CMLT 4870: Assignment 1

Travis Hallenbeck

9-11-03

I consider masculine to be incomplete and feminine to be complete. I view women as complete, because their bodies inherently contain the most profound purpose that affects human reality, to give birth to people. It is harder for me to view men as inherently having a purpose. However much they affect the lives of people, they are always a step more detached than women. What I acknowledge as masculine and feminine is different from what my culture acknowledges as masculine and feminine on the surface, but they are connected.

In American culture, for example, men are noticed for what they do or what they are working towards, and women are noticed for what they embody and how they look. I think this stems from the idea that men must do something to be someone and have a meaningful existence whereas women are something to begin with. How they look is a reflection of who they are, because just looking like a woman is a sign of meaning. Different cultures have different ideals of what a woman looks like, but all have an ideal about what is the best way for a woman to look. Even though all women don't look like the ideal, if a woman looks something like the ideal, that is an acknowledged and valued accomplishment.

I think all attempts of men to control women are caused by men resenting women for being complete. All people want to feel valued, but men feel bitter and lonely without women paying attention to them. Men might try to genuinely impress women into spending time with them by showing how good of a father and companion they could be, but men have also spent their time developing systems to control women and get what they want without appealing so much to what is good for women and their reality. It is easy for a person to ignore another's reality since the minds of people are seperated, but it is even easier to do this when the other person has something you want and resists giving it. As a man, I often wonder what I might do to get the attention of a woman whom I admire, and I question whether or not I have anything to offer. Many times I think I do not, but still long for her attention.

However, if I were a woman, I think I would feel the opposite of what I do as a man. I mean that, as a women, I think I would also feel incomplete if I was not as valued as a man in sexist institutions. But, I don't think that I would feel that naturally as a women. I would feel lower than men in this case just because of men treating me lower out of resentment for my purpose. For instance, as a woman, I think I would not be celebrated if I was a housewife. The speech of American society differentiates between what is 'work' and what is 'housework.' In public life, housework is not as prestigious as work and is not seen as a difficult challenge, but this idea comes from the reality of men who usually do not do housework. Men think housework is not worthy of respect and appreciation, because the only worthy role men can fill to make sense or belong in the world is to be pitted against society and nature like as a businessman or scientist. The role of a woman working with society and nature is seen as unworthy, becuase men are unable to fill it. I think women are also struggling to make sense or belong in the world too like men, but I think that is the result of sexism in culture rather than an inherent experience. This inherent experience of men feeling alone or worthless probably led to them wanting to gain control over women. However, I don't think it is always overtly apparent that men are trying to control women now since a system of sexism seems to be established in most cultures.

Nevertheless, since speech can create our place in culture and society as well as reflect it, institutionalized hostility between men and women could be lessened if women are respected and valued as people with generally the same mental and physical capabilities of men and acknowledged of the authority they hold over humankind. Men must also realize that they can accept a purpose as a person working with other people and nature rather than resenting women and nature and trying to dominate them. Technological and idealogical developments throughout history have often been the result of the work of a man working alone against society or nature, but it seems like humankind would benefit from men and women working with both if humankind has a purpose as a whole and intends to survive.