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From: jeff@rtech.UUCP (Jeff Lichtman)
Newsgroups: net.women
Subject: Re: not.women
Message-ID: <449@rtech.UUCP>
Date: Wed, 29-May-85 15:16:04 EDT
Article-I.D.: rtech.449
Posted: Wed May 29 15:16:04 1985
Date-Received: Sat, 1-Jun-85 11:20:57 EDT
References: <720@oddjob.UUCP> <4160014@csd2.UUCP> <2213@sun.uucp>
Organization: Relational Technology, Alameda CA
Lines: 43

> It doesn't matter what your logical basis is for expressing hatred and anger.
> What matters is love and acceptance, for only they *work* in life.
> Battling for supremacy (a male approach to life) as you so well exemplify...

Example of men "battling for supremacy" in a "male" way...

> is a useless waste of energy.  Why not go all the way, boys, use all the
> energy at your disposal, and go ahead and nuke the entire planet.
> That'll show him!	
> .
> .
> I am you, and you are me, and we are one.  
> We are all brothers and sisters, EVERY one.
> We all have karmic debts to pay, or we wouldn't be on this planet.
> No one of us is perfect, nor better than any other.
> We all have our failings, at some time or another, somewhere, somehow...
> Forgive your brethren their failures, as they should forgive you,
> we all try our best, and still fail.  What really matters, is to give
> love (not hatred), acceptance (not a holier-than-thou attitude).
> Welcome to net.women where we hope you'll learn some feminine values.
> 
> 				Sunny

I like the general idea of this posting: the idea that we should forgive
each other for our failings, and not be so inclined to violence and the
desire to coerce.  But I'm a little troubled by the implication that
love and forgiveness are feminine, and that violence and hatred are masculine.
I realize that more men than women are violent, but I know plenty of
men who have a "live and let live" attitude.  I hope you know some, too.

Remember that the idea that women and men have intrinsic natures has been
used to oppress women for a long time.  It disturbs me when I see feminists
using this kind of argument.  Once you have accepted the idea that women
have inborn dispositions that are intrinsically different from those of men,
not only have you placed limitations on all people, but you have also
implicitly agreed to the possibility that the intrinsic nature of women
is to be passive childbearers.
-- 
Jeff Lichtman at rtech (Relational Technology, Inc.)
aka Swazoo Koolak

{amdahl, sun}!rtech!jeff
{ucbvax, decvax}!mtxinu!rtech!jeff