Boys Will Be Boys. But Boys Can Be Defeated
The Senate Judiciary Committee hearings on the nomination of Brett Kavanaugh to the Supreme Court were political drama not seen in at least a generation. And, perhaps never imbued with such emotion and vitriol. It was the perfect storm for the partisanship clash between the left and the right, and between the haves and the have-nots, one that has only grown more destructive during the last decade. The Trump presidency has only exacerbated that frustration and divide. And, the #metoo movement has stripped away any pretense that men and women are treated equally.
The problem has been magnified by the actions of old white Republican Senators who don’t have a clue. They have become anachronisms. It’s not just their age. Conservatives, by their nature, feel more comfortable with tradition — the way things always have been. Twenty-first century cultural and religious fundamentalists, while acknowledging a woman’s place might now include working outside the home, have made it clear that patriarchy is still their rule of law.
But, the ongoing behavior of Donald Trump, and Kavanaugh’s emotional accusations, especially when compared to the strong and steady testimony of Dr.Christine Blasey Ford, his sexual assault accuser, have exposed this fracture in ways that shocked and riveted the country.
This is a defining moment. Studying the trajectory of gender and racial inequality, this event shouldn’t be surprising. But, it is, given how quickly and simply it came together. A woman and a man, speaking one after the other during one day on Capitol Hill.
As an old white man, I’ve had enough. I’m exhausted by gender politics. We need to put our energies towards adapting to our quickly changing world. We need to stave off the effects of climate change. And, we need to get back to the hopes our founding fathers and mothers had for America. It’s time accept women as strong, smart, and capable of doing anything they want. It’s time to acknowledge that no government has a right to dictate how a woman treats her own body. This must become the accepted “Rule of Law.” The fight over Roe verses Wade must end.
Gender, like race, is no determinate for the curiosity and intelligence required to succeed. Acceptance of this is long past due. Growing up in the 1960s and 1970s, as I got older I thought it would have to be the next generation of men who would do a better job of accepting women as equals and with respect. It never happened. Boys will still be boys. But, we know now, these kind of boys can be defeated.
This poster is part of a series of posters Jeff Gates does under the guise of the Chamomile Tea Party. Often taking World War II-era propaganda, he remixes them with new text and imagery about the rancor so prevalent in American political discourse. Download a high resolution copy of this poster for free. In fact, all Chamomile Tea Party posters are free to download under a Creative Commons license.
New! Follow the history of the last eight years of our country’s political intransigence through a six-part exhibit of these posters on Google Arts & Culture. Also, read writer and graphic designer, Steven Heller’s interview with Jeff Gates in Print magazine about the genesis of this work.
