Where to Begin!

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I have been waiting all semester to be able to go off about this book. I LOVE THIS! It explains I think everything that women are feeling or thinking all of the time that men might not be able to understand, while also explaining why men act the way that they do. I had a conversation with our previous president, Zelda Peach, about why this book hits so close to home. I was trying to explain to a few guy friends of mine that women are constantly scared of walking by themselves, especially at night. Two of my best friends carry pepper spray at all times and I constantly carry my keys in between my fingers because of this assertive dominance that men try to hold over women. I’m not trying to sound super feminist, but the fact that I can’t walk to my car at night without feeling the need to ask my boyfriend to walk close to me so the creepy guy in the Taco Bell parking lot can’t attack me is crazy. Wollstonecraft does such a great job of explaining how men act and why exactly they might feel the need to justify the things they do that inflict discomfort into women. So before I start to sound too feminist, let me leave you with this: do you think that if God hadn’t gifted man the power to name all of creation that women would be less intimidated and men would be less domineering?

I commented on Hailey and AnnaKate’s posts!

Comments

Clabo said…
I would agree with that. Men do unconsciously exude a domineering atmosphere when around other men and especially women. We feel as if because we may be more physically inclined than women that we have power over them, but this is simply just not the case. Power is not defined by physical strength alone, but by many other qualities that men and women share equally. This is where respect should ensue, but sadly it doesn't most of the time. However, I do feel that if God had not given man that task, that we would still be attached to our power complex.
October 21, 2019 at 12:15 PM
Joshua Evers said…
I sadly must declare that many men are pigs, and give in to their selfish desires. In a fallen world, this has led to fathers abandoning families due to irresponsibility, horrible accounts of abuse, and plenty of harassment. Biblical manhood is nearly nonexistent in society as a whole and I diagnose this to be the cause of such immorality and lust prevailing over the minds of men and leading to the twisting of authority in society. God sets out clear standards for how men are to regard and treat women, but many of them are avoided to achieve pleasure.
October 21, 2019 at 5:14 PM
Drew Hedden said…
I also thought a lot about what social differences there are between men and women today while reading Vindication, but I didn't really consider where to look biblically for answers. With that said, after reading your post, I personally feel like the most likely cause we can find in the Bible for this hierarchy is God's response to Eve after the original sin, not the naming of creation. God says "Your desire will be for your husband,yet he will rule over you."

The disconnect here is that what God says isn't necessarily an evil thing- God isn't saying this as a way to excuse assault. The problem is that all evil is not the opposite of good, but the perversion of good. This relationship outlined by God isn't necessarily perfect or easy, but the way it has been twisted by man is the cause of this issue.
October 21, 2019 at 7:24 PM
Jamie Peters said…
I don't think that God creating man to name and dominate over everything, including women, has anything to do with how intimidated we are by them. God created women to come up beside men and help them be the best that they can be, and men are instructed to love and cherish their wives. Furthermore, all humanity is instructed to love and care for each other, no matter the social standing. Intimidation only comes when the world's sin influences our decisions. We as humans, not men and women, must remember that both of us are of common virtues, as Wollstonecraft explains. Just because we were created for different purposes does not mean that one is more important than the other.
October 21, 2019 at 8:09 PM
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