>So, only things that people talk about "in the real world" are not dead ends? You are a fool.

Okay, let me put it THIS way - even within the academy alot of academics are pulling back from Postmodernism/Poststructuralism as an intellectual dead end. And I'm not just talking about revanchist retrenchments by holdouts like Harold Bloom. Sorry, that I'm such a fool.

>Good for you - so what are you complaining about in the first place?

>Um, you saying "What problems do Western Men have? Easy. We're busy working on the world's real problems AND supporting our families while all you angry, spoiled Western women whine about how "oppressed" you are."

How am I wrong? I said you were complaining and here you are complaining about it. I didn't say that women WEREN'T supporting families or working on the world's problems - all I said is that men were doing the same things and NOT COMPLAINING about it. You want equality - then stop complaining and enjoy your successses.

> Women's studies was pioneered by Western women because Western women, even now, have the most access to academia, in terms of studying and leadership.

Well duh. That's part and parcel of what I was saying.

> Your second contention, that the overhwleming focus of their research and scholarship is on the problems of western women is just plain wrong, and shows that you're talking out of your ass.

Um, and you would know this how? I thought you "never took a woman's studies class in your life"? Who's talking out of their ass now?

>Let me rephrase: are western men more spoiled than western women, considering they don't face sexism?

Nope. Middle and upper class Westerners are all equally spoiled in my opinion.

>And how is women's experience not "the other"?

This is the crux of my argument: women don't come from a seperate culture in the West. And I think that any attempt to spin women's experiences into an actual "culture" are fucking ridiculous and divisive.

>Where did I concede that? And what does the white, western middle class have to do with entitlement and women's studies? could you elaborate?

You concede it every time that you make the argument that Western men are spoiled. And actually, I regret using the words "white and middle class" - I think it would have been more accurate to say "Western, Educated classes". Does that explain things a bit better?

>How is that a response?

It wasn't. It was a concession and a joke. But honestly, I don't think that you can compare women's studies with curing cancer. It's kind of absurd.

>No? Why not?

Because those other subjects aren't an intellectual dead end like Postmodernism & Poststructuralism.

>Says the man who wrote "We [men] are busy working on the world's real problems AND supporting our families while all you angry, spoiled Western women whine about how "oppressed" you are."" LOL

You still don't know when you're being wound up, do you?

>Sounds to me as if you're having grad-student-itis. If I were going to be even nastier than usual, and I think I might, I'd say you're getting your ass kicked by the women in grad school with you.

Nah. More like new-baby itis. The only thing kicking my ass right now is our new daughter. School and work are cake compared to this. Anyone who tells you it gets easier after the first one is a liar.

>If you're a returning student, where have you been all these years?

Working in Africa. Working in New York. Buying a home. Making a family, etc.

>If you're an ongoing student, well, sur-fucking-prise, what did you expect? Let's put it this way. I was a bright particular star in high school. I got to college, and the competition got much, much tougher. I got to graduate school, and EVERYONE, almost, was Phi Beta Kappa, and you saw Nobel Laureates in the lunch line. You can either deal or wish you could guilt, blame or eliminate slightly more than half of the competition. Keep on grumping. It'll guarantee failure.

Heh. Sounds to me like YOU'RE the one with the grad school issues. No wonder you're so pissy. Good luck!

Heh - so now you've devolved into parsing the oppositional nature of my sentences? Thanks for proving my point about the uselessness of postmodern navel-gazing. Also, you ought to be ashamed of yourself for comparing women's status to that of the disabled. That's just disgraceful and indicitive of the muddy, relativistic thinking that poststructuralism produces.

White flag? Please.

I was just pointing out that your method is as silly as your arguments. What you don't realize is that, in your attempts to follow every argument to its 'logical conclusion" you often veer into the realm of reductio ad absurdum. But go ahead and declare "victory" if it makes you feel better. You haven't convinced anyone but yourself and I'm still laughing at you.

Grad Student Stipend? I wish... Sorry to dash all your misconceptions about me, but I work full time and am in a part-time program. Not sure what the rest of your rant was about, but I work for a living. Must have been nice getting a stipend and being able to focus all your time on your masters...

Greeneyed - if you don't "appreciate" being wound up, maybe you should lighten up? It's impossible to wind someone up if they don't take the bait. LOL

As for my wife, she would probably laugh in your face.

Of course I'll tell my daugther to stop whining and enjoy what she's got - just as I'll my son the same thing. Better still, I'll teach them what all good parents should teach their kids - not to whine, but to DO something when you come up against obstacles - to work harder and be better than the people who stand in their way. Navel-gazing and whinging never get you anywhere in life.