Chances are, I don’t have to explain what the t-shirt means to most of you reading this. Because if you clicked on it, it’s more than likely you already know. But for those who may not or haven’t had your coffee yet, let me quickly break it down for you.
You see the shirt says, “JO and the HO gotta GO.”
Needless to say, the only *Joe* who is connected to another woman to where they could be placed on a t-shirt together with the assumption that most people would know they are, is President Joe Biden, as obviously, the woman he would be most easily recognized with publicly would be Vice President Kamala Harris.
“Gotta go” carries the implication that Joe and this “ho” (as the t-shirt states) are in a position that certain individuals no longer want them to remain. The only other woman who might be more recognized with the president is his wife, Dr. Jill Biden. But Dr. Biden was not elected to any position where she is working closely with her husband.
Not that anyone is shocked at this point, but that leaves Madame Vice President.
I actually saw this expression on a bumper sticker about an hour ago on an SUV someone drove by my location. I assumed this would be easily found on other items and surely enough, it was.
I’m not holding my breath that the driver of that SUV is the most intelligent or cordial individual in the world, so he or she won’t even get all this that I’m about to write. But it needs to be said.
Systemic misogyny is sadly nothing new in this country. 2021 is nothing more than the calendar year. The implication that things *have* changed simply because of the year is a lie many tell themselves because they are either in denial or are focused on our advancements in other areas and just group this with those achievements. But the truth is that while yes, women have made a ton of advancements, in many ways, things for them are actually much worse than before.
Many people have the mindset that because women can vote now and they couldn’t before, things are obviously better for them in all ways imaginable. Because women are allowed to do more than they could before, that obviously all those ways men thought of women no longer exist. The “make me a sandwich” nonsense still goes around, but since it’s a *joke*, that clearly means that we’re not supposed to take it seriously.
In short, women should just sit down and shut up, because all their problems no longer exist “because it’s 2021.”
What I feel is the biggest and most disturbing trend is that women who are less than compliant in one way or another are called a variety of names that are sadly, reserved for women. Names such as:
Bitch.
Whore.
Cunt.
Slut.
Skank.
Ho.
Each of these words have dictionary definitions; in some cases, more than one for a single word. I will focus on only the definition the connects it to a woman:
Bitch: a malicious, spiteful, or overbearing woman
Whore: a promiscuous or immoral woman / one who engages in sexual acts for money
Cunt: the female genital organs
Slut: a person who has many sexual partners; usually used of a woman
Skank: a person and especially a woman of low or sleazy character
Ho: (similar to whore) a sexually promiscuous woman.
I did not say “less than compliant” above to be sarcastic. Because while women are still referred to as these when they fit the definition, we as a society have become WAY too comfortable calling women any of these names whenever they don’t do what we want, do what we don’t want them to do, or exist where we don’t want them to exist.
One common instance is on my Facebook feed. Women will come on to show screenshots of men propositioning them and upon being turned down, those men will use any or a few of these names. Basically, like so:
MAN: Hey sweetheart. You’re so beautiful. I would love to get to know you better.
WOMAN: No thank you. / I’m not interested. / I have a boyfriend/husband.
MAN: Stupid cunt
And this is probably one of the nicer responses.
By the way, in returning to continue this blog post later in the day, someone on Twitter posted earlier that women are often called “lesbians” also when turning men down. How full of yourself do you have to be to think that YOU are the gold standard of men and a woman not wanting you clearly means she is not into men? Is *lesbian* supposed to be some kind of insult? Why do fools immediately resort to sexuality when someone says they don’t want you?
I’m lost on how a woman making a decision and even being respectful about it turns her into one of these names, but that’s exactly my point and the problem. These names are a major “go-to” whenever we as men don’t get our way, and it’s sickening.
Back to Vice President Harris. I won’t waste time pretending this is not the same case. Not one person is calling our vice president a “ho” because she is sexually promiscuous. Here, it’s the elementary school profoundness of “ho” rhyming with “Jo” (minus the e, because at least they’re smart enough maybe to realize that “hoe” is a different word entirely – a gardening tool).
People are also assuming that Mrs. Harris “slept her way to the top.” Yes, people still talk like this.
