Feminists shouldn't conform to male values
We have a society which thinks that
the sector which produces lemon-
scented furniture polish is the
productive center, while the
government that educates our children
and protects us is unproductive.
— Mark H. Moore
W
hat role does
feminism have in our society? What
role should it have?
As Battalion columnist Ellen Hobbs
so aptly pointed out, the Gulf War has
left the feminist movement struggling
to define its purpose.
Should the movement seek to make
the sexes equal in a world created by
men or should women refuse to
conform to a world they were not
allowed to help create?
In my opinion, the role of the
feminist movement is not to bring
womanhood up to the status of
manhood, but rather to educate men
and women alike about the advantages
women enjoy.
Take bra burners for example. No
matter what they verbalized, what they
were saying was that their bodies were
"as good as" male bodies. Nothing
could be farther from the truth. The
reality is that the female body is
superior to the male body in many
ways.
Take longevity for example. It is well
established that male bodies wear out
faster than female bodies.
Furthermore, consider aesthetics.
The female body is infinitely more
beautiful than the male body. This is
best proved by a historical comparison
of how many female statues have been
produced over the ages compared to
the number of male statues produced.
Michaelangelo's David is unique. The
simple fact is that women have all the
curves. Men are simply blocks with
appendages sticking out.
Capitalism was invented by men. It
emphasizes male characteristics:
Aggression, "objectivity," numbers,
worth determined by productivity, etc.
This is a very efficient and productive
system for producing and distributing
material goods.
The problem is that many feminists
have bought this philosophy hook, line
and sinker. The way they emphasize
"equal pay for equal work" proves they
now advocate a system of determining
worth based on income. Income is no
longer seen as a means for survival, but
rather as the measure of status.
Which is more productive — a
woman producing lemon-scented
furniture polish or a woman educating
and cultivating the next generation? In
the capitalist system, the first is more
valuable.
Allow me to answer some angry
Responses I can already foresee. In the
jfjttst place, we must deal with the
"feminization of poverty." No child
should have his opportunities for a
future cut off due to a parent's
mistakes. However, many experts
assert that this problem is not caused
by the market, but by social forces and
problems in the welfare system.
Furthermore, women should not be
"tied" to home and children any more
than men should be. Opportunities for
men and women should be as equal as
possible; and by the way, I do believe
in equal pay for equal work and
experience at the same job.
But this certainly is a crazy society
where a person's worth is determined
by one's income. The feminist
movement can continue to reinforce
this idea by emphasizing disparities
between average male and female
money incomes. Or it can refuse to
conform and educate the public about
the invaluable investment of countless
women (and increasingly, men) who
accept lower paying and less
demanding employment to take a
greater role in raising their children.
If you think we can rely on the
government and the marketplace to
raise a generation of healthy humans, I
have some Patriot missiles and some
lemon-scented furniture polish to sell
you.
Of course, we could supplement the
incomes of parents who choose to
invest in the future by spending more
time with their children. To make it
really equitable, we could install docks
in every home for the parents to punch
in and out on a time card. Then, of
course, we would have to pay a bonus
for "hazardous duty" like going
camping with the children. Figuring
out when to pay overtime could get to
be a chore. Books on "maximizing time
with your children" would take on a
whole different meaning. And let's see,
do we have different premiums for
"quality time" and "quantity time?"...
Hmm, I wonder how in the world
people existed, not to mention
reproduced, before money was
invented.
Tim Truesdale is a graduate student in
urban planning.
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My heart supports Texas A&M
EDITOR:
I am a student at TCU, but as is often the case at smaller, private schools
that do not seem to place a high degree of emphasis on a successful athletic
program, my heart supports another team.
For me, Texas A&M is that team. I have both family and friends who are
Aggies, and many of my greatest memories growing up were those of watch
ing A&M football and basketball games. I regularly attended SWC tourna
ments and the Aggie visits to Moody Coliseum during basketball season.
When football time came, I saw many Aggie games — home and away —and,
of course, the three consecutive Cotton Bowls (1986-88).
I hate to write this letter, but it angers me to see how the Aggie basketball
and football programs always seem to shoot themselves in the foot. The situa
tion with Kermit Davis seems to be the latest in a string of incidents that
places A&M, with perhaps only SMU in close contention, as the school that
brings more embarrassment upon itself than any other in the Southwest Con
ference.
