Please distribute widely and swiftly by fax, email and paper. Ask your publication or website to reprint. These are some essential and very best ways to avoid further catastrophes and save your nation and the earth. Save this as a file on your computer, post a copy in your kitchen or family room, your house of worship, and many community bulletin boards around your community and the Internet
GLOBAL LYSISTRATA*!
FOR SURVIVAL AND AN END TO TERROR AND WAR
Non-Sexist 21st Century Shopping,
Investment and Standards for A Livable, Peaceful and Prosperous
World
URGENT Actions of ancient inspiration* and updated global necessity by wise non-sexist females and males of all ages, who have had more than enough of the culture, politics and unstable economics of domination, terror and war brought about by governments and globalization organizations dominated by one gender.
The Lysistrata Actions, Economic and Social
The Lysistrata Rule: If it comes from a
nation that has achieved at least 30% women in government and is
monitoring its progress toward 40-50% both genders in government, buy
or invest, as many times - as much as you can! But if it comes from
a nation that has less than 30% women in government, don't buy.
Instead, defer that purchase, investment or assistance until the
nation has achieved 30% women or has passed laws that will quickly
achieve full (40-50%) representation of both genders in government;
use 1-800 numbers, email, and comments to management to notify media,
corporate and organization heads, advertisers, and tell them to tell
government of your actions. Visit Women in National
Parliaments at http://www.ipu.org/wmn-e/classif.htm and other
links listed and details below for national rankings on gender
fairness
THE ECONOMIC LYSISTRATA
1. TAKE SPECIAL PRIDE IN YOUR/YOUR NEIGHBOR'S Peugot, Volvo and VW:
USE CAR BRAND CHOICE, CARPOOLING AND PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION MORE TO
PROTECT AND EMPOWER WOMEN THROUGHOUT MIDDLE EAST AND WORLD
Put national gender-fairness considerations in
your car purchases. Defer buying a new car until your nation has
achieved gender fairness in government, or buy (also usually energy
efficient) cars like Peugot, Saab, Volvo, Volkswagen made in
Scandinavia (Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, Sweden. all 36-50%
women in government), France (new 50-50 gender parity law), Germany
(above 30%) and Spain (nearly 30%) instead of cars like GM, Ford, and
Toyota, made in countries with low presence of women in government
such as US (13%), United Kingdom (17%), Japan (7%), etc. (See links
below for rankings). Do so until these brands unbalanced nations'
catch up to the aforementioned nations in the levels of BOTH genders,
in more gender-representative governments (also usually more
equitable to racial and ethnic minorities as well).
Help women and non-sexist men employed in the US, Japanese, Korean
etc. car and gas industries to work on this together if they want to
keep your business, and remind US car and gas industries (GM, Ford,
Chrysler, Exxon, Texaco, etc.) that they have made gargantuan
campaign contributions to political parties that have for too long
not met the gender equity standards of most European and many other
nations in elections. Buy neither Daimler (Mercedes) nor Chrysler
until both sides of their merger produces cars and parts in nations
where women are at least 30-40% of the legislature, cabinet members,
and judges. Let Peugot, Volvo, Saab, Audi and Volkswagen know of
your actions, and enlist them to specifically advertise to women and
non-sexist men by including their nation's leadership and progress in
their ads, with taglines that say "Made in a country where both men
and women have a good government ride (or road) together". All these
companies have web pages with email for consumer input and usually
have 1-800 numbers you can call.
Wherever possible, decrease and defer your oil and gasoline
purchases, and any Middle East foodstuff purchases, until YOUR
NATION'S state department, including all UN ambassadors, instructed
all nations, including oil-producing African, Middle Eastern nations,
all Arab and Islamic, as well Israel, to join YOUR NATION in signing
CEDAW (the UN Convention on Elimination of Discrimination Against
Women). Most European nations and many other nations have already
signed CEDAW; the US has not. CEDAW officially prohibits legalized
prejudice and violence against women such as honor killings, stoning
for praying in holy places in public and other religious and
educational prohibitions exerted by law or force on females (and the
decent men who support females in these activities), domestic
violence, harems in which women are hidden by force, genital
mutilations, as well as political party discriminations against
women. Regressed nations like the US' failure to sign CEDAW are the
enablers and breeding ground for the terrorist and hatred mindsets
that daily endanger the whole world by threat of war and terror.
These practices against mothers create the sons of violence. You
could say the misogynist boy is father to the terrorist man.
Misogynist "law", threat and violence against women have been
tolerated, perhaps thus even inadvertently or covertly enabled by
sexist, male-dominated governments in oil-dependent/inve$ted Western,
Asian, African and other nations for too long. Remember, most
European nations and many other nations have already signed CEDAW;
the US has not, despite a physical protest of women from its House of
Representatives where the women were ejected under threat of force.
