Dear Gov. Dean -- It’s the oppression of females …

[understandinglife]

27 December 2005 (# 22)

Perhaps this will be the shortest letter I ever write to you.

Not because thousands of pages documenting the horror of what men, cloaked in seemingly endless phony justifications for what they have done and continue to do to women, aren’t readily available as evidence.

Rather, it is brief because this issue is so insultingly obvious – it is the epitome of duh.

I despise any institution – religious, governmental, corporate, cultural or private – that in any way subjugates a female to a male.

The root source of evil on this planet is the notion, no matter how it is disguised, that the male sex is superior to the female.

No doctrine of government, no source of law, no basis of anything called value or ethics can be just, if it is used to enable any form of inequality between a male and a female.

At the top of the DNC criteria for support of a candidate should be an oath to undermine and eliminate every form of institutional oppression of women.

You’ll be surprised how many elections DNC sponsored candidates will win.

Way more important than that, the DNC will be at the vanguard of creating a sustainable platform for addressing the major challenges confronting not just America, but humanity –- population control, literacy, non-violent conflict resolution, adherence to the rule of law, fair compensation for workers, public health and wellness.

Thank you for your time considering these suggestions,

Peace.

[PDJane]

1. Congratulations!

a good letter, and on the money.

The UN spent a great deal of money on a study.......which figured out that the fastest way to improve a country's standard of living is.........

Drumroll please.......

Education. For women.

[madfloridian]

2. Do you write letters to other leaders in the party?

After all they bear some responsibility for the votes they have made that are ruining our country.

Just wondering.

[understandinglife]

4. Yes. But, I've also decided to assemble all the issues being ...

... addressed in the "Dear Gov. Dean -- " letters as the next in a series of pamphlets that I can then send to numerous Members of Congress and others. I have very little time given that my professional responsibilities are extensive, so I'm trying to be efficient in my messaging.


Peace.

[BlueIris]

3. Oh, good luck with this one. nt

[REP]

6. Actuallly, I Think Dean Would Take This Seriously

His position on women during the election went much further than the usual "Woman = Mother" tripe that every other candidate put out, and recognized the need for women's education around the world as something important to improve the state of the world (among other things). I'm a huge (hugh?) Dean fan, and his recognition of women as human is a big reason why.

[understandinglife]

11. I agree with you. That's why I decided to write him the letter. It's "in

... the mail."

Thank you for your comments.


Peace.

[understandinglife]

5. Cumulative index of letters:

# 1 -- Dear Gov. Dean --- America, Or Not?
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=104&topic_id=5531641

# 2 -- Dear Gov. Dean -- Bush knows he's lying ...
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=104&topic_id=5541924

# 3 -- Dear Gov. Dean -- Talk about extreme hiking …
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=104&topic_id=5551415

# 4 -- Dear Gov. Dean -- About those “Niger forgeries” ...
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=104&topic_id=5560254

# 5 -- Dear Gov. Dean -- On Passing the "Nuremberg chalice" …
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=104x5568226

# 6 -- Dear Gov. Dean -- Beyond a wall for “The Fallen Legion” …
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=104&topic_id=5574037&mesg_id=5574037

# 7 -- Dear Gov. Dean -- Let’s take Wally O’Dell at his word …
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=203x404707

# 8 -- Dear Gov. Dean -- “Making it up” … Must Be Stopped
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=104&topic_id=5593443&mesg_id=5593443

# 9 -- Dear Gov. Dean -- "Accumulated evil of the whole"
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=104&topic_id=5601256&mesg_id=5601256

# 10 -- Dear Gov. Dean -- Just dial 1-800-CALL-SPY ...
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=104&topic_id=5608382&mesg_id=5608382

# 11 -- Dear Gov. Dean -- "Same Intel as Congress," NOT ...
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=104&topic_id=5611041&mesg_id=5611041

# 12 -- Dear Gov. Dean -- On Concealing Crimes …
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=104&topic_id=5608382&mesg_id=5615989

# 13 -- Dear Gov. Dean -- No One Is Above The Law In America
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=104&topic_id=5630443&mesg_id=5630443

# 14 -- Dear Gov. Dean -- Why did Bush violate FISA and the 4th Amendment?
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=104&topic_id=5638345&mesg_id=5638345

# 15 -- Dear Gov. Dean -- "From Conservative Scholars to Sigint specialists …"
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=104&topic_id=5647673&mesg_id=5649953

# 16 -- Dear Gov. Dean -- The BIG New York Times story yet to be told …
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=104&topic_id=5660702&mesg_id=5660702

# 17 -- Dear Gov. Dean -- The rabid dogs are cornered …
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=104&topic_id=5666006&mesg_id=5666006

# 18 -- Dear Gov. Dean -- Bush's Treasonous Christmas Gift to Iran ...
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=post&forum=104&topic_id=5675687&mesg_id=5675687

# 19 -- Dear Gov. Dean -- Make R oom at the Inn for the Two Ethnic Uighurs ...
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=104&topic_id=5679357&mesg_id=5679357

# 20 -- Dear Gov. Dean -- The Destruction of Meaning ...
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=104&topic_id=5684701&mesg_id=5684701

# 21 -- Dear Gov. Dean -- It's No Longer Baseball ...
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=104&topic_id=5687852&mesg_id=5687852

# 22 -- Dear Gov. Dean -- It's the Oppression of Females ...
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=104&topic_id=5692797&mesg_id=5692797

You are free to distribute these and otherwise make use of them without having to contact me. If anyone would like a .pdf compilation of all the letters, just pm me with an email address and I'll send you a copy.

