The “Abhorrent” Edition

Readers,

The news keeps rolling along, some of it good news.

Some of it is… terrible! Some of it is repugnant. Some would say detestable. How about repellent? Repulsive? Revolting? It might even be considered hateful, loathsome, or despicable? Maybe awful, heinous, or reprehensible. Monstrous, even! And there’s plenty more where that came from. My handy dandy thesaurus told me so.

So why, when scanning the news about various items having to do with abuse or mistreatment of women, does one word come up over and over again?

Travis Kalanick, on Susan Fowler’s blog post regarding serial harassment and gender-based mistreatment at work:

“I have just read Susan Fowler’s blog. What she describes is abhorrent.”

Casey Affleck, addressing sexual harassment allegations:

“I believe that any kind of mistreatment of anyone for any reason is unacceptable and abhorrent.”

Regarding the Fox executive who used racist language and created a hostile work environment at Fox news, this week:

“There is no place for abhorrent behavior like this at Fox news.”

Even Bill Moyers:

“When they vote as a bloc these guys — all of them are male — can hold the House hostage…and believe me, they always abhor legislation that might enhance freedom for women.”

I know, I know, they’re not all running around calling people whores. Especially not Bill Moyers.

But to assume linguistic coincidence is just far-fetched. I just think it is a psychological, “Freudian,” unconscious vocabularical (haha I know that’s not a word, don’t send me to Twitter excoriation jail) association between a subject having to do with women in a compromised position and the word whore. No matter which side of the debate the person is on. No matter whether it’s the actual person speaking, or someone in their p.r. department. There are LOTS of other words to use.

But that’s the word that comes to mind.

First person to call it out? You’ll never guess, unless you happen to be my sister who is the person who wrote an English paper on this topic quite some time ago.

Shakespeare!

In “Othello,” where he spends most of Act IV Scene 2 calling Desdemona a whore, culminating with:

“But never taint my love. I cannot say ‘whore.’
It does abhor me now I speak the word.”

Shakespeare? Yes, that is the proverbial classic word play. I’m not gonna say he’s “woke” but he knows what’s up.

What’s going on in today’s abhorrent whore lexicon? Not so woke.

Thanks especially to my woke-upped/close-reader-of-the-text sister, and also to this week’s other contributors and corresponders Julie, Michael, Lisa, David, Joanna, Diane, Emily, Laura, and Bridget, amongst others. You can always send me stuff you think should go in a future edition here.

Perhaps you will peruse some other of these topics of interest covering women in business, politics, media, the arts and pop culture, and assign them your own favorite adjective.

You can follow me on Twitter or Instagram though I have been uninspired on Instagram lately, except for floors, which are always interesting @LZFloors.

See you next week,

LZ

THE PIC(K) OF THE WEEK:

Women, Hillary Clinton Among Them, Stand Up For Maxine Waters, April Ryan — they ‘were simply doing their jobs’ via The Washington Post

Bill O’Reilly Thrives At Fox News, Even As Harassment Settlements Add Up via The New York Times

POLITICS:

How Pence’s Dudely Dinners Hurt Women via The Atlantic

Karen Pence Is The Vice President’s ‘Prayer Warrior,’ Gut-check, and Shield via The Washington Post

Research Shows Donald Trump Is Making Men More Sexist via Vanity Fair

Ivanka Trump Formally Accepts Job As Donald Trump’s Daughter via Slate

Women’s Crucial Role in Combatting Climate Change via The New York Times

Daily Mail’s ‘Who Won Legs-It’ Headline Draws Scorn via The BBC

NEWS: BUSINESS, TECH, MEDIA:

Number Of Women Coaching In College Has Plummeted In Title IX Era via The New York Times

A Panty Liner Triggers A TSA Pat-down Just One Step Removed From A Pap Smear via The Washington Post

What The Random Rape Threat Generator Tells Us About Online Misogyny via The Women’s Media Center

Meet The Queer Black Woman Changing Journalism via Out

Sheryl Sandberg: Four Years After ‘Lean In,’ Women Are No Better Off via USA Today

Paris Votes To Ban ‘Sexist and Discriminatory’ Outdoor Ads via Business Insider

ARTS, FASHION, SPORTS, LIT & POP CULTURE:

Beauty and The Beastiality via The New Yorker

Can We Retire This “Wife” Hollywood Trope? via Refinery 29

Good Girl Prom Dress Fliers Draw Criticism for Florida School via The New York Times

Gigi Hadid Lands The Cover Of ‘Vogue’ Arabia’s Very First Issue via Motto

How Men’s and Women’s Soccer Stacks Up via The Girls Soccer Network

The Task Of Resurrecting Historic Plays By Women via The Interval

The Man Who Doesn’t Read Women via Signature

8 Things Women Used To Be Banned From Doing via Mental Floss

Simone de Beauvoir’s Political Philosophy Resonates Today via The Establishment

AND WHAT’S NOT TO LOVE ABOUT…

The Youngest American Ninja Warrior via Jukin Media

The LZ Sunday Paper™ launched at the dawn of 2014. We expose and recirculate interesting content that is about, and frequently by, women in business, with a dose of ultra-relevant culture. We think that culture comes high and low, not much in between. Our audience is vast and not gender-driven. Every week we expect to deliver at least one good laugh. Send suggestions, clips, or names of people you think might enjoy this to LZSundayPaper@gmail.com.