Decrease your gas consumption by car-pooling while raising
consciousness, and use and support public transportation as a
feminist and pro-feminist activity as well as help to the
environment. Demand that YOUR NATION's business and industry
dependent on oil - (auto, tire, etc), post a sign in all stores and
on websites, that indicates they urge the signing of CEDAW and have
officially protested the discriminations against women in their own
government and throughout the Middle East, frequent businesses that
display such signs over those that do not, and encourage them to
advertise their actions publically. Insist that your local Chamber
of Commerce also display SIGN CEDAW signs and websigns, reminding
them that the US has been ignoring its own US women on speaking out
on these issues for decades, and American flags must include women
and CEDAW or it desecrates the meaning of the flag. Tell major
supermarkets (see section below on food) of your decisions not to buy
foods from nations that discriminate against women by law, force or
in government, and that you will increase your business if the
supermarket has posted a sign it has informed national and
international suppliers of your decision and the reason for them.
Tell them you will markedly increase purchases of imports from
countries where women have high percentages in government, and US and
other corporations where women and men share management equally (see
below on many products).
****It is NOT SUFFICIENT to focus on the
Taliban alone.**** And it is not
sufficient to focus on the Middle East alone. Male-dominated Western
(especially US and English) and world-wide Governments and
corporations have tolerated the forceful and domestic-violent
oppression of women in Saudi Arabia and other oil nations far too
long: (the Taliban and other terrorists are most often led by sons of
SAUDI and OTHER OIL nations.) And indeed, the number of US women's
(and men's) votes disqualified by male-dominated bodies (Supreme
Court Injustices and Regress, whoops, we mean Congress) in the US in
the last so-called election was larger than the entire population of
Afghanistan; and the US government was installed by outmoded
Electoral College "votes" that most of the world, and indeed, most of
America, considered invalid and undemocratic. Just because women and
non-sexist men are not protesting in the streets of the US or
worldwide right now does NOT mean that the majority of Americans feel
that the US government, installed and self-perpetuated by gender and
racial domination, actually represents them, or deserves
unconditional foreign recognition from the world community,
especially women and men who care about women, worldwide, if it makes
no rapid progress on fairness. Many Americans were surprised other
governments recognized the results of such a controversial and
clearly undemocratic election in the first place.
2. INVEST SELECTIVELY, WITH GENDER FACTORS IN MIND.
Choose corporations that do not discriminate against women and
turn a deaf ear to the oppression of women and mother nature
worldwide. For example, invest more in Hewlett Packard (CEO - Carly
Fiorina) and decrease investment in Microsoft (CEO Bill Gates
followed by Steve B(ig Brother instead of a deserving woman) until it
has achieved a female CEO and at least 30% female Vice-Presidents and
Board Members. Buy computers and Internet services only from
companies where women are not tokens, but instead are fairly equal in
management and ethical oversight and that actively promote gender
balance in government from their websites: Many small and local US,
as well as many Scandinavian and some Canadian providers are run by a
better balance of male and female than are large US companies like
America Online, for example. Tell large companies like Amazon.com
that you will not use the Internet for commerce unless computer
corporations actively support and lobby for gender equity in
government. Invest in the more solar and alternative energy-invested
energy corporations, and avoid oil and nuclear, which tokenize a few
isolated and coopted women as spokespersons but privately degrade
them and minorities. Invest more in corporations of European nations
where women have achieved parity and near parity in government, and
reduce investment in American corporations until they have caught up
with European nations and achieved 1/3 women and a commitment to
family leave and flextime for all their employees - male and female
alike. (most Western European nations have achieved 30% female in
government; compared to a stagnant and regressed 13-14% in the US;
and their employees enjoy far better family leave laws and
practices). Inform pension funds, mutual funds and socially
responsible funds you EXPECT them to look at gender and affirmative
practice data of US corporations as a criteria of investment, and
will choose to invest more selectively and individually instead if
they do not. Ask stock brokers to get the facts on these issues and
remind them in a world become too dangerous, the life and freedoms
they save by informing themselves and investors about these issues
may likely be their own.
3. TURN OFF THE TV COMPLETELY
OR MORE OFTEN, until media corporations and
advertisers have achieved real news about women and
gender-balance in their organizations. Put radio announcers on
warning and call talk shows to tell them what you are NOT
watching.
Were you informed that the women and decent men of France achieved a
sweeping gender parity law in 1999 that is taking effect now and was
in the works since 1996? Probably not, because the
men running American media simply and willfully did not carry this
huge and truly epochal news story!! For some
information about it, visit http://www.br
ok.edu/fp/cusf/analysis/women.htm, and ask for an update from
French sources on the Internet - the law affects upcoming elections.
