Why is blatant sexism still tolerated?

[Le Chat]

I watched last nights edition of Celebrity Big Brother and was very uncomfortable when Housemate Coolio (aman) started ranting about women, calling them 'ho's' and bitches and saying how they should stay at home, cleaning and looking after children...blah, blah, blah. The men all found this highly amusing, including socialist politician Tommy, who you would have thought would not share these views.
It got me thinking. If these comments had been made to a gay house member, the others would have been jumping down his throat in disgust and if even a hint of racism had been dealt, he would have been thrown off the show. (OK...I know he's black but you know what I mean) So why is blatant, offensive sexism still tolerated so readily? I was actually quite offended and felt down that this was accepted 'as if nothing.'

[thugulike]

Ever been a woman and tried to get a Moben rep to call? They won't make an appointment unless your husband is there. I objected and said he was away on business and I was paying anyway but they wouldn't budge.

[weeal]

Le Chat its tolerated on AB every day lol

[Ethel]

The majority of women don't give a hoot what Coolio says or thinks - he is a first rate plonker and his opinion just doesn't matter.

[Rollo]

I think it is awful that women are allowed to be so nasty about men!

[Le Chat]

With the exception of thugulike's answer, my case is being proved!
Ethel - Yes, he is a plonker and his opinion doesn't matter but if he had been spouting racist remarks or reamsrks about homosexuals, it wouldn't be enough to say " Well, it doesn't count because no one takes him seriously anyway!"

[jno]

the programmers will argue that he is being allowed to condemn himself out of his own mouth and that if people don't like him they can vote him off.

But you're quite right, they would have reacted much more strongly if he'd proved to be racist or anti-Semitic.

[Ethel]

Incitement to racial hatred is a criminal offence in the UK - this includes making inflammatory public speeches.

As far as I know, no such law exists for sexism.

[jno]

speech can fall short of incitement to hatred and yet still be embarrassing to programme makers, which was why the fuss over Jade's tirades - I don't think they were illegal but they were objectionable. But objectionable sexism doesn't seem to worry them. The only response is for women to kick up a fuss. Go, Le Chat!

[Le Chat]

The sad thing for me is that it even seemed to be accepted by the women. Tina (scouse lady, as am I) retalliated but none of the others made any defence. Perhaps we have just learned to accept it, which is a shame.
Coolio was actually summoned to the diary room shortly after and I thought that they were going to chastize him for it but it wasn't even mentioned...it was a non-issue.

[legendis.god]

thats the way they roll where he comes from.

remember here only a 100 years ago youd probablyy have had a good hiding for even thinking tis nevermind saying it in public.

i think things have come a long way since then.
but as ethal has pointed out there are racism laws because racism is still accepable to both males and females and knows no barrrier regarding sex.
women can be as racist as men.

the sexism thing isnt as bad as i think you think it is.

id rather be a woman than be black if i nwas worried about how id be treated.


but you must rememebr its a game and many wont say anything hoping coolio makes himself unpopular and loses votes.

to take anything they say on big brother seriously then you have to assssume that they really mean everything they ssy.

when obviously they dont .but they will say anything to be controversial and stay on the show.


d t h?

[shaneystar2]

Well .if that's how they roll where he comes from, as a woman I would roll my foot up his nether regions .
And you shouldn't have to worry about being black, a woman or gay .But unfortunately this is the sort of intolerant world we live in .

[Le Chat]

So the worst possible position is to be black and a woman!
I totally know what you mean legend, about it being a game ... but to be called a 'ho' which is a ***** and a bitch is just really disgusting and yet noone batted an eyelid....except for me on here!!

[beso]

I find the sexist attitudes of some women really annoying. Frequently the same women who complain about women being treated in a sexist manner will remain completely oblivious to their own blatant sexism.

Moreover they will defend their sexist remarks by insisting that their predjudice against men is based on the fact that all men are as they claim.

Indeed, I have a strong recollection of arguing with Le Chat on this site some time ago about this exact matter.

"First remove the log from your own eye."

[chakka35]

Steve is right: this stuff is not</> tolerated. Sensible people turn off such rubbish or refuse to watch it in the first place.

[chakka35]

Sorry, made a hash of cancelling the 'bold'.

[Le Chat]

Regardless of people's personal opinions about the worth of watching Celebrity Big Brother...the question about why do we tolerate sexism is still current. As Steve5 says "Why let it upset you?" That's not the point! The point is why is it tolerated? Big Brother is a load of tosh, yes but I happen to know someone in the house, which is why I am watching it!
Beso- I believe our discussion was about whether men and women can be friends and I said Yes they could, but the man would always s**g the woman if he were given the chance. I still stand by this and have also gone to the trouble of asking 6 blokes where I work, who all agreed with me! Believe me, I don't want it to be true Beso...I have just found that it is!!

[Le Chat]

Obviously, there are always exceptions to that rule.

[Octavius]

If a man �would always s**g the woman if he were given the chance then aren�t we to assume that the woman giving the chance is also quite willing?

I think if you are outraged by this you should do what 3 zillion (allegedly) other people did when Jade was on and phone up the Watchdog people. If you are only one of a handful of other people who have done this and the complaint is not upheld, then it would probably be safe to say that most women in the UK also find it acceptable, or are just not watching. But then I doubt many people watched the Jade incident either, but still managed to take offence and phone up.

[beso]

By claiming it is in the nature of the male it predisposes this identity upon us.

People used to claim that women were predisposed to be submissive housewives and pointed to their observations of all the women around them as evidence. Our attitudes as a society are imprinted upon our children.

Perpetrating the myth of male sex obsession and infidelity inflicts this character on boys in the same way the attitudes taught girls to accept underclass status for so long.

Boy's have endured characterization which sometimes belittles us to the role of a level headed minder and provider for a woman and their children.

Our emotions were supressed for milennia where we were taught that big boys didn't cry as we marcked of as warriors in the persuit of liberty and wealth. Many boys have suffered in silence or paid dearly for their sensitivity in a world where people can be very cruel.

Many women are still not ready to accept emotionally connected males, preferring the antagonistic sense of identity a woman gets from declaring herself as standing above the primitive instincts of a male.

Three generations of men who knew respect for women were part of what changed modern western culture to proving the same career and social opportunities for women as men. Do you really think women could have been emancipated with the support and contrbution from very very meany men. (Try women's right movement in the middle east).

It is lamentable that there are still women who cannot afford us enough respect to treat us without prejudice and stop teaching their children the same attitudes.