> From: Stephen Black <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
> Subject: Christina Sommers alert: who's the second sex in school?
>
> As I don't recall seeing it mentioned here, I'll do the honours
> (and apologies if it's already been mentioned). One of my
> favourite gadflies, Christina Sommers, takes on the establishment
> view of who's disadvantaged in our schools. And if you know Ms.
> Sommers' work, you know it's not who you're supposed to think it
> is.
>
> The article is in the May issue of the Atlantic Monthly, on-line
> at:
>
> www.theatlantic.com/cgi-bin/o/issues/2000/05/sommers.htm
Interesting stuff.
It reminds me of a book a professor gave me in college entitled "The Myth of
Male Power," by Warren Farrell, Ph.D. (Is anyone familiar with this book?)
I've brought it up in male-female discussions before, and the women jump all
over it, while the men (mostly) sit silently. I have discarded it in recent years
because it wasn't generating any useful discussion at all, and I'm not smart
enough and objective enough to really figure out how to make it useful.
I don't recommend the book to others, but I invite others to look at it and see
what use (if any) it has for sex role discussions.
As I understand Farrell, he suggests that men do not have the power that
everyone thinks they do, and that this myth of men being in power keeps
men and women from drawing closer to each other. He further states that
our ignorance of male powerlessness is destructive.
Some findings from research and other facets of society he uses to bolster
his arguments:
-In 1920, women in the US outlived men by 1 year; today its 7 years
He argues that if power means having control over one's life, then perhaps
there is no better ranking than life expectancy
-The suicide rate for men over 85 is 1,350 percent higher than for women of
the same age group; a husband whose wife dies is 10 times more likely to
commit suicide than a wife whose husband dies
-If a man and a woman conceive a child, the woman by law can either
teminate the pregnancy, or have the baby. Either way, she alone is entitled
to the choice. The man has no say, and if she chooses to have the baby, he
is legally obligated to support the baby, whether he wants the baby or not.
-The 25 most dangerous occupations in the US (coal miners, fire fighters) are
dominated by men; 94% of occupational deaths occur to men
-A man convicted of murder is 20 times more likely than a woman convicted
of murder to receive the death penalty
*************************************************************************
Jim Guinee, Ph.D. Director of Training, Counseling Center
Adjunct Professor, Dept. of Psychology/Counseling
Dept. of Health Sciences
President-Elect, Arkansas College Counselor Association
University of Central Arkansas
313 Bernard Hall Conway, AR 72035 USA
(501) 450-3138 (office) (501) 450-3248 (fax)
"Time is a great teacher, but unfortunately it kills all its pupils."
-Hector Berlioz
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