> On Sun, 16 Apr 1995 10:38:40 -0600, Philip T Shepard wrote: > What continues to perplex and fascinate me as a part-time > >scholar of Chinese philosophical traditions is the fact that deep organicisms > >of this sort (example below) coexisted in China in highly developed forms >during the Sung dynasty right along side of some of the worst sexist >practices > >that the world has known (e.g. foot binding). A central example of organicis t, > >immanential spiritualism was the notion adopted by all the neo-confucians of > >the sage as forming one body with "heaven-and-earth." Chang Tsai captures > >the feeling in the first few lines of his "Western Inscription": > > > > Heaven is my father and Earth is my mother, and even such a small > > creature as I finds an intimate place in their midst. > > Therefore that which fills the universe I regard as my body and that > > which directs the universe I consider as my nature. > > All people are my brothers and sisters, and all things are my companions. > > (Chan, Wing-tsit, _Sourcebook in Chinese Philosophy_, p. 497) > > > >I'm curious what others may think of this. Is the "one body" view of the > >neo-confucians an appropriate example of the sort of view ecofeminists are > >seeking out? (a "deep organicism"?) And if it is, what lessons should we draw > >from its place in its own historical context along with Chinese sexism? Melissa Raven responded: > I think it's very significant that the earth=mother concept is expressed in > this quotation. Also the inherently hierarchical mind/body dualism (I > interpret nature in this quotation to be mind/intellect (that which directs > the universe - which includes the earth/mother) - correct me if I'm wrong). > > Like you, Philip, I'm intrigued by the juxtaposition of thinking that is > sound/just in one dimension and horrendous in another. But I'm becoming > less and less surprised by it - wanting to do the right thing doesn't > automatically generalize across issues. (And this is a criticism of myself > too - e.g. I have only very recently started to be aware of heterosexual > dominance and class issues). > Shepard replies further: One noteworthy aspect of Chinese thought, especially among neo-confucians such as Chang Tsai, is the absence of mind/body dualism. "Heaven-and-Earth" in Chinese is actually one term that reflects the Chinese sense of the immanence of purpose or normativity in nature (somewhat like Aristotle). So, while Chang Tsai is certainly likening earth to mother and heaven to father in the Western Inscription, this doesn't seem to result in a concept like Earth Mother, such as one finds in late medieval or early renaissance times in the West. (Nor, of course, is there a scientific revolution to come in China that slays the Earth Mother, or rapes her a la Bacon; see Carolyn Merchant, _Death of Nature_ on that). Quite the contrary, Chang Tsai seems to be appealing to a harmonious interdependence of father and mother as a metaphor of how the world actually works. Perhaps this will spark further thoughts and remarks. (Sorry to be so slow in responding; end of term crunch and all that.) Cheers, ps >From [EMAIL PROTECTED] Sun Apr 30 16:48:36 MDT 1995 Date: Sun, 30 Apr 1995 15:50:33 -0700 (PDT) From: Faith Freewoman <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: Jayne S Docherty <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Subject: Re: FWD: RACHEL #348: Warning on Male Reproductive Health In-Reply-To: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> On Sat, 29 Apr 1995, Jayne S Docherty wrote: > are the "real" or ultimate cause of human behavior... To argue that it > all comes down to chemicals is far too reductionist, for my taste. "Easy" answers are rarely satisfactory, IMHO. Reductionism and stereotyping live in the same house, far as I'm concerned; and I don't like either one of them (see later in this post). > > individually tailored chemical/hormonal cocktail everyday... Sorry, that > is a bit sarcastic. It is just that I work with people who are trying to > reduce the problem of violence in the world to one of brain chemistry or > hormones or whatever. And people who want to reduce the "mind" to the > "brain" and explain our thoughts through electrical impulses and chemicals... > Actually, it appears to me that your "cocktail" idea is one promulgated by many psychiatrists and MDs ... and even a few alternative practitioners. Medicate, medicate ... > > I may be annoyed with men because they have been the powerholders. That > doesnot translate to blaming them for all of our current mess. Women > have certainly colluded in violence and environmental destruction and all > of the other ills of the world. There are no "good guys" and "bad guys" > in this situation.... We can't sort the good guys from the bad guys on ACtually, I meant to imply exactly what Jayne has stated above