Power, Politics, and Gender

Injustice is a cosmic plague. Countries can be imperialistic and oppressive while others are weak and helpless. Dictators abuse their powers within their countries. And likewise men and women fit into this cycle. You can not tell which leads to the other: Is it the weakness of the weak which tempts the powerful to take advantage? Or the absolute power in the hands of the powerful which causes others to submit in fear?

Whether it is this or that, democratic countries have invented a system which helps in the prevention of power abuse. They have constructed systems which would enable the public to supervise the performance of their rulers and give them the power to share in decision making. They also invented something called "voting", to guarantee that whoever comes to power has the approval of the public.

However, this did not stop dictators from having their way inside their countries. Their elections are rigged. Their parliament is mere décor. Their media is under control. Their laws enable them to do the most horrible crimes legally. Thus, the public in those countries are in such a vulnerable position that they don't even know their rights to ask for them.

Powerful countries do the same with developing and under-developed countries. They dictate their demands, and even enforce them when necessary. They use the weakness and poverty of those countries for their own benefits. They don't bother with big words like "human rights", "equality", "justice", "world peace", …etc. As long as sabotaging those weaker countries secures their superior state, they will stop at nothing to reach their goals. They have the UN under their power. The have the veto. They can even break international resolutions, like the US did in its war on Iraq. Who can do anything about it? To hell with the international community, do they have any power to stop me?

People, like countries, can get drunk with power. We live in a sexist society, where men resemble Israel and women resemble Arabs. Every day Israel takes more lands from Arabs. It can kill them and bomb their homes at any time. Then those Arabs will simply yell and scream, jump up and down, but what can they do about it? They will go to the Security Council? So what? The former Israeli prime minister, Menachem Begin , once said it: "As long as the Arabs haven't learned to stand in a line, they don't pose any threat to us". Meaning that Arabs will never see the true reasons behind their weakness. They can't see that they're weak cause they don't work on improving themselves. They are just begging for justice from other powerful countries. They worship their leaders although they humiliate them. They don't value time or hard work. They are far from scientific thinking and organized action. Such people can wait thousands of years for a miracle to liberate them, but they don't even deserve this miracle.

Women likewise will never receive liberation from their oppressors who thrive upon all the advantages they derive from their superior position. As long as they have got all the power in their hands they will never give any of it up, but will always seek to gain more. Unless women stand up on their feet, define their weaknesses and work on improving their condition, they will never gain any of their rights. Begging for our rights won't lead us anywhere. Only slaves liberated slaves, and only women can liberate women. No one can feel your pain except a woman like you. But the endless waiting for a miracle.. waiting for men to change.. waiting for society to change.. waiting for an upper hand all the time.. waiting, waiting, waiting, will only make us weaker and cause us to lose the respect of society. Are you happy with being the doll you are? If no, then get up and do something about it. Wake up women!.. It's too late already!

On Marriage and Slavery

Wife and servant are the same,
But only differ in the name.
_ Lady Mary Chudleigh

It's true. And it is amazing that when it comes to this fact, wives of today are no different than those of the Middle Ages. By signing a marriage contract, a woman is signing her bond of slavery. Although the terms are not written, yet every woman knows them and works on fulfilling them. The title Mrs. Nobody doesn't come for free. A wife throws away her human rights at the doorstep of her husband's home. She then becomes a lifelong servant, offering her services for free. She will cook, clean, do the laundry, wash the dishes, make the bed, sweep the floor, prepare dinner for his guests, sews his buttons, iron his shirts, sends his suits to the dry clean, arranges his messy side of the closet, buys him underwear, … an endless list.

This does not imply that the husband has no role to play at home. Who eats what she cooks? Who leaves the dirty dishes on the table to fly to the kitchen sink? Who throws his dirty clothes all over the room? Who eats snacks in front of TV and leaves the bits for insects (he doesn't forget to feed them, poor creatures)? Who turns every place he uses for 5 minutes into a mess which needs a day to clean? Who stains the carpets? Who keeps demanding beverages while sitting on the couch? Come on.. he doesn't stop doing things all day. And wait.. it doesn't stop here. Of course we won't forget his favorite hobby.. criticism! "This meat is too hard, where did you get it from?" "The rice isn't well cooked!" "Where are my brown socks?" "Is the white shirt still in the laundry?" "What took you so long? I'm starving." "You've gained weight." "Why don't you take care of yourself as you used to before marriage?" Bla bla bla bla..

