For those of us who live in the first world, we don’t live in the world where our grandmothers lived in. We are lucky. In the global economic race women are either equal or more successful than men- believe it or not. This speaker of a 2010 Ted Talk says, “The over 200,000 year period where men have been top dog is truly coming to an end.”I like to consider both sides of things and hope to strive to lend compassion to my wonderful male counter parts. We tend to think of women, throughout history, as always having had the short end of the stick. Warren Farrel submits that both men and women were enslaved by gender roles. Just as women were stuck in a role of obedient property of men, man was stuck in the role of workhorse provider and family protector that often led 2 his death, either when he was forced to work in coal mines, or when he was drafted into the army. Still, 95% of workplace deaths are male, an issue that feminism does not address.
Warren Farrel has been a champion of women. He only realized recently in his life that every time a woman criticized a man, he supported her, saying she was strong and independent, but whenever a man criticized a woman, he called him a misogynist. After much reflection, he realized that feminism had gotten things wrong. He now supports a "gender role transition movement" instead. I think he presents a very balanced view. Listen to his interview here.
I read a comment online that said, “Consider the fact that you never hear banging on about how there aren't enough women sweeping the streets or digging for coal. Maybe only men get the pleasure? Have you ever heard a single feminist complain about the male-female ratio on oil rigs?” I think that double edged swords can be an issue in feminism and I like to consider the ramifications.
I read a comment online that said, “Consider the fact that you never hear banging on about how there aren't enough women sweeping the streets or digging for coal. Maybe only men get the pleasure? Have you ever heard a single feminist complain about the male-female ratio on oil rigs?” I think that double edged swords can be an issue in feminism and I like to consider the ramifications.
Someone said this to me once about comparing the accomplishments of men and women. “If I was to get penguins and horses on a track and race them I'd be a crazy person. Yet this is exactly what society is doing with men and women. Penguins are brilliant swimmers, but you'd never see that on a track.”
I adore the writer Marianne Williamson. I heard her speak in person once and she said, “I hope women will ask the question of not how much more power we can get but rather what can we do with the power we have.” I love this way of thinking.
