From: NFetter@aol.com
Date: Fri, 14 Nov 1997 23:46:03 -0500 (EST)
To: pinhole@exploratorium.edu
Subject: More on gender!!
Hi Pinholers,
Since almost everyone has had whack at it, I couldn't resist sticking my oar
in the water. I'll take the opposite stance taken by Eiger. My impressions
are as unsubstantiated as everyone else, so that playing field is level.
I fell that acculturation and societal training are very powerful and may
completely overwhelm whatever genetic history colors our behavior. My guess
is that these two factors may be as difficult to change as genetic codes. Our
culture goes back at least as far as the ancient Greeks. The Greek
intellectual enterprise was mostly male dominated and most of the surviving
Greek thought comes from male philosophers, mathmeticians, and scientists.
Much of the literature that survived passed through Roman and Muslim hands,
again male dominated.
So Where do be begin and what shall we do? First, I think we need to listen
to women and take their complaints to heart. I think males have barely begun
to comprehend the long standing nature of their power and privilege. Until we
can place ourselves in an historical perspective from which we can assess the
contirubtion of our training, I feel very little change will occur. The
modern women's movement has been with us for about 25 years, and from what I
can see very little has changed inside our heads.
Neil
Fetter