The Goddess Speaks
The Goddess Speaks
A few brave men have questioned the appropriateness of this column and its title. I am sure many more have similar feelings but are wary of expressing them. No shortage
of ‘god’ columnsThere are probably even women out there who object, though they are likely to be the same women who have been convinced it is morally imperative for them to relinquish control over their own bodies.
That last group has deeper issues than I can address here, but I'd like to offer some insight to the first two groups.
Our own Dave Donnelly is fond of asking when we will begin running a "god" column. As he is a man and paid to share his view of the world with our readers, I have invited him to rename his column (not really my call, by the way) but he hasn't taken me up on it.
In fact both of this newspaper's full-time columnists are men. Of the staff members who write columns at least weekly, 11 are men, four are women. The gods outnumber the goddesses more than three to one. Where's the god column? Just pick up any issue, it's there.
What's the deal with calling ourselves goddesses?
Well, I didn't name the column, but I can tell you why I think it's appropriate.
Most of the labels that have been attached to women over history have patriarchal implications. "Lady" is a good printable example. It could have been a term of honor, but men defined what it was to be a lady to suit their ends. Who wants to be defined by someone else?
Even the generic terms for women imply a second-class status -- woman is a lesser man, female is a lesser male.
But the term "goddess" gives women a powerful image they can relate to and define on their own. It is not meant to imply we are better than men. It is meant to celebrate the force, spirit and spirituality of women.
MEN don't have to call themselves gods because the alternatives don't all roughly translate "jerks." They can be men, males, guys, dudes, etc., and be happy about it. They even get to feel like they belong to a group called "mankind."
The forgoing should also shed some light on why we need a goddess column. Women have long had their roles, even their natures, defined by men. That is changing, but it has not changed.
If you are under the impression that women are no longer discriminated against in the great United States let me offer this recent news story:
Viagra was such a medical sensation insurance companies rushed to cover the drug. Women's advocates have been fighting for decades to get coverage for birth control pills.
Birth control pills offer a cost-effective way to prevent overpopulation and unwanted pregnancies. Viagra is an expensive way to stimulate a man's sex drive. It's obvious which drug holds greater economic and community benefit, so why the discrepancy? Simple, men have a right to control their bodies, women do not.
It's an old rule and it's changing. (On the good news front, the Viagra/birth control juxtaposition has been used to convince eight states to pass contraceptive equity legislation, Hawaii among them, and six others are considering such bills.) But changing does not mean changed.
Goddesses have a lot of work to do to make a healthy place for ourselves. The more men understand the work that needs to be done, the quicker women will be able to get it done.
Stephanie Kendrick is assistant features editor.
The Goddess Speaks runs every Tuesday
and is a column by and about women, our strengths, weaknesses,
quirks and quandaries. If you have something to say, write it and
send it to: The Goddess Speaks, the Honolulu Star-Bulletin, P.O.
Box 3080, Honolulu, 96802, or send e-mail
to features@starbulletin.com.