Misogyny, Misandry & Sexism. With Hillary Clinton in the presidential campaign run once again....hmmm.

BRIEF SNIP

Misogyny: The hatred of women. Misandry: The hatred of men. Sexism: The belief that one gender is superior to the other........................
C.E.O. Carter in his Encyclopedia of Psychological Astrology has no entry for misogyny, misandry or sexism. I suspect because in the mid 1920s when the book was written these were not yet perceived as problems; or if so, in certain enlightened circles, an author - even an astrologer - might shy away from voicing an opinion on the matter, if selling books and maintaining a reputation was the aim. I've noticed quite a bit of sexism arising in casual turns of phrase in old astrology books I've picked up in antique/junk stores.

I doubt that a tendency towards sexism or gender conflict is identifiable in a natal chart. These are most likely the result of life experience, or era-related societal culture. I've noticed, even more often, since writing that post, that sexism does creep into the text of some older astrology books. Scratching around the net for more on how sexism might have crept into astrology generally, and why, I came upon a good piece at the CURA website (most reliably good astrology articles on the net are there, in my estimation).
The Repression of the Feminine in Astrology by Shelley Jordan

SNIP from introductory paragraphs:

Astrology's Hidden Agenda

Anyone studying the techniques of traditional astrological interpretation with eyes open will inevitably be struck by its prejudicial assumptions. Most astrology texts state flatly that certain factors in the birth chart lend themselves to either ease or difficulty of life and expression. For example, detriments, exaltations and the like still send chills of fear or excitement up and down the spines of many astrologers. After all, isn't it supposed to be 'good' to have a planet in exaltation and 'bad' to have a planet in detriment? And in spite of a recent well-intended and humanistic stretching of definitions, aren't certain planets still considered fundamentally preferable to others?

Even more pervasive and persistent in its judgmental nature is the evaluation of the aspects as either 'good' or 'bad'. An insidious dichotomous thinking surrounds aspect interpretation, which, at its roots, is both sexist and racist. There is a largely unknown historical, numerological basis to this dogmatic but unrecognized prejudice that precludes the possibility of reform and evolution in the field of astrology.

The major Ptolemaic aspects, the trine, sextile, square and opposition have traditionally been divided into two general categories. Trines and sextiles are typically considered favorable, desirable, harmonious, easy, creative, and soft. Squares and oppositions are described as discordant, afflicting, stressful, frustrating, challenging and hard. Astrological erudition has, until very recently, been dominated by cookbooks representing trines and sextiles as patently good, squares and oppositions as inherently negative. It is commonly asserted that a chart for an auspiciously blessed life will preponderate with trines and sextiles between beneficent and well-placed planets. The infelicitous and the unendowed will have baleful squares and oppositions to afflicted bodies. This superstitious and erroneous litany regarding the dangers of certain astrological conditions permeates nearly the entire corpus of astrological literature.

There's more food for thought in that piece. We have to keep in mind, though, that astrology's basic doctrine comes from eras and cultures where societal norms were so very different from today's in the West. It's easy for us in 2015 to do a bit of revisionism, criticise early and even much later astrologers; we "know the ending", or the results as far as we've reached to date. What we should be criticising is any astrology/astrologer who continues to allow any hint of sexism into their writings, interpretations and advices.

A natal chart does not indicate gender. The "masculine/feminine" polarity dictated by astrological lore is usually referred to as masculine/feminine or positive/negative; both less than ideal ways to express what the polarity indicates in human terms. Some astrologers use Chinese terms yin and yang instead. (Wikipedia) In Chinese philosophy these describe how apparently opposite or contrary forces are actually complementary, interconnected, and interdependent in the natural world, and how they give rise to each other as they interrelate to one another.

Virginia Woolf put it another way:

“It is fatal to be a man or woman pure and simple; one must be woman-manly or man-womanly. ... Some marriage of opposites has to be consummated.”
~ Virginia Woolf, A Room of One's Own

What the world is missing is more of what humans have come to see as "the feminine" in all humans - not necessarily just more female humans in power, though I guess that could help on the surface, depending on the female humans involved! A healthy respect for "the feminine" in all humans, alongside equal respect for "the masculine" would be a good starting point; seeing people first as people, not as a gender would help too.

Equal in Diversity

A linked article, Are We Equal, by Walter Williams also appeared in our local newspaper; my husband drew my attention to it, as a topic in which I'd be interested. I read it, re-read parts of it but remained puzzled about the point of it all. The topic seemed too clear to have required a professor of economics at George Mason University to explain it. Then, yesterday morning, I noticed a report that the US Supreme Court is this week deliberating on the issue of Affirmative Action. Aha! That could be why Prof. Walter Williams chose to write on that topic at this time?

