Margaret Fuller and Gloria Steinem had some interesting views on the age-old debate of man versus woman. They are obviously very different views, seeing as Fuller's was written in 1843 and Steinem's in 1986. They share the (unfortunately true) opinion that men find themselves superior, and agree that men flaunt their position in society. However, they do both make some very interesting points that really made me think about my position in society as a woman.
One line that really caught my attention in Fuller's piece was the line: "there exists...a tone of feeling towards women as towards slaves." Were women really considered that inferior? It was shocking to me that any woman at any point in time would've felt this way, and it seemed as if they had no way to defend themselves. Men considered them to have "the prerogative of reason...allotted to them in a much lower degree," so they would never have their voices heard; they were not considered to be intelligent enough. It was as if they were not good enough to be able to possess reason and intelligence--they were treated like animals, much like African Americans were. Fuller then goes on to claim that "all men are privately influenced by women;" this seems contradictory to me. Didn't she just say that men didn't trust women to make decisions, that they weren't worthy of being intelligent? I do agree, though--whether they want to admit it or not, men are inherently programmed to respect the women in their lives, whether it be their mother, sister, or wife. Fuller also predicted that a woman was "not likely to leave [the home] more than she now does," which has obviously turned out to be untrue. Now, not only do women go out with other women, they leave the house to shop, run errands, and work all the time without their kids or husbands.
One real question remained after I had read Fuller's piece. Would women being perfectly equal to men bring harmony? Everyone expects that there would be no unrest if this were the case, but is that true? I am not saying that women should not be equal to men--they absolutely should be. However, I don't think it would solve all the world's problems like people think it would. It will be interesting to see what happens if women are ever actually equal to men.
To be quite honest, Gloria Steinem's article made me a little angry. To suggest that men would be considered superior to women for enduring something that women already do just seems preposterous to me. Menstruation is considered a disadvantage to being a woman. If we are considered unreasonable or cranky, men often ask us if it is "our time of the month." We dread this monthly occurrence, yet Steinem suggests that if men menstruated instead of women, it "would become an enviable, worthy, masculine event." It is clearly considered a weakness of women. Honestly, this whole debate comes down to perspective. All of these differences between men and women are made up, fabricated in our minds. It's almost as if we want to be different, want to be separated from the opposite sex. Men often claim superiority for many reasons, and after reading this article, I can see that clearly. The phrase "women are equal, just different" really rubbed me the wrong way. Why do we have to focus on differences? Also, women are not truly equal. Even in today's society, there is still discrimination and inequality.
One line that really stuck out to me was this one: "Judge Cites Monthlies In Pardoning Rapist." For one thing, I doubt anything like this would ever really happen. Also, when women try to blame their periods for being on edge, tired, or unable to do things because of cramps or other things that come along with our "monthly gift," they are just scoffed at and not believed. I just find it hard to believe that men would ever be able to use it as an excuse to this extent.
Obviously, I am very opinionated on this issue. I think being a woman myself has something to do with it. I don't think men and women will ever truly be equal, for more reasons than one. It just seems silly to me the "differences" people try to make up that exist between men and women--most of them are only in their heads and make for a more difficult life for everyone.
I don't think the point of the article was to say menstruation is an envied event. As you stated in your article "when women try blaming their period for being on edge...they are just scoffed at and not believed". That's the whole point of the article. In today's perspective, men don't understand periods. In many places, menstruation is seen as feminine shame. In some countries, women must carry a shall after their first menstruation. Some christians have reasoned periods as women's punishment for Eve. On the other hand, men are honored when they grow their first pubic hair. Men are congratulated when they have many sexual partners while women are called whores. All that Gloria Steinem was trying to show was that double standard. Depending on who the superior is, they make the rules and push down the inferior.
ReplyDeleteIn addition, I think compete equality amongst the sexes would bring about societal stability and possible a utopia. Statistically, nations with more rights for women have better birth rates, aging rates, economies, and national stability. If women were all equal and educated, we could eradicate so many issues.