Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!bonnie.concordia.ca!thunder.mcrcim.mcgill.edu!snorkelwacker.mit.edu!think.com!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!swrinde!elroy.jpl.nasa.gov!aero-c!nadel From: dhw@iti.org (David H. West) Newsgroups: soc.feminism Subject: Re: Book Review: Against Our Will Message-ID: <1991May16.172036.29479@iti.org> Date: 16 May 91 17:20:36 GMT References: <1991May15.144955.22072@aero.org> Sender: news@aero.org Organization: The Forgotten Legions of ... um ... er ... Lines: 12 Approved: nadel@aerospace.aero.org Status: R Originator: nadel@aerospace.aero.org In article <1991May15.144955.22072@aero.org> John Haugh writes: >[...] the image of `woman as victim' is not empowering. This is very important, IMO. A radical feminist (her term) that I knew, who now teaches Women's Studies at a large university, used to drive me crazy with her strong commitment to the view that, in some (universal?) sense, women "are" (as opposed to "too often are/were") victims, oppressed etc. It may be possible that such a belief could serve as a useful source of energizing anger, but I don't see how it can be the basis for a coherent vision of ongoing improvement. -David West dhw@iti.org