"At AOL one of our core values is that we act with integrity. We have monitored the unfolding events and have determined that Mr. Limbaugh's comments are not in line with our values. As a result we have made the decision to suspend advertising on The Rush Limbaugh Radio show." -- Maureen Sullivan, AOL spokeswoman
AOL became the eighth advertiser to pull their ads from Rush Limbaugh's show earlier this week in wake of the controversy over Limbaugh's characterization of Georgetown law student Sandra Fluke as a "slut" and a "prostitute."
The details of this controversy have exploded all over the Internet and you, no doubt, have already read many posts on this site and elsewhere condemning Mr. Limbaugh and calling for a boycott of the companies that continue to advertise on his show. I have posted a personal letter to him on my own website. You can read that post here.
In the firestorm of responses to Limbaugh's comments and the "apologies" he has issued in the wake of sponsors fleeing the show, I have been impressed by the AOL response, quoted above and the response from another former advertiser on the show, Carbonite's CEO David Friend:
"No one with daughters the age of Sandra Fluke, and I have two, could possibly abide the insult and abuse heaped upon this courageous and well-intentioned young lady. Mr. Limbaugh, with his highly personal attacks on Miss Fluke, overstepped any reasonable bounds of decency. Even though Mr. Limbaugh has now issued an apology, we have nonetheless decided to withdraw our advertising from his show. We hope that our action, along with the other advertisers who have already withdrawn their ads, will ultimately contribute to a more civilized public discourse."
Ms. Sullivan and Mr. Friend have raised the issues of integrity and decency and their importance in our society today. Few would argue that Rush Limbaugh's actions do not cross the line of both. But these actions demonstrate a consciousness toward women that has been present throughout most of human history, and this is merely the latest salvo in the "war on women's equality."
Today it looks and sounds like Rush Limbaugh, but he is merely echoing the misogyny that has worn thousands of faces throughout the ages. Almost every woman has a story of having felt discounted, devalued or disrespected because of her gender.
Sexual harassment is not confined to the workplace, and few women get through life without having been exposed to it personally or know of someone who has. And the wage gap between men and women has barely changed over the past several decades. According to the U.S. Census Bureau in 2008, women were still paid only 77 cents for every dollar a man earned and that number goes down to 68 cents for African American women and 57 cents for Hispanic women.
And lest we think that misogyny is purely a right-wing phenomenon, Kirsten Powers has written an interesting post on The Daily Beast outlining the media's misogynistic treatment of women on both the right and the left.
We may have come a long way, baby, but we still have a long way to go. The current Limbaugh controversy, and the Republican presidential candidates' tepid response to it, is a poignant reminder of just how far away women are from equal treatment in this, the most advanced country in the world and how much misogyny still exists.
Ironically, however, the Rush Limbaugh controversy has elevated the collective consciousness around these issues, and in doing so, may have inadvertently helped to accelerate a shift in public opinion. For thanks to him, it is now front and center and white-hot in the minds of many, especially women. A giant has been unleashed.
Words matter, but more importantly, the intention behind them matters even more. That is why Limbaugh's so-called "apology" has largely fallen on deaf ears, especially Ms. Fluke, who rejected his apology this week, claiming that it changes nothing and was only done to help stem the tide of fleeing advertisers. Mr. Limbaugh may have retracted his words, but the taste of disrespect lingers long in the mouth.
This controversy leaves me with the heightened awareness of how much waking up humanity still has to do. As long as there are those who are steeped in the culturally-conditioned beliefs that power resides in gender, and that half the population of the world is fundamentally flawed because of it, humanity has not turned the corner toward a more enlightened consciousness.
This controversy is far from over. No doubt it will continue to be debated in the days and weeks to come. In this regard, Rush Limbaugh may just be the canary in the coal mine. As advertisers continue to rush towards the exits, the proverbial "fat lady" may be just be starting to warm up.
Rush has inspired an entirely new generation of women to pick up the gauntlet and fight for women's equality. As an elder feminist, I stand shoulder to shoulder with them, having walked this path for the past 40 years, alongside Bella Abzug, Gloria Steinhem, and Betty Friedan in those earlier efforts to break through the barriers all women face.
If we are to move to a higher state of consciousness as a species, and many believe that this year of 2012 marks the beginning of such a shift, what will it look like?
Here's a quote from my letter to Rush:
"Like a big ship changing course in the middle of the sea, this ship called humanity, is turning around. And in our turning we are moving away from the past, where women were disregarded and disrespected just for being women. We are headed toward a future in which men and women are valued as equal expressions of humanity. We are moving toward a future where all human beings are treasured, regardless of gender. We claim a present based on love and respect for all life: humans, plants and animals."
It's pretty hard not to have an opinion about all this. I'd love to hear yours. Please leave your thoughts and comments below and/or come pay a visit to my personal blog and website at Rx For The Soul.
Become a Fan and be notified when a new post appears. For personal contact, I can be reached at judith@judithrich.com.
Blessings on the path.