[Spider Jerusalem]

7. Bit hyperbolic, isn't it?

I mean, a statement like "The root source of evil on this planet is the notion, no matter how it is disguised, that the male sex is superior to the female" is really kind of absurd. "Evil" (which I put it quotes because it's subjective and relative value judgement, and not an absolute) can be considered to have many sources, chief among them the perversity of human nature from whence the others spring. Whatever you consider "evil" to be, surely you can agree that its causes encompass such things as religious and ethnic hatred, greed, what Nietzsche called "the will to power", economic inequality...the list goes on and on. (And including phrases like "the epitome of duh" isn't what I'd call the best way to be taken seriously, aside from the obvious fallacy of your thesis.)

[understandinglife]

10. As I stated, "root cause," not "only cause." And, no it is not even a tiny

... bit "hyperbolic."

All the best in the New Year and thank you for your thoughtful comments.


Peace.

[Spider Jerusalem]

15. Actually, it is...

hyperbole = "extravagant exaggeration". And "root cause" means "the cause of all causes", so you ARE claiming that it's the only cause, in a sense. Make up your mind.

[understandinglife]

21. "eye of the beholder" phenomenon ....

... what for you is hyperbole (I already knew the definition), for me is boringly obvious.

Several more elemental nurturing roots (e.g., "control," "superior," "physical asymmetry,") of the "oppression of a person because they are female" root, from my perspective, exist.

Perhaps all the cultural, religious, governmental, corporate and private (clubs, and the like) institutions that, historically and currently, manifest evil, might have done so without suppression of females being inherent to their policies and/or practices.

Might be interesting to compile, for each of those institutions, all of their rules and actions that oppress, in any way, a human being because their gender is female.

Then a basis would exist for a comparison of which institutions are least "oppressive of females," and how that correlates with their tolerance of other differences, and their intolerance of aggression. Such studies may already line bookshelves.

In any event, the day that ending the ridiculous, cruel, pervasive practice of oppressing a person because they are female becomes a mandate, will be a day of advancement for humanity no less significant than the discovery of how to make fire, imho.

As an explicit objective, it would likely enhance the Democratic party platform.

Thank you for your comments.


Peace.

[Larkspur]

12. Domination is evil and leads to a host of other evils, like wars

Patriarchy is systematic male domination.

It's the domination part, not the sex/gender, that is the real source of evil A dominator is obsessed with always being in control and will do anything to keep or maintian it.

[Spider Jerusalem]

16. Human nature leads to wars and other evils.

Chimpanzees are the primates most closely related to humans, and they fight one another in fairly organised groups, you know...they actually make WAR. Not to mention the fact that primate social structure is hierarchical, group-oriented, and male-dominated (and not JUST in humans). I'm not saying that this means human society should be so (I agree that gender equality is a necessary goal), but arguments such as yours, which completely ignore such things as anthropology, primate psychology, and group social dynamics, are innately flawed and demonstrably ridiculous.

[RazzleDazzle]

19. Sounds like social Darwinism to me, or close enough

Bah on your "biolgy is destiny" :puke: defense of institutionalized sexism and repression. Go be a Republican, why don't you? You'd fit in much better there; they'd like your style (not that plenty of Neanderthal men here won't appreciate it as well, alas).

[Spider Jerusalem]

20. I'd suggest you learn to read.

What part of "I agree that gender equality is a necessary goal" do you not understand?

[Larkspur]

22. Actually bonobo apes are geneticaly closer to humans than chimps

and bonobo apes http://www.awionline.org/pubs/Quarterly/Spring02/bonobo.htm "have a matriarchal culture, bound by cooperation, sharing, and the creative use of sex. Bonobos live in large groups where peaceful coexistence is the norm. Females carry the highest rank and the sons of ranking females are the leaders among males. Alliances among females are the central unifying force."

8. Thanks for the thumbs up for women's equality

I am surprised that someone of the male gender wrote the OP. I have not met many men who trumpet women's causes. Many men seem to be threatened by equality of women, even though they may admire women openly. But women's equality needs to be out in the open, even if there are all kinds of Freudian entanglements behind men's fears.

[understandinglife]

9. At age 58, I've seen enough to know that this issue is the central ...

... threat to society, humanity. If we truly want to "evolve" as a species, we need to address it. My wife of more than 36 years will attest that I mean it.


Peace.

[Larkspur]

13. So when are you going to write letters to Al From of the DLC?

The DLC is one of the biggest impediments to Democratic courage and victory.

[understandinglife]

14. I'm sending him the compendium of the first 25 letters as a New ...

... Years "get a clue" gift; similarly, to the DCCC and DSCC.

Thank you for your comment.


Peace.

[BlueIris]

17. Can't believe I forgot to rec this last time. Kick. nt

[RazzleDazzle]

18. Hmm, then you must have bigtime problems with

DemocraticUnderground, yes? For all the sexism that goes on here, and is allowed if not subtly encouraged. Yesterday, for example, I was shocked and dismayed at the provocative sexual come on from one of the advertisers, not quite as bad as the truck flaps flap, but close. There's a lot of sexist language and sexist sentiment that gets by here as well. I presume all this bothers you greatly, and that you alert on and complain about those examples you see, which will be most likely found in discussions about pornography, sexual abuse, rightwing women (including certain media women), etc.?

So glad we women can count on your support right here at "home."

[efhmc]

24. Well said.

[Crowdance]

23. Kicked for plain old common sense.

Keep writing these briefs; they're great!

[kerry-is-my-prez]

25. Unfortunately, some women think that they s/be subjugated to men.

screwed up as that may be.