The Theme Of Exploitation In 'And' All Consuming Women

The term, “exploitation” is often used in terms of labor. People are exploited for the profitable gains of their exploiters. It has become increasingly clear however, that this exploitation is not simply about money, it is part and parcel of a larger power play, one which we see so often entangled with gender inequality. In the texts Is there Anything Good About Men? (2007) and , “All Consuming Women: The same industries that exploit us turn around and sell our exploitation back to us” (2017), Roy F. Baumeister and Rhonda Garelick respectively have considered the topic of exploitation in depth, and used this term as a springboard for further investigation of how the genders are exploited. Both authors discuss exploitation, on the surface, as a means for gaining profit through the use of a person or people. They also very clearly consider that the

Both writers deem exploitation as something which has dangerous effects on those who are exploited and both have a clear “victim” in mind. They have each chosen to come out in defense of their own gender. The difference being that this is clear from the onset of Garelick’s article. Baumeister discusses the topic with the precursor that he is not choosing sides. What the audience receives is the acknowledgement that women are exploited by culture, but specific examples of how men are exploited, how they are put in harm’s way more than women and are considered expendable. The argument for these points is hedged on what Baumeister considers “the most underappreciate fact.” This fact is, “today’s human population is descended from twice as many women as it is men.” What Baumeister is saying here is that because of this fact, men have been set to be exploited and to go along with it, to reap the benefits which they may be attacked for, such as earning a higher