Were you informed that the women and decent men of India shut down the
Indian Parliament (Lok Sabha) for a full week in 1998 to bring about
a gender representational standard law, and the law is still awaiting
passage and could be passed at any time as they activists are
regrouping to try again? Probably not, because the
men running American media simply and willfully did not carry this
huge and truly epochal news story about the world's second largest
nation!! For information about it visit
wysiwyg://20/http //www.indiabroaddaily.com search through the
archives for many articles on the Woman's ro Women's Bill or
Reservation Act, from 1998 thru the present.
American women and decent men are daily uninformed by their so-
called news organizations, now owned by a few megamergercorporations
extremely dominated by one gender. Why bother to watch much? But it
is important to let these badnewsmakers and their advertisers know
you will not watch much again until all cable and TV networks have
about 50-50 gender balance in management, editorial staffing and
reporting (not just the pretty teleprompter readers that are used as
tokens to fool women and men into thinking these corporations have
been promoting women. The truth is that journalism has been bought
and is being used as a quasi-Big-Brother screen by sexist men;
literally "Big Brothers with Little Character".
Women journalists - this means you Judy Woodruff, Jane Pauley, Connie
Chung and others - who do not want to be seen as trapped tokens and
enablers, and the decent men journalists who do not want to be seen
as oppressors, need to whistleblow in alternative press and online.
Find out if your women's organizations websites and publications
covered the French and India stories adequately and the daily work of
Scandinavian and European women in government; if not; have them
offer women and pro-woman journalists a special platform to highlight
them, detailing examples of anti-female bias of current
male-dominated corporate "journalism" which presents women, if it
presents them at all, as victims and window dressing instead of
leaders and world changers, with plenty of website links like those
below and Lysistrata for action and information. Women and
self-respecting men journalists need to dare to free-lance and
moonlight, rather than work for these censoring corruptors of news,
even as announcers, until they promote more women for true balance at
top and all levels.
Call or email the following major networks and advertisers and let
them know you have turned their sexist badnews off until they have
achieved gender balance in all decision-making and news operations.
All have websites on the Internet, and 1-800-numbers you can find by
calling 1-800 information at 1-800-555-1212.
GENDER UNFAIR NETWORKS
MAJOR SEXIST ADVERTISERS Pandering To Women While Maintaining Sexist
Management, Policies and Advertisements on Sexist Television 4. Happier
Holiday Shopping for Every Girl and Boy The Holidays are the very best time for good mothers and fathers
to make it clear that Light, Love, Hope and Good Will must be toward
all men and women, all girls and boys, or it means little. In
addition to the other food and purchases decisions of Lysistrata
mentioned on this website, when you call up your catalog sales
vendors, tell them you are buying the Scandinavian sweater, the
French wine and perfume, the German fruitcake, the Dutch cocoa, the
Danish cookies, the European-made sleds and toys, ornaments and
nativity scenes, because these nations, with their 30-50% women in
government, understand that good spirit in action means remembering
the holiness and wisdom of all mothers and sons who really care about
humanity and are guiding their nations toward the good. Give them a
copy of this Lysistrata website, or refer them to it, and encourage
American toymakers to be among the first industry to lobby the US
government to overcome its stagnant 13% with gender fairness
legislation of the kind that exists in the homelands of reindeer,
Father Christmas and Santa: Scandinavia, Germany, the Netherlands,
and now France, the Netherlands, South Africa, in committee in India,
and many others.
If you buy gifts from the HolyLand (Jordan, Palestinian areas or
Israel) or Africa, inquire whether their governments this year
educated little girls and adult mothers, and included these mothers
at a level of full representation, in peacetalks, as they deserve. If
you know they have not yet, (check the informative websites for
country ranking on gender fairness below)make your own figurines,
candles, etc., this time, and tell the vendors why. But, if you act
quickly with Lysistrata in mind, you will bring the tense Holy Land
and war torn Africa closer to lasting peace for all nations and
religions. Do the same for gifts and holiday foods and figurines from
Mexico and South America; point out the high percentage of women,
about 30%, in the government of Spain, seek out Spanish Christmas
imports, and let their producers know. What could be a more
important gift for Channukah, Christmas, Kwaanzaa and Ramadan, and
upcoming new years that all should begin with real peace, democracy
and education - the good will of all people, female and male? That's
real PEACE ON EARTH; it's truly the only way to achieve it.
