In total agreement with you Tim, more men should be allowed to express
their viewpoints without being threatened with separation.
Bertina
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
On Fri, 28 Aug 1998, Tim Hundsdorfer wrote:
> Lydia, et al.:
>
> I feel that I (and other men) have been a little too vocal, but Lydia seems to be
>fishing for acknowledgement of white male advantage on our part--which I do not
>consider to be an unfair request. I agree that a discussion of male privilege is
>appropriate to this list and I'll kick it off.
>
> Let's start with socialization. My mom and dad raised me to believe that God was
>(effectively) a white man--I remember those Germanic pictures of Jesus very well. If
>we did bad he would smite us with his "terrible swift sword." The president was also
>a man. Congress was men (except for a few radicals). The Supreme Court was men.
>Most of corporate America was men. This gave me a wide range for which to aim.
>
> Twenty years (o.k. thirty years) later, let's see where we are. God's still a white
>man. The president is still a white man. Congress--so white and male that if it
>were a country club, you'd probably resign from it before you ran for Congress. The
>Supreme Court--mostly white and male, with some good exceptions and some bad ones.
>Corporate America? Forget it.
>
> Even when there is diversity, the diverse are often (though not always) white men in
>disguise. Clarence Thomas = Byron White? He's certainly no Thurgood Marshall!
>Susan Molanari = Alphonse D'Amato? She isn't Pat Schroeder! Mother Jones had an
>excellent article about the white masculinization of women and minorities working
>within the system--including a woman who laid off thousands of women, including
>single mothers and moved a clothing factory to Mexico. You don't have to be white
>and male to be part of the patriarchy anymore--but it definitely helps.
>
> There are some very nice exceptions, too, but not on the scale I would expect.
>
> Girls can't wait to get the "Math is hard" Barbie, and boys are strongly encouraged
>to play with "Little Soldiers."
>
> White Male America decided that the 15% of women and minorities taking up slots in
>law schools and public universities was too much and that we need to roll back
>affirmative action.
>
> Yet to hear the crybabies that listen to Rush Limbaugh, you'd realize that White Men
>have been oppressed in the USA since the start of the Clinton Administration--the
>same Clinton Administration that's standing by powerless while Obersturmbahnfuhrer
>Gingrich and company dismantle the accomplishments of the last thirty years.
>
> I benefit from all of this--but I don't like it. I walk the streets where I want,
>when I want. I get a job a lot easier than women, Blacks, Latino/as and Native
>Americans. And that job is almost always going to pay more. Nobody abuses me when I
>go in to have medical procedures performed. I can fly without being undressed or
>harassed. Even if I am arrested, I'm more likely to get off easy. I'm not beaten by
>skinheads or denied health and life insurance.
>
> Why do I care? I'm a father, a husband and a son. Because it's right to care.
>It's just.
>
> What can I do? First of all, I try to look at the world from a feminist
>perspective. That's not easy for me! Sometimes, it's like reading a book in a
>second language. Second, I support affirmative action! Not just in an abstract way,
>but when I have input in hiring (which occurs often at the University of Colorado at
>Denver). Finally, by respecting nature and life and recognizing the connection
>between nature and women. Recognizing that neither is an object, but a partner. But
>it's not enough to "respect" and "recognize," one must be active. One must educate
>other white men. As you know, a large sector of white men only listens to other
>white men. That's why it is vital to develop some white men who are willing and
>capable of teaching feminism, and to include it in a variety of curricula. I believe
>we must also reject the Republicrats, who are every bit as committed to the
>patriarchy as the Republican "Party of God," that's why I changed my affiliation to
>Green.
>
> I don't deny that I have certain privileges based on my status within the
>patriarchy--but as someone who chooses to use those advantages to work with women,
>minorities and GLB/Transgendered people, I want to point out that I AM NOT THE ENEMY.
> I love the patriarchy no more than you, even if I receive its bounty. I suggest
>that most within this forum understand this, as Dr. King so eloquently pointed out
>earlier this week. There are probably those here who would replace the Patriarchy
>with a Matriarchy, and it would probably work better, but ultimately, shouldn't our
>goal be a partnership without gender dominance? This is what history and nature
>teaches me, and this is my goal--and probably the goals of other males here as well.
>(Oops there I go speaking for others again...)
>
> I'm going to fade into the background again (I'll be in Boston for the APSA meeting
>next month and would love to meet anyone at the Women's Studies section if you want
>to drop me a line.) and let the balance of posts to the list restore itself. :)
>
> Tim Hundsdorfer
> (303) 556-2770
> [EMAIL PROTECTED]
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> Sent: Friday, August 28, 1998 8:17 AM
> To: STUDIES IN WOMEN AND ENVIRONMENT
> Subject: Re: separtism and saving the world
>
> ..uh Bertina--
>
> What I am saying is NOT a woman only list, but rather that the
> DISCUSSION of male privilidge is an important topic that is entirely
> appropriate for this list...
>
> There appears to be a knee-jerk defensiveness that comes into the
> picture when this subject gets hauled out..." if you don't like
> this, go start your own..." This is not helpful.
>
> Lydia
>
> > It is all very well for women to have their own space. I being a single
> > woman, with no children, have plenty of space of my own. I joined a
> > listserv so I can learn about diverse issues, topics and opinions and not
> > from one gender alone. Start a Seperatist Listserv if that is so important
> > to you.
> >
> > Bertina
> > [EMAIL PROTECTED]
> >
> > On Thu, 27 Aug 1998, Lori Anne Parker wrote:
> >
> > > >
> > > >
> > > > 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.
> > > >
> > >
> > > this is EXACTLY what i was getting at in my post regarding privilege and
> > > the need for women-only spaces. I read this after writing the other one.
> > >
> > > - Lori Anne
> > >
> > >
> >
> >
> Linda Littrell
> Applied Economoics
> University of Minnesota
> 612/625-1762
> [EMAIL PROTECTED]
>
>
