10/27/05 02:27 - 41ºF - ID#22999

In response to Robin's post

I think the question to ponder here is, are women in positions of power expected to behave differently than men historically have? It is perhaps a misconstrued notion that women are supposed to be nurturers and caregivers, operate with kindness and consideration and thwart off corruption and abuse of power.

Historically women, who have held positions of great power, have not been so nice. Contemporary leaders such as Thatcher, Imelda Marcos and Indira Gandhi have shown to be just as cold as their male counterparts. I won't even delve into historical female leaders, but they don't fear well either. Why these women behave the way they do is up for speculation. Maybe they have something to prove in a male dominated world. Maybe it is just human nature, male or female, to fall under the spell of absolute power.

Nevertheless, I think it is wrong to expect women to behave differently than men do, because of their perceived and perhaps imposed, "nurture" expectations. I personally resent when people expect me to behave "womanly". Caring and nurturing does not come to me naturally, and I resent those who assume it does. We don't teach our daughters to covet power, to appreciate it, and to desire it. Our boys know how to do that. They are taught through sports, in school, in political offices, and even through and in, interpersonal relationships.

I can guarantee you things would be a lot different if we taught boys to be kind, giving, gentle and nurturing while teaching girls to be aggressive, challenging and just plain hungry. Maybe the playing fields would even out a bit.

joshua writes at 12:21:08 10/28/05 - Comment #2030: You aren't going to like some of the things I have to say to you concerning this, but oh well.

57% of college students are now female, women have reached the height of success in business, the arts, etc. The system is rigged to make things more "equal" but in the real world its simply artificially tipped the balance to make things more fair which I support completely. I think we can officially stop the debate on womens' equality, though - I've heard even women say that.

About attitudes - women have traditionally been the nurturers throughout human history. Its fair to say that its a fact of our nature, and you could even ignore humans and look at other mammals and come to the same conclusion. So you don't find yourself to be a particularly good nurturer? I don't think thats strange at all. Actually, I've seen alot of women (some of whom you've named) who perform "manly" duties as well if not better than men. Performing jobs isn't about sex, its about a role that you are expected to play. If you can't play that role, male or female, you shouldn't be in the position. Strength isn't about sex - it never was and never will be.

Sensitivity training for kids is a bad idea because its unneccessary. If you are a good parent you would teach all of your kids things like mutual respect, kindness, treating people the way you want to be treated, in addition to things like being strong, being unafraid to speak up, sticking up for yourself and each other, going for what you want, etc. These are traits that always should be learned at home. Either from your mother or your father!

ajay writes at 02:48:05 10/27/05 - Comment #2007: Food for thought: so called "oppressive" countries have had more woman leaders than "progressive" countries.

Example: India, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Phillipines, Indonesia, etc. have had strong woman leaders.

What about the US, UK, Germany, France, etc.?

Aside: when I hear people complain about women's rights in the so-called "Third World", I like to remind them about the famous US women presidents, vice-presidents, secretaries of Defense, Treasury and State... ;)

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10/20/05 11:42 - ID#22998

camera

Ok, as soon as the battery in my camera is charged I will post a pic.

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10/19/05 04:08 - ID#22997

My hair

I am a freelance makeup artist and this weekend I did the makeup for models who were getting their hair cut at the hair show at the convention center. With all the excitement, the beautiful hair cuts, the color jobs etc., I decided I would let them cut my hair too.

Now I have half a bang ( full bang on left side, NO bang on righ side) and a lot of forehead, and my boyfriend laughed at me. I do this regrettable stuff all the time. Why?

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10/13/05 01:49 - ID#22996

Shit!

OK, I am so fed up with school, and work, and obligations. I want a vacation and I want one NOW!!

I am barely able to keep up with the school work anyway. Who knew library science could be so intense! And I too will not have a job to look forward to when I graduate. I too will have spent 80,000 on an education that will leave me working as a barista.

Go figure...

I'm running away to Belize.