femininity and masculinity

[niyad]

just caught this at the end of a pbs segment with Dr. Christiane Northrup on women's wisdom:

"Half the Sky: Turning Oppression into Opportunity for Women Worldwide" Nicholas Kristof and Sheryl WuDunn state that "Masculinity expresses the idea that there are things worth dying for while femininity expresses the idea that there are things worth living for." These women are dedicating their lives to things worth living for - health care, nutrition and education for their families.

http://francesschwabenland.blogspot.com/2010/08/arpillera-art-of-remembrance-and.html

[scarletwoman]

1. k&r. (nt)

[MilesColtrane]

2. Well, I think that there are things worth living for, or else I...

would have offed myself a long time ago.

I think people can believe there are things worth living for AND worth dying for, and that their gender has little to do with it.

[spooky3]

3. Well said. Stereotypes based on gender really have no place on DU.

[niyad]

7. I will remember that the next time I hear misogynistic bs on this board (probably some time today)

[spooky3]

8. there are quite a few DUers who have pointed this out many times before

but it still goes on.

The way to confront and stop sexism is not to post quotes from people arguing (without empirical evidence) that women as a group have qualities that are different or superior as a group to those that men are proposed to hold. Either people need overwhelming evidence of this (often romanticized) difference/superiority, or in the absence of evidence, they need to recognize that people are individuals and have gender as one of many characteristics.

[seabeyond]

10. yup. nt

[XanaDUer]

25. Agreed

some of the most vehement pro-women's right people I know are male.

[MineralMan]

4. Very distorted view, in my opinion.

I know women who have stated clearly what they believe is worth dying for, and men who frequently express what is worth living for. This seems to me to be yet another article trying to draw lines between women and men. How do we manage to get along and reproduce, I wonder?

[seabeyond]

5. i agree it is bullshit gender stereotype. but i also find interesting the stereotype is called out

with this, when it is other gender conditioning and stereotyping elevating male and dismissing women, it is embraced and sworn to as simply biology.

[spooky3]

9. both types of BS stereotyping must be called out. I look forward to the day when

DU is truly a sexism free zone.

[seabeyond]

11. yup. nt

[niyad]

6. funny how that gets overlooked, isn't it? think about things like calling a male "a girl", or that

disgusting expression "man up", as though only men had courage and fortitude.

[spooky3]

12. alert the mods on s*** like this. I have done so. Sometimes it works.

[bobbolink]

16. Do you remember how long it took to get the "c" word banned from DU?????????

[spooky3]

17. I'm not defending sexism against women.

Are you saying two wrongs DO make a right, or are you just frustrated, as I am, about sexism? All sexist bull**** should be called out, and we can only hope there is a learning process. If we don't keep pushing, the c word wouldn't have been banned, and we have to keep pushing on other instances.

[bobbolink]

21. I'm simply replying to your statement about all you have yto do is alert.

The sexism\m is much more deeply entrenched here than a simple alert.

[spooky3]

27. no, I didn't say that "all you have to do is alert." I just said that I think

people should alert on sexist BS when it offends them.

What is it about "sometimes it works" that you don't understand?

[bobbolink]

15. Ya gotta have "balls", donchaknow...

:puke:

Glad I could "weigh in" on this...

[RegieRocker]

18. Used to be Guts

still should be intestinal fortitude.

[spooky3]

19. agree - or spine/backbone, or literally - courage and strength

[bobbolink]

22. Yes, but the level of awareness doesn't stretch that far.

[RegieRocker]

23. LOL

[niyad]

26. I love the reaction when I say "brass ovaries"

[Initech]

24. I really hate those Miller Lite commercials.

You know the ones where the semi-hot female bartender makes fun of something the guy is wearing and then they say "Man up!!! And choose a real lite beer". As if real beer drinkers would ever be caught drinking that crap. :eyes:

[Angry Dragon]

13. All people have a feminine and masculine side

People are people and they can not be put in a box........

[ensho]

14. however, femininity is a construct

nt

[RegieRocker]

20. Strongly disagree

This is just as valid as the other. Masculinity is willing to die for those you love and femininity is not.