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From: gregbo@houxm.UUCP (Greg Skinner)
Newsgroups: net.flame,net.women
Subject: Re: Sexist article in Harvard Independant
Message-ID: <1229@houxm.UUCP>
Date: Sun, 5-May-85 12:05:23 EDT
Article-I.D.: houxm.1229
Posted: Sun May  5 12:05:23 1985
Date-Received: Mon, 6-May-85 02:03:09 EDT
References: <517@yale.ARPA>
Organization: AT&T Bell Labs, Holmdel NJ
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Xref: watmath net.flame:9735 net.women:4942

> From: marr@yale.ARPA (Leon Marr)

>>      This is a letter concerning the commentary column, "I Yam What I Yam,"
>> by David W. Bell '86, of The Harvard Independant of April 18, 1985.

>> Men, in their own company,
>> have the ability to demean the status of women to the point at which the
>> opposite sex becomes little more than at best sub-human androids, or at worst
>> simple gratifiers.

A friend of mine once told me that the attitude of some Harvard black men 
towards black women was that they were "a-dime-a-dozen".  I didn't believe it
until I actually met a Harvard couple for a while who transferred to MIT for
a semester.  This article doesn't surprise me too much, as it espouses the
same attitude this couple did.

>> At parties, women take on the role of prize cattle rather
>> than fellow humans; . . .

I've also seen evidence of this, but not just at Harvard, at most of the 
parties I went to in the Boston area.  This is a problem with black men and
women -- they tend to compete with each other, and against each other, for each
other.  I've seen some good friendships break up over SOs, and seen some good
friends of mine get really hurt, and really hurt others.  I don't know exactly
why this is so -- certainly there is not a lack of black men for black women,
and vice versa.  (no flames please, about "What about non-black ...", this is
not the point I'm trying to address, nor am I trying to avoid it, we covered it
a few months ago, remember?)  Black men and women seem to be indoctrinated into
the Boston area college environment with the need to find the "finest guy" or
the "finest girl" or the richest guy/girl.  I am glad to say that I did not
associate with the people who espoused these attitudes.
-- 
She's on fire, 'cause dancin' takes her higher than anything else she knows!

Greg Skinner (gregbo)
{allegra,cbosgd,ihnp4}!houxm!gregbo
gregbo%houxm.uucp@harvard.arpa