...the idea is to look at the media, analyze the meme's with
"critical thinking" (and other tools like memetics), and make a
judgement like "bullshit" or "valuable". Remember, the *first* rule of
memetics is *conscious* variation of memes. Because chances are the
meme's that push themselves on you are not the valuable memes at all,
they are the "good memes", meaning the ones that propagate well.
So I label this meme "bullshit" and go on my happy way. I get along
fine with men because I do not put a relationship on a level at which
I use my "femaleness" for empowerment. The problem I have is with those
males who are unable to see me as essentially "human". There are many men
who, for whatever reason, see women as the
static "other". Because of this reason many women subscribe to the
notion that they are objects without question.
Most active "feminists" (unfortunately, when I refer to
"feminists" most people think of the stereotypical in your face, man
hating, well, ya know) do not help matters because they make women the
martyrs. I read an essay by Marion Tapper "Ressentiment
and Power" which addresses the current feminist impact on gender and
society very accurately. She
basically points out that "feminism" tends to have a negative impact in
terms of equality. Women have the "power" as authoritarians of social
sensitivity to monitor
what is "acceptable" or "sayable" in the world of politics. In other
words, women
and minorities have one thing on their side, the negative connotations
attached to oppression of a minority group. Who defines an event
as "prejudice"? Not the majority.
I will finish up by saying I don't know exactly how to define
the strengths and weaknesses of this meme for society at large. I know
what the strengths and weaknesses are for myself. I don't want to be a
clone and therefore I don't see anything special in total "equality". I
figure as long as the minority rights activists keep up their end of it, I
personally do
not need to fear oppression beyond simple manipulation. Anyway, I
personally like the
challenge of imagined superiority. Keeps things interesting.
By the way ERiC, thank you for your time and understanding, I was
uncharacteristically
paranoid/delusional when I wrote that message. Or should I say the "I"
that chooses to present itself in a way that is "consistent" and "socially
acceptable" for all the normal folk;>
-Michelle