Saturday, February 23, 2013
A Truly Cultural Inequity
The conversation we had in class Thursday was perhaps the most engaging and interesting so far. The concept that women have been made biologically inferior reminded me very much of the notion that blacks were inequal through pseudoscientific methods. The concept that black skulls were too small to house large brains making them stupid is of the same school of thought as implying that women are unequal because of their ability to give birth or menstruation. These qualities are inherent but do not also carry with them the insinuation that women are weaker and more nurturing. Culturally, not biologically, we create that notion. Women are responsible for taking care of our young most primarily in our society, despite all advances thus far. It is hard still today to say that men have made strides to take up responsibilities in child care , and thus it is a cultural construct of "feminine characteristics" that so greatly damages our society and hinders women throughout the world.
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Justin, I thought this was a very thought-provoking. That being said, I agree that women and blacks are very inferior to men (in the past and present; hopefully not in the future). Our society needs to move from our "men-are-superior" mentality and move to a more equal universe.
ReplyDeleteI think culturally AND biologically, both men and women created this proud nation we call home! Women have been behind men from the very beginning of time (ex. Adam and Eve to Martha with George Washington). Women take care of the young, but so do men too. Our society in a way mocks a "stay-at-home dad" because it is unheard of a dad doing the "women's job" in a way.
My opinion is this- I could careless if a dad is a stay-at-home parent because, "raising a child is the most difficult, yet rewarding, job in life" as the saying goes. I remember in "Meet the Fockers," Jack Byrnes (Robert De Niro's character) made fun of Ben Stiller as being a nurse and other movies mock dads as being a stay-at-home parent too much. Our society should stopping following the "social normals" and look at males/females in the SAME light!!