Why did the chicken cross the road? Seemingly a simple question about the motives of a certain farm animal and his traffic-related concerns, however, I believe this simple question, some times mistaken as a joke without a punch line, is a symbol of the institutionalized culture of gender discrimination that has endured for eons despite the tireless struggle of countless equal rights advocates.
This “joke” depicts chickens as weak and indecisive birds that need to be monitored for fear of their hurting themselves. However, the deeper implication is that the chickens motives are suspect and worthy of further investigation.
What business is it of ours if the chicken needs to go to work or to the market or the book store? Why question only the chicken’s motives? Why not the rooster? Is the implication that female poultry are inferior to male poultry, So much so that every action need be scrutinized? These profound questions deserve to be answered.
And it doesn’t stop at snide, chauvinistic jokes; the very word “chicken” has entered our collective vocabulary as a slang term bearing with it connotations of torpor and timidity. Meanwhile the word “cocky”, from the root word cock, or rooster, has come to mean overconfidence, bravery and even brazenness.
Given that bravery has historically been the measuring stick of manliness it doesn’t take a monkey to deduce that cocky is really a term for hyper-masculinity, while anyone who can be accurately described as a “chicken” is “girlie man”.
Unfortunately, this chicken analogy is only the tip of the iceberg. When one thinks of a boy scout, it is hard not to think of that Rockwell-esque image of the young Webelo helping the decrepit old lady cross the street. Meanwhile, the girl scouts busy themselves with selling cookies and other “kitchen work” like they are supposed to. This nostalgic image of Americana is representative of an archaic societal code that we would do well to rid ourselves of.
Some might consider this a great overreaction to some innocuous jokes and common phrases. I am of the opinion that this joke is emblematic of the misogynist nature of our culture. In the words of the great Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., “injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.” And on that sentiment, I leave you all to make peace with your conscience.
This “joke” depicts chickens as weak and indecisive birds that need to be monitored for fear of their hurting themselves. However, the deeper implication is that the chickens motives are suspect and worthy of further investigation.
What business is it of ours if the chicken needs to go to work or to the market or the book store? Why question only the chicken’s motives? Why not the rooster? Is the implication that female poultry are inferior to male poultry, So much so that every action need be scrutinized? These profound questions deserve to be answered.
And it doesn’t stop at snide, chauvinistic jokes; the very word “chicken” has entered our collective vocabulary as a slang term bearing with it connotations of torpor and timidity. Meanwhile the word “cocky”, from the root word cock, or rooster, has come to mean overconfidence, bravery and even brazenness.
Given that bravery has historically been the measuring stick of manliness it doesn’t take a monkey to deduce that cocky is really a term for hyper-masculinity, while anyone who can be accurately described as a “chicken” is “girlie man”.
Unfortunately, this chicken analogy is only the tip of the iceberg. When one thinks of a boy scout, it is hard not to think of that Rockwell-esque image of the young Webelo helping the decrepit old lady cross the street. Meanwhile, the girl scouts busy themselves with selling cookies and other “kitchen work” like they are supposed to. This nostalgic image of Americana is representative of an archaic societal code that we would do well to rid ourselves of.
Some might consider this a great overreaction to some innocuous jokes and common phrases. I am of the opinion that this joke is emblematic of the misogynist nature of our culture. In the words of the great Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., “injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.” And on that sentiment, I leave you all to make peace with your conscience.
