Reply #19: I follow you [View All]

[sui generis]

and agree for the most part but here are the fallacies as I see them:

1. "goddess" religions did not exist exclusive to others, they collaborated in polytheistic societies, in fact the "goddess" ideas were more closely related to "astarte" ideals and facilitators of birth and harvest (among many female deities) than to a single überdeity of any sex.

2. There WERE large successful cultures that were primarily matrilineal and where women held great social and political power; if I recall in nearly 800 years of dynastic and predynastic egyptian history.

3. There ARE currently matrilineal cultures - although not usually associated with the developed world.

The truth is where you find it. Historically in peace time women are more prone to die in childbirth, men more prone to die by violence and accident, all other natural illnesses subtracted. Women have weaker upper bodies compared to men, can be even more disadvantaged for longer during pregnancy, and so set their survival values on gathering and storing for the future, while men are more acquisitional, and it could be said that women have selected for men who can protect them with greater strength, including violence, in a darwinian cycle. It might be said that if not for women gathering wheat, men would still be living in caves gathering mastodons. I'm being a little tongue in cheek here but ultimately I believe we're in this together. In the bigger social picture men have taken advantage of the social situation, but in smaller social settings, women rule with means other than violence. We are by no means done evolving either, and that will take our combined knowledge and patience, and desire to do so.

It is important to address the past and social evolution fairly - men today are no more to blame for the sins of their fathers than you are. What we are all to blame for is not articulating the need (and a plan) for change more effectively and in terms that everybody can understand and buy into.

Finally, nothing happens overnight or without a struggle. It's a fight - but we should direct our energy at the problems we face, not one entire sex or the other.