tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37862565.post8720392253559715857..comments2012-06-16T11:59:35.014-07:00Comments on <center>Runes</center>: IWD + 3M.J. O'Brienhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13494821452318393286noreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37862565.post-11093235708851346872007-03-13T01:45:00.000-07:002007-03-13T01:45:00.000-07:00Certainly I agree with Anon's major points, includ...Certainly I agree with Anon's major points, including the idea that men also suffer from the many expectations (and stereotypes) that are imposed on them. And I'd prefer that <I>no one</I>, male or female, ever get drafted. Maybe we'd have to reconsider in a genuine national emergency, when total mobilization is unavoidable.<BR/><BR/>Anon also sez: "Feminism shouldn't be about holding women to the standards we set for men; it should be about throwing away unrealistic standards altogether." And again I totally agree. That was a major point I was trying to make in my post. <BR/><BR/>As for the "positive aspects of femininity and masculinity," that's where I begin to struggle. I haven't heard a convincing case that women are <I>born</I> "feminine" and men "masculine," apart from their anatomical assignments. "It may be impossible to know if those traits are inate or learned," as Anon says, but I'm content to start with the assumption that they're learned. To concede that those qualities are innate is too limiting--for <I>both </I> women and men. As our culture becomes more enlightened and less sexist, maybe it can figure out how to preserve and promote the best of what we now consider to be "masculine" and "feminine" qualities.M.J. O'Brienhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13494821452318393286noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37862565.post-35186585151653933842007-03-12T22:01:00.000-07:002007-03-12T22:01:00.000-07:00Although I agree with you in principle, I am wary ...Although I agree with you in principle, I am wary of taking the idea of "equality" too far. First of all, there are differences between men and women in the medical realm that are sometimes dangerously overlooked. For instance, women experience heart attacks very differently than men and may not be diagnosed until it's too late.<BR/><BR/>When men talk about feminism, they often seem to take "equality" to mean that we should treat women the same way we treat men. As a woman that doesn't appeal to me. Men may have it easier than women, but they are also held to a ridiculous standard of masculinity, and expected to be strong and fearless in the face of every obstacle (including armed combat). I don't want women to get drafted into the army for the same reasons I don't want men to get drafted - nobody deserves to be forced into that situation. Feminism shouldn't be about holding women to the standards we set for men; it should be about throwing away unrealistic standards altogether. Feminism shouldn't mean expecting every woman to be physically strong, assertive, good at math, and career-minded. It should be about tossing out the idea that a woman can't be any of those things, along with the idea that men must be all of them.<BR/><BR/>But we shouldn't throw out the baby with the bathwater and forget about the positive aspects of femininity and masculinity. Any psychologist will tell you that men and women think and feel differently. It may be impossible to know if those traits are inate or learned, but it doesn't matter, because it will probably stay that way for the foreseeable future. The important thing to remember is that the traits that both sexes bring to the table are equally valuable, and equally necessary to the human experience as we know it.<BR/><BR/>That's the kind of equality I'm interested in.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com