Two Ideas For Political Feminism

In early September, I got the spark of an idea for a political policy & scribbled it down in the margins of a daily newspaper — around the “cryptogram,” no less — since it was the only paper handily available . . . I independently thought this policy direction up, myself – it was before “parental leave” was in the news or anything alike was on my radar.

Since, I’ve hatched a second plan idea along these lines, & will tie together the two strands in a single ponytail of a speech =)

Without further ado —

I am a well-branded believer in the women of the world; I’ve partially identified as being a “feminist” since my mid-teens. have had very deep, strong female romances, friendships, & kinships; I have long admired Joan Of Arc, Mother Theresa, Hypatia, Pythagoras’s school’s female teachers; & I’ve even written about the dignifiedness & honorability of ruling-women & read up about female kings.

. . . . — Did you know there were only 6 Queens of England who inherited their father or uncle’s crown over 500 years? There were only 3 female kings in 2500 years of dynastic Ancient Egypt we know of for sure.

Lastly I am no expert; I am a man, with ‘the other facet’s view’ of all of you lovely lovable ladies; I am here working on a more understanding, loving, respectful — in what little my little man mind can provide — espousal of my personal ideas for feminist political thought that – you must also realize – are from a position where I can say some of the things you’d get a 2-ton anvil brought on you in terms of society’s response – because I’m a man & you women’re not.

I also would like to say that while I’d say put women in charge of women, not a man like me, I have a unique vantage point, like when you tell me about ‘the gossiping of women’ as a woman – I have the mirror privilege with men, & can call them on & out about things you may not be able to even know are actually, really done.

Lastly you also have a doubly-good friend in me, for this reason: I am sympathetic with both women wanting to be treated the same as men, in certain ways —

You’re a person just like I’m a person just like every other guy is a person — we’re all people & not too, too different, afterall —

& I’m also conversant with wanting to be respected & appreciated – maybe even admired, fondly — for your raw differences;

‘Like — for those interested in this — how getting pictures of yourselves dressed up in classée fashion fancifulnesses, on a ‘girls’ nite in,’ or getting a loud, psychedelic print, breve cut clubbing outfit on & losing yourself in the music, for a spell, are far removed from sitting in a dark basement smoking cigarettes & listening to bodily function sounds on the arm of your male friend for what seems like half the night.

Or an Ironman trek thru a cold mountainous region;

For many women, they notice both the lack of being treated the same in ways they should & also the honest-to-Goodness differences from men . . . Like a haute look vs.a detractive sound effects, or clubbing vs. expeditions we may or may not return from.

These two are called “equality” & “difference” feminisms – if I had to translate it into pop songs: they’d be “I’m Just A Girl” & “Natural Woman,” each.

Let’s do my idea on difference feminism, (the “Natural Woman” one,) first:

. . . The dream – earning influence, wealth, glamour, via a thriving career; family maybe or maybe not being in the cards – or maybe ruled out completely . . .

Cleopatra . . . Liliane Bettencourt (of L’Oreal) . . . Gwen Stefani . . .

Because see, not all women feel like robotically making babies even if they’re of age . . . Talent, desire, wanderlust — having the chance of a lifetime within reach — a wide array of interests can lead you to walk a different lifepath than the asaid –

Just like enough men.

Here’s the ‘sticky widgets’ you might run into, tho, purusing these:

It is bred into our culture to oppose this libertine flourishing; the controllingness of pre-arranged marriages to being disallowed to own property, to being uncounted in voting — there *are* real reasons in Nature & history for some of women’s dependence on men, but these show some serious misogyny that our loving, wise, socially-adept, sensitive, realistic fairer companions should feel the power of intervention on their side correcting this that they do not deserve – whichever way you look at it.

(Forced) pre-arranged marriages, being kept from owning property, & not being able to vote are serious, grave historical transgressions; beyond these basic facts there is the culture created thereby – the atmosphere of upbringing, of the life you live, of “where you hang your hat” — a rather man-centric way of speaking, itself — typical of that that has affected – disaffected – like curling of ingrown toes’ nails – literally billions of women thruout history – from our huntergather origins to the present;

As I say, there are some natural reasons for this: foraging, hunting, building favored men. But we have civilized beyond this – praise the Heavens.

But repairing this damage done – from preventing from voting, now allowing to women own property & arranging their hands in marriage – repairing this history of damage takes more than just us having changed these & other, hopefully less egregious unacceptable laws to ones more aligned with Goodness, etc —

If we’re playing an endless game of “Monopoly” & I restrict half the players’ flow of resources for 50 rounds – just letting you now attain “equality” does not make it OK – we need to repair the damages from all the time we restricted.

& That is how I feel about that!

Changing gears now to my idea for your 2nd, more traditional, ‘Natural Woman’ interests:

I feel that it is an embarrassment – we as a people don’t provide for our women – our families . . .

– Income inequality is part of the reason why;

But I feel we have lost, in my view, the historical fact – a historical fact of Life – that someone has to nurture the kids, & someone has to provide the family’s food & valuables that could be exchanged for material things & services desired —

We have lost track of that to some degree in the great gear turns of our form of capitalism.

What is more important, men & women raising a family, or manufacturing “Blammo Logs” — for our civilization?

We know this answer: raising kids right is more important than nearly everything if not everything, for our future. Probably besides food it is the single biggest influence on us;

& Traditionally, both parents have done both, but the more brute man has typically provided the labor more so than a very loving, personable, sensitive, sensible mother; *she* traditionally provided Love & guidance & teaching, & sustenance & clothing, & other nurturing things, more frequently than a father has.

. . . What we say now as a society is, if you are a single parent or low-income family, we will help subsidize your kids’ food and/or childcare.

That’s excellent –

& It’s excellent because raising kids is so important —

But then why the hey now are we ignoring the other young children’s youth?

See Elizabeth Warren said we’re in a 2-income trap; & according to a study, *both parents work for about 3 out of 5 of our kids in America* —

So who is raising our kids? —

The Simpsons cartoons? . . .

This is serious & requires serious betterment.

We know by experience, by statistics, that a Loving family makes a Loving child.

Let’s provide for our women & parents providing the crux of our formative experiences, to provide for ourself as a civilization.

I propose /taxing the rich to provide for mothers who would otherwise have no choice but take time away from their children because they have to provide a decent standard of living;

— & I propose this be actually, slowly, & well considered, & once we have gathered the data / have become highly-informed / have understood the situation well, & hopefully understood & communicated the wise, sage principles that apply to doing this right – then with a willing consensus we should implement it as I’ve been saying to other things: in a slow, careful, self-informing roll-out of diverse systems guided by diverse visions of the final form, informing it with their responses, reviews, & other helpful information, until we have not only the best final system, but a subsumptively best system – one that uses the best parts of each . . .

Because, if you can find something more important to the personal growth of infants, toddlers, kids, adolescents, & even young adults — ranging from helpless to just learning the rules of the road of Life — than their parents’ Lovingkindness . . . just inbox it to me.

2ndly I propose even dads, in the interest again of this foundation of personal growth for us a person & for us as a people: parenting, also get ‘quality time relief,’ to be a good influence on their sons & daughters, from their chosen occupation for a duration.

Because, “Log” just doesn’t compare to a kid’s snuggling with their parents, maybe by a fire, maybe even hot chocolate, & sharing their fears & dreams, stories & lessons learned, & learning the most important thing, perhaps: just how endless your Mother & Father’s Love for you as a kid, really is.

Let’s use our money to buy some quality time for our kids.

Thanks,
Joe