Friday, May 27, 2011

Being the Sex Class, Again

[TW: Misogyny, body policing]

Previously, we've seen how some men deem mere photographs of women in public to be distractingly immodest, thus causing them to remove images of women from photographs.

Well, via Jezebel, we learn that the presence of a woman in public can also be distractingly immodest, thus causing some men to try to remove the woman from the public space itself.

Writing in a pre-trial motion, a Chicago defense attorney claimed:

"Defendant's counsel is anecdotally familiar with the tactics and theatrics of Plaintiff's counsel, [redacted]. Such behavior includes having a large breasted woman sit next to him at counsel's table during the course of the trial. There is no evidence whatsoever that this woman has any legal training whatsoever, and the sole purpose of her presence at Plaintiff's Counsel's table is to draw the attention of the jury away from the relevant proceedings before this court, obviously prejudicing the Defendant's in this or any other cause. Until it is shown that this woman has any sort of legal background, she should be required to sit in the gallery with the rest of the spectators and be barred from sitting at counsel's table during the course of this trial."

Of course.

Even though the only evidence "whatsoever" of the opposing attorney's alleged plot to disract the jury via boobs is the presence of a "large breasted woman" next to him in court, why shouldn't lady attorneys and paralegals from now on be required to put forth affirmative evidence of their non-sexual motives and professional training when they presume to exist in public spaces and do the things that men generally do in public, like sit beside lead counsel during proceedings?

Why would a woman be in a courtroom for any reason other than to distract men with her large breasts?

In all seriousness, as much as some Enlightened Western Men like to view the oppression of women as Something Other Men Do, we see once more that the difference between oppressors is often only one of degree rather than substance.

The "large breasted woman," for the record, is a paralegal.

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