While I agree, I feel it is important to remember that women are often
subconciously tainted by patriarchal thinking too- it would be hard to
characterize Margaret Thatcher, for example, as an enlightened feminist.
I do agree that most of the violence, etc. seems to be perpetrated by men;
but much of it could not occur if there was a concerted effort to
eliminate patriarchy. The problem is that very few men, and too few
women, are willing to evolve from an androcentric viewpoint.
***************************************
* Miguel A Ordorica *
* Washington State University *
* Department of Sociology *
* Office Wilson 237 *
* (509) 335-4595 (Office) *
* (509) 332-4442 (Home) *
***************************************
On Thu, 27 Aug 1998, Linda Littrell wrote:
> Greetings:
>
> I'm finding the recent lively discussions here to be thought-
> provoking. Stoney's forwarded message about the upheaval at the
> anarchist meeting starkly outlined some important issues regarding
> separtism, patriarchy, ecofeminism and feminist theory (the latter
> I'm just getting into for a liberal arts master's program).
>
> To wit:
>
> All the talk here about bombing terrorists, etc. has patently
> avoided addressing the problem of the propensity to generic violence
> across the globe -- which springs, almost exclusively from the male
> gender. We could say that this stems from enculturation, which is
> one of the primary tenents of feminist theory: that male
> socialization over the millennia predisposes many males to resort to,
> or to choose violence (from domestic violence to nuclear
> proliferation, to terrorism, to murder, and violent crime, etc...) as
> a way to act in the world. Why is this phenomenon true?
>
> I believe that males who espouse ecofeminism need to acknowledge the
> priviledge that maleness (especially white, heterosexual maleness)
> confers, nearly universely. Much of it goes unrecognized in a world
> that defines humanity with an androcentric (male) bias. The
> anarchist meeting so vividly exposes the virulent fear and backlash
> that often occurs when this concept is brought forth for discussion.
> And I feel that this list is a very appropriate place for it to be
> discussed.
>
> I'm sorry if Madrone leaves because she feels the need for
> "non-mixity" because I truly feel that men and women do need to
> keep the dialogue open....but I also feel that ecofeminist men may
> need to recognize that some of their unconscious behaviors and
> unquestioned ways of thinking are, indeed, manifistations of a
> partriarchy, alive and well, even in the progressive movement.
>
> Regards,
>
> Lydia in St. Paul, MN
>