Affirmative Action refers to policies taking factors including race, color, religion, sex, or national origin into consideration in order to benefit an underrepresented group in areas of employment, education, and business. It's a tool designed by Congress in the mid 1960s to ensure that positive steps were taken to advance qualified women and people of colour after decades of segregation and discriminatory practices.

In the 1960s, and for and a decade or so after, there was no doubt whatsoever that Affirmative Action was essential. The people of the USA, and especially those in Southern states had, for years seen African Americans as second-class citizens, treated them abominably through segregation - and worse. Women, unless of the wealthy privileged class, were still thought of as lesser than any male counterpart in matters of employment and education.

Those opposing Affirmative Action today bring arguments including the proposition that the need for this type of direct legislation has now passed. They propose that a new generation of women, and members of minority races, who have not been raised in, or with close memory of, segregation or ill-treatment, are no longer in need of the help afforded by Affirmative Action.

It will be interesting to find out what SCOTUS has to say on the matter. My view, for what it's worth, is that unless and until the day dawns when every last US citizen is free of every embedded, hidden unacknowledged racist or sexist feeling, there will never be equal opportunity and equal treatment for all. That point hasn't been reached in this country yet, far as I can tell. The next generation - another 20 or so years on - might see the dawn of such a day.

Back to Walter White's article. Surely, few people truly consider that we are all equal - on every level? Who has ever put forward that point of view? Is this what he had in mind? -

The opening of the United States Declaration of Independence, written by Thomas Jefferson in 1776, states as follows: We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness. That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed.

All people of the USA have equal rights to life, liberty, pursuit of happiness .......It doesn't say that all people are equal in talent, insight, vision, skill, physical strength, mental strength. We each have those attributes in differing proportion and mixtures, but none of us, however wonderfully gifted, however powerful, however wealthy, is entitled to be treated under the law with greater preference.

We could, if we as the human race would only allow ourselves to do so, complement each others' proportions and mixes of qualities and strengths. We're part of a whole, part of the same huge jigsaw-puzzle of life. A piece depicting sky and clouds cannot be placed in the midst of a brick wall and still make sense. We are entitled to the same equal treatment before the law and before education authorities and employers, each according to our inborn and/or developed abilities and qualities. All pieces of our human jigsaw are equal, but equal for different purposes.

Thoughts on Misogyny, Misandry & Sexism

Misogyny: The hatred of women. Misandry: The hatred of men. Sexism: The belief that one gender is superior to the other.

A few years ago, when Sedna and Eris arrived on the astrological scene, two recently discovered celestial bodies both given names of goddesses from mythology, some saw it as an indication that, at last, women or at least "the feminine" would come more to the fore in world events. Bearing in mind, though, that Eris was Greek goddess of strife and discord, Sedna goddess of the Inuit underworld and sea creatures, who went through all kinds of tribulations before being killed and sinking to the bottom of the sea, portents were not too good!

C.E.O. Carter in his Encyclopedia of Psychological Astrology has no entry for misogyny, misandry or sexism. I suspect because in the mid 1920s when the book was written these were not yet perceived as problems; or if so, in certain enlightened circles, an author - even an astrologer - might shy away from voicing an opinion on the matter, if selling books and maintaining a reputation was the aim. I've noticed quite a bit of sexism arising in casual turns of phrase in old astrology books I've picked up in antique/junk stores.

If a tendency to be misogynist/misandrist/sexist could be found in a natal chart (which I doubt) it'd stem from Mars and Moon (representing male and female respectively) and antagonistic aspects between them.

But there's this, too:

Allied with Venus in honourable positions Saturn makes his subjects haters of women, lovers of antiquity, solitary, unpleasant to meet, unambitious, hating the beautiful, ...
— Ptolemy, 'Of the Quality of the Soul', 2nd century

I wonder if there's a word for the hatred of those who embrace misogyny, misandry or sexism? If so - that's moi! If we simply have to hate something let's hate war, poverty, injustice, cruelty.....Alright - I know someone's already thinking that the greatest perpetrators of those ills have traditionally been males. But ALL males were not involved. Hatred, if at all, should be directed at the actual perpetrators not at a whole gender.

Misandry is not nearly as common a word as misogyny....in fact I'd wager many people don't even know what it means, but that doesn't mean hatred of men doesn't exist. Rabid feminists display what many see as hatred of men. That would be truly ironic if so!