when I asked why people are so mad at men in general (as many feminists seem to be) if it's NOT testosterone. As my earlier post about my husband noted, I resent stereotyping, and blaming men for every ill in the world is stereotyping of the worst sort. I've always expected that people who have been marginalized would be the LAST ones to inflict this on others, and yet so often this is exactly what happens. Perhaps this is just a learning process ... your first step into a new "position" in the hierarchy of power usually being to try out what was used on you. Is this clear? Could this be a dynamic which is, if not natural, at least understandabl? If so, what could be done to help people avoid spending a lot of time repeating the sins of the conqueror when it's their turn at the microphone (forgive the garbled metaphor ...) Faith >From [EMAIL PROTECTED] Sun Apr 30 16:57:48 MDT 1995 Date: Sun, 30 Apr 1995 15:59:52 -0700 (PDT) From: Faith Freewoman <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subject: PW Hotline #6 (fwd) ---------- Forwarded message ---------- Date: Sat, 29 Apr 1995 18:03:01 -0400 From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subject: PW Hotline #6 Political Woman Hotline Volume 1 #6 April 29, 1995 -------------------------------------------- Day 116 of the Contract ON America Only 556 days until Election Day 1996 1,905 responses so far! -------------------------------------------- copyright 1995 political woman inc. #1. Women's Leadership Network needs a new name! To our surprise, we just learned that a Republican group called the "Women's Leadership Network" has been in existence since 1992. As a result, we must change our name. (The only good part is that we found out sooner -- rather than later!) To maintain some degree of continuity, we propose "Women's Political Network." Tell us what *you* think. Put "Name Change" in your e-mail subject. #2. Response to Oklahoma City. The central horror of Oklahoma City is that white male anger is so far out of control that some rage-crazed AWMs will murder their fellow citizens -- including babies -- to express it. We recognize the "underlying causes" of this rage: the deindustrialization of America, which has eliminated good-paying blue-collar jobs for men; the growing inequality between rich and poor Americans; the shift in tax burdens from the rich to the middle class; the civil rights movement, which has ended black subservience to working class whites; the feminist movement, which has ended female subservience to white men of all classes; and lingering psychological damage from America's defeat in Vietnam. But we also recognize that this rage is being manipulated by various conservative groups, talk show hosts, and political figures to promote their own agendas. The groups include the armed revolutionary groups known as "militias," racist neo-nazi and skinhead groups, anti-Semitic groups like the Liberty Lobby, anti-abortion groups like Operation Rescue, and anti-gun-control groups like the NRA. The talk show hosts include people like convicted Watergate felon G. Gordon Liddy, who said "under certain circumstances, shooting agents of the [BATF] could be justifiable," and advised his listeners to avoid the agents' bullet-proof vests by firing 'head shots.' The political figures include Pat Buchanan, who champions "culture wars," and Pat Robertson who advocates dark conspiracy theories and military-style "stealth" campaigns. Taken separately, each of these groups and individuals has a limited constituency. But taken collectively, they have created an atmosphere of paranoia and hate that has begun to dominate the national political discourse. Indeed, this atmosphere was a principal force behind the right-wing takeover of Congress in 1994. And every day we see the consequences of this takeover in the form of bills intended to overturn 100 years of legislation to promote civil rights, social security, gun control, public education, environmental protection, and corporate responsibility. When we founded the Women's Leadership Network, we intended to focus on the threat posed by the Contract With America and other conservative proposals before Congress. But Oklahoma City forces us to recognize that the threat from the far right is even more ominous than the conservative legislative agenda. We must confront the idea that if we do not stand up to the broader ideological assault from the far right, they have the potential to take over America the way the Nazis took over Germany when similar paranoid ideologies reigned. To stop the far right, we must start by making a decision to take the country back from the ideologues of the right. To do so, we must challenge the core idea that drives the right: the idea that hatred is cleansing and good. We must challenge this idea with a simple truth we have learned over and over again