Howdy folks: As I was perusing the messages tonight, the following t=
hree
personal conceptual biases caught my attention:
=20
>...also provides a moderating influence upon our activities preventi=
ng the
slide
>into extremism of all forms--it is all too easy for feminism to beco=
me a
>hatred of men.
=20
=09In my personal experience, which I must admit is limited to the wi=
ld
and woolly Alaskan frontier, feminism has little or nothing to do wi=
th hating
men. Frankly, the women I most frequently hear vehemently disparagi=
ng men are
heterosexual, nonfeminist women comfortably enjoying the perks inhere=
nt to
being viewed by society as protected by a man. Most usually by marri=
age. The
feminists I know spend more time trying to understand what 'feminine'=
means.=20
Jean Shinoda Boen wrote a book a few years ago called The Goddess in =
Every
Women in which she confronted the traditional Jungian view of anima =
and animus
by saying that powers of assertion, aggression, linear thought, usual=
ly
associated as male, are actually female attributes which the dominant=
culture
has rather effectively erased. Likewise with compassion, maternal in=
stincts,
being exclusively female.
=20
>...I recognize=C9that the male component of this list is at times to=
o, what,
>too male? Whatever. I hope I do not step over reasonable bounds.
=20
Here I feel it is important to recognize that by men stepping back an=
d making
room for women to speak we still reinforce the myth of women as essen=
tially
victims and being in need of protection by males. As women, in order=
to be
whole, it is necessary that we make room for ourselves in discussions=
, and give
up the victim attitude so effectively perpetuated by our culture. =
=20
=20
>...I too have noticed the frequency of posts from men relative to th=
ose from
women, and
>also occasionally a tone that suggests that, if I make a response, I
>might be "overpowered"
=20
As long as we as women act from our fears, and hope that someone will=
give us
our space on a silver platter, we are still victims and will continue=
to be
treated as victems by society at large. =20
=20
What does this have to do with ecofeminism? Basically that in order =
to restore
balance to the earth, we need a gestalt of true masculine and true fe=
minine
thought and action. We can not have that until each of us understand=
s what
that is, and each of us takes the necessary steps to make changes in =
ourselves.=20
Internalized mysogeny is pretty difficult to ferret out. I don't kno=
w what the
male term would be, internalized mysoangy? Anyhow, it's all the same=
..
=20
So sez I, by golly ; )
ani
=20
