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Martian · 11-20-2007, 08:38 PM

I don't believe in feminism. Hell, I don't even believe in gender equality. I do believe in equal value, which is a subtle but important distinction.

Men and women are different. To attempt to deny this is, to me, absurd. I am 5'11" and weigh 160 lbs, which for a man is on the small side of average. One of my best friends, a woman, is the same height as me and thirty pounds lighter; we joke that she must be distantly descended from the amazons. She's considered very tall, for a woman. Thus, in light of these differences, it stands to reason that men are physiologically better suited to some tasks, as are women. We all know this; I don't think anybody has ever seriously suggested that men and women should compete on equal footing at the Olympic games, for example.

Yet, in some ways the human factor is much greater than the gender differences. Child rearing is one of those areas; a man can be just as loving, just as nurturing as a woman. Aside from a lack of breasts and a correlated inability to produce milk, there's nothing a woman is capable of when it comes to raising a child that a man can't also do equally well; and yet, as noted, men tend to be looked down on as single parents. It goes largely unchallenged in the legal sense that unless the mother has specific issues that prevent her from being a good parent (substance abuse problems, or something similar), she will provide a better environment for the child than the father. As far as I'm able to determine, this is an anachronism; while there have been very vocal groups advocating equality in favour of women, nobody is out there doing the same for men. There are very few organizations who are ready to stand up and say 'what about the guys?' Thus, women make strides towards equality in the job market, in sporting fields, in the military, and so on; while the traditionally female roles remain largely so. I am intimately familiar with the hospitals in my area, having most recently had two stays in the last six months; in those and every other visit I've made, I have met countless female doctors, but only one male nurse. I was impressed by his competence, but I couldn't help but wonder how much shit he has to deal with on a daily basis due solely to his gender.

I'm getting onto a bit of a tangent here, but the bottom line is that it is arbitrary and it is absurd. Men can provide for children. Men can create a loving, supportive environment for a child to grow up in. And yet, we tend to be viewed as a last resort. How to change this, I know not.

11-20-2007, 08:38 PM	#2 (permalink)
Martian Young Crumudgeon Location: Canada	I don't believe in feminism. Hell, I don't even believe in gender equality. I do believe in equal value, which is a subtle but important distinction. Men and women are different. To attempt to deny this is, to me, absurd. I am 5'11" and weigh 160 lbs, which for a man is on the small side of average. One of my best friends, a woman, is the same height as me and thirty pounds lighter; we joke that she must be distantly descended from the amazons. She's considered very tall, for a woman. Thus, in light of these differences, it stands to reason that men are physiologically better suited to some tasks, as are women. We all know this; I don't think anybody has ever seriously suggested that men and women should compete on equal footing at the Olympic games, for example. Yet, in some ways the human factor is much greater than the gender differences. Child rearing is one of those areas; a man can be just as loving, just as nurturing as a woman. Aside from a lack of breasts and a correlated inability to produce milk, there's nothing a woman is capable of when it comes to raising a child that a man can't also do equally well; and yet, as noted, men tend to be looked down on as single parents. It goes largely unchallenged in the legal sense that unless the mother has specific issues that prevent her from being a good parent (substance abuse problems, or something similar), she will provide a better environment for the child than the father. As far as I'm able to determine, this is an anachronism; while there have been very vocal groups advocating equality in favour of women, nobody is out there doing the same for men. There are very few organizations who are ready to stand up and say 'what about the guys?' Thus, women make strides towards equality in the job market, in sporting fields, in the military, and so on; while the traditionally female roles remain largely so. I am intimately familiar with the hospitals in my area, having most recently had two stays in the last six months; in those and every other visit I've made, I have met countless female doctors, but only one male nurse. I was impressed by his competence, but I couldn't help but wonder how much shit he has to deal with on a daily basis due solely to his gender. I'm getting onto a bit of a tangent here, but the bottom line is that it is arbitrary and it is absurd. Men can provide for children. Men can create a loving, supportive environment for a child to grow up in. And yet, we tend to be viewed as a last resort. How to change this, I know not. __________________ I wake up in the morning more tired than before I slept I get through cryin' and I'm sadder than before I wept I get through thinkin' now, and the thoughts have left my head I get through speakin' and I can't remember, not a word that I said - Ben Harper, Show Me A Little Shame