"The times they are a changin'," and you can feel the wind without a weatherman. If ever Bob Dylan's lyrics were apropos, they surely are now.
But some folks can't resist resisting the sweep of history. Respect for cultural differences notwithstanding, history is sweeping new definitions of family and women deep into mainstream culture.
It's six weeks since the U.S. Supreme Court denied Alaska's request for a stay of court actions that allow same sex marriage in the state. The state has said it will continue to appeal the court decisions that allow such unions, though the new administration has yet to weigh in. And it is not clear whether the Supreme Court will take up a Michigan case that challenges the only circuit court decision in the country that bans the unions.
But at this point, it's rather academic what the courts do: the public has accepted that there are different ways to define even the most fundamental aspects of life, in this case "family," and, in typical American fashion, people have opted for freedom -- the freedom to believe what one will, and the freedom from having a disagreeable view, even one sanctioned by authority, crammed down one's throat. Generally, Americans accept that minorities have a right to their own views, but don't accept the notion that minorities can force their views on everyone else. It took a while, but eventually even the Puritans figured that out.
There are limits, of course; some things pass into the realm of cultural certitude. Holocaust denial is beyond the pale. But enforcement of cultural certitudes can take time. Child molestation has been socially unacceptable for a long time, but only recently has the public had the stomach to confront it openly and insist that enforcement mechanisms be brought to bear. Spousal abuse has yet to reach that dimension, and only just now is the veil being lifted on the widespread abuse of women and on the brutality inflicted on young black men by organized police forces.
In this regard it was somewhat remarkable that on Pope Francis' recent visit to Turkey, he and President Erdo?an called jointly for religious and cultural toleration. Both men represent religious-based authority that is out of sync with the movement of the secular world. Nearly coincident with the Pope's visit, for example, Erdo?an, addressing an international meeting sponsored by the Women and Democracy Association of Istanbul, declared that men and women are not equal, and the attempt to make them so is, in his words, "against nature." How like the statements of various outspoken proclaimants over such issues as women's equality, same sex marriage, and the privacy of marriage, both in the U.S. and elsewhere, Erdo?an's words do sound. And how destined to wind up in history's dustbin they are.
For most people in ordinary life, organized police forces represent daily authority, the ultimate enforcers of what the majority of the culture wants as law. Consider, then, that everywhere one goes in western society, the police officer one interacts with is as likely to be a woman as a man. That they, and other women doing the same jobs men do, are not yet paid equally is an issue that will see increasing attention as women steadily gain more visibility and power.
As more and more commentators are pointing out, Alaska must face its own resistance to the sweep of history. Alcoholism gets far more sanction in Alaska than is consistent with personal and public safety. The legitimization of Alaska Natives by the claims settlement act and subsequent acceptance into mainstream Alaska life to the contrary, abuse of Native women has been protected by a politicized veil of silence, which must be torn away. And the macho flexing of male authority that is used to justify the subordination and even subjugation of women generally must be named for what it is and attacked, not just in the Alaska National Guard. Non-whites, while more secure here than in many places, still have reason to fear constituted authority, a phenomenon that must pass.
There is hope. President Erdo?an's sexism has been widely denounced, and while it takes time, ultimately history's inexorable direction is undeniable. The times they are indeed a changin'.
Steve Haycox is professor emeritus of history at the University of Alaska Anchorage.
The views expressed here are the writer's own and are not necessarily endorsed by Alaska Dispatch News, which welcomes a broad range of viewpoints. To submit a piece for consideration, e-mail commentary(at)alaskadispatch.com