The cultural changes of the last 200 years have been impressive. Specifically, slavery has been abolished in our Western culture, and women have been given the right to vote. Yet, in some parts of the world neither has happened. It is as if human rights has a tentative hold, like a kitten on a screen door. At any moment the kitten could drop, and we could find our world reverting back to the way it was. It is a scary thought, and even more scary when you realize that millions of people want that to happen.
The idea of women as objects also remains strong. In the West, we see it primarily in pornography, but there are strands of it trailing through other parts of our culture. I'm not sure of the cause, but I suspect that it has to do with the issue of power. Men are physically stronger, and traditionally have the role of protector and provider. When that power is perverted, it corrupts the relationship between men and women.
I think the problem arises when men use their strength for selfish fulfillment. A man gets married and has children, but he never quite makes a complete transition into the protector/provider mentality. Deep in his psyche, the wife is his "property." She exists to make him happy. That attitude can be passed down from generation to generation.
I often wonder what the world would be like if all the men woke up on Monday morning and found that they were as physically strong as ever, but that all the women in the world were twice as strong as the men. Would "yes dear" take on a whole new meaning?
What about other cultures? In Islam, religion cooperates with the men to keep women as second class citizens. We seem to have made more progress in the West. Our Judeo-Christian roots are patriarchal, yet both Jewish and Christian history have accounts of women accomplishing great things. The roots of anti-slavery are grounded in the Christian principles of men and women like William Wilberforce and Harriet Beecher Stowe.
Perhaps the real problem is the issue of dehumanization. Looking down on others who look or think differently from us seems to be part of our human experience. It happens between nations, of course, but if you look closely you can follow that same mentality down to tribes, clans, and even individual families who see themselves as superior to those around them. It's not surprising that a man can carry this outlook into his relationship with women.
How does one not fall victim to the temptation of dehumanizing others?
7 comments:
I don't think that superior size and strength are all that explain the problem. Depictions of powerful Amazons still amount to a kind of objectification.
I think God had a reason for creating men physically stronger. The problems start when we abuse that strength for our own selfish desires.
All I'm saying is that there's a lot more to what separates men and women's societal roles than differences in physical strength. I truly believe that if we woke up tomorrow and found that the average woman was suddenly twice as strong as the average man, men would still act like men, and women like women--one way or another, men would continue to dominate society. And certainly, what's swinging the pendulum the other way (i.e. women in leadership positions) has very little to do with physical strength.
I agree, however it would be almost comical to see a man try to rape a woman twice his strength.
With guns anyone can pretty much rape anyone, but I see your point. Rape would decline significantly (I just can't see women committing rape on a large scale even if they could). But would the whole power structure of society change? I don't think so. Power in our society has very little to do with physical prowess, notwithstanding all those studies suggesting that tall people have an easier time getting ahead.
I would say that the biggest contributor to men seeing women as objects is Satan's hold on these men. He likes to twist God's beautiful creation of the relationship between men and women into lust. When men are addicted to lust, Satan has power over them. This is perpetuated also by the lies he whispers into women's ears telling them they are worthless, again, gaining power over them. What a sad, sick world we live in! I am so thankful this is not our home. :)
Hi Jen
I agree lust is a driving force. I also think that somewhere in the process of the culturalization of little boys they sometimes miss being taught the value of protecting those that are physically weaker.
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