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From: gannon@MDI.COM (Alden Gannon)
Newsgroups: soc.feminism
Subject: Re: Sexism vs. Men's Oppression
Message-ID: <1991Jun1.002120.870@MDI.COM>
Date: 1 Jun 91 00:21:20 GMT
References: <9105311127.aa07895@ics.uci.edu>
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In article <9105311127.aa07895@ics.uci.edu> tittle@alexandre-dumas.ICS.UCI.EDU (Cindy Tittle Moore) writes:
>In <1991May29.182720.349@MDI.COM> gannon@MDI.COM (Alden Gannon) writes:
>...
>>If men hold the power, where did I get my six points?  Why is it in the
>>interests of men to create AA, or sexist abuse laws?  Men do *not* hold
>>sovereignty (in the Rouseauian sense).  It is held by powerful voting
>>constituencies; one of which is NOW.
>
>My question then becomes, how do you attribute the causes behind your
>six points TO WOMEN?  Or, more accurately, only to women?  Why is it
>that the idea of men holding power means to you that *no* men will
>suffer?  (Is it because you think that no women will suffer if women
>hold power?)

Cindy did not read my post carefully.  Let me quote some relevant lines
from it:

"Based on my experiences, and those of many other men, men do not feel
oppressed by women per se."

"Any time you vote for someone who favors free choice for women and
*no* choice for men, you are contributing to the oppression of men, whether
you are a man or a woman."
          ^^^

I do *not* attribute the causes behind my six points to women.  I attribute
them to voters, many of which are homophobic, and see nothing wrong with
beating up gay men.  How do you think we got Jesse Helms in office?

Men do not hold power.  Women do not hold power.  Large groups of people
with similar opinions hold power.  Since 53% of the voters are women,
women have more potential for holding power than men.

According to Kokee Roberts' analysis on NPR's Morning Edition on May 30,
the ongoing debate on the Civil Rights Bill in the U.S. Congress is a
good example.  Democrats are trying to rally enough support to overturn
Bush's veto on the "Damages awarded to women in sex discrimination"
issue.  Kokee says that the opposition is falling apart because Democrats
are not receiving enough support from their constituents (Kokee went so
far as to say "from women") to justify the battle.  Dismayed democrats
were concluding that women just didn't care about discrimination, anymore.
So when Bush's veto is sustained, don't go blaming the white male
power structure.  Instead, WRITE YOUR CONGRESSPERSON!
-- 
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Alden B. Gannon, the Chaste.         INTERNET: gannon%mdi.com@uunet.uu.net
"Become who you are!" - F. Nietzsche.  USENET: ..uunet!mdi.com!gannon