Is it that whoever initially created this was just THAT giddy about the rhyming that he or she just could NOT let it go, or is this just a typical part of our country’s systemic misogyny?
What about the little girls who I say this “destroys” before they have a chance?
I imagine that at one time, these words were used only when the definitions applied. Later, they became used for the perceived “difficult” women who existed only in certain circles. Until now, where we’ve reached a point that just about ANY woman who doesn’t toe the line with what we think and want, gets called these.
Apparently, EVEN THE VICE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES.
If you’re a woman reading this, try to remember when you were a little girl. If you’re not a woman, then try your best to imagine for a second. All children have a certain innocence before life and adult bullshit infects them. Part of that innocence is the belief and desire that they can be anything they want to be.
Even the President of the United States.
Little girls likely learn these bad words (or whatever you want to call them) at young ages and they know enough that these are taboo for the time being. But I have a feeling that it’s more rare for little girls to hear women in positions of power and profound seniority referred to as any of these words also. I say that as a man who was a child back in the 1980s, so ladies, please correct me if I’m wrong.
If I’m correct, imagine witnessing history as a little girl in 2020, where the United States elects its first-ever female vice president in 231 years.
Now imagine seeing a bunch of supposedly grown adults (the same ones who bash today’s generation) calling her a “ho” because they don’t like her, along with thinking it’s more clever and justified because it rhymes with the president’s first name.
In many cases, you might not even be old enough yet to know what a “ho” is. But when you find out, what does it mean for you? So as a little girl who has huge ambitions and even if you’re not trying to become the vice president, this option has opened up for you because you’ve actually gotten the chance to SEE IT BE DONE.
But now, you have worry about being referred to as a sexually promiscuous woman if you were to ever make it to become the vice president; one of the highest positions in the country.
Before someone comes along to tell me that it is not meant to be taken literally…that’s a problem then, isn’t it?
How I feel this destroys little girls is because many may already start off with shaky self-esteem for all kinds of reasons, from thinking they’re ugly, to boys, to their periods, to puberty and we all know what else. And now they have to see that this is the penalty for success, especially reaching the level of U.S. vice president? Being called a “ho”? Because someone doesn’t like you?
It’s already bad enough that people cannot just be decent without a female family member being dragged into the discussion, but unfortunately, that’s what it takes for too many people. A *daughter* has to be in the equation before they get it.
As adults, it’s hard enough for us to feel like we are worthy all the time, especially when trying to follow our dreams that do NOT include running for president. So for a little girl to have to hear other adults call a woman they don’t personally know a “ho” because they don’t like her is just depressing. With lousy self-esteem, how in the world would that encourage a child to follow her dreams? So the same behavior she gets in middle and high school apparently doesn’t stop once she graduates?
And I chose this picture carefully, because yes…women do the same thing. Women call other women these names as well, for the very the same reasons. So while MANY men do this, women are guilty of it also. Which in many ways, is much, MUCH worse.
Either way, calling someone a name like this when you don’t like them is elementary school level. The state of politics and just about everything else is what it is in this country because of immaturity like this. And we’ve become way too comfortable resorting to this kind of name-calling when women don’t “play nice” or do what we want.
And this is NOT just toward Democrats. I’ve seen this kind of behavior MANY times toward individuals like Marjorie Taylor-Greene and Lauren Boebert, both Republican House members. I will not mince words and say I’m a fan of either of them, because I am the furthest thing from it. But I cringe when hearing and seeing people call them these names as well. It’s not called for. At all. There is enough wrong where this does not need to happen.
It needs to stop. I want to say for the sake of little girls everywhere and yes, this is true, but damn…
…can we just behave like decent human beings without the threat of *destroying* someone else before we straighten up?
What people need to realize is that this demonstrates YOUR character. No one would call a woman any of these names unless it was in them to do so. This whole “that’s not me” or “_________ made me do it” is all garbage. I don’t care how right you are; you lose me as soon as you do this. And the sad part of all this is that most were fine with this until I mentioned Republicans. And for you Republicans out there, you would likely applaud ONLY the parts I wrote about Taylor-Greene and Boebert. If that is the case, those of you on BOTH sides have missed the entire point.
It shouldn’t be happening. Period.
Just so we’re clear.
People's Court 