Olympics; Heroes Pt. 2

             In May, I blogged about the Avengers: they resemble and reflect the heroes of democratic society: firemen, ambulance drivers, and policemen. In the chaos of street violence, dying bodies, and uncontrollable fires, they rush into the scene to fight what we cannot on our own. The dialogue surrounding the murders in the Sikh temple in Wisconsin reflects that very reality. And yet, when we pause to think of these heroes, past fallen ones, and ones to come, why is that image predominantly filled by men? Why does society value acts of valor (saving someone from a fire or taking a bullet) over acts of healing (performed by nurses and doctors, akin to CPR / extracting the bullet taken)?

             Here is my hero: the mothers of the world.

             During freshman year, I had the privilege of taking Feminist Theory as one of two males in the course. It was effing difficult; I had never taken a college English course before and struggled to read Althusser for my first essay. But it was discussed: is it possible to be a male feminist? And the conclusion we came to as a class was: yes. Yes, it is, it is, and it is possible. How do we define feminism? We define it as such: feminism is the struggle to obtain human rights for all women. Because we know women aren't in the same position as men when going out at night becomes risky behavior as opposed to a good time unadulterated by fear of rape or assault. We know about human rights abuses across the world: genital mutilation, untreated fistulas, sex trafficking, and systematic discrimination in economic, political, and social realms against 50% of the population. I don't mean to make you feel guilty or sentimental about any of this: this information is written down to enrich your spirit and expand your heart.

             Come on, come on!

             And let me be the first to admit: I'm a terrible feminist. I don't think about it as much as I should. My daily behaviors could be structured in a more efficient way to help women. But I am a feminist and I am proud to be one. My identity as a feminist is not caused by my love of women—it is caused by my love of man. I love man. I love what a man could be and how he could act in the future—his potential. Fellow men (includes me), it's time to stand up for what we believe in, as cheesy as that sounds. This is NOT chivalry or fake male patronage/patriarchy: this is love of women. LGBTQIA people, unite with straight people to support WOMEN. Because women give life; they teach us what love is; women are not perfect beings to be put upon pedestals but what human being can claim such status?

Read: http://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/olympics/womens-olympic-success-a-flood-that-began-as-a-trickle/2012/08/12/2799c9ba-e4a2-11e1-8f62-58260e3940a0_story.html?hpid=z3?td=sm_facebook&utm_campaign=wpapp

Snippet: 

Women outmedaled men for the United States, China, and Russia. I’ll say that again: The leading medal winners for the three traditional Olympic powerhouses were women — despite the fact that there were 30 fewer medals available to be won. We can talk all we want about the financial complexities of Title IX, or try to analyze the stratospheric growth of women’s sports by country or culture, but the bottom line was that the London Games defined something crucial: It can’t happen if it isn’t available. With no gold medal to aspire to, no one gets better. 

This is how it happens: In the 1984 Los Angeles Games, only 24 percent of the athletes were women. In the 1992 Barcelona Games, they were only 25 percent of the competitors. By the 1996 Games it increased to 36 percent, and by the 2008 Beijing Games, that figure exploded to 42 percent, and in London it was 44 percent, with every country sending at least one woman. 

This is how it happens: a steady drumbeat of success over so many years, wearing away at obstacles, pursuing a metal disc that says you have value because you won something, until eventually you look around and there are soccer players, shooters, gymnasts, weightlifters, boxers and judokas wearing them too, and it begins to look like the winner’s podium just might be genderless. 

       
          30 fewer medals for women to win, and they still outmedaled the men. Looks like we should start using the word 'sportswomanship' instead of 'sportsmanship.'

HOW did the U.S. win the medal count? On the backs, legs, and arms of women who strove for excellence. And if we're serious about making the United States number one again, we're going to have to pay more attention to 50% of the population: their needs, their struggles, and their obstacles to fairly compete at Mount Olympia and beyond.