Show 1 c y Men who cry Wolf Nicki Boodrookas Columnist r s 's S SIt It it possible that the the tables tables are being I's Is turned and that the traditional WASP males are now being discriminated against The answer to your question from your column A woman by any other name Mr n Cola Colaizzi is NO In fact it seems you have joined the smattering of men who cry wolf excuse me discrimination when women assert their equality In reality contemporary society keeps wo women en economically poor politically powerless and legally deprived of citizens citizens' rights Elyce J. J Rotella PhD Ph.D. in Economic History from Indiana University found that women earn about 65 percent of the salaries of men if a women earns a a man would earn She adds that discrimination has been found to be responsible for half or more of the earnings' earnings gap The US U.S. Department of Commerce in a study entitled Poverty in the United States brings the result of that discrimination discrimination- the lack of equal pay for equal work work work-to to actual statistics Women who maintain families with children now constitute percent of all families living below the poverty line whereas the proportion of families with children maintained by men who are below poverty level only percent In light of these statistics it seems to me that men especially WASP men have little to worry about economically Mr Colaizzi contends that a bookstore t called A Mans Man's Place would not exist with n The he same peaceful success that A Womans Woman's Place currently enjoys I argue the word peaceful for if you focus on reality both in terms of historical and contemporary society you'll find that the undercurrent of American culture battles bookstores like II A A Womans Woman's Place continually In fact the current canon of literature with its Its' heavy content of WASP lack male writers expertly illustrates society's of value for women's literature Women have had to fight to be educated to hold property to vote etc etc and the g. g fight rages on Yet as the statistics above illustrate il illustrate illustrate il- il lustrate equality for women is still un un- un- un achieved Mr Colaizzi II A A Womans Woman's Place bookstore faces a very hostile environment please do not kid yourself In 1776 men secured their rights under the Constitution of the United States protecting protecting protecting protect protect- ing those rights by law yet in 1981 when the ERA was only three states short of the thirty- thirty eight states needed for ratification descendants descendants descendants of those men voted their prejudices aided and abetted by a well- well financed campaign of slanderous lies against women and the ERA says mane Eisler a scholar of anthropology r I l sociology and law at UCLA and Allie C. C Hixson who holds a masters master's degree in inHumanities inHumanities inHumanities Humanities and currently serves serves serves ser ser- ves on the National Women's Conference Committee When the ERA was defeated Betty Ford exclaimed that II as as a woman and as a Republican I do not understand how we as a people can continue to hold our heads high and be proud of what this nation stands for if we have not guaranteed the rights of half our nation when all we are asking is that our rights be protected under the law If anyone questions the stature of women politically and legally in this country one need only examine laws such as the former Utah law which prohibited prosecution of husbands who rape their wives The male dom dominated legislature just barely deemed d it nece lQ change that law where are their priorities Mr Mr Colaizzi I fail to see the law that ever allowed women to rape their husbands husbands husbands hus hus- bands therefore the question of discrimination tion against WASP males again escapes me Mr Colaizzi make no mistake women have not achieved equality and WASP men continue to hold the power Flip comments about name calling do not stand up to the factual plight of women in this country Women deserve and require equality not as ladies nor as girls but as human beings |