Friday, May 30, 2008

Freudian slip?

In reading through a discussion of male/female differences on CBE's blog, The Scroll, I came across this:

on another thought…I think it interesting that plato and aristotle saw men as of the mind, rational and thinking and women of the flesh, emotional and seductive - only above the animals. That is substance duelism.

I know religious feminists deny that they are opposing men, but I can't help wondering if this isn't something of a freudian slip after all.

Kamilla

8 comments:

Anonymous said...

Maybe I am being dense, but I don't get it. What does this quotation have to do with egalitarian Christian women opposing men?

(Yes, I am a feminist, but I am not being a disingenuous. I honestly don't understand this post, and am curious.)

-- maggiefox2920@yahoo.com

Kamilla said...

Hi Maggie,

Are you familiar with this Chesterton quote?

"When a woman puts up her fists to a man she is putting herself in the only posture in which he is not afraid of her."

Think about that quote and then read the CBE blog post I quoted again. If it still doesn't come to you, try looking in the dictionary.

I'd tell you, but these things are so much more fun when they "dawn" on us. Jokes and slips and ironies lose their punch when they have to be explained.

Thanks for stopping by,

Kamilla

Anonymous said...

Oh, the light dawns! Ha ha!

Thanks!

(Of course, I would note that this slip is consistent with the feminist critique of patriarchy. The ancient notions of male and female makes harmony between the sexes pretty difficult, so it is no shock that the CBE crowd would call it "duelism." Sorry
to wreck the fun, but I can't help it since we feminists have no sense of humor.)

-- maggiefox2920@yahoo.com

Anonymous said...

Also, I am curious about the Chesterton quotation. Can you point me in the right direction for the context?

I am imagining his idea of a woman putting her fists up to a man refers to women competing with men in business and politics. I also imagine that he is trying to make the point that women are more feared in our traditional roles in the domestic sphere. And finally, I am intrigued by his reference to "being feared by men" as the goal of certain women (or does he mean "respected")? But I am just guessing, since I know next to nothing about him. He does sound like the kind of person apt to provoke me to fisticuffs.

-- maggiefox2920@yahoo.com

Anonymous said...

Oh never mind! Sorry to disturb! I found the Chesterton quotation in anti-suffragist article here:

http://www.fullbooks.com/A-Miscellany-of-Men1.html

-- maggiefox2920@yahoo.com

Kamilla said...

No problem, Maggie. I just didn't want to put a "spoiler" out there yet - so I am glad you "got it".

I have no doubt Chesterton would provoke you! He tends to have that affect.

Kamilla

Anonymous said...

It is starting to seem to me, that while men and women are equally intellectually capable, men tend to make their decisions based upon facts and logic, and women tend to make their decisions based upon emotions.

As to slipping, the CBE types seem to (hopefully not all of them!), having started with Korah's Rebellion, be moving towards Diana of the Ephesians.

Anonymous said...

Anonymous said, "It is starting to seem to me, that while men and women are equally intellectually capable, men tend to make their decisions based upon facts and logic, and women tend to make their decisions based upon emotions."

Not true. I'm in marketing, and we've had this under a microscope for years to determine how to influence people. Everyone, male and female, makes decisions primarily based on emotion. They then use logic to justify it. Think men don't make decisions based on emotion? Watch a car commercial.

Peter