Doesn't matter what career a woman has. She can be a doctor, engineer, scientist, whatever.. but she has to be a good housekeeper before all that. Her career, no matter how prestigious, no matter how successful she is at it, will always be secondary.. not only to her husband, but to the patriarchal society he represents. If she is not a good servant, she is not a good wife. Her job is seen as leisure, a thing to pass the time when her husband is out at work, a bless she should thank her husband for approving of. Cause marriage also entitles the ownership of the wife by her master. He can give her the gift of having a job and he can take it away if he thinks that he's not getting the quality of service he desires. He therefore never encourages his wife to take her work seriously (if she happens to work). The rules for this leisure are set from the beginning: she can't stay late at work (preferably arrive home before him), she must take the kids to school in the morning (doesn't matter of she arroves late at work everyday), she isn't allowed to travel, she must return home full of energy to go on with her chores, she can't attend training in the afternoon, she can't take work with her to complete at home… etc. How can any person succeed with all those limitations?

There is no way better to end this post than this: "Marriage is a bribe to make a housekeeper think she's a householder." _ Thornton Wilder

Fantasia's DVD: Erin Brockovich

From my DVD selection I shall continue to recommend some movies which I believe to be inspiring. One of those movies which I love is Erin Brockovich. This movie got its fame when Julia Roberts won her Oscar for the role of Erin. I find Roberts' performance to be simply brilliant. Yet, my admiration for this movie is due to its excellent script and profound dialogue. Erin is a strong-headed single mom, who insists on having a job at a law firm and climbs her way to success while keeping her identity, which her boss doesn't admire. Erin won the respect of everybody through her dedication and hard work. She taught everyone never to judge a woman by her appearance, but by what she has to offer to the world. Erin's way of dressing was considering inappropriate at her workplace for being too revealing. She could have blushed in shame when he got negative comments about her outfit, or thought that the job she was desperate to get is more important than her freedom to choose her wardrobe. Amazingly though, she refused to change anything about herself. She believed in herself and her cause, refusing to give up or back down. She stood her ground and invested all her energy in fighting for what she believes to be right.

if you haven't yet seen this movie, you should; and if you already have, watch it again for a breeze of inspiration.

Now I leave you with one of my favorite quotes from the movie :)

George: How many numbers you got?

Erin Brockovich: Oh, I got numbers comin' outta my ears. For instance: ten.

George: Ten?

Erin Brockovich: Yeah. That's how many months old my baby girl is.

George: You got a little girl?

Erin Brockovich: Yeah. Yeah, sexy, huh? How 'bout this for a number? Six. That's how old my other daughter is, eight is the age of my son, two is how many times I've been married - and divorced; sixteen is the number of dollars I have in my bank account. 850-3943. That's my phone number, and with all the numbers I gave you, I'm guessing zero is the number of times you're gonna call it.

Your Guide to Dating an Egyptian Man

Types of Egyptian Men:

The Pathetic Pretender
All men are pretenders. They usually show a face which hides its total opposite. They can't show their true colors, cause they are too weak to do so. Their inflated egos are another reason why they are never straight. They simply can't take rejection. That's why they would go round and round before they express their interest in you. They just can't handle it if you say Thanks, not interested. They take it as a personal insult. How dare you reject him? That's why they just keep wasting time, and when things don't work, they come up with all the pathetic excuses to ease their ballooned egos! Poor Bastards!

The Lousy Actor
He plays the most horrible romantic roles while his eyes are on the prize. If you are still as naïve as to think that there is really a romantic guy, like those you see in movies, then I'm sorry to break the news. Just as there is no Santa, there is no such a man. I happened to be buying some stationary on Valentine's Day when I met a guy who is so full of himself. He just stepped in and said to the vendor, I want something nice, beautifully wrapped and doesn't exceed 20 EGP! He then moved on to talk to his friend, and whenever the vendor called on him to ask his opinion about an item she holds in her hands, he just waves to her and says Anything, anything. And to complete my amusement, his poor girlfriend called while he stood right in front of me. They seemed to be confirming their Valentine's date, and he just kept pouring words of how he can't wait to meet her and how special she is. Yeah, hell..

The Mentally Retarded
I said all men are pretenders; I don't have to repeat it on every line. Those cavemen who hold the brains of their great great great grandfathers are usually the ones who keep talking about daring subjects and radical thoughts. They will take about women rights and how girls are misunderstood, bla bla bla.. Only so you wake up on the ugly reality: he is mentally sick! He wants to believe that he has his own personality, but he is empty, just parroting stuff that he knows would appeal to a stylish girl. As things develop he will won't stop giving you one cultural shock after another. Black comedy!

