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From: robertp@weitek.UUCP (Robert Plamondon)
Newsgroups: net.women
Subject: Re: ``they'' vs *US*
Message-ID: <224@weitek.UUCP>
Date: Mon, 10-Jun-85 21:46:11 EDT
Article-I.D.: weitek.224
Posted: Mon Jun 10 21:46:11 1985
Date-Received: Sun, 16-Jun-85 00:28:05 EDT
References: <204@timeinc.UUCP> <758@oddjob.UUCP> <110@SCINEWS.UUCP>
Organization: Weitek Corp. Sunnyvale Ca.
Lines: 100
Summary: The confusion between ethics and tactics

In article <110@SCINEWS.UUCP>, jimi@SCINEWS.UUCP (Jim Ingram/Todd Jones)
writes [in response to an article about women going about in disguise to
prevent being attacked]:

> As many other flames in net.women have pointed out, society
> expects certain behaviors from women, including their appearance.
> To expect women to dress in such a constrained manner to avoid
> sexual assault is as unreasonable as to expect them to parade
> around in high heels and low-cut dresses. Women should not
> be expected to behave in any particular fashion.

No one expects women to go around in disguise -- that's one of the things
that makes the disguise effective.  Talking about what "Society expects" in
this context demonstrates an unnerving tendency to lump all issues into the
"society vs. women" category.

Most postings to net.women actually concentrate one of these issues; ethics,
tactics, strategy, and bigotry.

ETHICAL issues have to do with what's right and wrong -- how to live a
correct or moral life.  There are really only two ethical issues that appear
in net.women with any frequency:  individual rights and government
regulation (whether it's right for a person to discriminate against another,
and whether it's right to use police power to prevent it). I believe that
ethical issues get short shrift in net.women, since flaming is more fun.

TACTICAL issues deal with surviving in a botched world.  The basic premise
here is that you have to make allowances for the trials and tribulations of
the world, at least until the promised Utopia arrives.  Going about in
disguise to avoid being assaulted is a tactical decision. So is having an
escort, a doberman, or a Sherman tank.  It doesn't change the world
situation, but it keeps you alive.

STRATEGIC issues deal with changing the world from its current botched state
into something more palatable.  Crime and punishment, education, nonsexist
language, etc. are all strategic issues, since they're (allegedly) working
towards some kind of long-term goal.

BIGOTRY is actually an ethical argument (should both men and women be
treated as human beings? Just men? Just women? Or should judgement be passed
on some other criteria (if at all)?).  Bigotry is THE issue in net.women,
though, so I give it a separate category.

Let's keep the arguments from sliding around, okay? Complaining that a
tactical decision like self-defense training doesn't change society is a
waste of time.

**** PET PEEVES ***

NO INDIVIDUALS -- JUST GROUPS

"Society" expects women to dress a certain way? What do you mean, "society?"
Every person on earth? Every W.A.S.P.? Your parents? The government?

The real issues are two-fold: How the government treats individuals, and how
individuals treat each other.  By speaking ambiguously, and using broad
terms as much as possible, you can make incredibly false and bigoted
statements. "Blacks are oppressed by whites.  You're white; I'm black. You
are oppressing me."

Such statements (intentionally, I think) deny the value of individual effort
by punishing the innocent along with the guilty -- "Men are all alike; even
if you didn't rape her, you would have if you had had the chance."  This is
the basis of bigotry.

THE SOLUTION TO DISCRIMINATION IS COUNTER-DISCRIMINATION

"You did it to us, now we'll do it to you!" This is the fun way to equality
-- "social justice" and revenge at the same time!  Too bad it's morally
bankrupt.

MEN AND WOMEN ARE NOT ONLY EQUAL, BUT IDENTICAL

The "anything you can do, I can do better" routine doesn't actually have any
bearing on individual rights.  The criterion should be, "Are you human?" If
the answer is yes, you're intitled to life, liberty, and property, just like
the man said.

After all, the ORIGINAL idea was that people should be treated on the basis
of their INDIVIDUAL merits, not because they belong to the current power
group, or wear fashionable clothes.

Far too much has been put onto the net about methods of acheiving "equality"
with methods that are designed to weaken the value of individual skill, and
strengthen the role played by race and gender. This is seen as a
"counterbalancing" action, in the tune of "two wrongs make a right."

IT'S IMPOSSIBLE FOR A WOMAN TO MAKE HEADWAY AGAINST PREJUDICE

The women who've posted such pessimistic articles to the net recently all
seem to be in the wrong part of the country, working for the worst kind of
jerks.  There are princes as well as ogres in the world; with effort you can
manage to associate with one and not the other.


Enough of this! I have to go home and cook dinner for my wife...

-- 
		-- Robert Plamondon
		   {ucbvax!dual!turtlevax,ihnp4!resonex}!weitek!robertp