Does one’s adamant support of women’s rights get to edge out her aspirations towards cultural-sensitivity and tolerance towards religious/culture points of view she may not understand because they are different from her own? It’s a hard line to tread as a progressive-thinker. Essentially, in order to be as adamant about women’s rights as I claim to be, and to support those rights I see to be absolute and inalienable (equal pay, equal status in the household, equal sexualization), I would be unable to fully throw myself behind supporting a religion or culture that didn’t endow these rights upon its women, and, even further, in fact suppressed these rights.
A jab at this conflict of ideals has been made a handful of times in an attempt to break down my “liberalism”, or to justify the hulabaloo about the “Ground-Zero Mosque” (nee “Burlington-Coat-Factory Community and Rec Center”). Of course, this argument only serves to bring about the glaring contradictions between social conservativism and feminism—the biggest point of contention being choice/abortion, depending on what side you’re on—and thus dissolves into a screaming match. But one thing I’m sure to point out: it’s ok for me to both be adament about women’s rights and to aspire to be tolerant of other cultures/religions, just as it’s ok to like pizza and think no food is better, but not really like cheese and try to acquire a taste for it because there are literally millions of types of cheese out there, some of which smell really, really bad.
But then, something like this happens. According to the NY Daily News, The Obamas’ arrival in Indonesia on Tuesday resulted in a handshake between Michelle Obama and Indonesian Information Minister Tifatul Sembiring. As is clearly seen in the image below, Sembiring is smiling and reaching out eagerly to shake the First Lady’s hand:
What’s the big deal? Sembiring has made public comments in the past about physical contact with women. He refuses to touch any woman he is not related to, and it’s even been reported, with the strong suggestion that there was some insult involved, that he refused to shake the hand of a female reporter.
Even though I want to understand Sembiring’s behavior, and, even more so, to understand the culture that considers this to be behavior acceptable of a government official, there’s no way I can let this fly. In my own personal record of who sucks and who doesn’t suck, in case you care, Sembiring gets a big fat S. He exhibits misogynist tendencies, sure. But that is compounded by the fact that he is a liar.
After being questioned by reporters, Sembiring made a statement that it was Mrs. Obama’s fault.
Remember that screen shot above? If you look closely, it even seems as though he’s reaching out to her with both hands. And he’s smiling.
It even looks like he’s bowing a little bit! Out of respect, no less!
Judge for yourself:
So, in conclusion: Mr. Sembiring, I don’t like the cheese you’re cutting.