If I were an A&M student or alumnus. I'd be infuriated with the results
produced. There is no reason, as far as I can see, why A&M cannot build a
consistently top-10 program in both basketball and football. A&M should
have programs on par with Michigan, Notre Dame and the best of the South
eastern Conference schools. There is no reason why A&M shouldn't be able
to make fairly regular trips to the Cotton Bowl on New Year's Day and the
NCAA basketball tournament in March.
It should be done, and not only that, done right. That means no scandals,
no NCAA violations, no players getting into to trouble with the law. Perhaps
that is too idealistic, but the Aggies I know have higher standards for results
and ethics expected than most people.
I am tired of things happening, like hovering around the 50 percent win
mark in basketball for years, while Tom Penders of Texas comes in and ba
sically does in a few years what Shelby Metcalf couldn't do in nearly three de
cades.
I am tired of hearing how A&M wins the SWC recruiting in football and
sometimes even nationally (like many who said of the Darren Lewis-Randy
Simmons class of 1987) and then only proceeds to win one conference
championship in four years. Why?
Somewhere in this country, there is a basketball coach who can take this
program, recruit top-notch players to play for it, get the most out of the talent
and turn it into a team that has the potential to play for national champion
ships. More than that, he can do it with the honor and class Texas A&M de
serves.
How badly does A&M want programs, not just in the conference, but in
the nation, that bring it the respect the school deserves? In my mind, if I were
an Aggie, losing to Texas in both basketball and football would make me an
gry as hell. But, losing the respect of not even being able to build programs
that win without finding themselves in some sort of mess every few years
would ignite disgust words I would not even able to appropriately describe.
Texas A&M is an outstanding school that produces class people. I just ex
pect the quality of A&M's basketball and football teams, both on the field and
off, to reflect that high degree of excellence. There is no excuse for anything
less.
Scott Wallace
TCU student
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MAfc&iies
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I Inrre in my hand a list of Democrats viho voted against
President Bush’s vrar policy.. “
9?
Teach responsibility in U.S. schools
Responsibility concepts could easily
be incorporated in the U.S. school
curricula by teaching them in courses
such as "Values Clarification."
For example, as students are taught
they must choose what values are
meaningful to them in making
decisions, obedience to statutory laws
and responsibilities for one's own
actions could be included. Students
also could be taught that respect for
parents was a choice supported by
strong traditions in many societies and
a history as one of the established
mores in many U.S. communities.
The responsibility of helping to
guarantee the right to life and personal
security of oneself and others could be
paralleled to the admonitions against
molestation, manslaughter and
murder.
Responsibilities for respecting the
value of real property could be
included by teaching students that
each person has rights to what they
have acquired. Definitions of
Carter Price
Reader’s Opinion
acceptable means of acquisition could
ibe incorporated by pointing out the
'admonitions against illegal intentions
and behavior toward property
belonging to others.
Also, the responsibility for truthful
reporting of known facts and refraining
from false accusations could be taught
by illustrating the relationship of these
concepts to the right of every person to
fair and equitable treatment.
Of the most lasting importance
would be teaching the responsibility
concepts that recognize the rights of all
to freely choose a form of worship. If,
for example, one individual chooses to
express through Jesus Christ the love
for GOD with all heart, soul, mind and
strength, responsibility concepts must
teach allowing others to have different.
forms, opinions, etc. without
confrontation. Also, responsibility
would require withdrawing from
proselyting one's beliefs when
opposition or offense were registered.
Responsibility and its results have
had a good illustration in recent actions
of President Bush and the U.S. military
in the Gulf War. Irrespective of the
relative wealth of Kuwait and the
ruling monarchy, it would have been
irresponsible to allow Iraq (Saddam
Hussein, etc.) to violate the rights of a
neighboring nation to a peaceful
existence. Iraq was "wrong" or in
r otation of responsibility standards.
Through responsible actions in
Kuwait, pride and gratitude were
brought to the United States. By the
same token, teaching concepts of
responsibility in U.S. schools will
strengthen our unity and purpose as a
nation.
Carter Price is a visiting prof essor from
the Universtiy of Arkansas.
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by Nito