Leading Post: Supremacy and Silence

Gloria Steinem's "Supremacy Crimes" argues the supremacy white, middle-class, heterosexual men have. As McIntosh has stated that white people have the privilege to not need to always defend or to prove their race, gender, sexuality, Steinem also agrees how these factors are not accounted for or talked about when thinking about crimes committed by white, middle-class, heterosexual men. These factors are often not put into discussion therefore contributing to the enforcement of "drug of superiority" that these men are constantly fed. Unlike these men with supremacy, people of color and women are always held accountable for their race, gender, or sexuality (as Douglas has also shined light about in her book). Steinem questions this dynamic by providing hypothetical situations where race, gender, and sexuality are attached to these supremacy crimes and rhetorically asking would that make a difference. She is obviously implying that it would make a difference. In these hypothetical situations, Steinem --I think-- wants to convey the message for people to recognize this supremacy that white, middle-class, heterosexual men have, and in doing so we can see how the "patriarchal code of honor and shame" generates our current hierarchy and what is deemed as acceptable gender/racial behaviors.

On a similar note, Enloe's chapter titled "Whom Do You Take Seriously," also discuss how the "drug of superiority" among men has stifle and silenced women, especially Asian-Pacific women. Enloe provides several examples of how women face abuse, violence, and sexual harassment but are unable to speak up about it. Through several rhetoric and ideologies, such as trivialization, respectability, Pacific Rim, and marriageability, women are sold the iamge that they are not allow to speak up and even if they do, no one will listen. The rational that women's experiencing abuse and violence are not political issues that needs to be publicly addressed cages women to silence. Additional the, the notion that speaking up will lead to "dishonoring of the nation" and will harm women in terms of not performing daughterly loyalty, discredit their marriageability, etc. further bird cages women to be docile, submissive, and must endure such inequalities. However Enloe suggest that women needs to consider a different approach that's "genuine, nonpatriarchal democratization" in order to redirect their movements for their voices to be taken more seriously in the public sphere.