Theos-Talk Archives (September 1997 Message tl00064)

>The general response from people on this list to claims of feminism's
>having gone to extremes is that such claims are false, insignificant,
>and/or sexist.

Tom, no one is saying that except you. The issue where you are concerned 
is not that you think feminism like other reform movements has sometimes 
been overzealous, but that you seem basically at odds with the aims of 
the movement, of which Theosophy is an important historical part, with 
feminism written into its primary aims. You seem hell-bent for leather to 
make it appear from the emotional tone of your writing that you don't 
like women, don't have any sympathy for the oppression of women, and 
think women and men who are sympathetic to women's sociopolitical 
position are members of some ravening, world-destroying movement . Your 
tone comes across as a barely controlled venting of furious anger.

>The belief in its insignificance is based on the idea
>that male violence towards women is far more of a problem than
>anything feminism has caused.

I can't quite parse this sentence, but in any case, does it help you to 
know that I agree that some damaging stereotypes about males as abusers 
and women as victims have become entrenched in Western culture? These are 
not even feminist stereotypes; they are mass media stereotypes; the 
internal discourse in feminism, especially on the tangent with gay and 
lesbian studies, is much better than the popular press and much better 
than yours. These mistaken ideas need to be explored and defused, but the 
way to do this is not to come across as a vicious enemy of the liberation 
of women, as you do.

--
Tim Maroney    tim@maroney.org    http://www.maroney.org