True misogyny and misandry are, I guess, more rare than commonly thought. They are often, maybe always, the result of life experiences, "the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune" as The Bard called 'em. Some people can quickly get over unfortunate and uncomfortable experiences such as rejection, the cruelty of abuse, or something even worse. Some never do though, and that's completely understandable. Still, even in the worst possible case, spreading hatred to cover a whole gender isn't going to take away the pain; in fact I suspect it only serves to keep the pain alive.

Sexism, an overall -ism covering both misogyny and misandry, can and does operate in the absence of both. What often passes for misogyny/misandry could be more accurately described as sexism, which does not entail actual hatred. The prevention of women from voting didn't spring from hatred of women. It sprang from the idea that the genders are not equal. Tacky comedians' jokes at the expense of women (or men) could, in a few cases, spring from misogyny or misandry, but more often simply from sexism.

The little rift between the sexes is astonishingly widened by simply teaching one set of catchwords to the girls and another to the boys. ~Robert Louis Stevenson

All this pitting of sex against sex, of quality against quality; all this claiming of superiority and imputing of inferiority, belong to the private-school stage of human existence where there are 'sides,' and it is necessary for one side to beat another side, and of the utmost importance to walk up to a platform and receive from the hands of the Headmaster himself a highly ornamental pot.
— Virginia Woolf (A Room of One's Own)

Anniversary brings on a rant.

More Saturn-related business, some Virgo too.

Monday 14 July. That date tinkles a bell in my memory. On Monday 14 July 1975 I started a job which would shape my career for the remainder of my working life. I joined the UK civil service to work in what were then called The Industrial Tribunals. The title was later amended to 'The Employment Tribunals'. It may seem odd that I would remember the date, but for some reason it has always remained in my memory.

I joined the civil service as a Clerical Officer, initially acting as tribunal clerk where my duties included explaining procedure to the parties, sitting in the tribunal hearings, keeping records, swearing in witnesses and assisting the chairman and tribunal members. After a few years I progressed to Executive Officer and managed the Listing Section, where I and 7 staff had the hairy job of ensuring that parties, witnesses and their representatives all turned up at the right place at the right time, and that there was a tribunal (chairman/judge and two lay members) booked to hear their cases. Sounds easy when I type it, but believe me, the job of listing manager was the least envied of all, but I've always enjoyed a challenge! (Aries Moon, with a lot of help from Mercury in Capricorn).

The tribunals deal with cases of unfair dismissal, breach of contract, discrimination on the grounds of sex and race, equal pay claims, redundancy pay claims, and a variety of minor matters. Hearings could last for hours, days or weeks. It was all very Saturnian, but it also satisfied my Aquarian (power to the people) nature. The tribunal chairmen, lawyers of long experience had my total respect, every one of them. Lawyers often come in for much derision, not from me, not ever, unless they go into politics! I worked with some of the best.

The above thoughts came to mind, not only because of that anniversary date, but also because of what I read on Saturday at No Quarter about Barack Obama's fund raising event of the previous evening. (SEE HERE). Comedian, Bernie Mac performed there, it is reported that he told several sexist jokes, very poor taste at such an event. Now, I realise that tribunals and employment law in general, whether in the UK or USA have no connection at all with what comedians choose to use in their acts, but I do believe that the spirit of the discrimination laws, values inherent in them, both here and in the UK, translate very easily into areas other than employment, and it ought to be incumbent upon one who fancies himself as President of the United States to ensure that, at least in his public life, he seeks to uphold the spirit of the law.

A political fund raising event is no place to be telling tasteless sexist jokes, which fly against all aims of anti-discrimination legislation. Barack Obama should have exercised a little more judgment and control over the event. It's not a matter of law, it's a matter of class, and good taste - as in Virgo. He did apparently gently chide the comedian, but then immediately took back his criticism by adding he was "just messing with you".

I wonder what would be the result if a candidate held a fund raiser and a comedian there told crude racist jokes. Not much doubt, is there? I notice this morning that someone else feels equally angry - a new post at No Quarter, written by "Ani":
"Women get crapped on; Obama laughs along". The author also points out other examples of comedians' disrespect. If a passing reader has skimmed through my own post, please - go read this one.

I see what happened at Obama's fund raising event as further evidence, if any were needed, of his double standards, poor judgment and lack of calibre necessary to do the job of POTUS.

Bill Maher's Message to Astrologers

Bill Maher had a message for astrologers on Real Time (HBO), in his "New Rules" segment on Friday, 11 April.






The second "Rule" is the one - any takers?

His chart and some comments from 2005/6 can be viewed at Astrodatabank HERE

Some of those comments are hardly obsequious - Bill may never have read them!

