Thursday, June 18, 2009
Definiton of Gold Digger Sexist?
American society has constructed constructed many definitions for the term "gold digger." On UrbanDictionary.com the top rated definition for a gold digger is, "An abusive sexist slur used generally against young women in love with older male friends, lovers and husbands. While the expression is often associated with the concept of "women chasing men with money"...many young women dating middle class and poor older men find themselves being called "gold digger" as well indicating that it's a slur designed to pervert the beauty of older men much as the beauty of young adult women has been turned into a perversion throughout the years by society. This societal labeling system completes the "perverting" process of older man/young women couples. He is a dirty old man for falling in love with a young adult woman and she is a gold digger for falling in love with an older man. It's society's way of suggesting that older man/younger woman relationships are always predatory in nature. Two people preying on each other. He on her "vulnerability" and she on his money. Fortunately laws of society override this sexist attitude that has very questionable roots in origin and motives." According to TheFreeDictionary.com a gold digger is, "A woman who seeks money and expensive gifts from men." And according to Merriam-Webster Dictionary a gold digger is, "1 : one who digs for gold 2 : a person who uses charm to extract money or gifts from others." Although, the Merriam-Webster definition does not reserve the term exclusively for women, I can confidently say that American society has reserved this term for women only. The definition provided by Urban Dictionary is the most modern and well fit to what today's American society's construction of a gold digger. Any American woman would not want to be defined as a gold digger as it is seen as a derogatory term in American society, constructed to for only the female sex. This is yet another way of society created to keep the woman as a subordinate being in American society. There has to be something wrong with a woman marrying wealthy....right? They cannot be in the relationship for love, they have to be in it for money. This is the common thought when a younger woman is seen with an older man. Most of the time women are not seen as an equal to the man simply because they maybe be much younger. What is the female in the relationship is also extremly sucessfull, has her own carerr and makes her own money? This is never thought of because men are thought of as a dominant in American society. So, is the term sexist? I would defiantly say so.
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