Preserving the Status Quo
P. Schultz
November 2, 2013
An article
entitled, “Two Democrats Split On Tactics to Fight Military Assault,” in the NY
Times, dated today, illustrates how our politicians help to maintain the status
quo. The link to the article is below and it deals with the split between
Senator McCaskill and Senator Gillibrand over how the military should deal with
accusations of sexual assault. Note should be taken that both of these senators
are of the female persuasion, while male senators want nothing more than to
avoid the issue altogether.
“Many male senators
in both parties appear extremely reluctant to take a position on such an
emotionally charged and complex legal issue. “I come down on the side that is
against sexual assault,” Senator John Barrasso, Republican of Wyoming, said as
he raced away from a reporter.”
So, apparently, when
confronted with “emotionally charged and complex legal issue[s]” our male
senators take a pass on them. Does this make any sense at all, especially when the
males who are in charge of the our military seem able to take on these issues?
So, my conclusion: They, the male senators [and probably others as well], are
satisfied with the status quo and want as little change as possible in how
these issues are dealt with. Hence, they pretend to be uncomfortable when
dealing with this “emotionally charged and complex legal issue.” It is a pose,
an act adopted in order to control, i.e., minimize, how much change will take
place.
And the issue isn’t,
as the article states, where the
authority to deal with such accusations will take place but who should deal with them. That is, the
real issue is preserving male control of these issues, which is why it has been
left to these two women senators to
“split” over……what exactly? As I read this article, over not much at all. So we
have this “cat fight” – to use the vernacular – which is basically over nothing
much, while it looks important because it involves two women with “strong
opinions” in the same party. More smoke and mirrors from those elected to do
the public’s business in D.C.
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