There is little debate as to what misogyny IS because quite simply it is a hatred of women, however exactly what behavior is considered to be misogynistic or not is hotly contested. Is every attitude that does not cater to, conform to, or benefit women in general or in particular inherently misogynistic or driven by a hatred of the idea of women and femininity? Even if a behavior is definitely accepted by reasonable people to be of a sexist nature does it automatically fall under the banner of misogyny or is their a higher burden of proof or degree of severity that much be reached to have the label of misogyny applied to it?  These issues were touched on in the discussion posted in the news section, but the debate rages onward with very few people able to openly reach a consensus on the matter.

 What Is Misogyny?

Oddly enough, behaviors that objectify and trivialize the contributions of women conversely pigeonhole and limit the roles and behaviors that are acceptable for men to partake in as well.

There is just so much confusion surrounding gender roles and human interaction between the sexes it causes me to wonder who is truly exploiting and benefitting from the unnecessary friction between men and women.  Due to a major shift in the expectations and practicality of many "gender roles" in our society and many misunderstanding arise amidst the confusion. Communication is more important now than ever before and the awkward silence of hidden expectations just can not continue if we expect any improvement in the behaviors of men and women and the treatment of each other.

 What did 9/11 mean to you then?

Terrorism? Fear? Loss? Violation?

It has brought out the best in us. Ordinary people performed dangerous jobs in an extraordinary fashion responding to the tragedy of the day. Many people put aside racial tensions and prior prejudice in a spirit of common humanity. The sheer will of survival and resilience was constantly on display. The compassion and empathy for individual and the collective loss poured continuously and influenced our interactions with one another. We all became viewed as fellow Americans. Bigotry went on holiday. Then something happened...

Confusion? Anger! Bitterness! Resentment!

It has revealed the worst in us. The pain and thirst for revenge altered us. Blind rage closed our minds and set our sights on payback. Our sense of justice was twisted and we settled for exacting retribution. We were reckless. We sacrificed some of the most important principles in our society that served to make us free! We traded them in for the illusion of security. We voted or sat in seemingly patriotic silence while the citizen's rights and privileges that limit undue government interference were removed. We unwittingly lost what no amount of bombs, buildings, or lives could ever take away from the U.S.A. We questioned every accident. Was it terrorism? We lost trust in the decency of humanity. The same racial tension that was always pervasive in our society was shifted from those of African descent to those of Middle Eastern descent and Muslim religious sects. As time went on the deeply engrained issues began to resurface. Bigotry came back with souvenirs.

 Problem, Reaction, Solution.

This is the scenario those in power use to gain MORE power. Al Qaeda will harm us and take away our freedom. We view our own citizens with suspicion. We allow our government to imprison us in exchange for "security". The result is we create and accept our own prisons. Our freedom to speak, travel, avoid frivolous searches, get proper legal representation and many others were curtailed with our own consent. As an African-American the irony is not lost on me that it has become legal to harass not only me, but other segments of society that used to (and still do to some extent) look down on me. 

What does it mean to you now?

Truth. Justice. Awakening. Resolution.

I am not underestimating or trivializing the lives lost on that fateful day, but we send our children all over the globe to protect our freedoms and interests, yet because civilians died we imprison ourselves? That is the only way terrorism actually wins. We sent our military overseas to fight for and protect our way of life abroad and we failed to protect our way of life AT HOME! Regardless of what you feel about our new president and our foreign policy the truth of the matter is over the past 8 years since 9/11/01 our quality of life economically has gone down. Our quality of life politically has gone down. Our quality of life socially has gone down. Our quality of life environmentally has gone down. The quality of our heathcare and education systems have gone down. We can't let people of any political persuasion continue to misuse and abuse our emotional grief over the ones we lost in the past to negatively impact our present and future. That is why today more than ever I wish for those souls to be able to Rest In Peace.

What lessons have you learned from 9/11?

Other perspectives on 9/11 in the BP Universe.

The War On...

Hip-Hop & 9/11

Celebrity Song Tributes to 9/11

REMEMBERING TWIN TOWERS 8 YEARS LATER

9/11 Heroes Still Suffer From Health Issues

How did you spend your Labor Day weekend?

I had a blast on Eastern Parkway this weekend. I gave out some BP shirts, frisbees, slingbags, fans, and flyers. Speak up BP and let me know what ethnic pride means to you. Whether it is personally individual, family, national, or pan-african in nature, just share.

Big up to the Caribbean/West Indian contigent of BlackPlanet. If you have videos of the parade let us know where we can see them and post them on your BP page.