At food specialty stores and gourmet centers, tell the managers,
when you order your local small vineyard or French instead of major-
brand California wine (fruit and jelly, too) this Thanksgiving and
all the Seasons gatherings, that you will be very pleased to buy
major brand American-made the very instant California insists that
the US government moves to pass a gender balance law and oversight
mechanisms, as these nations have. Tell the produce manager that
would make a very nice gift for all those women who basted turkeys on
a day to remember Pochahontas, other women natives and Pilgrim wives
whose descendants are almost as missing from the present US Congress
as they were when women were barred from voting in 1789. At your
Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year's tables, make a special toast
of your local label or French wine (instead of California wine, just
this time/until the US achieves gender balance in government) to Jamila and her sisters, other brave women of
Afghanistan who have stood up to tell the UN they must be fully
represented at peace talks and the end to terror. It is the UN
councils, not these women, who must prove their worth, now, to the
women of the world watching... So, write the two women Senators from
California of your preferences, and remind them that they need to be
braver too, and deliver representation to US women equivalent to that
of many other nations immediately. Within their own state,
Californians lead the nation in the balance of women and men in
governmental office - but despite its huge economy, and the ability
of Hollywood to communicate to the world on important issues that
concern women's (and caring men's) real lives instead of superficial
glamor, California has not pressured the US as a nation to follow
suit - YET! The California women Senator's overcautious approach
(they were not even present when women of the House protested the US'
failure to sign the UN CEDAW Treaty to protect women) to their
national government, compared to the manifestos, sit-ins and marches
of women heroines from so many other nations such as those in France
and Scandinavia which bore gender balance fruit, has truly failed and
is endangering the America and the world - it has left US women at a
dismal and paltry 13% while women of other nations were willing to
cross political party lines (bringing Greens, Conservatives and
Democrats together) and march and protest on the issue and have
succeeded with 30-50% in France, Scandinavia, Spain, Germany, the
Netherlands and most of Europe, South Africa, and many other nations
already. Californians can lead the nation, instead of sybaritically
resting on their own glamorous, comfortable laurels. Let's toast them
with cases of California champagne, as soon as California puts its
full weight in the US Congress behind gender balance legislation, and
actually achieves at least the 1/3 goal for the United States, as so
many other nations already have.
If you are of Asian heritage, tell Asian food and gift vendors
that you will double your purchases in the Chinese, Japanese and
Korean New Year if these great nations announce gender equality in
government legislation. What could bring better good fortune? Many
restauranteurs are wives and women, with many loyal and very loving
husbands who believe firsthand in freedom and equality. They will
rejoice in your message, the fulfillment of the UN Beijing Conference
of a few years back but NOT forgotten. Give them a copy of websites
on Beijing and this website, as well. Before you go to the dollar
store to buy ribbons, bows, decorations and candies, and so many
other items made in China, check the gender balance in vast and
important China - when it has reached 1/3, buy three times as much
more; but until then, while it is less, buy a dollar less until the
1/3 level is achieved. China is a very important trading nation - and
you, the female (and caring male) shopper can make the world a far
better place for all men and women by knowing she has remembered her
sisters' representation in China. The Happiest Chinese New Year will
be the one that has achieved gender balance in government. Right now,
the level is about 22-25%; considerably above that of the US
(13-14%), not but quite enough to protect this vast nation from the
abuses and errors of overly-male dominated government. If this great
nation passed a law like France's or many other European nation's
parity laws, gender balance in China will bring yin and yang in
happiness together, to the TAO, and the DOW!
5. HAVE A SARDINE! FISH FOR
FAIRNESS
Except for small and local fish products, defer buying fish
products made in countries where the government has not achieved
above or nearly 30% women in the legislature(s). (see Women in National
Parliaments at http://www.ipu.org/wmn-e/classif.htm Instead, buy
sardines, salmon and other fish from the nations of Norway, Sweden,
Denmark, Germany, Spain etc. Especially defer buying fish packaged
by large corporations in the US but call these companies and tell
them that if they will lobby for the gender balance laws of
Scandinavia, France, South Africa and many other nations, you will be
happy to buy their products again. Women: Encourage your husband to
go fishing every weekend (he'll love it!), or learn to fish yourself
locally rather than use products from nations that have few women
(less than 30%) in government. Let your fish intake be healthy for
body and body politic; for both body and soul! Ask Oprah Winfrey to
help: she was already the target of cattlemen who wanted to silence
men and women on heart health issues; she might enjoy savoring
Scandinavian salmon and a glass of Perrier (see below) during a
broadcast; what could be healthier for a body-soul snack that works
for the women and decent men of the world?
