The idea of the woman as the “other” is something that cannot be avoided. Going back to our discussion on Thursday, women have always been, and will always be the “other” because if we were to win and end this separation, it would mean the end of half of the race. The end of conflict would mean the end of the species. So looking at this, it seems that us as women need to accept it and use it as a catalyst for getting what we want. Instead of being pissed off for being considered as not a being itself but a negation of one, I feel like we could think of it as being the better half of something. If we were to turn de Beauvoir’s considerations into something positive, I think we could then work past this basic stigma to put it into a different context.
De Beauvoir talks about the fact that women and men have been thought of in this sense of duality. And looking at such, in history the women figures in partnerships (she speaks of Uranus and Zeus, Sun and Moon, Day and Night, etc.), woman has always been portrayed as the dark side, the side associated with being unlucky, with evil. This long-term association is exactly what needs to be displaced. Therein lies the hard part. How do you work past a whole history of women being aligned with these associations? Is it possible at all? Is it even worth it? Just some thoughts after consideration of the text.
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This is true. Inequality between genders has gone on forever and exists within ancient texts and myths. People assume Eve was evil because she took the apple off of the tree (source of original sin). This belief will never go away as long as religion continues to exist and the texts continue to exist. Men and women will always be viewed as different from each other because of that but I would argue that it occurs in modern society as well. Society categorizes both genders: men are supposed to be 'manly' and women are supposed to be 'feminine'. But I guess that could also be attributed to the past since men (in ancient texts like the Iliad) are seen as strong if they are good in battle and women have more of a submissive role.
ReplyDeleteI think its possible, but i don't think we will realize until we reach that point. I know that, physically, women and men can never be the same. I do believe its possible to make step to brigde the gap between men and women in society. I'm pretty sure that women from 100 to 200 years ago wouldn't believe its possible that the we would progress to the point we are at now. I think women can work through these oppression and negative associations but actively doing something in their lives. I believe its worth it and necessary to try and fight this oppression. If people in the past hadn't worked for progress, women wouldn't have all the rights and social standing in America they have today.
ReplyDeleteJessie has made a good point. There has already been tremendous progress in the area of equality. It is important to remember what has been achieved through hard work is extremely significant, and it gives hope for future changes too. Will true equality ever exist? This is a very difficult question to answer because history will always be around to remind us that man has had a total stranglehold on power for almost the entire time we have been civilized. It is a good thing to remember that if gaining equality for all were easy, it would have already been done.
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