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From: ethan@utastro.UUCP (Ethan Vishniac)
Newsgroups: net.women,net.flame
Subject: Re: Misogyny (Morley Safer on Burning Brides)
Message-ID: <787@utastro.UUCP>
Date: Thu, 15-Nov-84 11:04:36 EST
Article-I.D.: utastro.787
Posted: Thu Nov 15 11:04:36 1984
Date-Received: Sat, 17-Nov-84 05:33:46 EST
References: <1851@nsc.UUCP>, <1791@sun.uucp>
Organization: UTexas Astronomy Dept., Austin, Texas
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[]
[Sunny]
> Actually, the problem is far greater than Richard has pointed out.
>Some of you may think this is stretching it, but I believe that if we
>continue with our male dominated world which so thoroughly invalidates
>the eastern/feminine values in favor of the western/masculine values,

Not to quarrel with your values, BUT....  I'm tired of hearing about
eastern/feminine values.  I'm a great admirer of many aspects of various
Asian cultures, but stop and remember what started this debate to begin
with.  This eastern/feminine bit is simplistic crap which started as
a western put-down of Asia and since has become (ironically) enshrined as
a bit of counter-culture propaganda for Asia.  How "feminine" were the
samurai? the armies of imperial China?  I can't believe that credulous
nonsense about other people's cultures helps us face our own problems.
(BTW: Do you know what geographic region contained the most widespread
worship of the Great Mother in historical times?  Not that it was a 
particularly gentle sect.)

>  I mean, (lapsing back to
>Richard's example) I don't recall hearing of them burning Warlocks in Salem,
>only Witches.  Why is it that (some) men have this fear of women?

Actually, I don't recall hearing about *any* witches being burned in Salem.
They were hung (humane after all :-) ).  Now for a particularly sad bit
of history involving our devout pilgrim forbears.  There was one man accused of
witchcraft in Salem.  Realizing that to participate in a trial would not
save his life, only cause his farm to be passed to the state instead of
his children, he refused to say a word after his arrest.  This prevented
a trial.  He was executed by being crushed beneath a pile of stones placed
on him one by one ( in order to give him time to confess to being a witch).

   In answer to your question.  Beats the hell out of me.  If we have to answer
such questions in order to solve our problems then we're all in trouble.
Maybe we are.


                         
"I can't help it if my     Ethan Vishniac
    knee jerks"         {charm,ut-sally,ut-ngp,noao}!utastro!ethan
                           Department of Astronomy
                           University of Texas
                           Austin, Texas 78712