Sit down…look pretty…and shut up… is this still the qualifying trait marks of a good wife in 2016?

This year’s NBA playoffs have been a nail biting and thrilling series at each round. I think I came into this world an NBA fan and loving every minute of each NBA season. Being a girl in my house meant nothing; sports were all around me in every part of my family and in every room in my house. It was either watch it and love it or find something else to do because TV was only for sports.

While watching this year’s NBA finals, everyone saw the meltdown that Steph Curry had after losing game 6 of the NBA finals on the road to Cleveland. Curry fouled out - it was an uncharacteristic night for the MVP. However, what had most people talking are the comments his wife made after the game where she stated, “The NBA was rigged for money or ratings”. Many people, including former and current NBA players, journalists and NBA fans addressed her ridiculous tweet. Even Mrs. Curry herself apologized and deleted the tweet.

However, what stood out to me was the comments that TV personality Stephen A. Smith made in his response to her tweet. He basically said that Ayesha Curry should sit down, and shut up like Savannah (Lebron James’ wife). I am paraphrasing. Still, his comments hit me in the chest a bit.

You can see exactly what Stephen A Smith said here:

It’s unreal that in the year 2016 we are still telling women to sit down and shut up and leave things like an opinion to their male counterparts. Of course I do not agree with what Ayesha Curry said, but so what… she had a twitter rant, who hasn’t? Still she is free to express herself, her anger, and disappointment like everyone else. She was in her feelings, she apologized and deleted it. Why couldn’t we all just move on from that point? Instead it came down to her being a woman, a wife that needed to know her place and sit down and shut up.

It is amazing how fast this country can get in a complete upheaval over a woman speaking about their opinions. It is also amazing how quickly the response to a woman speaking her mind brings out the caveman mentality of a woman knowing her place and for her to just sit down and shut up.

Control. Why is it men want to control a woman so badly? That is what all of this comes down to. When you silence anyone you are looking to control them. Control their thoughts, feelings, words, how they appear, how and what they say. It all boils down to control. In an article by Dr. Stephen Taylor he wrote about why men oppress women:

Dr. Taylor suggests, “Since men feel the need to gain as much power and control as they can, they steal away power and control from women. They deny women the right to make decisions so that they can make them for them, leave women unable to direct their own lives so that they can direct their lives for them. Ultimately, they’re trying to increase their sense of significance and status, in an effort to offset the discontent and sense of lack created by humania”.

What Stephen A. Smith was trying to say is that Steph Curry needs to do a better job at controlling his wife like Lebron James appears to have controlled his wife. Because she stays silent and out of the media’s eye constantly. Ayesha fired back at Smith with this tweet:

She does make a good point - you should not pin two women against each other? I don’t think that was Smith’s goal. He was trying to tell Ayesha how to act and providing an example for her to look at so she knows how she should carry herself. Because of course Stephen A. Smith should know a woman or a wife should behave in the NBA limelight. Men always want to try and tell a woman how to act, what to wear, what to say and how to say it, what we should wear and how we should look…too much makeup, not enough make up, too much weave, not enough weave….and so on and so on…..

No one can and should tell a woman anything about how she should be herself, especially not a man. So to all the Ayesha Curry’s in the world… rant on…. Speak on… talk on…. Keep on. It will take situations like this to bring this kind of behavior to the forefront and unite women everywhere to say loud and clear, you cannot, will not, and shalt not control me in any way, shape, or form.