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From: edhall@randvax.UUCP
Newsgroups: net.singles
Subject: Re: We aren't that simple.
Message-ID: <1843@randvax.UUCP>
Date: Mon, 16-Jul-84 20:26:27 EDT
Article-I.D.: randvax.1843
Posted: Mon Jul 16 20:26:27 1984
Date-Received: Wed, 18-Jul-84 06:37:57 EDT
References: <2408@decwrl.UUCP>
Organization: Rand Corp., Santa Monica
Lines: 30

>From Eirikur Hallgrimsson, on sex roles:

>                                    Like, maybe we could make them go away if
> we  yanked  the  trappings,  and  waited a couple of generations.  I used to
> believe this, and it *may* be true, but sex roles *evolved*, in the cultural
> sense,  and  like most things that 'jest grew' they're horribly complicated,
> and very well adapted.

As to the argument that sex roles have such a long history and thus are
next to impossible to change: they said the same things about slavery in
the U.S. a bit over a hundred years ago.  After all, slavery had existed
for all recorded history, and is present in the Bible.

Now, I'll be the first to admit that things are far from perfect regarding
society's treatment of racial minorities, but this slowness to change is at
least partly the result of a form of segregation that hardly affects the
sexes.  The ferment crucial to social change is quite possible, given
people of courage and foresight; we don't put women and men in separate
ghettos. ``Waiting'' has no part of this--it will be a struggle for us, and
for our children.  Howver, I believe that given patience, tolerance, and
respect for other people, coupled with intolerance for injustice and
inequality, in a ``couple of generations'' we can free ourselves from the
roles which imprison us.

Maybe I'm a hopeless optimist; then again, some of the people here seem
well on their way to dying as cynics. (And, no, I'm hardly accusing Eirikur
of being one, though there are others who qualify.)

		-Ed Hall
		decvax!randvax!edhall