The Featherless Peacock
Oh, the guy who fell in love with himself, therefore he has no room for anyone else. He just thinks that he's God's gift to the world. However, you'll shortly find out that this peacock has no feathers. His personality is as lacking as his mind. He might look handsome, be popular, athletic, funny, but with no brain. Just a useless bird which can't even fly!

The Know-it-all
Many of you have seen him. A talking machine about almost every topic that anyone can think of, he will never stop proving that he is Mr. Know-it-all. And therefore he imposes his views, decides for you, criticizes your actions and thoughts, interrupts your conversations, makes fun of your ideas, undermines your success, and would never admit you were right about anything. He constantly feels he is in a competition with you before anybody else. He will do anything to make you live in his shadow, and will give you no chance to speak up your mind. He is scared whenever you show any sign of intellectual freedom or independence, cause he wants to be your one and only reference. He is never sick of giving advice which he takes for granted that you must follow. Ugh, what a pain in the ***!

The Boring Stalker
Most guys will bore you to death after the first few dates. After the talk about themselves is over (which they do persistently and quickly to satisfy their egos) they will just keep talking about anything. Yeah, those who say girls are talkative try to see a man on a date. I bet you to catch a glimpse of the girl talking. The talking won't stop by the end of the date. No, no, it just keeps getting worse. Phone stalking.. Good morning calls, good afternoon calls, good evening calls, good night calls, how do you do calls, did you reach your home calls, what are you doing now calls. Calls, calls, calls.. Endless calls.. And even more calls.. SMSs all day long.. He will keep stalking you all day in this way. He feels that if he leaves you for one hour, you might have time with yourself when you will think and maybe evaluate the relationship. So, he has to distract you all the time. He wants to make your whole day revolve around him, in the hope to make you addicted. Then if there is a day when one of the 1000 calls didn't arrive you will go insane, and that's how he can cut you off the drug as punishment whenever he wants. Who needs this for God's sake?

The Perverted Preacher
The double-faced serpent, who will preach about morals and values while he enjoys himself in the dark.. He is mostly the one looking for a serious relationship. He will use a serious voice tone, talk about religion, about his dream of a happy family, about how disciplined he is. This is a type that is very common nowadays, especially with most girls now being veiled. He thus gains her trust and then demand further things: no male friends, no female friends whom he thinks aren't good enough, no going out without his permission (Yeah, he plays the role of her father), no clothes that are tight, (I even heard an incident which included no internet!) and on goes the list of orders. If she shows to be obedient, he might be generous enough to make her Mrs. Perverted Preacher. This poor girl will only find out about his other life too late.

The Loser
He never attends his classes, never reads a book, never reads a newspaper, never talks about anything of subject, and never intends to do anything serious with his life. He's the dandy cool guy, who throws tomorrow behind his back. He will switch from one girl to another just to pass the time. If a serious girl ever decides to have a relationship with him, he will have absolutely nothing to offer her but disappointment. You can never ask him about the future. The word "plan" doesn't exist in his dictionary. And time is of no value. He just wants to have fun (as opposed to Cindy Lowper's famous song). You will be gloomy if you keep reminding him of his failures. He will never change. And if you marry him, get ready to afford for him and raise him up with your children. He will never grow up and no matter how old he gets, he will continue to be an irresponsible kid. With the number of losers increasing, a lot of recently married couples depend on the wife as the bread earner.

The Thief
Today's thieves won't snatch your purse, they will try to date you instead. It is amazing how many couples I know in which the girl allows herself to be robbed by her boyfriend! She will pay the bills at the cafes, buy cinema tickets, get his mobile recharge cards, lend him cash, buy him clothes, gets him presents … etc. Sorry girls, but your boyfriends are only thieves! To avoid this early enough never date a guy who is socially beneath you in first place. Watch out for any signs of miserly behavior. If he takes you to cheap places, orders the cheapest items on the menu, rings you to call him back, use his work phone to call you during the day and avoids evening calls, makes up excuses for not attending events or buying presents... etc. Never offer to pay a bill in full. Never buy him expensive gifts. Never ever give him your credit card!

A Combination of Two or More of the Previous Types

Thought it was bad enough so far? No, it just keeps getting worse!