6. Have A Little MORE PERRIER
AND A Lot Less COKE or PEPSI... and enjoy BREAD and WINE, COOKIES
AND CHOCOLATES that taste of and toast to LOVE AND FAIRNESS
ABC/Disney (owner of Lifetime, a
corporatized-cartoon-reality set of movies and biographies about
women's lives that does suggest some aspects of women's domestic
victimization but provides no news of any kind, especially about
gender representation in government, national and international women
in politics or their corporate presence, if any, in its numerous
pandering corporate sponsors. Despite its misinforming logo
"Lifetime - Television for Women", at present it would be more
accurately called "Losttime - More Television that Victimizes Women".
In it's numerous biographies, it has gone to some lenth to avoid
women in political leadership, and has plans to gouge women again and
make them pay extra on an offshoot channel, Lifetime Real Women, to
get such basics. And yet, it is marginally better than the following
women-oblivious and even more exploitive networks:
NBS/General Electric
CBS/Viacom
CNN/Times Warner
FOX/Rupert Murdoch News Corp.
MSN/Microsoft
BBC
(The above, along with AT&T and Universal, also own or have
controlling interests in almost everything else on your dial, For
more information visit www.bettertv.org) Remember to not invest in
these companies, and curtail purchases of products you see advertised
on them when you do watch, until they achieve balance in their own
management and actively lobby for gender balance in the US and
English governments)
General Motors
Ford
General Electric
Microsoft
Pharmaceutical companies such as Pfizer, that promise the benefits
of sleeping pills and anti-depressants while ignoring women's
like of representation in Congress and health managed care CEOs
Most insurance companies;
i.e. New York Life (their chic little girl wearing a beret is an
insult to thinking women aware of the realities of media, advertising
and US business who were never informed by the US media once of the
French gender parity law!)
Most banks, credit card and lending companies -
watch long enough
until you get a company you'd like to call and tell them you won't
buy their products if they advertise in media which isn't gender
balanced
Philip Morris - Kraft Foods, Miller Beer
Selling cigarettes to children overseas, major corrupter of
elections, and supporting gender-imbalanced politics media
Many others! Have fun calling every 1-800 number you see, and look up
others on the Internet or 1-800-directory assistance. Tell them you
will buy none or far less of their products if they advertise in
media that is not balanced at the top level with male and female; and
the same if their own corporate leadership is and has been without
balance among CEOs since the 1970s.
Defer buying bottled water and beverages from nations that have not achieved or legislated at least 1/3 women in some of their legislatures. Therefore buy Perrier, Scandinavian and Canadian origin beverages over other brands, since the French have passed a law guaranteeing 50-50 for the genders in politics, the Canadians have achieved 30% women in their Senate (compared to 13% in the US), and the Scandinvians countries have 36-50%. If the Italian and Indian governments will officially adopt the 33% women in legislatures law sought by Italian-born Indian leader Sonia Gandhi, then buy Pellegrino bottled water and Italians Chiantis as well, tell them to market their beverages with pride in Indian and Italian food markets and encourage gender balanced global cooperation between these two nations on the world market. Russian and Indian nations have many people struggling economically and need a positive, carrot approach. Tell Russian vodka makers and Indian fabric/fashion makers that you know that most doctors in Russia are women and yet the nation has never had a woman President, that women in India are world-wise authoresses and leaders, and yet both India and Russia have a dismal 7-8% women in their legislatures; tell them you will increase your vodka and fashion purchases by 33%, and toast them wearing a new sari or scarf, if they will achieve that level of women in their legislatures by passing the laws like that introduced in India to do so. Finally, let your proud pro-women's nations corporations - Canadian, Scandinavian and of course French water bottlers and wine makers know of your actions and consumer preferences. Tell American brands like Frutopia that there can be no utopia without enough women in government to make it happen, and you expect them to say so on their bottle tops and labelling or you will squeeze your own fresh juices and smoothies instead until they do.
Pepsi recently used ad slogans, posted on many display cases, that insult women "Never shop with your mother again". Now, Pepsi must be told by YOU that if mothers, families, are to buy their products again, they must apologize for the insult and demonstrate at least 30% women as Executives and Board Members and initiate a new slogan that says "Raise a glass of Pepsi to toast women in the houses of real government", include a link on their website to an official tally of women in worldwide government, and make an official company statement, posted on their website, urging the US to adopt gender parity laws. Ask Coke to do the same -- or you will permanently switch to another beverage (water IS a lot less fattening and more healthful in quantity, too.) PEPSI's 1-800 number and Coke's are availabe at their websites, and both ask for consumer input. Let's give that to them!
