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Sunday, Nov 8, 2009
Simone
Published Letters: 65 Editor's Choice: 8
"Am I a female misogynist?" Yes. "Are you a feminist?" Nay, you're too immature, maybe someday. I'm not sure you want to find interesting and thoughtful women because you may be unsure you measure up to them. I'm living proof you can find bright, interesting and thoughtful women (and men) with little effort. Try getting involved in your community - volunteer for a campaign, run a campaign, run for office, volunteer at the Blood Center or the Botanical Center, start a community garden, plant trees, petition city hall, mentor in an ESL program, be a Big Sister or volunteer with the Girls Scouts, join your neighbor association, join the local film society or cycle club or travel far and wide. The world is full of wonder women who will challenge your mind and brighten your day. I've met my dearest friends on the bus going to an ERA March, volunteering at Planned Parenthood, working in campaigns for progressive candidates, walking my dog, working in public gardens as a Master Gardener and in the Scottish Heritage Society. Although a few of us work for major corporations, most of my friends work in the public sector - teaching, organizing, lobbying. Now get off your butt and do something to make yourself interesting to those wonderful women. You might have a change in heart.
She's young but she's also a racist. If you are as appalled as you claim then move on to a person more compatible with your beliefs - that is what dating is all about - and be glad you found out early in the relationship.
I hate this book without having read it because it gave our local paper the opportunity to print, with a large eye-catching picture, another typical Kathleen Parker "feminism is the root of all evil in modern society/feminists hate men" article. Like Dowd, Parker's articles are so illogical and all over the place that a rebuttle is almost impossible (and who has the time).
When I read anti-feminist tracks like Dowd's (she may not think they are anti-feminist but if that is what 95% of the readers conclude, well, its a duck) it makes me so weary. Much of feminism never made it out of the gate. It has been trumped by the greed of the 80's, and the religious fundamentalism of the 90's and the complete, dispicable dumbing down of the 2000's.
If the antis cared about women and children they'd advocate for mandatory sex education and free birth control.
I saw Rent in London, with the original NY cast, and couldn't get out of the theatre fast enough. Rent and Cats are the reason I tell people I hate musicals, just in case they are about to invite me to one. It isn't true, of course. I love some musicals on stage, hate almost all at the cinema.
...we should all be so kind and caring to children.
You ask, "Otherwise, what exactly is the harm? This is none of his wife's business, nor his childrens'."
Really? This may actually be bigger than you think since it likely violates everything the wife understands about marriage, family and her relationship with her husband. He needs to get tested for a sexually transmitted disease, confess to his wife and ask her to be tested as well. At least those actions would prove he has some respect for her as a human being.
We've got some women angry at men for wanting to opt-out of their sexual and parental responsibilities and some men responding by attacking feminism or liberal women in general.
This conversation isn't about feminism or liberalism or conservativism because those tags don't apply in a conversation that has gotten so very personal. Some of the writers are expressing feelings of abandonment and others feelings of entrapment.
Maybe I just have really responsible and thoughtful friends, family, coworkers and neighbors but I don't witness such hatred despite their divorces, unplanned pregnancies and disappointments.
Maybe the answer for both parties is the consistent use of reliable birth control and having respect and affection for someone before you have sex with them. Is it too much to ask that you actually know and like the person you are about to have sex with?
Let's not make relationships harder than they are. Realize people make mistakes, give people the benefit of the doubt and treat others as you wish to be treated. If you can't live those simple concepts then you're in for a world of hurt.
Thank you for the well-reasoned and yet simply stated arguments.
I hope it is just a bad choice of words since every dictionary I looked at defined canoodle as having sexual overtones: pet, fondle, lovemaking, etc. Leave canoodling to the sexual lovers - there is no place for it in parent-child relationships.
No Name Given said, "Really. Sometimes I think that after the Pankhursts, feminism has been nothing but one enourmous wank."
There is a running current in Salon letters for some people to read an article and just blame feminism for everything they disagree with. This article on weight obsession has nothing to do with feminism and just a little bit to do with self-confidence,self-indulgence, male-female relationships, consumerism, marketing, immaturity, egotism, and on and on. Feminism did not cause and will not take 'credit' for weight obsession, teenager's dressing like pros, or Victoria's Secret breastbots. I'm afraid that successful marketing in our consumer society won that round.
Much of the initial coverage about Fort Hood turned out to be wrong. Is there anything wrong with that?
The accountability imposed by another country for the CIA's kidnapping and torture reveals much about our own.
Fox News' morning show plays to type, talking about whether Muslims in the Army should face "special debriefings"
219 Democrats and one Republican join in favor of the legislation, which passed by a narrow margin
The survivor and author is upset about comparisons some on the right are making to genocide
Salon headlines in your mailbox
