Birkhold Sonned Me on Spitzergate: The Hillary-Spitzer Connection

Yesterday, I mentioned to Birkhold that I felt bad for Elliott's wife,
Silda Spitzer. He asked why?

M.dot: Because, its embarrassing.
B: F-ck that. She has agency (an ability to act on her own behalf. In this
this case, acting would have meant leaving Elliott).
M.dot: Yeah, but still.
B: Listen M. A man who is married and getting prostitutes
is not treating his wife right at home.
B: I am waiting for a woman, some woman to stand up, and point
out all the kinky sh-t he has done so folks can see exactly who they
elected.
M.dot: Dude, isn't that a puritanical, witch hunt?
B: Hell naw. Think about it. This is about the compromise that women
make with their dignity in order to remain with certain cats.
M.dot: Like Hillary who sat by and watched her husband screw god
knows what, because she wanted to be president?
B: Exactly.

Then I turned around and read this and while it wasn't directed
at me, I was like, sh-t, I just got sonned. When I reflected on my
rambling Spitzer post yesterday, I felt like a lame feminist. He writes,

Our society expects so little of men that we see Spitzer’s involvement with a prostitute as normal male behavior. We live in a society where men commonly refer to sex in violent terms like “beat it up” and “hit it.” Consequently, we minimize the seriousness of sexual violence towards women. In truth, if our society were to examine Spitzer’s misogyny, it would be like holding a mirror up to the politically powerful men calling for his resignation.

I couldn't help but think of the notion of the "Soft Bigotry
of Low Expectations" and how it plays out in
both our political and school systems.

It became clear how low expectations are toxic to our democracy.

This idea will fortify me the next time someone tells me that
I expect too much.

It became clear to me how accountability just isn't a word,
it is a rigorous, daily action, that requires the moral nimbleness
of a ninja. (I like saying moral nimbleness of a ninja).

====
====

Why do we deny people the right to agency?

Why do we, reflexively, think of people as victims
not as folks who are capable of acting?

I guess as a victim, you are automatically someone
who is acted upon, not someone is committing an act.

Don't forget the school of thought that counts INACTION
as an action as well.

====
====