Path: utzoo!utgpu!watmath!att!tut.cis.ohio-state.edu!cs.utexas.edu!usc!aero!drh@spock.UUCP
From: drh@spock.UUCP (David R. Hawley)
Newsgroups: soc.feminism
Subject: sex/gender
Message-ID: <34104@spock.uucp>
Date: 15 Aug 89 16:20:32 GMT
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Hummm....  This is an interesting topic, and I'd like to hear comments to some
observations I've made during my life.  My topic is SURVIVAL oriented sports.
It's always seemed illogical to me that Hollywood portrays women slugging guys,
and knocking them out.  My concern is that a woman will try this in real life, 
and the results could be disasterous.  

I was taught (both verbally and by actions) never to hit a female, because 
females were supposed to be the "weaker" sex.  I noticed that my sisters 
and most females were in fact about half my size, and that even the athletic 
females were not only physically weaker than me, but my smaller male friends 
(this seems to be a fact of life, and to date I've observed a tiny percentage 
of woman who were stronger than myself, or many, many average guys (5'9"-6'2";
150 lbs - 210 lbs) also I've noticed that a vast majority of the girls/women 
I've seen particpate in survival oriented athletic activities weren't as 
agressive as the male counterparts.  

Some examples: 
I didn't make the fencing team in high school I was the sixth best male, but 
could easily out fence the females scoring almost 100% of the points, the 
results on the swimming team were very similar, and the martial arts classes 
I've attended were definitely domintaed by the guys.  In my adulthood I 
usually come in at about the top 25%, of a 10K, or a 10 mile race, which is 
where the very best women were comming in.
Running isn't necessarily a survival oriented sport.

Now before I get flamed to a black mass of xy chromosomes, I'd like to add that
I've seen women win at golf, tennis, etc. sports that don't require the 
agressive, or almost violent actions of the sports men do better at (from 
personal observation).  I know perfectly well that women are just as 
intelligent, and usually more limber than men.  They could learn martial arts 
if they spent years of dilligent effort, (although this is rarely the case, 
at least in the martial arts studios I've stumbled onto, by chance).  They 
could also learn to shoot guns, but once again you don't see many women at 
rifle/pistol ranges.  I've tried to convince many, many females that I
have loved (my sisters, women friends, lovers) to learn martial arts, or to 
buy a gun.  Every single one said she could never do the latter, and not a one 
has done the former.

Is my lifetime experience somehow a coincidence?  Are my facts somehow slanted
(perhaps it is somehwere between my 50% smaller, and the 10% smaller mentioned
earlier).  I have heard that women are stronger pound for pound, and that women
can tollerate more pain (from a male doctor).  Is this all from social training?
What about testostarone (my dictionary doesn't have the word) (male hormone),
you know, the one that allows body builders to leg press 800 lbs, and to bench
press 400 lbs.  What about the rules disallowing women in combat?  Do you think
it's ALL chauvinism?

Again, I do think women are equal in all important matters (for the 20th 
century) like brains, ordinary physical tasks like driving, or even racing 
cars or motorcycles.  I envy most womens ability to stay in touch with their 
emotions (this is another "taught" behavior, I imagine).  I do believe in 
equal pay for equal jobs.  What I'm talking about is what would happen if we 
lost our police state, ie. government and we had to make do with our phisical 
prowess.  I'd like to see more women building up their strength, and self 
defense skills.  It could happen, on a personal level in any given night in 
the city.

David

-- 
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David R. Hawley   "And they will fly with the wings of Eagles"
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