Dispatch #93 White Lesbian Age 69 Considers the Public Degradation of Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson

March 30th 2022

433 Days Since Inauguration of First Woman Vice-President

662 Days Until the 2024 Presidential Primaries Begin 

What words can possibly express my OUT-RAGE and OUT-RAGING about the Senate hearings on the nomination of Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson for the Supreme Court?! Despicable. Diabolical. Dehumanizing. Horrifying. Vicious, Vile and Violent. 

These so-called hearings were actually a master class in how the power of white-supremacists-religious-extremists-misogynists is wielded with entitled impunity. 

We witnessed this power rampaging on the public stage, normalizing the public humiliation and degradation of Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson. The Patriarchy reminded us about how the viciously punitive enforcement mechanisms of institutionalized misogyny regulate women’s behavior – in this moment doubling down on an accomplished woman of color.

In 1991, Clarence Thomas railed about his high-tech lynching to the Senate Committee - no problem. In 2018, Kavanaugh launched a tirade of invective, insults and self-pity aimed at the Senate Committee - no problem. (Not surprising that in both cases men were outraged and incredulous to be facing questions about their mistreatment of women.)

Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson also knew the rules, for black women that is. Be quiet, be calm, be graceful and appreciative, and never ever be disagreeable.  

In an article titled Revenge of the Patriarchs: Why Autocrats Fear Women (Foreign Affairs March/April 2022), Erica Chenoweth and Zoe Marks provide decades of historical evidence for how the rise of fascism, nationalism and authoritarian governments is preceded and cemented by misogyny, i.e., restrictions on women’s rights. They assert that this insistence on restricting women’s human rights is the ‘leading edge of anti-democracy.’ Indeed, these authors conclude that women’s human rights MUST precede democracy; that is, democratic institutions will not succeed without the full participation of women. www.foreignaffairs.com/articles/china/2022-02-08/women-rights-revenge-patriarchs

And yet, public discourse is dominated by the ‘culture war’ discussions.  Well yes we do have a war, a war on women by ruthless Republicans aka White-Supremacist-Patriarchal-Misogynist-Christian-Nationalist-Extremists doing whatever it takes to keep power and gain more power.  LGBT oppression is driven by the need for the sovereignty of the binary, and the hierarchy of the binary -- men power women subservient. Pearl-clutching at LGBT issues is a distraction from consequences of institutionalized misogyny. 

Targeting women is the leading edge of anti-democracy. 

Targeting women is the leading edge of nationalism, fascism and authoritarian governments.