I'm pretty sure that a predisposition towards sexism and misogyny will be hiding in his natal chart somewhere, probably involved with that Grand Cross involving Sun, Moon, Uranus and Neptune.

Bill's recent shows have disappointed me a lot, he seems to have joined the rest of mainstream media and is guilty being obsequious himself - in the direction of Barack Obama, whilst never failing to make overtly sexist remarks about Hillary Clinton. You've let yourself down badly, Bill, and I guess you've lost some fans recently - myself included.

Happy Birthday "Morning Joe"!

Today is the birthday of Joe Scarborough, host of the TV show "Morning Joe". In a previous incarnation he served in the US House of Representatives(1995 to 2001). He's a Republican - but hey, I've featured liberal talk show hosts already. They, by the way, are doing my favourite Democratic candidate no good at all just now. Joe has acquired a taste for Senator Clinton's tough approach, he has been giving a much fairer assessment of recent situations than his left-wing counterparts.

Happy Birthday, Joe - and thank you!

Joe Scarborough was born on 9 April 1963, Atlanta, Georgia. I can't find a time of birth so a 12noon chart will have to suffice.



He has a pretty well-balanced chart, with just a slight predominance of the Fire element. I warm to his three Aries placements, Sun, Mercury and Jupiter (probably because I have Moon and Saturn in Aries myself). At 12 noon his natal Moon would have been in Libra, but if born after 8pm his Moon would have moved into Scorpio. I wonder if he was born late in the day, that could be a clue to his apparent empathy with Senator Clinton.

Joe's natal Aries Sun is sextile Saturn in Aquarius. Saturn and Aquarius is a rather peculiar combination - Saturn was traditionally ruler of Aquarius, before the discovery of Uranus. Saturn now seems to stand for everything opposite to Aquarius's stengths - the old (Saturn) versus the new (Aquarius), status quo versus avant garde, maybe even Republican versus Democrat. Joe's Republican loyalties are not in question, but he does remain open-minded enough to see the value and strengths of a particular Democratic candidate. Perhaps Saturn in Uranus harmonious with his natal Sun is a reflection of this.

For those who wonder why some in the USA feel very strongly that Hillary Clinton is being treated unfairly by much of the media, left-wing media in particular, here's a video which might help to explain it, and show that sexism is alive and well in the USA these days. The video was made by two of Hillary Clinton's supporters, and originated at TaylorMarsh.com:.



And here's birthday boy Joe Scarborough in an interview with Senator Clinton yesterday:

Eris & Sedna or Eric & Sid ?

I've been remembering. Pondering on astrologers' comments two years ago when Eris was officially given its name after being initially nicknamed Xena (Warrior Princess). Recalling also that some years before, Sedna had arrived on the astrological scene. Two recently discovered celestial bodies both given names of mythological goddesses. Some saw this as an indication that, at last, women or at least "the feminine" would come more to the fore in world events.

Setting aside the mythology attached to both names for the moment and simply considering the female aspect, things ain't working out so well up to now.

Benazir Bhutto was assassinated. Nancy Pelosi, Speaker of the US House of Representatives proved a dire disappointment to most US Democrats due to her timidity when confronted by opposition. Senator Hillary Clinton, candidate for US presidency is treated with contempt in many parts of the media and the political blogosphere. While she's not yet quite down and out, she appears to be losing ground rapidly even among women supporters.

There might be an argument that Senator Obama embodies "the feminine" as a concept, accounting for his ability to stir up such enthusiasm. For me it's too weak an argument as yet. We'll see how strong is his feminine side if he becomes president.

I'm certainly no feminist, but I can't help but notice that here in the USA sexism and misogyny go largely unchallenged, while even the slightest hint of perceived racism is pounced on. This was clearly and painfully apparent in Bill Maher's "Real Time" on Friday night. His guests included Christopher Hitchens and Harry Shearer It's hard to say who was worst of the three. The other guest was Indian diplomat Shashi Tharoor, who was by far the most civilised. Bill Maher and "Real time" lost a devoted fan (me) after that show. Even genial David Letterman delights in ridiculing Senator Clinton while never saying a wrong word about Senator Obama. I'm all for taking politicians down a peg or two, but it ought to be done in an even-handed way. Jay Leno and Craig Ferguson are also guilty.

Returning to to mythology, Eris was Greek goddess of strife and discord. Sedna goddess of the Inuit underworld and sea creatures, she went through all kinds of tribulations before being killed and sinking to the bottom of the sea. Neither goddess has a happy story.

Eris and Sedna ? I'd almost rather they'd been named Eric and Sid.