by rusmeister » August 29th, 2007, 6:11 pm
Look, I have the same problems that you do (family, etc.) - except that my job (teacher) is going to kick in in a couple of weeks and then I won't have any time.
Some ideas really are too complex to be treated in this format of posts, and must be addressed in books. I'd hold that the complexities of current gender issues are among them. It's like you want me to explain life, the universe and everything, or colors, by coming out with a few snappy answers. I may have to write my own book (although I think that my field, education, is more appropriate for me to tackle - on how all of you guys get indoctrinated from childhood into the uncommon nonsense the world spouts today - a fortunate minority escape it, but most don't).
It's not reasonable to present my position as an extreme opposite of your own position (canonizing Chesterton as opposed to desiring to debunk him*). * Notice that two can play at that game.
You're right that I'm comfortable with my truth, but I have reason to be - 99% of humanity throughout history is on my side. And I think you might also agree that we admire Lewis, and Chesterton, not because they SAY things, but because they say things that we already know in our hearts to be true.
On F.M-G, I just wanted to give you freedom to pick and choose a topic that might be of interest to you. She's an extremely engaging writer (I would describe Chesterton as a writer that is much more difficult to engage with).
...
OK, here's one that might be of tangential interest:
I should add that Mrs. Mathewes-Greene, aka Frederica is a popular and influential spokeswoman for Orthodox thought - she's not a fringe whacko.
I agree with your reasons for dismissal of tradition (Although 'incorrect is widely open to interpretation)! However, the assumption of what exactly is sin seems to depend on how you cast the issue. For example, you speak of 'barring' women from the military, which assumes that not having women serve would be depriving them of something. In a healthy society, no sane woman would WANT to join the military. The unique tragedy of our society is that we have convinced women that they should adopt the standards of men and seek success and power on the terms of men, rather than hold their own standards of power and success, as all other human societies have done.
On voting, I'll just say that it's obvious that you believe in democracies as they are practiced in the Western world today, and that voting confers some kind of actual power. I no longer believe that. If voting is a joke, then not only does it not matter whether women have the vote or not, it is demeaning to them to even take part in what is a huge joke on men. In a word, they have bought into men's B-S. If that is true, then it is not depriving women of anything at all. Do you see the difficulty and complexity of this? Now you would have to write a book to try to convince me that voting (beyond the village level) has value and is an important patriotic duty. It's the same problem I have of trying to convince you that women should not be soldiers.
Like I said, read the book. It's no shame for me to admit that Chesterton says it a lot better than I can. I simply cheerfully acknowledge that he is right.
"Eh? Two views? There are a dozen views about everything until you know the answer. Then there's never more than one."
Bill "The Blizzard" Hingest - That Hideous Strength
