Misogyny past and present

Misogyny or oppression towards women is omnipresent in all societies whether it is Islamic Fundamentalist nations or Hip Hop loving urban communities. Before we can change this we need to analyze key places with disturbing acts of misogyny.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                           Ancient Greece                                                                        Though in the western world we idolize Ancient Greece for it's direct democracy. There was pedophilia, rampant wars, a religion that glorified promiscuous Gods,and above all misogyny. In it's so called democratic society only men were allowed to vote and own property. Outside the city-state of Sparta women had little social standing. This allowed many women to be abused in their homes and in society. A story in Greek mythology best describes this it is the tale of Medusa. She was originally a beautiful virgin in a temple of Athena it was there where she got violently raped by Poseidon. Athena turned her into a monster because she lost her virginity and defiled her temple. Patriarchy was a factor in this as Poseidon was one of the 3 gods who ruled the world and Athena knew her place. Though cruel and androcentric most of the world's society run on this system . However Ancient Greece many philosophers take this system to the extreme. Aristotle spoke about the inherent weaknesses of women as saying men's duty is to command while women's is to obey. It's been speculated that Grecian misogyny has roots in Greek mythology. Pandora's box the primal source of all negativity and destruction was unleashed by a woman. The tale established the gender roles in Greek society and influenced the framers of Athenian democracy to limit themselves to potbellied old men. It became a popular thought at the time the world would end if women could freely do whatever they wanted.

                                                        Modern Sudan                                                                    This is not only the location of a genocide but also a cult of female circumcision. The origin of this practice is to prevent women from feeling pleasure so there is less love in relationships and a sense of finality in arranged marriages. Not to be confused with other branches of Islam Islamic fundamentalism is a radical form of the religion based entirely on tradition. For example women are forced to wear Hijabs in this system while observations of muslim in the west dictates wearing a hijab is a choice of the religious believer. The whole practice of the hijab is less misogynistic and more misanthropic for the purpose of limiting sexual thoughts in society. It sounds good in theory but it leaves women with few opportunities to express their femininity.                                                                                                                                                                                                                      Hip Hop                                                                                         In a closer look at western hip hop culture that oppresses women on the airwaves and on the streets. Misogyny in Hip Hop is generally in derogatory terms to describe African American women like trick and ho. Using these words as terms of endearment for a girlfriend is destructive to her self esteem. The documentary series My mic sounds nice spotlights women in Hip Hop and how there is very few strong women portrayed in it's music.