It May Be The Taliban Has This Right.

[Dan From Smithville]

I have no desire to disparage women, in the same way there is no need to disparage children for being children. Children are recognized for what they are, and then hopefully accommodated by principle.

For not wanting to disparage them, you seem to be doing well at it.

 

[Meow Mix]

Now you are comparing women to children? At least it is a step up from your previous comparison of them with dogs.

At the end of the day a lot of these admonishments for women to be silent, to be obedient, to learn from their husbands: it is an infantilization of women. It’s like they want us to be somewhere between children and the “real” adults (men).

 

[Meow Mix]

Sometimes I wonder what kinds of women misogynists have in their lives. Have they had their spirit beaten out of them, perhaps by the same local factors that contributed to the misogynist’s worldview (is the entire family misogynistic perhaps, mistreating daughters?)

My heart fractures when I think about what kind of world many women have to live in, what they’re born into. How was I so lucky and they were not?

How many girls would have been great engineers, doctors, scientists, artists?

 

[Debater Slayer]

Anyone who thinks the misogyny of the Taliban is exclusive to their fundamentalist strain of Islam needs to check out the arguments in this thread.

Feminism is still very much needed, and not just in Afghanistan or other Islamic countries.

 

[Spiderman]

Sometimes I wonder what kinds of women misogynists have in their lives. Have they had their spirit beaten out of them, perhaps by the same local factors that contributed to the misogynist’s worldview (is the entire family misogynistic perhaps, mistreating daughters?)

My heart fractures when I think about what kind of world many women have to live in, what they’re born into. How was I so lucky and they were not?

How many girls would have been great engineers, doctors, scientists, artists?

Im actually deeply troubled to hear your struggles, and sorrow, and theirs.

I'm learning from you and you teach me to know my place better and know what struggles others are going through.

And I respect the education you have and it is eye opening the ways women can perform so well and are robbed of that potential.

But I need my own lessons in humility, am in no place to judge, have changed my views to often see things like abortion as an act of charity to the child, how men can be, and educated (sometimes militant) feminists help me see things aren't black and white and I simply don't know what it's like. It is helpful. I learn more from them than the pious churchy folks.

 

[Meow Mix]

Im actually deeply troubled to hear your struggles, and sorrow, and theirs.

I'm learning from you and you teach me to know my place better and know what struggles others are going through.

And I respect the education you have and it is eye opening the ways women can perform so well and are robbed of that potential.

But I need my own lessons in humility, am in no place to judge, have changed my views to often see things like abortion as an act of charity to the child, how men can be, and educated (sometimes militant) feminists help me see things aren't black and white and I simply don't know what it's like. It is helpful. I learn more from them than the pious churchy folks.

Mon ami, I feel you too <3

We have to unlearn a lot of stuff society tells us to be good people; and there is always more to learn for all of us. I have more to learn, of that I am certain.

 

[Meow Mix]

There was a picture floating around recently of an all-girls Afghan robotics team. If I were the type to pray, I pray they are safe.

 

[Dan From Smithville]

At the end of the day a lot of these admonishments for women to be silent, to be obedient, to learn from their husbands: it is an infantilization of women. It’s like they want us to be somewhere between children and the “real” adults (men).

I think so too.

I know a lot of women that I admire for their ability. Abilities that I either lack or see them as the model for my own improvement. I hope I have been good at letting them know that. I have a friend who recently finished her masters in history. She is younger and much more liberal than I am, but I treasure our conversations and learn a lot from her perspective. Neither her age nor her gender make her views any less important and on occasion she has succeeded in swaying my opinion on a subject based on her arguments. I would lose a a great friend whose council I value highly if I were to expect her to be subservient to my views. We do not agree on everything, but she knows I appreciate what she has to say.

 

[PoetPhilosopher]

I'm having a difficult time not identifying with feminism after reading material like this.

 

[Meow Mix]

I think so too.

I know a lot of women that I admire for their ability. Abilities that I either lack or see them as the model for my own improvement. I hope I have been good at letting them know that. I have a friend who recently finished her masters in history. She is younger and much more liberal than I am, but I treasure our conversations and learn a lot from her perspective. Neither her age nor her gender make her views any less important and on occasion she has succeeded in swaying my opinion on a subject based on her arguments. I would lose a a great friend whose council I value highly if I were to expect her to be subservient to my views. We do not agree on everything, but she knows I appreciate what she has to say.

I long for the day that this was just the way it was. Things have certainly gotten far better than even decades ago; at least in our country.

