I am becoming more radical with age and as I am still not ready to become a full activist there is a need in me to write about things that rub me the wrong way.
Those, who know me are aware that I do not watch television. I do, however, listen to the radio when I do my chores or while commuting. Depending on my mood there are two types of stations I listen to: a news radio called Tok.fm, where they mostly talk and serve information; or rock/alternative music radios. And in all of these I have noticed a trend, which is either pathetic or disturbing – or maybe both. The target listener of the music stations are young people, usually high school or older, quite educated. The information radio targets people of all ages, middle-class and higher, mostly educated – they aspire to be a voice of intellectuals for intellectuals. And for some reason all of those stations decided that they need a strong masculine program, that has some primitive sexist blokes invite some other sexist guys – some of the guests are even professors (sic!) – to whine about how real men are in the retreat and how the male privilege is disappearing. And these programs are in prime time. It is infuriating, because these guys are trying to convince everyone that male privilege and patriarchal society are good and positive. So it is a tragedy that they are disappearing now.
Both of the above mentioned statements are untrue. There is nothing good about a society, where one group is privileged and this is probably in all societies the group of straight males from the majority ethnic group (I am not writing white, because there are societies, where white people are a minority). There is really no reason for them to be privileged and it totally sucks that they are. And, yes they are, this privilege is very far from disappearing. There are certain small steps that kind of go in that direction, but because of deemed legal (not really there though) equality they will be very little steps, because the remaining inequalities are not always obvious and are very deeply rooted in our societies. Many women are willing to protect them, because of their indoctrinated upbringing. And with these tiny steps those retarded radio programs fight. They ridicule women, sometimes even express completely blatant homophobia (obviously, since homophobia and transphobia are forms of sexism) and quote some sexist research – obviously always giving only random numbers out of context without providing the information who made the whole research and who sponsored it.
I can understand why commercial music radios run such shows. But with Tok.fm I have to admit I am shocked and puzzled. “Bez laski” (ouch the subtle innuendo in the title… – means “without a chick”) is one of the evening programs, which are usually long conversations with experts about books, culture, science etc. Placing the program among such high quality, informational and reliable programs gives it extra credibility that it should never have. It pretends to be one of them, a scientific approach to culture, but it is not. I listened to a couple of “Bez laski” shows, and even if a professor comes (and shame on those who actually are such starved for attention sexist pricks that they had accepted an invitation to speak there) he often speaks about general things, even if he is no expert on the particular subject. For example: on the show a couple of weeks ago two journalists and an anthropology professor had a great laugh about what jobs were available to women in the Middle Ages, namely: saints or hookers. The fail of it. First of all this taps into the sexist stereotype virgin/slut, that women are either one or the other, there is no in between. Secondly this is completely inaccurate, anyone who has even a basic idea about that period knows that. Unfortunately most people know nothing about Middle Ages or history in general, so when they hear such an opinion voiced on a national radio in a presence of a professor they will never question it.
I do not see the purpose behind this show, other that imprint and enforce sexist stereotypes and defend the patriarchal privilege, with all its pathological consequences. So I will never understand why Ms Ewa Wanat, the editor-in-chief, a very intelligent woman, tolerates this incompetent and ignorant show in her radio. Have you ever listened to this sexist babble, Ms Wanat? If not it is time you did, so that you can put an end to it, because now it compromises the credibility of your radio, at least in my eyes.
P.S. Oh and Mr Dąbrowa, if being equal to the rest of the world and not privileged scares you so much that you need to whine about it once a week then according to you retarded standards you are not exactly a real man, because this imagined real man is no coward and would never stoop to whining publicly.
