male and female identities - Page 2

carrie721 · #16 01-22-2008, 04:38 PM

^ maria that post is awesome and i thank you for it!

danax6 · #17 01-22-2008, 04:38 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by carrie721

feminism is supposed to be about choice but there is a lot of derision from feminists towards women who choose a more traditional lifestyle. so i can understand why some women would reject the label.

That's it exactly.

trackaghost · #18 01-22-2008, 04:42 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by carrie721

i think it's become a loaded word. these days it's often associated with male bashing, victim mentality, and gender politics, and many women - although they believe in equal opportunity/treatment for both sexes - do not identify with those ideas. feminism is supposed to be about choice but there is a lot of derision from feminists towards women who choose a more traditional lifestyle. so i can understand why some women would reject the label. i qualify it and say i'm an equity feminist. i think men and women should have equal opportunities but i don't like to spend much time in the murky waters of who is oppressing whom.

Well, I totally agree with that, it has become a loaded word and it's a shame, because feminism has become such a dirty word when really it should be an empowering one. Again, in a lot of ways, women only have themselves to blame here. I wish the word had more positive connotations for most people, instead of "man-hater" or whatever. I just mean it as wanting to be treated equally.

carrie721 · #19 01-22-2008, 04:42 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by danax6

Yeah, did she not make herself clear?

seriously.

and a beer.

Sarah · #20 01-22-2008, 04:44 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by danax6

Yeah, did she not make herself clear?

you should speak when you're spoken to

and for the record, if i touch a beer, it's mine.

mikeschmike · #21 01-22-2008, 04:45 PM

I don't know how much I can contribute to this, as I think I'm just going to end up echoing most of what has already been said here. I never really had much exposure to a "traditional" male/female role with the exception of my grandparents. Even at a young age, I never wanted to be the guy who expected his dinner sitting in front of him at a certain time. I never thought I could command such a thing just because of what was between my legs.

To me, a big part of being a man means being able to be strong enough to be there for others while still being able to take care of myself. Whether that means being a shoulder to cry on or reaching something on the high shelf.

carrie721 · #22 01-22-2008, 04:46 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by trackaghost

Well, I totally agree with that, it has become a loaded word and it's a shame, because feminism has become such a dirty word when really it should be an empowering one. Again, in a lot of ways, women only have themselves to blame here. I wish the word had more positive connotations for most people, instead of "man-hater" or whatever. I just mean it as wanting to be treated equally.

oh, i knew what you meant!

it's a shame that it's become a dirty word, but i agree that women are to blame. it seems that modern feminists have gotten mired in victim mentality and that has informed the entire movement.

JazmenFlowers · #23 01-22-2008, 04:49 PM

oh gawd. what a topic! a great one, but I get so rebellious with things like this, I really need to think about it.

carrie721 · #24 01-22-2008, 04:50 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mikeschmike

I don't know how much I can contribute to this, as I think I'm just going to end up echoing most of what has already been said here. I never really had much exposure to a "traditional" male/female role with the exception of my grandparents. Even at a young age, I never wanted to be the guy who expected his dinner sitting in front of him at a certain time. I never thought I could command such a thing just because of what was between my legs.

To me, a big part of being a man means being able to be strong enough to be there for others while still being able to take care of myself. Whether that means being a shoulder to cry on or reaching something on the high shelf.

you're good at both

Quote:

Originally Posted by JazmenFlowers

oh gawd. what a topic! a great one, but I get so rebellious with things like this, I really need to think about it.

ooh. share plz. jazzy + rebellion = a happy carrie.

carrie721 · #25 01-22-2008, 04:54 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Stew_Matthews

I think without having experienced life as the other sex, it is difficult to determine whether the expectations placed on oneself are because of your personality or sex. Is someone who is say, particularly driven/ambitious like that because of their make up or because of their sex? I don’t know. To what extent is personality determined by sex, again I don’t know.

hmm. well personality certainly is another variable. but i think by comparing notes with other women and being observant in my family and elsewhere i have a pretty good idea of what society is expected of women, even if i don't feel the pressure myself.

Quote:

In answer to the question ‘what does being a man mean’ for me – essentially it means choice. In most aspects of life, I have choices – where to live, what to do, who I spend my time with, how I spend my money. In large part, I think this is because I am a white, middle class male, to a lesser degree it is my educational efforts that opened up a good career in the oil industry. An industry that for women, is still pretty much closed off.

An interesting one to mull over…………..

choice. that's a good one. thanks stew!