The inferior sex

A quote from Imperial Spain: 1469-1716 by J.H. Elliott made me think of writing this post. Unfortunately the great post that I composed in my head is gone so now I try something alike but different.

Just now what is on my mind is the white heteresexual, married man who pretended to be Amina, a lesbian in Syria. And when he decided to end the fiction for him, reality to other people that care about the rights of LGBT people around the world, he decided to let her be arrested. Naturally he never thought that his actions would hurt anyone. And so he calls it just A Hoax that got way out of hand. I never meant to hurt anyone. Intentions even when they are genuinely good cannot undo the real harm of actions and hurts that have happened. If only he had made it clear that it was all a fable intended to make people more aware, then... But deception is not good.


Another item on my mind is Tracy Morgan, a comedian in the US, who during a homophobic rant or comedy rutine said that if he found out his son was gay he would knife him to death. That some people can call that comedy, a death threat is no comedy. Coming out to one's parents as LGBT can be deadly, and that is not laughing matter. 

And so back to the start "the inferior sex". Quote from Imperial Spain: 1469-1716: "But the strongest reminder of the Moorish past was to be in the extreme inequality between the sexes, which was much greater than in comtemporary nothern Europe, and which found its counterpart in extreme male gallantry towards the inferior sex".

This quote from 8 Splendour and Misery (3) The pattern of society. So what, some people would say? The inferior sex, why react to it. But can I stop being a woman, and therefore react to such un-needed wording. The word inferior is not neutral but negative. If he had put it in quotes I would not react so much. But the author born in 1930, the book was written in 1963. As a man in that time I am sure that Sir John Elliott never taught excessively about womens' viewpoints. Still he could have easily said "the fairer sex", and thus the negativity was out a bit.

Naturally THE INFERIOR SEX  and such pales when one realise the THE LETHAL DANGERS that LBGT people everywhere feel and live through. Still it should not have to become a LIFE AND DEATH thing before we react to wrongness. Besides, sexism is linked with patriarchy and so is homophobia.

THE INFERIOR SEX could be women, or men who is not seen as manly enough, it can be anyone, really. What does it hurt to be the inferior sex? It hurts inside and some people use it as a baseball bat to beat up people that are different (or inferior, as they see it).

Tom MacMaster (the blogger who pretended to be Amina) probably had his heart in the right place but he forgot to consider how his blogging could have an averse affect on real people. The is a lesson in that. Look around when you think you are doing good and right and see if there could be unintended consequenses. Never pretend you are something you are not, look around if you could be mistaken for an expert when you are just one person with an opinion. Don't lie!!


Tracy Morgans homophobic rant was bad. But that people should defend him, to say it is just comedy. A death threat is not comedy. A father threatening to kill his son, is no laughing matter. Is comedy really more worth than the lives and happiness of people?

Imperial Spain: 1469-1716 is a book that I can recommend but it is not in really critical enough towards slavery and still have some idolized idea about Christopher Columbus luckily very little of the book is about America. Sir John Elliott is describes the different peoples in a somewhat racist light.
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For more reviews from my travels, see www.operaduetstravel.com