Beyoond Wishin' and Hopin'

Wishin' and hopin' and thinkin' and prayin'

Plannin' and dreamin' each night of his charms

That won't get you into his arms

 

So if you're lookin' to find love you can share All you gotta do is

Hold him and kiss him and love him And show him that you care

Show him that you care just for him Do the things he likes to do

Wear your hair just for him, 'cause                              

You won't get him 

Thinkin' and a-prayin' wishin' and hopin'...

Even though the restrictions at the local YMCA have been tightened ( a good thing) I continue to spend time there, labouring away in the weight room. I try to choose my times carefully to avoid crowds and the exercise group in the adjacent gym. I lived through sixties and seventies pop music and I have limited patience for it to be blaring away, uninvited, during my workout.

This morning a song which was a hit for Dusty Springfield in 1964 was telling women in 2010 that if they do things just right for their man everything will be okay. This advice was being offered the day after the solemn anniversary of the murders of 14 bright, talented women by an angry, misogynistic gunman at the Ecole Polytechnique in Montreal 31 years ago. 

Because I've written about this horrific event a number of times during the years I thought I would give it a miss in 2020 but this catchy song reminded me that we live in a culture in which far too many men still assumes that women will be subservient, or shouldn't get in the way of their progress, or deserve to be punished if they don't make them happy. 

The trial of the perpetrator of the 2018 Yonge St. van attack mass murderer is underway in Toronto, and we know that this young man was part of the online INCEL movement. This is  the pathetic "Involuntary Celibate" group whose members  somehow feel that they are owed the attention of women.

It is a sad reality that religion in its fundamentalist forms often supports the "theology" that women should be subservient to men. This false premise is expressed through mandated dress codes, or control of women's reproductive choices, or the language which is used in worship. We need to reject this as people of faith and as the followers of the Christ who saw women in a positive light which didn't reflect the norms of his culture.

We can do some hopin' and prayin' that society will continue to move toward equality for all , that safety will be ensured for women, and that faith communities will help lead the way for this to happen.  

The irony of today's song at the gym  is that Dusty Springfield was an LGBTQ2 person before this was accepted in society. She was never in a relationship with a man, but was in at least one tempestuous long-term relationship with a woman. 

Well, that's enough for today!