Accompany your beverage with a wholesome bread, cracker or bowl of food (wheat, rice, corn, potato, etc) made in nations that do not accept genetically-engineered grains and have increasingly gender-balanced legislatures of public mothers and fathers who are really protecting and comforting the world with a wholesome environment and future. Tell American farmers and supermarket/grocery managers you will pay a few cents more for natural bread, corn, rice and a planet that respects mother nature and father time in methods of plant species breeding. Tell supermarkets you are also prepared to enlarge/start your own garden for red, (and fried green!) tomatoes and other vegetables, decided upon by the legislature that meets in your kitchen instead of still far too male-dominated boardrooms and national legislatures.Almost all European do not want or buy genetically-engineered foods, and their governments and officials have moved or are moving to prohibit them, another thing the US media does not want you to know! (see Section 3 above).
Finnish your meal with a Finnish or Danish cookie, or Dutch chocolate -- these countries have high percentages of women represented in governments both their men and women take pride in. Cut down on US-made cookies and chocolates until their host agribusiness companies, like Nabisco, General Mills and Archer-Daniels-Midland have written officially and on their websites calling for more women in the US and worldwide governments. Ask CEO Mrs. Fields to help by putting statistics on women in government and the food industry if she wants her cookies to sell best, and tell Ben and Jerrys (which is generally socially responsible but may have comparatively ignored the elephant in the living room women's representation; maybe they can make a special flavor called the Elephant in the Living Room to accompany other funky flavors and help draw attention to the avoidance of this central issue), Haagen Daaz and Edy's to do the same on their ice cream if they want any sweetness in the future, or your family will build an old ice-cream maker and make your own. Tell Keebler elves that they need more Snow Whites to head their company and its affiliates, and tells Mars candies that women are from earth and will eat products of companies that act to protect women and the women and men of earth by lobbying for gender balance in elections on their packaging and websites, instead of enabling corrupt mostly male-blocked campaign finance reform. Most cookies and chocolates carry 1-800 numbers on the packages that you can call.
The Big Brothers of gender-imbalanced politics and business are a lot like once friendly but now confused dogs trying to bite off their own tails - they are so driven by testosterone-poisoning and greed that they literally do not know what they are doing in the grand scheme of things, and they are beginning to eat themselves up! Their rounds of global merger-manias without any attention to gender balance in their own and their nations' political operations are the underlying causes perpetuating feudal, oil-harem-societies that raise and spawn the sons of terrorism, instead of the solar and alternative energy mix preferred by most women and more decent men since Carter and Mondale/Ferraro that would still be a boon for the Middle East. In turn, Terror and the cost of using hardware and technology to prevent it (as opposed to focussing on gender imbalance and culture) are further shrinking the ranks of even terror-surviving dominator male CEOs who are already resigning their posts in increasing numbers because of the inherent economic supply/demand limits of male merger mania: Their gender-imbalanced economics simply do not take into account quality of life and family-friendly policies necessary to maintain consumer demand and investor confidence and purchasing. Their male-mindset economic models are causing the deepening decline as well as the terror, and their only solutions are bad ones -- more hardware for security, war-violence and a continuation of inequity for women, and many men.
Like dogs infected with too much greed or testosterone, these men do not possess the insight to save even themselves yet. Like a sick animal, these men need the Strong Medicine of Lysistrata quickly if they are to change and survive - even themselves. The economies of male domination are already in a tailspin and will continue to suffer until you set them upon a fair path of balance and quality of life models that fairly includes all women's work and women's decision-making talents. The greater consumers' and buyers' ignorance or delay in giving the necessary strong, swift dose of gender-fairness into politics and business, the longer and more devastating the downward spiral becomes --- to business, to government, to free and peaceful society: He or she who hesitates to undertake Lysistrata starting now may find it is his or her future lost in the economic vortex of the dominant-male black hole. But the quicker and stronger the dose of Lysistrata's strong gender-equality consumer and political medicine, given by both women and thinking men alike, the faster a healthy economy and political environment can recover, and the greater chance for our earth to survive and prosper in peace. This should please even most male CEO's themselves...and their daughters, sons and wives. It might even save these guys a few Type A Heart Attacks caused by the daily horror of pressing those buttons on their Big Brother cameras, soon watching even them!, for "Security".