throughout history, which can be summed up in two words: Hatred Kills. This is an idea that some Americans are reluctant to accept. Indeed, President Clinton's brief allusion to hate speech brought a flood of condemnation from such "mainstream" right figures as Rush Limbaugh and Newt Gingrich. But we have seen the same pattern repeated over and over in history, including right here in America: hatred leads to vilification, which sooner or later leads to murder. We believe the women of America can lead this fight. Women as a group do not promote hatred, nor do women resort to violence. To bring about change, women rely on persuasion. And that is what it will take help Americans understand that division and hatred can only produce more Oklahoma Cities, Birmingham Churches -- and Auschwitzes. We propose to launch our "Hatred Kills" campaign on Mother's Day, May 14. We have come up with a series of proposed activities which we would announce on that date (see below). As always, we welcome all of your comments and suggestions. We also welcome your active participation in planning these specific activities and planning the overall effort. If you would like to work on the overall effort, send us an e-mail with the subject "Hatred Kills Committee." If you would like to work on a specific activity, put that activity in the subject (e.g. "Mother's Day Letters Committee"). If you would like to design and maintain a web page for any of these activities, put "Web Page" instead of "Commmittee" (e.g. "Mother's Day Letters Web Page.") If you would like to design a logo for our campaign incorporating the blue and purple ribbon and the 1- year-old victim, please send us an e-mail with the subject "Hatred Kills Logo." #2A. Mother's Day Letters: Thanks to Stephanie Schamess ([EMAIL PROTECTED]) for this suggestion. In honor of the mothers of Oklahoma City, we are organizing a campaign of Mother's Day Letters to encourage mothers, women, and girls to express their feelings about what happened in Oklahoma City and the broader issues facing America. The idea is to turn Mother's Day around slightly: instead of women simply being on the *receiving* end of a brief card, we also want to get women to *send* long letters. Besides the positive feminist symbolism -- going from passive to active, honoring women for their contributions to the world *outside* the home -- this is the one day of the year when a letter from a mother *must* be honored. :) If it works, we will make it an annual event. We may also ask the men in our Network to do the same on Father's Day, in honor of the fathers of Oklahoma City. We therefore call upon all women and girls to take a full half-hour - - or more -- to compose as long a letter as you need to express yourself fully on *whatever* national issue you care about on this Mother's Day, using your condolences for the mothers of Oklahoma City as the point of departure. Please begin the letter by writing: "I am writing this letter on Mother's Day to honor the mothers of Oklahoma City, and to call for an end to the paranoia and hatred which produced their unspeakable tragedy. As a [Mother/Father/Woman/Man/American], I believe we must come together as a nation to address the following issues." Use the body of the letter to raise whatever issues concern you, from right-wing terrorism to specific provisions of the Contract With America to broader issues of civil rights, the environment, education, or whatever you mentioned when you joined WLN. Please send copies to: 1. [EMAIL PROTECTED] we will post them on our Web page. 2. President and Mrs. Clinton, Senate Majority Leader Bob Dole and Minority Leader Tom Daschle, House Speaker Newt Gingrich and Minority Leader Dick Gephardt, your two Senators and your Representative. Write to: President Bill Clinton, 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, Washington, DC ([EMAIL PROTECTED]) Sen. Bob Dole, Senate Majority Leader, Washington, DC 20510 Sen. Tom Daschle, Senate Minority Leader, Washington, DC 20510 ([EMAIL PROTECTED]) Rep. Newt Gingrich, Speaker of the House, Washington, DC 20515 ([EMAIL PROTECTED]) Rep. Dick Gephardt, House Minority Leader, Washington, DC 20515 ([EMAIL PROTECTED]) Sen. ?, U.S. Senate, Washington, DC 20510 Rep. ?, U.S. House of Representatives, Washington, DC 20515 3. Your regular newspapers and magazines. Ask them to publish it in full. 4. Your regular talk show hosts. Ask them to invite you on the show to speak about it. #2B. Civility Pledge Hate speech cannot be outlawed. But individuals can voluntarily refrain from using it. We are therefore circulating a "Civility Pledge" to elected officials, candidates, non-elected political figures, talk show hosts, and ordinary citizens. We will place the names of pledge signers on our American Patriot Web Page. Those who refuse to sign and also violate its terms will be placed on our