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From: edhall@randvax.ARPA (Ed Hall)
Newsgroups: net.women,net.news.group
Subject: Re: Net.Battle_Of_The_Sexes / Re: MEN in net.women.only !? Egads! - (nf)
Message-ID: <1647@randvax.ARPA>
Date: Mon, 23-Jan-84 22:19:43 EST
Article-I.D.: randvax.1647
Posted: Mon Jan 23 22:19:43 1984
Date-Received: Fri, 27-Jan-84 10:33:21 EST
References: <733@inmet.UUCP>, <2328@fortune.UUCP>
Organization: Rand Corp., Santa Monica
Lines: 27

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I guess there would be a certain symmetry in having a net.men as well as
a net.women.  But I don't see a very good argument for it on other
grounds.  I know it's been said before, but the entire net is sort of
a net.men, simply because an overwhelming number of those submitting
to it are men, and because of the predominently male-oriented nature
of the technical professions.  (Put that flame-thrower down!  I'm not
saying I *support* this orientation--I just calls 'em as I sees 'em.)

Except for certain matters of biology and social tradition, women's
issues are *people* issues, seen from a perspective of sex roles.
And the reason that these issues have been considered women's issues
is because it has been women who have been traditionally discriminated
against and placed in `special' positions relative to the male-oriented
establishment.  This doesn't mean that men don't have anything to do with
it any more than racial discrimination has nothing to do with whites.

So keep net.women the way it is; I don't think net.men would lower
the percentage of male submissions to it anyway.  It has been frag-
mentation and intolerance that have kept us in our mess of ill-fitting
sex roles.  Isolation only enhances the insecurities that created
the roles in the first place.  Women and men can only work these
things out together, not separately.

		-Ed Hall
		decvax!randvax!edhall   (UUCP)
		edhall@rand-unix        (ARPA)