When they first learn of Lysistrata, the sick dogs of the top 1% that is ruining the economy for everyone but their own snout and tail might howl and snap --- as your pet might do when a kind vet approaches with antibiotic drops. They may growl a bit that your buying preferences are "silly", "unpatriotic", or will hurt YOU in the pocketbook, instead of them. But remember, those kinds of yelps of warning are coming from an animal-like, dog-eat-dog egoistic political-economic system with very poor stability and vision, or it wouldn't be in the mess it's already in right now, now even demanding more corporate government welfare to keep from having to face its own inbuilt gender-related nearsightedness, and demanding security from the sons of sheiks that its oil business provided with money and weapons. But remember, even the current unigender politcal-economic system depends and relies on you as consumer and investor for best and ultimate judgement. To act quickly in the manner of Lysistrata will actually save you money, and will also give a dose of compassionate antibiotic to these confused canine-like men. Bringing dramatically greater cooperation between the sexes in our economic and political life will actually bring vibrant energy, safety and health back to the economy for everyone. The change can be overnight and almost miraculous if the whole dose is administered - just as with good, strong medicine.
Every buying and investing decision is an opportunity to improve the gender in government/commerce equation, and save the earth, and opportunities missed will take its toll in greater problems. So begin and enjoy the Lysistrata, and send copies of it to others quickly and with confidence in your most speedy ambulence of good medicine, good taste and good judgement - the lives you will be saving are many, including perhaps even your own. That certainly is the peaceful person's meaning and message derived from a 911 emergency for societies dominated by one gender, symbolized by the 9/11/2001 attack by overdominant men from one society on the most overdominant of male-domination institutions of another society. Gender fairness in both societies is the only and best antidote to achieve geopolitical-economic emergency rescue. Consumers and investors, and visionary CEO's of both genders, who observe Lysistrata become the greatest heroes - the heroes of not just rescue, but prevention and prosperity and peace as well.
Some of the widows and orphan daughters and sons of those killed at the World Trade Center are being denied insurance compensation by the stock firms whose offices were destroyed, and are being offered stock options, instead. But only if these women and families demand that their companies observe Lysistrata can these women rise fully to the opportunity of a positive destiny for all nations. They must insist on government and business that is not still dominated by one gender making itself a magnet for danger in a world that runs by dog-like rules of threat and domination. Only with Lysistrata can they and we be sure that their loved ones deaths lead to progress, to something with a positive, healing meaning, and that even this tragedy can lead to a truly better day for all women - and decent men - in Afghanistan, in the US, in every nation and around the world.
1. At least as importantly, tell your company, professional, religious, non-profit or good government organization that you will not continue to work, join or volunteer there as much or much longer until it moves to officially make its Board of Directors approximately 50-50 men and women, safeguard both genders in management and representation, and actively lobbies for gender representation in government. (Until gender equity is achieved and legislated in all institutions, women's empowerment organizations should be exempted from this as the exception that proves the rule). If your organizational membership is around 50% women and 50% men, encourage current executive offices be renamed from President and Vice-President to Co-Presidents, and have a male and female executive partnership simulteneously. If your organization is currently headed by a male and has had more than 33% male leadership since 1970, insist that an official statement be given acknowledging that the leadership has been held by a disproportionate number of men since 1970, and immediately request that the male executive call for immediate election of a female co-executive, or step down.
2. Examine your company, church or professional organization's family leave and flex-time policies to insure they allow both men and women to balance their commitments to family, community and work.
3. If your profession has a large or rapidly growing number of women members, i.e. teaching, nursing, therapies and social work as well as food workers; or pediatric, gynecology and other medicine, as well as law --- consider local and national cross-professional and labor alliances, work slow downs, strikes, etc. to draw attention to the problem. Leave copies of this website in your waiting rooms so clients and patients can assist your efforts. Women, and pro-women men lawyers should publicize mock trials, live on the Internet and TV such as Court TV and Judge Judy-type shows where possible, to draw attention to lack of gender fairness and representation in their governments. Invite members of the Women's World Court, an activist movement which began in Norway and South Africa --- it will also help draw many women clients to your offices!
4. Remember that most women's (and men's) domestic and community work for quality of life, especially invaluable child and elder care, is never officially valued or estimated in values by the economists of male only gender dominators. Missing this valuation for thousands of years of not counting properly, how could our world NOT be in trouble? Unlike other nations like New Zealand, India, Switzerland and other which have been moving officially to value this work and other quality of life indexes advocated by recognized women and pro-women Nobel prize-winning economists, like Marilyn Waring, Hazel Henderson and Amartya Sen, the US has thus far objected and obstructed these efforts. Draw attention to these national differences to your family as you do your daily activities, and visit websites like http://www.payequity.net/WFHCampaign/wfhcpgn.htm and Feminist Economics at http://www.ruf/rice.edu/~femec/edboard.html to learn resources and find out more.
