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From: angie@iuvax.cs.indiana.EDU (angela allen)
Newsgroups: soc.feminism
Subject: Re: Is Affirmative Action Sexist?
Message-ID: <8910211004.aa13629@ICS.UCI.EDU>
Date: 24 Oct 89 19:08:13 GMT
References: <8910200344.AA29498@uunet.uu.net>
Sender: tittle@ics.uci.edu (Cindy Tittle)
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Approved: tittle@ics.uci.edu

I'm not sure if this is going to the right person, but here goes.

THIS IS NOT A FLAME!!! I loved the post (clear, concise,
level-headed... a sinificant contribution to the field. --New York
Times) This is a consciousness-raising effort to change the way ALMOST
EVERYONE speaks about men and women (including me when I'm not paying
attention :-)

In soc.feminism [someone] write[s]:
[I'm not sure which article is being referred to here... --clt]

> in other words, women are 
>men whose bodies are shaped somewhat differently, and to think 
>or act otherwise is to be a sexist. 
   *more stuff here*
>If, on the other hand, women really are different from men in
>some essential way 

Please notice that you are defining women in terms of men, retaining
men as the focus, the norm, and the yardstick of all the rest of us.
If this is what you meant, that is your business. If not, I suggest
that next time you might say:

In other words, women and men are merely somewhat differently shaped
bodies... 

If, on the other hand, the genders really are different in some
essential way...

Thanks for your post, and thanks for your patience in listening to my
raving about my pet peeve.

--angie