Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!rpi!usc!elroy.jpl.nasa.gov!aero-c!nadel From: oneil@zeus.unomaha.edu (Truth or Dare?) Newsgroups: soc.feminism Subject: Re: Sexism vs. Men's Oppression Message-ID: <15651.2846517e@zeus.unomaha.edu> Date: 31 May 91 19:37:02 GMT References: <1991May13.194337.3494@ux1.cso.uiuc.edu> <282f3194.17a3@petunia.CalPoly.EDU> <1991May29.183550.484@MDI.COM> Sender: news@aero.org Organization: The Aerospace Corporation, El Segundo, CA Lines: 59 Approved: nadel@aerospace.aero.org Originator: nadel@aerospace.aero.org In article <1991May29.183550.484@MDI.COM>, gannon@MDI.COM (Alden Gannon) writes: > In article muffy@remarque.berkeley.edu (Muffy Barkocy) writes: >>Discrimination against women, even to "protect" them, is not of benefit >>to them. The point is not that women are in a "privileged" position >>because so many fewer of them die in combat, but that they are not >>allowed to make that choice for themselves, so they are kept in a >>subordinate/"child"/protected position. We don't benefit from the >>government making decisions "for our own good." > > Excuse me? And men have a better choice? I can simply choose not to > participate in a war, huh? > Men cannot choose for themselves whether they want to kill people and be > killed in some foreign land. Women cannot choose for themselves whether > they want to stay home and tend victory gardens. So who has the better > deal "for their own good?" I agree BUT I think it is unfair to blame women for this. As I have stated /over and over/ again: women did not choose not to be drafted. Congress did. If you have a problem with the way that current draft policy is set, then you really should call your congressman or state representative and make your feelings known. Patricia Schroeder is currently trying to get the armed forces to allow women to serve in combat. I read a very, very interesting editorial in the May 30, 1991 USA Today by this woman who is also a member of the House of Representatives. She argues that women should be able to serve in combat and that the rules excluding women are antiquated, especially when it comes to the Air Force. In the Gulf War, women were not allowed to fly combat aircraft, but they were allowed to fly unarmed, noncombat planes in enemy territory. In other words, they did things like fly supplies in combat territory. If a woman can fly a supply plane in combat territory, why can't she fly a combat plane? As Schroeder points out, the plane doesn't know if a male or a female is operating the craft. Hillel points out that President Carter pushed a male registration in the seventies. Yes, quite true, Hillel. I remember that. I also remember that there was some debate as to whether women would be included and I think that the reason Carter ended up pushing the male registration is because he knew that a male/female registration would never pass through Congress. He wanted a registration and he took what he could get. Alden -- why aren't women going to be drafted anytime soon? I'll tell you why. I think that we are in quite a conservative backlash in this country, for one thing. And I think that our society has a view of women that is much too patronizing and protective. I agree with you that a Male Draft isn't fair. I just don't think you're putting the blame for the situation on the right people. Blame the politicians. Don't blame the women. > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- > Alden B. Gannon, a.k.a. Zarathustra. INTERNET: gannon%mdi.com@uunet.uu.net -- ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Sharon Lindsey O'Neil "I could be happy/I could be quite naive/ Bitnet: oneil@unomai1 It's only me and my shadow/Happy in our Internet: oneil@zeus.unomaha.edu make believe/Soon." -- Tears for Fears ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~