[Foundation-l] Introducing a new mailing list

[Gerard Meijssen]

Hoi,
Women have, like men, the ability to contribute. The way they contribute 
is not necessarily the same. When you read the motivation for the 
mailing list, you would have read that there is a group of women who 
feel ill at ease and as a consequence refrain from contributing to our 
projects. The fact that so many men are sceptical about this, shows 
either that they have not read the motivation, do not believe the 
motivation but what it does not prove at all is that they are right.

It is not ironic that there is a need (for your benefit) perceived need 
for women to support each other. If anything, it is more of a reflection 
of how our society is. As we grow bigger, we become more of a reflection 
of the set way that is our society. It drives people away. People that 
have things to contribute that can show that things brought to us as the 
NPOV are not so neutral at all even for all the sources provided.

For me personally there are several subjects I will not touch any more 
because of experiences I have had with what are to me hard nosed POV 
pushers. Some of these subjects like religion, I even studied, but I 
found that my brand of knowledge does not wash, my sources do not find 
acceptance and consequently I leave these subject to what are to me POV 
pushers. Now, I am white, male, European and I am happy and willing to 
learn and discuss about the relative merits of any 
language/dialect/orthography. The belief (or conceit) that we can find 
solutions to most of these issues make me part of the "top dogs" for 
this subject. As a consequence, when others have an opinion that is in 
opposition to mine, they often will feel unhappy, treated unjustly and 
they will find as much as I do that the arguments used by the "others" 
are unreasonable. The difference is that apparently their conviction 
does not carry the same weight as mine.

The point is, when you are part of the group that is described as 
dominant, you are hardly in a position to judge how the other group 
experiences what is the norm to you. When it comes to gender equality, 
it was only this month that Islamic scholars told their people that 
female circumcision is not acceptable. When you are lucky that in your 
neck of the woods women are equal and treated equally, it does not 
follow that this is true everywhere. It would be better to respect this 
need, even if it does not fulfil /your /need and we should be grateful 
when more women find their way to fill the niche that is waiting for them.

Thanks,
    GerardM

Source:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/6176340.stm

Corum O' Fallamhain schreef:
> Since women have the ability to contribute here the same as men, I really
> don't see why this is needed. Surely the scepticism being shown to this idea
> from many men is proof positive of the fact that no-one is being opressed.
> How ironic to have women in this day and age proposing their own seperate
> mailing list from men, since so many feminists fought so hard for gender
> equality. This looks to me like a step backward.