Also I have a suspicion you may be from near where I grew up so our local culture (at least in origin) might be the same. Judging based on your name and something you said once elsewhere ^.^

 

[firedragon]

There was a picture floating around recently of an all-girls Afghan robotics team. If I were the type to pray, I pray they are safe.

Today, Afghanistan and women are the talk of the town, because it is top of mind. before 911 no one gave a damn about those women.

You can vouch for one thing now. These young ladies in the robotics team, if they are not shipped to another country, along with some other aspiring women in sports or/and other fields needing funds to excel will be shunned to the gutter. Why?? Because the first thing done to squeeze them is the end of funds. Foreign aid. This is a strategy to win certain things. Stopping funds is a way to help a friend win a war or to keep the war going, if there is one. So these acts will directly impact money for governance. The ladies won't get anything to do anything. So they will need to go to another country.

One can blame it all on the Taliban, today and in the future. But one must also consider what they have done.

 

[Spiderman]

There was a picture floating around recently of an all-girls Afghan robotics team. If I were the type to pray, I pray they are safe.

Are you a Scorpio?

Well, you seem like one.

May the creator or rather all the wise spirits concerned about women's equality bless you, Our Lady of Lourdes and Saint Bernadette bless you (you registered here on the feast of Our Lady of Lourdes, national Japan day. I practice the state Religion of Japan Shinto where the highest Kami (Divinity) is female, (it's a big celebration feast day for me), may Amaterasu Omikami bless you) and all spirits concerned with women's rights, safety, justice, and equality bless, empower, strengthen, guide, inspire, and lead you to be an effective instrument for equality and justice in our world.

There are female entities you can pray to as well. You aren't in this alone. They can benefit from your prayers. A lot of female spirits (Kami) want what you do and have been victimized and their dreams stolen. Most of the Kami I pray to are female ( and some feminists).

I hope you will find a spirituality and faith or mysticism that empowers you.

Either way. You are in my prayers and you're still a Scorpio, to me

 

[Dan From Smithville]

I love old science fiction movies. I have since I was a boy. Some of them are pretty good movies and some are just schlock. But I love watching them.

I can't recall when this conversation took place and all the details. It was a discussion of those old sci fi movies and I pointed out one thing that was often common among some of those films from the 50's and 60's. They would introduce the crew of the ship or the group of explorers. Usually all men that were scientists or more often mostly military. There would be a woman among that group that had three or four different degrees. Dr Jane Doe, with combined degrees in physics, biochemistry, genetics or some combination like that. They would make her sound like the most qualified member of the crew and then they would have her run get coffee while the men discussed the important matters. What if I hadn't realized that there was something wrong there? That is the impact of culture on our views.

 

[firedragon]

Thanks. Using the title, I was able to access a copy of the first paper. Thanks for both of the articles.

I remember something from a long time ago that talked about the change in behavior between young children as they age and progress through school. In early grades, there was no difference between learning in boys and girls and the girls may actually have had an early advantage, though I do not recall those details. However, reviewing the behavior and learning with progressing age, girls gradually stood out less, and this was largely associated with culture and not any difference in performance or native ability. We seem to teach our girls to dumb themselves down and for no good reason, to make matters worse.

What a lot of people must realise is that neglecting 50% of the country's intellectual contribution is the loss of 50% in intellectual contribution. This "could be" one of the biggest issues in societies where women are as you said "dumbed down".

It has proven over and over that both sexes are equal in intelligence or at least in IQ, maybe with some differences in some age groups. So a leader or a leadership in a country has to be plain stupid if they dont cultivate females to be in par with men in education and outwardly intellectual contribution to the country. I am not talking about controlling the outcome, but I am talking about providing the platform. Outcome will have some statistical differences, but it does not matter because eventually the prosperity will definitely be seen.

This is actually historical.

 

[Meow Mix]

Today, Afghanistan and women are the talk of the town, because it is top of mind. before 911 no one gave a damn about those women.

You can vouch for one thing now. These young ladies in the robotics team, if they are not shipped to another country, along with some other aspiring women in sports or/and other fields needing funds to excel will be shunned to the gutter. Why?? Because the first thing done to squeeze them is the end of funds. Foreign aid. This is a strategy to win certain things. Stopping funds is a way to help a friend win a war or to keep the war going, if there is one. So these acts will directly impact money for governance. The ladies won't get anything to do anything. So they will need to go to another country.

One can blame it all on the Taliban, today and in the future. But one must also consider what they have done.