9. LINKS RANKING NATIONS, ORGANIZATIONS, STATES, ETC. For Gender Balance
LINKS (see immediately following paragraph) about this issue do indeed exist, You should not only know about them, but check them periodically for updates and SAVE file copies on YOUR OWN COMPUTER so you can reprint them at will and disseminate them everywhere, especially at meetings of women's organizations and political parties. How better to help votes be given only to political parties that have heeded gender balance in their candidates and funding for office locally and nationally at a level that matches that already achieved in Scandinavia, South Africa, France, and most of Europe, and is emerging daily in many other places around the world. If the party doesn't offer at least 40% women as candidates, don't work or vote for it again until it does. Help women's and fair men's consumer dollar be spent on products originating where the governments and companies are actively bringing women to equality with men in the decisions of society. More and more resources with information about gender in government and corporate decision-making are developing, Ask women's and democracy/party organizations like NOW, Feminist Majority, League of Women Voters, Common Cause, Essential.org, NAACP, the Rainbow Coalition, local and national party organizations, as well as municipal and state governments, and others to include national and local government gender-balance percentage and rankings PROMINENTLY - among the first thing you see when you enter on their websites if they do not already do so, and if they want you to continue to take their efforts for representation, progress and fairness seriously. Make sure their own management percentages are made available as well. Most important, make sure that multinational organizations such as the UN,the World Trade Organization, the World Bank, and others post their own management percentages, as well as the national rankings of their members states.
LINKSWEDO's 50-50 Project at
http://www.wedo.org
Women in National
Parliaments at http://www.ipu.org/wmn-e/classif.htm
THE BRIDGE at
http://www.ids.susx.ac.uk:80/bridge/
Council of Europe
website at http://stars.coe.fr/doc/doc99/edoc8423.htm
The Gendergap at http://www.gendergap.com
And there are many others available from most search engines.
10. *What does LYSISTRATA mean?
The women of ancient Greece, the birthplace of earliest attempts
at democracy (among men only then), were deprived of any vote in the
so-called "democratic" ancient Greek government that was being
overrun by aggressive and military men who declared women "inferior".
All inhabitants of the region, male and female, were being affected
and unable to stop the war and war culture of warring Greek states.
As a last resort to prevent the self-destructive war culture from
destroying the civilizations of the Greek states, these ancient
women, the wives of the warriors, announced they would withhold
marital and other social "obligations" until the men stopped
fighting. Their action was called LYSISTRATA, and was gratefully
received by many war-weary men, as well.
Today, we have learned just a bit more than the people of the days
of ancient Greek states when women and many men were nearly
illiterate. Humanity's attempts at democracy and self-government have
come a bit further than our ancient Greek ancestors (although it is
sobering that votes of most American men and especially women, were
discounted in the last so-called election). Yet, the world is once
again immersed in wars and war cultures at odds with each other.
Taken together, men and women are a long way from self-government in
too many places, especially because the genders are not well
represented in 'govermments', and politicians tend to be mostly the
most unscrupulous men. Terror and war grow best in cultures where
women are coopted and not represented; where they are considered
inferior and kept uninformed; they dissipate in cultures where women
are active, seek and receive information from other women as much as
from men, and take full responsibility in public life.
Today, many, MANY nations that offer products to the world have
achieved or are right now achieving gender balance in government. Yet
many governments are still mostly controlled by a subsection of one
gender, only (and perhaps a small token (under 15%; i.e. the US
currently has only 13-14% in its national legislatures) of women, at
best, and far too many nations still have less than that. Now that
most women are well educated and seeking education worldwide, women
(and decent men who care about women, and all people) can use a few
modifications of the early original Lysistrata, to put a more total
stop to terror/war and destructive culture and decision-making. They
can and will take their nations away from the mindset of gender
dominated small groups, especially the unscrupulous most aggressive
of males of any culture, and bring about lasting peace. The recent
war-terror and the futility of war-reaction raise all our sites to
the urgent preventive actions of Lysistrata. They can and must be
taken to redress the underlying gender imbalance that allows war
culture and its escalations, which can overrun and destroy all
civilization on our planet if we do not act, buy, and think wisely.
Thanks to women's suffrage, education and real representation and
democracy activists of both genders over many generations, today's
women participate in society far more directly than ancient women,
and want to free their sisters worldwide, to make a better world for
all people, male and female alike. Todays women, and decent men, can
join in LYSISTRATA "withholding" - economic and related abstentions
and preference choices, of a far more public and farreaching nature
than the narrow desperate gestures of the ancient wives. And most
decent husbands today will not need a personal push to help to end
the terror/war culture. Today, as women - from welfare and working
mothers to corporate wives (and ex- wives), engage in LYSISTRATA of a
more political and economic nature via actions like those listed on
this website, most real husbands and decent men worldwide will be
among the first to join them. WELCOME TO THE NEW LYSISTRATA!!!
STOP TERROR, STOP WAR, AND REALLY SAVE THE WORLD!