Women make up the majority of college students. They make up more than half of the world’s population. They are doctors, lawyers, politicians, athletes, leaders, followers, teachers, and students. And yet, they still do not matter.
The twenty-first century has achieved innovations unthinkable to many from even a generation prior. Modern society has virtual reality, commercial expeditions to the moon, drones to deliver groceries, and countless developments which expand into all walks of life. Yet fundamental old world ideals still persist.
Women are still deemed weaker than men; they are still considered unable to control their own bodies; they are still paid less than men; they are still listened to only after their male counterpart has been heard. While the gender disparity is often subtle, it bleeds into everything, making its presence undeniable. It is no coincidence that Brett Kavanaugh is the newest Supreme Court justice.
The explanation is as simple as it is illogical: women matter less than men in America.
Dr. Christine Blasey Ford depicted a credible and graphic account of her assault in 1982. On Sept. 27, in front of the world, she revisited the grueling episode through countless questions and provided reliable and consistent answers each time. When Kavanaugh took the stand, his testimony was riddled with red flags.
He proved his inability to be non-partisan. Even Republican senators questioned his ability to serve on the bench. The weeklong FBI investigation into Kavanaugh’s alleged misconduct revealed more about Kavanaugh’s character, suggesting that the judge lied under oath. But his confirmation process continued. Dr. Ford was never spoken to by the FBI, but that did not matter.
Protesters stormed Washington, demanding for another nominee. Survivors of sexual assault confronted key senators. The survivors hopelessly screamed, “Tell me I don’t matter!”
To those senators, they [survivors] did not matter.
Brett Kavanaugh’s future was decided long before any resistance could form. It was decided when Hillary Clinton lost the 2016 presidential election; when secret payments from the President to Stormy Daniels were made public; when Dr. Ford spoke out against Kavanaugh; when President Trump satirized Dr. Ford’s testimony at a rally; when, despite the overwhelming evidence suggesting Kavanaugh lied under oath, the FBI investigation ended; and when the Senate voted in favor of Kavanaugh following numerous “I do not consent” cries.
Protests proved to be pointless, the truth was overshadowed by Trumpian-era politicism, morals gave way to mockeries, and survivors of sexual assault were silenced, all to meet a partisan agenda.
At the beginning of her testimony Dr. Ford said, “Once he was selected and it seemed like he was popular and it was a sure vote, I was calculating daily the risk/benefit for me of coming forward, and wondering whether I would just be jumping in front of a train that was headed to where it was headed anyway and that I would just be personally annihilated.”
Dr. Ford’s greatest fear, that her pain would amount to nothing, that her voice as a citizen concerned for the well-being of her country would be silenced, was actualized.
America believed Dr. Ford. It just did not care.
