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Path: utzoo!watmath!watdcsu!dmcanzi
From: dmcanzi@watdcsu.UUCP (David Canzi)
Newsgroups: net.women
Subject: Re: San Quentin strip searches -- a new twist
Message-ID: <1071@watdcsu.UUCP>
Date: Mon, 4-Mar-85 20:23:36 EST
Article-I.D.: watdcsu.1071
Posted: Mon Mar  4 20:23:36 1985
Date-Received: Tue, 5-Mar-85 01:56:19 EST
References: <3365@alice.UUCP> <2295@randvax.UUCP> <951@watdcsu.UUCP> <773@utcsri.UUCP> <974@watdcsu.UUCP> <292@mtxinu.UUCP>
Reply-To: dmcanzi@watdcsu.UUCP (David Canzi)
Organization: U of Waterloo, Ontario
Lines: 33
Summary: 

In article <292@mtxinu.UUCP> ed@mtxinu.UUCP (Ed Gould) writes:
>> What you seem to be saying is that men, as a group, are guilty of
>> oppressing women, as a group.  I say that the world is made up of
>> individuals.  *I* haven't oppressed any women lately, so don't try
>> to make *me* feel guilty.
>
>Are you really so sure?  There are many ways to oppress, some of them
>are *extremely* subtle.  We all take part in patterns that contribute
>to the oppression of women, which is to say that, even though the world
>*is* made up as individuals, it is reasonable to consider groups when
>dealing in matters such as these.  

You appear to be encouraging me to feel vaguely guilty about vague sins
only vaguely hinted at.  Whatever do you *mean* by "patterns that
contribute to the oppression of women"?

>As far as reciprocal injustice goes, I'm willing to shoulder some of it
>because I recognize that I'm part of a group that *is* responsible.
>(I don't believe at all that this group is composed entirely of men,
>however.  There are many women in the world who contribute to their
>own oppression.)

If the only reason you can give for your willingness to be punished is your
membership in a group of people *many* (but not necessarily all) of whom
oppress women, then you are accepting the guilt for somebody else's
actions.  If so, why are you willing to do this?  Do you believe that
the women who belong to this group should be punished too?

If, on the other hand, you feel personally responsible, can you actually
*name* any way in which you (or I) have made a non-trivial contribution
to the oppression of women?
-- 
	David Canzi