It's OK to abuse or beat them, or let them die. They're only girls
It was the face of Rania al-Baz, a Saudi Arabian newscaster who had been beaten by her husband. Her crime? To answer the telephone. Amis dryly noted that male Westerners would be struck by a dramatic cultural difference.
Amis wrote: "I know that I, for one, would be far more likely to beat my wife to death if she hadn't answered the telephone. But customs and mores vary from country to country, and you cannot reasonably claim that one 'ethos' is better than any other."
Of course Amis does just that, as he describes the violent misogynism practised by radical Islamism and declares, in answer to their claim that, all men are brothers: "All men are not my brothers. Why? Because all women are my sisters. And the brother who denies the rights of his sister: that brother is not my brother."
Unfortunately, Amis's good sense does not extend across the Irish Sea, where last week, we've all got a bit excited about Bertie and the two Marys visiting Saudi Arabia. Following the PR disaster of President Mary McAleese's trip, when females were made to sit behind screens, Bertie has been keen to point out that "female ministers have been treated as equals".
He continued: "They [Saudi Arabians] have their customs. They have their own practices and we have to acknowledge their practices." Do we? Have to acknowledge Wahabi (not orthodox Islam) "practices" where women are legally subjected to violence without any recourse?
Well, yes, seemingly we do, when there's ?65m worth of business contracts at stake. Micheal Martin said: "We can't go around the world judging people".
Maybe I'm one of those annoying uppity women who think they know it all, because yes, I think, in certain circumstances, that's exactly what we should do. I believe in some objective truths and "Thou should not treat women like s*** and be let get away with it" is one of them.
Every time I read or hear of situations where women are denigrated, I have an annoying habit of replacing the word 'woman' with Jew, Catholic or black.
For example: "In such and such a country, Jews are forced to cover themselves from head to toe and walk three paces behind Catholics. If they disobey, Catholics are entitled to beat them until they comply." Sounds ridiculous, doesn't it?
When South Africa discriminated against its black population by introducing apartheid, the liberal West refused to deal with it until democracy prevailed.
Yet not only do we ignore blatant discrimination against women in many countries, we are climbing over ourselves to do business with them. I seem to be part of a "feminazi" minority who are intent on spoiling the fun, while the rest of the nation cheerfully looks forward to more dosh that will keep the Celtic Flame alight, courtesy of trade with Saudi Arabia.
But I often wonder why, when I am the first to shout "misogyny" at the actions of men in Saudi Arabia or Afghanistan or here in Ireland, I prefer to ignore the fact thaat, in many situations, the women are complicit in perpetrating male supremacy.
In all cultures where female genital mutilation occurs, while it is the male-dominated society that mandates it, it is the women who perform the operation.
In parts of India, it is the mother who leaves her female child out to die, not because she is forced to, but because she, too, believes that boys are better.
However, perhaps I should just keep my mouth shut about these "cultural differences", while I luxuriate in the equality afforded to Western women. No violent misogyny here: And sure what harm are the sexist jokes, misogynist song lyrics (for example, The Prodigy's Smack my Bitch Up), and porn magazines on shop shelves that my six-year-old can reach?
The artist Moby has complained about the irresponsibility of musicians such as Eminem and others who write lyrics glamourising misogyny. He cites the case of a British man, obsessed with Eminem, who beat his girlfriend to death and stuffed her body into the boot of a car, after singing Eminem songs (which celebrate such actions) in a Karaoke Bar.
When he suggested there may be a connection, he was told to "stop being so uptight" and "get a sense of humour".
At present, the worst term of abuse one person can use against another is the word c**t, which beats whore, slag, slapper and bitch - those other favourite terms to describe women - hands down.
Just last week in the Big Brother house Jade Goody's boyfriend allegedly called Bollywood actress Shilpa Sheety a "f**cking Paki". The show producers have denied this, stating that what he actually said was "f**king c**t".
Seemingly, racial abuse is unacceptable whereas gender abuse is par for the course. Does this torrent of normalised misogyny (because that's what it is) create an atmosphere of ambivalence towards sex trafficking, child prostitution, domestic violence and rape? (Look at the increase in Irish women being killed by their partners.) Anytime I try to argue that it does, I'm told, just like Moby, to "get a sense of humour" - by men and women. I live in a liberal society where incitement to hatred only seems to cover race and religion - but gender is fair game.
In the West, women have always been adept in adopting what could be called misogynistic practices: from the mother who unconsciously puts her sons ahead of her daughters, to the friend who always dumps you when she has a man on the scene.
In the workplace, it's not just men holding up that glass ceiling. Female bosses are far more likely to discriminate against women than male bosses. "Superwoman" Nicola Horlick, financier and mother, has said that some women looked upon other women as a threat, preferring to surround themselves with men.
She said: "It's called the queen-bee syndrome. I have seen women in managerial positions discriminating against other women, possibly because they like to be the only female manager or woman in the workplace."
Misogyny is a loaded subject and, unless blatantly practised, a difficult concept to pin down. One person's misogyny is another's common sense - a prejudice too ingrained to be noticed, much less opposed.
Frequently, I find that the worst offenders against women are people who practise scrupulous political correctness, while demanding that women shall behave in a certain way to fit their "egalitarian" politics.
Recently, I read a book written by an Irish journalist, the late Jack Holland, called Misogyny: The World's Oldest Prejudice. In the introduction Holland states that when he told other men the topic of the book, they assumed he was penning a defence of misogyny, which says it all really, doesn't it?
- Carol Hunt