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Catherine Meeks, Ph.D.: Yes, Alexander, It Is A Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day, But...
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/03/08/rachel-maddow-rush-limbaugh-scandal-silver-lining_n_1330959.html?ref=media
Apparently, women aren't supposed to be educated either.
Now, the subject at hand...misogyny, pure and simple. Between Rush and the TP/GOPers policies on women's health issues, I'm truly frightened for women in this country. More and more I'm reminded of "The Handmaid's Tale". I suggest those who advocate women's rights read it. There's also an excellent synopsis and article on Wikipedia. If you're familiar with the story, you'll see how closely it relates to what's starting here and now in our own country.
You will probably say, "oh, how ridiculous, it can't happen here". Oh no? I beg to differ.There's definitely a war on women and their rights going on. We don't need a catastrophe or revolution to shred them, that's already underway as I type.There are some parallels that are uncanny. It was fiction when written, much is becoming fact today,
We already have legislation that mandates misogynistic treatment of women seeking abortions. What about transvaginal ultrasound? How about the "personhood" bills? The ever popular anti-contraception zealots, etc.,etc.? IT'S HAPPENING HERE AND NOW! Use your ballot to stop it, there's still a chance.Don't let the misogynistic bigots win.
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It's nice to see you back here! I'm glad to hear you have come through chemo and are doing well.
Obviously, it did nothing to dampen your passion or spirit and thank goodness, for voices like yours are sorely needed today.
Interesting you mention Margaret Atwood's book, "The Handmaid's Tale". I was recently with the members of my book club, all of whom happen to be female, and having read Atwood's book together years ago, we were also commenting on the frightening similarities between that fictionalized story of the most hideous misogynistic treatment of women and what is happening today.
It's like the story of the frog in the pot of water, who becomes accustomed to the temperature slowly being increased until it's boiled to death. We must wake up to what is happening before it's too late.
On a personal note, I am two and a half years out from my own experience with breast cancer and yesterday, had a clear mammogram. In spite of all that is happening in the world, life is good and I am grateful!
Wishing you continued good health,
Judith
If I had to name a handful pieces of eternal wisdom, this would be one of them.
It's an eternal hoax. Because the "order" that's being restored is fictional - not just in works of fiction but in reality - and in the worst of cases, the disorder that precedes it was home-made by the very forces that then pretend to govern well.
It's an eternal riddle about the human condition why this has worked so well and still does.
No doubt it's because we can take only a limited amount of disorder. The infamy is in abusing the knowledge of this frailty of ours.
On another note, looks like your earlier comment actually was written in disappearing ink for, poof! It's gone! I attempted to reply and it had been taken down.
Feels a bit "touchy" in here.......
I also notice that many comments, including yours, are not appearing at all on the thread. Indeed, it is "interesting."!
BTW, did you read my Letter to Rush that I linked to in the post? I consider you to be a perfect example of the kind of man I wrote about there.
Thanks for being you,
Judith
proclaiming across the air waves
ones likes and dis-likes
the subjective
and sending signals outward
into the cosmos to travel
for millions of years
to contact
do I have responsibility to my specie
to think or reflect
or is it just to babble, just to provoke
anger and discord
pouring out my dis-respect
towards those who hurt me
to get attention, to be coddled
and mothers and fathers be damned
I come first, your child hurt me
and I run off at the mouth
and get paid for it
and my filth running down the drain
is money in the bank
and to get a Rush, a mind kick
to jolt the senses in this social war
of verbal brutality, I the man
brutalize with dis-regard
and tomorrow women will have
the right to vote somewhere
and I am afraid.
Rolf KrogsætherC.2012
No kidding!
While the issue of misogyny is not inherently political, when political parties take positions that legislate unfair treatment of women, such as the current bills up for consideration in many of the States congressional committees that mandate vaginal probes for women seeking abortions or that limit a woman's access to healthcare, then it becomes a political issue.
And if nothing else, this will definitely activate the female voters and guarantee that women will exercise their power at the ballot box come November .
Rolf
How about saying a little something about Bill Maher too. Oh sure, he is probably Huffposts golden boy after donating a million bucks to the Obama superpac, but look at the nasty stuff he says about Michele Bachman and Sarah Palin. I would never vote for either of them, ever, but why does Bill Maher get away with calling them names, when Rush is deservedly taking it in the teeth.
If you have ANY sort of integrity at all, you will write a piece against Bill Maher as well. Unless you believe, of course that only the members of your gender who vote democratic are worthy of civlity. If you want to talk about higher consciousness, please include ALL members of the human race, not the select ones that vote the same way you do.
Nice job on insulting Dr Judith's integrity. Classy
My comment at the top of the page was intended as a reply to you. Please see my comment that begins: And the Rush beat goes on.... with a link.
Many thanks,
Judith
It's about human beings waking up and it's happening very slowly. For the most part, the younger generation is much more open and for them, these are non-issues. But we're seeing how the pendulum can swing back as well as forward, so there is no resting in the fight for equality I'm afraid.