Hall of Shame Web Page. Women's Leadership Network "Hatred Kills" Campaign **Civility Pledge** To honor the victims of the Oklahoma City bombing -- and to prevent future bombings -- the Women's Leadership Network has launched a "Hatred Kills" Campaign. As part of the campaign, the Women's Leadership Network is circulating a "Civility Pledge" to reduce the level of anger and hatred in contemporary political debate. As a political or community leader, the words you use are crucial. We therefore urge you to sign the following pledge: I, the undersigned, pledge to A. refrain from using words which: 1. encourage hatred or violence towards those who disagree with me 2. dehumanize those who disagree with me 3. promote visceral feelings of revulsion against those who disagree with me 4. impugn the motives of those who disagree with me without substantiating evidence 5. conjure up vague conspiracies by those who disagree with me B. discourage others who advocate hatred and violence by: 1. condemning their expressions of hatred and violence when I become aware of such expressions 2. denying them any forum which I control 3. refusing to participate in forums controlled by hosts who make or encourage such expressions 4. speaking out publicly against hatred and violence Signed: _________________________________________________ Name: ___________________________________________________ Title: __________________________________________________ Fax to: 914-285-9763 or Mail to: 276 Chatterton Parkway, White Plains, NY 10606 For more information on the Women's Leadership Network/Hatred Kills Campaign, e-mail: [EMAIL PROTECTED] #2C. The Women's Contract With America. Since we started WLN, we have been working on a Women's Contract With America. We believe our contract represents the real priorities of American women and men, and represents an agenda that can unite, rather than divide the nation. We invite you to read it and comment on it by sending us an e-mail with the subject "Women's Contract." It is on our web page at http://www.interport.net/~asherman/wln.html. #2D. Women's Political Poll There have been thousands of polls conducted in recent years, but not one has ever asked: What do women think about politics and government? We are working on such a poll, and a draft is posted on our Web page. We invite you to read it and comment on it by sending us an e-mail with the subject "Poll." If anyone has the ability to design a web page data entry form for a poll that can be tallied, please send us a note. #2E. Women's Report Card. Congress has cast a number of votes on issues of concern to women. We need to compile a "Women's Report Card" which grades every member of Congress on their votes. If you would like to participate in this effort, send us an e-mail with the subject "Women's Report Card." #2F. Candidate Recruitment Drive. The 1996 campaign is under way, and there is a shortage of candidates who are willing to take on the right. We need to find women and men to run for office at all levels on our "Hatred Kills" platform and in support of our Women's Contract With America. If you would like to participate in this effort, send us an e-mail with the subject "Candidate Recruitment Committee" and any ideas you might have for finding good candidates. If you yourself would like to run for something, send us a message with the subject "Possible Candidate." #2G. Possible Washington DC event. We have written to Rep. Nita Lowey (D/NY), co-chair of the Congressional Caucus on Women's Issues and a member of our advisory board, and Senator Barbara Boxer (D/CA), about participating in a Mother's Day Forum to discuss the impact of the Republican Contract With America on women and families. The tentative title is: "Can Congress's War on Women and Families be Stopped?" At this event, we would announce our "Hatred Kills" campaign. If you would like to help organize such an event (we've already heard from a few of you on this), send us an e-mail with the subject "DC Event." #2H. Cancel G. Gordon Liddy and other advocates of violence. As mentioned above, syndicated talk show host G. Gordon Liddy.said "under certain circumstances, shooting agents of the [BATF] could be justifiable," and advised his listeners to avoid the agents' bullet- proof vests by firing 'head shots.' When challenged, he said: "If a listener responds inappropriately, it is beyond my control and not my fault." As a result of the controversy, San Bernardino (CA) station KCKC-AM dropped his show -- and began receiving death threats. "One of the most recent calls was, 'You are all going to die,'" said general manager Bill McNulty. "And I thought, 'My God, what is wrong with you people?" If your station carries Liddy, call the general manager and urge her/him to cancel him. A WLN member, Ellen Pillard of Reno NV, won a victory against Liddy when she and fellow