Patriarchy vs. Feminism: Pros and Cons

July 21, 2017 | Autor: Saakshik Madhukiran | Categoria: Gender Studies, Women's Studies, Sexuality, Gender and Sexuality, Gender, Feminism
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Patriarchy vs. Feminism: Pros and Cons If you observe college-going youth of India today, chances are that often you'll see boys and girls mingling with each other much more freely than they ever did about ten to fifteen years ago. (Verify this statement if you want to). Part of the reason for this trend is the tremendous influence feminism has exerted over Indian society in our times. Through the concerted efforts of feminist writers and activists, public opinion among most educated Indians has swayed in favour of accepting the equality of women in social, economic, political and professional spheres in theory, although the practical ramifications of such an acceptance are far from becoming a reality. If we accept that women are capable of contributing to society in all the spheres that were traditionally ascribed exclusively to men, one of the implications is that we must learn to accept women in relation to men in wider social roles than the traditional "beti," "behenji" or "mataji." The unconscious assumption in strongly patriarchal minds is that the interaction between the sexes must be controlled. They expect the only reason for a man and a woman, young or old, to be found together is if they are husband and wife or otherwise related by close blood ties. This makes women and men who have been formed with a patriarchal mindset blinded to the possibility that a woman who is not my sister, nor my mother, nor my fiancée can still be related to me, walk with me and talk with me - a man - as a "friend," as a "boss," as a "co-worker," and even as a "competitor." But that's the logical consequence of accepting the radical equality of the sexes. That's the good thing about feminism. But the ugly side of feminism is that some strains of it refuse to acknowledge any difference between men and women. Difference does not mean inequality. Difference does not mean antagonism. Difference also leads to attraction and mutuality. With the denial of differences between men and women comes blindness to the complementarity of the sexes. With the denial of difference comes confusion of gender identity and normalizing of sexual orientations that are a result of tragic occurrences such as genetic defects, unpleasant experiences with the opposite sex or deviant sexual experiences with the same sex. Pardon me for not being politically correct, but isn't it true to say that homosexual activity is obviously incapable of producing the effects for which the organs in question were designed to produce? (Love men and women with homosexual tendencies just as you would someone who is "differently-abled." Don't try to soothe their pain by denying the fact that they have a problem. Solve it by providing ways in which they can experience acceptance and care.) Finally, with the denial of difference comes blindness to the beauty of marriage between one man and one woman for life and a false denial of its importance as the fundamental unit of a stable human society where children grow up with a clear sense of gender identity and purpose in life. The consequences are premarital sex, teenage pregnancies, abortion, extramarital sex, divorce, children with single parents, depression, suicide, etc. That's the down side of feminism. History has shown that one of the tell-tale signs that a civilization is on its last leg, is on its way to decadence is the collapse of family life. It was true of Greek civilization, it was true of the Roman Empire, and it could very well prove true about Western civilization. Let the family values that have always been the source of strength of Indian society for ages not be swept away in a globalization of decadence and an uncritical acceptance of radical feminism. So what's the solution? - Definitely not turning the clock backwards to patriarchal control over women. The solution seems to lie in accepting woman as friend, as boss, as co-worker, and even as enemy of man as the feminists propose. But together with this, respect every girl or young woman as a potential/actual wife to a future/present husband, and a potential/actual mother to a future/living child. Respect women as equals and marriage as a gift for the welfare of each human being and the stability of every society. Protect women from discrimination, protect marriage from distortion. That’s more than women’s empowerment, that’s what I call human empowerment!

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