SEXISM AND SELFISHNESS

The Roman church assumes a hostile attitude towards sex and sexism and all the variations on this theme - at the same time that it makes eyes blind to what happens inside its walls and in matters of selfishness. A Catholic can be as selfish as it wants, as long as it is anti-sexualist, puritanical and discriminating, it is considered a good Catholic.

And it regards chastity, especially virginity, as the highest of virtues - a concept that finds no basis in the Gospel of Jesus. He was much more anti-egoistic than anti-sexist. Many of his parables and teachings, in general, are vehement criticisms of selfishness and greed - no criticism of sex, even though he recommends sexual discipline – “whoever can comprehend this should comprehend it!” Magdalene, young and attractive, became his most ardent disciple; the hypocrisy of the synagogue labelled her an adulteress, but the adulterous man didn’t suffer the same punishment! nevertheless, by Jesus she was acquitted; the Samaritan with her possible love affairs deserve from Jesus a long and profound instruction on “the living waters that flow to eternal life” and become a kind of Christian missionary.

The insistence of anti-sexism on the part of the Roman church is based on priestly celibacy established in the eleventh century. Since the priest is presented to the people as a model of Christian perfection, he has to be officially celibatarian; logically, virginity is exalted by this theology as the culmination of holiness.

This church's anti-sexism is at the service of the priestly class and of its hierarchical prestige before the public. Moreover, a married priest is not as manageable and docile in the hands of ecclesiastical authority as the bachelor. And last but not least, a priest who legally does not have a family (many have it clandestinely), when he dies, leaves no heirs, and his possessions easily pass into the patrimony of the church.

For this reason, the Code of Canon Law considers a much more serious offence a married priest legally registered than one who simply lives with a woman and has children with her because in the second case, he remains legally single.

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Sexism refers to the theory based on sexual criteria that defend the superiority of one sex - usually the male sex - over the other. It is discrimination that is exercised on an individual because of their sex. This means that the person is discriminated against in a certain area because it is considered that their sex, due to their characteristics, is inferior to the other. The term also refers to prejudices and stereotypes that weigh on women or men due to the conditions attributed to each sex.

Julia Sousa Poza, journalist and communications consultant in Barcelona, in her book Sexismo, la violence de las mil caras (Sexism, the violence of a thousand faces), in the chapter Una nube toxica (A toxic cloud) describes: “Gender violence is an invisible crime, for it doesn't show its face, surreptitious, concealed, and yet present in a multitude of daily events; it knows no borders, cultures or social strata. It's like a cloud that covers everything, contaminates and pollutes, and so far, what society has, are some laws that protect victims, which is not enough. After all, something moves, and that's undeniable.”

Marina Subirats, in the book's preface, warns that: “From a legal point of view, we live in a society that postulates equality between men and women; however, this formal equality is insufficient for real or true equality between women and men. Although much progress has been made in this area, there are still deeply rooted discriminatory practices. Just check the numbers, among others, of domestic violence, femicide and sexual harassment in the streets, and realize that women are the most affected by these problems. On the other hand, in the labour sphere, the existence of wage disparity, the low number of women in senior positions and directors, the low female participation in work, as well as in the educational sphere, the low participation in scientific careers, in the number of publications and high academic positions, to name a few. Although all these problems are multi-cause, sexism is at the base of these situations.”

The editor's review presents sexism as the origin of gender violence, as it associates, trains, teaches and transmits male values as synonymous with success, strength, intelligence and power. In contrast to the feminine, which is invisible, always subject to the masculine, always supported by this power, sexism only knows one gender: the masculine.

This book is not just for women; it's for men too, for the fight against sexism challenges everyone. To men, because they practice it by historical heritage... it comes from the book of Genesis! – and to women because they suffer from it. And which many times, naively, pass on to their descendants when they educate them from a sexist perspective. Sexism is the starting point of inequality and sexist violence. The violence taking multiple forms. There are so many that the book warns of the “violence of a thousand faces”. Crime is its most cruel expression.

Violence against women is reflected in words, gestures, attitudes, everyday inequalities, at home, at work, on the street. It's in the mind. “Sexism, the violence of a thousand faces”, by Julia Sousa Poza, with a preface by Marina Subirats, is the third book published by the Plural Journalism Foundation, in its Journalism and Human Rights collection. It is a useful book that provides data and reflections to comprehend better the problem in all its complexity and combating crimes against women—a book to transform minds.