What is Sexism Really?

Sexism is defined as "discrimination or devaluation based on a person's sex, as in restricted job opportunities; esp., such discrimination directed against women" (dictionary). I find it interesting that even in the dictionary women ar targeted as the victims of this term. Joan Dunayer's article discussing animal references to women is very eye opening and refreshing. She explaisn that women are referred to as foxes, cows, or chicks in derogatory terms. She also makes the connenction between gender and speciest when she accurately explains that "patriarchal men have depicted themselves as 'more human' than women because they have viewed 'human' as signifying everything superior and deserving"(791). Although it is not considered as great a deragatory term, we still refer to men as "jack asses" which associates them whith a donkey. Since we as humans use animals to refer to deragatory claims, can we assume that all Democrats are jackasses then? I think its interesting that using derogatory animal names for men is not nearly as popular or as culturally acceptable as those references when made towards women.



Although I support Dunayer's ideas, it seems as though she is putting the blame of human dominance over animals on the shoulders of men when women are equally as responsible. If you walk through Texas Roadhouse or Outback you will just a comparable amount of women eating a steak as the men. Dunayer explains that "Man divides all beings into two contrasting categories: members of our species and nonmembers. At the same time, it semantically assigns men to the first category, women as the second" (790).




I think that we need to accept that animal cruelty is inflicted by humans, not just man alone. We do not consider animals an equal species on this planet and that is a horrible misconception. We all feel pain. Unfortunately for animals, "being able to suffer is no longer a power, it is a possibility without power, a possibility of the impossible" (723). Our miscontrued idea of their subservience will eventually lead to the demise of several species in this world. We must change the way we percieve ourselves as one of the many species on this planet.