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From: sunny@sun.uucp
Newsgroups: net.women
Subject: Re: crossing streets (street etiquette)
Message-ID: <1892@sun.uucp>
Date: Wed, 19-Dec-84 20:35:43 EST
Article-I.D.: sun.1892
Posted: Wed Dec 19 20:35:43 1984
Date-Received: Fri, 21-Dec-84 01:02:04 EST
References: <477@hou5g.UUCP> <412@mhuxt.UUCP> <10@azure.UUCP> <14@azure.UUCP>
Organization: Sun Microsystems, Inc.
Lines: 23

Perhaps we're dealing with a subset of human relations which might
better be dealt with at a higher level.  If women didn't fear men in
general, then the fear of being alone with a random one on the street
at night wouldn't be a problem.  Perhaps we should all be dealing with
the larger problem in general, rather than this funny little subset.
Let's go back to the fundamental problem which causes this symptom.
Why do women have ANY reason to EVER fear a man?  This discussion of
how (not) to walk the streets grew out of a discussion of rape.  Thus
the fundamental fear here is the fear nearly every woman has that a man
will use his genetically superior physical strength to overpower her
and force his will upon her, rape or otherwise.  i.e. that he will
dominate her.  The root problem is that the men have the power, and
abuse it.  The overall term which describes this situation is
"patriarchy".  I'm *not* proposing that matriarchy is the answer, but
that equality is.  When men stop using their superior physical strength
in an abusive and demeaning manner against women, then the problem of
one meeting the other on the street will cease to exist.  Until this
root problem is solved, the symptom will remain.  The attitudes of men
are the source of the fear in women.

				Sunny
-- 
{ucbvax,decvax,ihnp4}!sun!sunny