permaculture

["Lee Flier" <lflier@mindspring.com>]

Pete wrote:

>I do support the fight to recognise all human beings as equal... whether
>they are women, men, black, purple or pink .... I must say that I am
>sometimes ashamed of being a male because of the atrocities which have been
>inflicted by my sex.


Egads, Pete, drop that cross off your shoulders and don't ever let anybody
put it back! :-)  Should I, as a woman, feel ashamed for all those poor
souls who were tortured and beheaded by Catherine the Great, another woman?
Sorry, don't think so.  Should I feel ashamed of all those women out there
who are gold diggers, bimbo models, and other assorted female stereotypes,
just because I am female?  No, I think someone would have a real hard time
convincing me that I should identify in any way with Christie Brinkley,
Madonna, et al.

Human beings are NOT all equal.  Some are kinder, smarter, stronger, or more
talented than others no matter what sex or race they are.  And I don't see a
problem with recognizing that we are all of different races and genders
either.  That increases diversity while "color blindness" or "gender
blindness" decreases it.  How very un-permacultural.  If someone wishes to
use gender or race as a way to denigrate others, that individual is just an
idiot.  They have nothing to do with you.

For the record, I would not attend a women-only permaculture course.  I
would greatly miss the presence of men, and anyway the chances of there
being a competitive/threatening atmosphere in the class IMO are the same in
a group of all women as they are in a mixed group (I speak from experience
here).  This doesn't mean I think women's classes ought to be abolished; I
don't feel the world needs to serve my personal agenda.  But all the kind
and thoughtful and energetic men I know certainly needn't feel ashamed of
themselves for being male and showing it!

--Lee
***********************************
Lee A. Flier
lflier@mindspring.com
Atlanta, Georgia, USA
http://lflier.home.mindspring.com