feminists mobilized against a scheduled appearance by Liddy at the Reno Hilton. Thanks to citizen pressure, the Hilton canceled the speech. Send congratulations to [EMAIL PROTECTED] There are other talk show hosts operating from licensed broadcast outlets who advocate violence. One of the most notorious is Chuck Baker of KVOR in Colorado Springs, who advocates "armed revolution," shooting members of Congress, and forming guerilla cells, according to Fairness and Accuracy in Reporting (FAIR). One of his fans, Martin Duran, was arrested for shooting at the White House last October; as a result of the public outcry, Baker now gives militia phone numbers off the air, rather than on the air. Another is Bob Mohan of KFYI in Phoenix, who said that gun control advocate Sarah Brady "ought to be put down." Write to President Clinton at [EMAIL PROTECTED] and urge him to call the nation's attention to these hatemongers with a detailed speech on the subject. Also write to the FCC and tell them to revoke the licenses of stations which stations which advocate violence. #2I. Boycott Limbaugh Sponsors. Rush Limbaugh does not advocate violence, but he comes close to advocating hatred through his incessant insults directed towards those with whom he disagrees. Rush may insult whomever he pleases, but we don't have to make him or his advertisers rich at our expense. Last year, feminists convinced the Florida Citrus Council that supporting Rush with their advertising would cost them in lost business. This year, feminists are trying to send a similar message to Pizza Hut, a division of Pepsico. Call 800- 948-8488 to urge them to stop advertising with Rush. #2J. Rewrite the Second Amendment? The Second Amendment reads: A well-regulated militia being necessary to the security of a free state, the right of the people to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed. A member suggested this rewrite: An unregulated militia being a threat to the lives of adults and children, the right to keep and bear arms shall be strictly regulated. If you would like to work on this effort, send an e-mail to [EMAIL PROTECTED] #2K. Read up on the Extreme Right. We have collected several recent articles which describe the activities of the extreme right. We will post them on our Web page for you to read at your convenience. Our address is http://www.interport.net/~asherman/wln.html. Briefs: #Check C-SPAN this weekend for broadcast of today's Women's Leadership Summit sponsored by NOW LDEF. #Planned Parenthood is organizing a call or fax campaign on May 1st for people to call Senator Nancy Kassebaum, Chair of the Labor and Human Resources Committee, and Senate Majority Leader Bob Dole in support of Dr. Foster any time between 9am-6pm on May 1. On May 2 the Labor & Human Resources Committee is scheduled to begin its hearings of Dr. Foster's nomination. Swing votes on the committee are Bill Frist (R/TN), a cardiologist, and pro-choice Sen. Jim Jeffords (R/VT). Sen. Phil Gramm (R/TX) has threatened a filibuster, and Sen. Bob Dole (R/KS) has threatened to keep the nomination off the floor. Call or fax: in support of Dr. Foster and insist the nomination be brought to the floor. Senate Majority Leader Bob Dole at 202/224-6521(voice); 202/224- 1083(fax) AND Senator Nancy Kassebaum at 202/224-4774(voice); 202/224-3514(fax) #Citizens for Sensible Safeguards, a coalition of more than 200 progressive groups, is organizing a national call-in to the Senate to oppose legislation gutting environmental, health, safety, education, disabilities, and other critical protections and standards. This legislation affects *everything* we care about, including environmental toxins which cause breast cancer. Call your Senators directly, or through the Senate switchboard at 202-224-3121, and register your opposition to S.343 (The Comprehensive Regulatory "Reform" Act) and other anti-safeguard bills. #Fairness and Accuracy in Reporting (FAIR) is organizing a protest campaign against ABC's This Week With David Brinkley for bringing Rush Limbaugh on as a panelist on April 16. If you think Limbaugh's journalistic credentials are inadequate, phone 202 887-7375 or fax 202 887-7977. #In a debate on state funding for abortions, NC state Rep. Henry Aldridge, a 71 year old periodontist, argued against funds for victims of rape and incest on the grounds they biologically can't get pregnant. "The facts show that people who are raped - who are truly raped - the juices don't flow, the body functions don't work and they don't get pregnant," he said. Aldridge also does not believe that there is any such thing as date rape. But even though he knows he's right, Aldridge has agreed to set up an opinion poll and has stated that if enough people call and convince him he might be willing to change his view. Register your opinions by phoning (919)733-5958 or e-mailing [EMAIL PROTECTED]