As you can see, it is like a cat searching for dinner in a trash can. Whatever she ends up with, is still trash!

A Must Read

Specially for all those who didn't like what I said about female genetic superiority. I'm talking science here. This book is by Brian Sykes, Professor of Human Genetics at the University of Oxford. In Adam's Curse he shows how men as species are on their way to extinction, because the Y chromosome which a father passes to his son, is simply a genetic mess, which keeps deteriorating from one generation to the next. The result.. YES, a future without men, but unfortunately not soon. And in his words, not mine, he concludes that "men are biologically unnecessary". He also shows how female species in general are more adaptive and productive to their environments. Some organisms combine both the male and female, while others live half their lives as male and then switch into a female, and these defy extinction more successfully than other species, particularily the male creatures.

As for the future of humanity, Sykes shows how as a result of natural mutations which take place as a part of the evolution cycle, the Y chromosome will grow too weak to inherit. Thus, there will come a generation which will only give birth to the species which survives best, females. But until nature gives us this gift, we girls shouldn't go on repeating words which men have taught us. Yes, life was meant to be a harmony between different sexes, but one of them broke the balance by his crazy desire for domination and destruction (This is also mentioned in chapter 21 of Sykes' book). As a result, he became a burden on natural balance and harmony, and he desrves to loathed by natural forces that he didn't respect in first place.

We can keep writing poems about how life is supposed to be. Please spare me. Bring us back to Earth! How do men actually treat us? Do they consider us as their equals? Do they respect our humanity? Do they believe that we are the same? Come one.. Who are we fooling? We are only fooling ourselves. We live in denial, which consumes years and years of our lives trying to bring a balance that doesn't really exist. That's why, as long as men are the way they are, we can't waste our precious lives in a hopeless attempt to search for the one in a million who is different. Move on, work on yourselves, succeed, believe in you abilities and your independence.

I got this book from Al Shorouk bookshop. You don't have to order it online. I believe you can also find it at the AUC bookstore. Buy it and read it. Get real!

Can't live with them, and YES, you can live without them

As you might have already noticed, my aim here is empower all girls. Step up and believe in yourselves! You don't need no man to baby-sit and entertain. You don't need a guy to interfere with your life as if he knows better. You certainly don't need a pathetic creature who lives in the desperate attempt to try to prove his superiority 24/7. You don't need a man to serve while he, the couch potato, keeps switching TV while complaining about each and everything. You don't need to hinder your advancement in life and throw away your potential so that he can secure all the resources he needs to satisfy his selfish ego.

The female is a complete creature. She is created in perfection to sustain all the basic needs in life, with minimum dependency. She grows mature faster than her male peers, cause evolution knew what's best for humanity. She has got the passion and patience needed for success. She lives longer although she works more. It is true, while there is always a percentage of men who don't work at all, there is not a single woman in the world who doesn't work. Cause they are the dependents. Like pets, they can't feed themselves or clean for themselves or organize their environment. They need us to care for them, and then turn us into slaves!

So, don't allow such a good for nothing creature to control your life. Never allow your precious life to revolve around him. Never stop believing in your abilities and skills. Yes, you are smarter, although they will do everything in the world to make you believe otherwise. Yes, you are more powerful, they control you cause they know that if you had a chance this will end their unjustified superiority. Yes, you are complete, you don't need a man in your life as you can make your own living and look after yourself. You can be anything you wanna be, the sky is the limit. If you only believe..

Girls Say:

I love this song by No DOUBT.. Hey Baby, Hey Baby, Hey.. Girls Say, Girls Say.. Hey Baby, Hey Baby, Hey. But that's not our subject. Just a thought.

What girls really need to say is NO. Ahuh. Just two letters that will set all needed limits and create her space. NO to discrimination and social injustice. NO to attempts to bring her down. NO to those who want to lock her up at home to become a servant for the rest of her life. A big NO to the guys who think she's a Yo Yo air-headed thing. NO to anyone who doesn't take her seriously. NO to a culture that reduces her to a doll. NO to being viewed as a piece of flesh when needs to be covered. NO to having to deal with stupid ideas that see her either a saint or a whore. NO to having to live like her grandmother and grand-grandmother. NO to following a rules created by men to make her feel inferior. NO to getting married. NO to leave her studies. NO to quitting her job. NO to lowering her ceiling and discarding her dreams.

JUST SAY NO!

No Man Zone

This blog is for the girls. Guys back off or you won't be so pleased by what you'll read.