Women Relegated to Inanimate-Object Pronouns

Or: Why am I not surprised that women are referred to as things?

Ok, I admit it. I like Country music. Don’t stop reading! I use to be one of those people who said, “I listen to everything except Country and rap.” Which basically meant I listened to KROQ, KIIS and KRTH – top 40.

Now I try to be a little more open minded and appreciate what each song sounds like instead of making such broad generalizations.

Josh Turner is one Country artist I’ve discovered who I like. His big hit “Why Don’t We Just Dance” is the perfect mix of dance-able, romantic, social commentary, insight into a good relationship and Turner’s signature, amazingly-deep voice. It really does make me want to dance.

(aaah, look at that smile.)

So let me get to the point. I downloaded the entire album, and there are a couple other gems. But there is one huge, unforgivable flaw!

One song, “I Wouldn’t Be a Man,” had me at first. It’s sexy: deep voice, sexy melody, slow twang, sweet lyrics....except for the freakin’ chorus:

I wouldn’t be a man

iIf I didn’t feel like this.

I wouldn’t be a man

iIf a woman like you was anything I could resist.

I’d have to be from another planet,

Where love doesn’t exist,

I wouldn’t be a man

If I didn’t feel like this.

Sounds pretty sweet, right? On the surface! But read a little deeper and you see that it has two major problems:

1. In the fourth line he says she's irresistible, right? Wrong! He basically says she is a “thing.” An object. He can’t resist her body. Not her. Why use “anything,” when he could easily say “anyone” or “someone”? It doesn’t throw off the rhythm. Argh. Am I missing something here?

I’m sure the writer didn’t do this intentionally. He (I assume the song was written by a man. Sorry.) is either clueless, or subconsciously revealed his true opinion of women.

2. Apparently, if this song is to be believed, men and women are different when it comes to desire. A man’s desire is much stronger than a woman’s. It’s ok for a man to be unable to resist a certain type of woman (or “thing”): “I wouldn’t be a man / if I didn’t feel like this. / I wouldn’t be a man / if a woman like you was anything I could resist.”

In fact, this song is saying rape must be ok, because that’s how men are. Not women, though. They are definitely able to resist desire. Later he sings that the only way he could resist would be if he was “from another planet / where love doesn’t exist.” So why not say, “I wouldn’t be a human”?

Ok, that doesn’t flow. Let’s just trash this one, K, Josh?