A Glossary of Election Terms To Understand Sexism and Misogyny in the 2012 Elections

Is it really surprising to anyone that a Santorum Staffer says Women Shouldn’t Be President Because It’s Against God’s Will?  He just said it out loud.  Here is an only slightly tongue-in-cheek list of terms and definitions compiled from readily available sources to consider while evaluating candidates and parties during the 2012 elections.  Pass it on to people that think their votes don’t matter, we live in world where the work of feminism is done, or gender parity in governance doesn’t matter.

Antidiluvian (antēdəˈlo͞ovēən):  belonging to the time before the biblical flood. As in having ridiculously old-fashioned ideas, often based on stereotypes about gender and race.

Code (kōd): system of words used to represent other word or meanings. For example: “haggard” to mean old, no longer fertile or of use to men; “shrill” to imply annoying nag who “henpecks” men, oh-so-80’s “strident” to mean “angry feminist” or “aggressive” to subvert a woman’s authority and assertiveness.

Complementarianism (kämpləmənt e(ə)rēəˌnizəm): a bibically-prescribed view of gender roles as different but complementary in which there are requirements made of men and restrictions placed on women.

Dominance(dämənəns): Power over others.

Equality (ih-kwol-i-tee):  Being equal in status rights, power, privileges and opportunities.

Female (fee-meyl): a human in possession of two X chromosomes in the cell nuclei and usually having a vagina, a uterus and ovaries.

Female oppression (fee-meyl əˈpreSHən):  the unjust use of authority to keep people who are in possession of a vagina, a uterus and ovaries subordinate.

Home (hōm): domicile, dwelling. Where some people believe women belong -  out of public life, as was explained in the email from Santorum’s aide.

Homophobia (hōməˈfōbēə): negative attitudes, feelings and actions against homosexuality, homosexuals and transgendered people. As in, misogyny and homophobia are epiphenomena based on a fear of the dissolution of rigid, stereotypes of gender that inform sexist hierarchies and result in a devaluation of females and female qualitites and a dismissal of people of “non-traditional” gender identification.

Logos (loh-gos): the rational principle that governs and develops the universe. Concerned with forward motion.

Male (māl): a human bearing an X and Y chromosome pair in the cell nuclei and normally having a penis, scrotum, and testicles, and developing hair on the face.

Misogyny (məˈsäjənē):  the basis for oppression of females in male-dominated societies. Michael Flood, an Australian sociologist describes it this way: “Misogyny functions as an ideology or belief system…[that] place(s) women in subordinate positions with limited access to power and decision making.  Nothing, again, like our religious, corporate or political hierarchies.  Silly you.

Mythos (mith-os):an underlying system of beliefs, especially those dealing with supernatural forces, characteristic of a particular cultural group. Typically, inherently, rooted in the past.

Oppression(əˈpreSHən): prolonged use of authority to impose unjust restraints on others. To keep down by force or control.

Paternalism (pəˈtərnlˌizəm): interference with freedom, where the intent is to demonstrate beneficence towards those whose liberty is being constrained.

Patriarch (pātrēˌärk):  a male head of household or tribe, often the eldest and/or most venerated male.  As in, the debates resembled a council of antediluvian patriarchs.

Patriarchy (pātrēˌärkē ): a social system in which males are primary authority figures.  Typically, fathers have authority over women, children, dogs (which they can strap onto the tops of cars whenever) and property.  Of course, not anything like Congress being 87% male, 97% of mainstream media executives being men, men  holding 92.5% of Executive Officer top-earner positions or religious hierarchies (pick an Abrahamic religion of your choice) being uniformly male-dominated.

Privacy (prīvəsē):  the state of being free from intrusion or disturbance in one’s private life or affairs.

Privilege (priv(ə)lij): special rights or status. For example, invisible benefits conferred on an individual on the basis of race or gender or sexual orientation.

Reproductive Rights (ree-pruh-duhk-tiv rahyts): Legal rights and freedoms related to reproduction and reproductive health. These include the rights to make all decisions concerning reproduction free from coercion, violence and discrimination.

Right to privacy: the right to be free of unsanctioned intrusion.

Sexism (sek-siz-uhm): attitudes or behavior based on traditional stereotypes of sexual roles. Also, discrimination or devaluation based on a person’s sex, as in restricted job or political opportunities; especially, such discrimination directed against women.

Submission (səbˈmiSHən): The act of submitting to someone else’s power or authority.  As in: “The Lord says be submissive. Wives, you are to be submissive to your husbands.”

And, last, but not least:

Feminism (fem-uh-niz-uhm): the theory of political, economic, religious, cultural and social equality of the sexes.  Feminists, men and women, fight for women’s civil rights.