I’m under no illusions that my own leaders are paragons of virtue bringing freedom and nation-building to the Middle East, I assure you.

I’m aware of how vile my country’s foreign policy has been. I don’t support it. Once there, something I didn’t support in the first place, the least they could have done is actually train people, build infrastructure, build schools, train educators to meet the demand of new schools. Help villages be more connected. I suspect if they’d done that for 20 years the Taliban would not be so welcomed.

 

[atanu]

Such a benefit is slim at best.

I do not think so.

 

[Meow Mix]

Are you a Scorpio?

Well, you seem like one.

May the creator or rather all the wise spirits concerned about women's equality bless you, Our Lady of Lourdes and Saint Bernadette bless you (you registered here on the feast of Our Lady of Lourdes, national Japan day. I practice the state Religion of Japan Shinto where the highest Kami (Divinity) is female, (it's a big celebration feast day for me), may Amaterasu Omikami bless you) and all spirits concerned with women's rights, safety, justice, and equality bless, empower, strengthen, guide, inspire, and lead you to be an effective instrument for equality and justice in our world.

There are female entities you can pray to as well. You aren't in this alone. They can benefit from your prayers. A lot of female spirits (Kami) want what you do and have been victimized and their dreams stolen. Most of the Kami I pray to are female ( and some feminists).

I hope you will find a spirituality and faith or mysticism that empowers you.

Either way. You are in my prayers and you're still a Scorpio, to me

Thank you! ^.^
I’m a Pisces, on the edge of Aquarius. Definitely Aquarius if Ophiuchus counts.

I don’t know anything about what traits the signs are supposed to have though.

 

[Shakeel]

Thank you. Yes, Christianity is harsher to women than Islam - as is the Taliban. This is obvious to anyone who reads.

 

[firedragon]

I’m under no illusions that my own leaders are paragons of virtue bringing freedom and nation-building to the Middle East, I assure you.

Our leaders sis is not the issue really. They do squeeze some countries to pulp, but the issue is the control of IMF which is an international body, not owned any particular country. Thus, the IMF funding should not be affected by one single country or many for that matter.

Let me give you an example. I won't name names, but if you google this you can find it Im sure. In 2009 Hillary Clintons emails got leaked. Some of her emails were to a big shot at the IMF. They were discussing a civil war in an asian country (not the Middle East which everyone is obsessed about). The war was between the government and probably the most dangerous terrorist group in the entire world. So she was pressurising the IMF to stop their aid to this country if they dont stop the fight. Who were they trying to help? The terrorists.

So IMF funding can sway a lot of things. They should not be under anyones thumb. This is the problem.

Once there, something I didn’t support in the first place, the least they could have done is actually train people, build infrastructure, build schools, train educators to meet the demand of new schools. Help villages be more connected. I suspect if they’d done that for 20 years the Taliban would not be so welcomed.

Talking about Afghanistan, what they should have done is immediately form a parliament, and tell the Taliban to form a party for a democratic election. When people form parties, it is only historical that they have certain changes which are inevitable. What actually happened was they formed a government lead by former advisors of the Carlyle group and the Unical etc etc. They, ran away with big money. See, if I was given an option to choose between a corrupt government with my personal freedom and a non-corrupt government without my personal freedom I will probably choose the corrupt government. I think. Because I want my personal freedom. This is the choice they gave to the people. You cant start an orphanage or even build a small drainage in the Afghan grounds without bribes that go from the bottom to the helm.

So this is what they should have done.

 

[Dan From Smithville]

What a lot of people must realise is that neglecting 50% of the country's intellectual contribution is the loss of 50% in intellectual contribution. This "could be" one of the biggest issues in societies where women are as you said "dumbed down".

It has proven over and over that both sexes are equal in intelligence or at least in IQ, maybe with some differences in some age groups. So a leader or a leadership in a country has to be plain stupid if they dont cultivate females to be in par with men in education and outwardly intellectual contribution to the country. I am not talking about controlling the outcome, but I am talking about providing the platform. Outcome will have some statistical differences, but it does not matter because eventually the prosperity will definitely be seen.

This is actually historical.

You'll get no argument for that from me. I think one of the duties of leadership is to nurture the abilities of all their constituents regardless of gender, race, age, or anyone of many ways we can differentiate members of a group. Providing that platform is part of what I mean by nurturing. But even in what are often qualified as more enlightened societies, there still exist cultural barriers. Some more subtle barriers, but some not that subtle at all.

A good farmer does not throw out half his crops for some irrelevant reason and expect that he will be successful.