Friends of the blog, I have invented another series! (I know, I’m making up series faster than I’m making up posts. I’ll work on that sometime.) This one is for awesome quotations, with discussion to follow in the comments section. Today’s is from Junot Diaz, an author I’d never heard of until friend of the blog Kelly posted these interviews with him on her Facebook.
I think the average guy thinks they’re pro-woman, just because they think they’re a nice guy and someone has told them that they’re awesome, but the truth is far from it. Unless you are actively, consciously working against the gravitational pull of the culture, you will predictably, thematically, create these sort of fucked-up representations. –Junot Diaz
–Martha
I have to say that I am more impressed with this interview than with his first book. (That could possible be due to the suped up hype that accompanied the book.) What comes through in the book is his vunerablilty, which translates into a consideration for the human condition. Eek. I’m using my husband’s language. Really awesome interview. Thanks for bring it up.
I don’t mean to shatter any ilinuloss but .feminists ARE regular women. That said, most women whether they identify themselves as feminists, or not appreciate good manners and courtesy as much as the next person. If you are walking through a door, and are walking with someone else, it’s simply polite to hold the door open for that other person. As for economics and paying one’s own way, that may be a different matter, but as with just about everything there is no one-size-fits-all answer: there are feminists who feel strongly about paying their own way on a date, and plenty who don’t. (Don’t forget, too, that allowing for economic equality when dating someone doesn’t necessarily mean you split the bill, but can easily mean (and more often does mean) that sometimes one persons foots the bill, and sometimes the other person foots the bill.)Feminists, if you’re going to talk in broad terms, don’t want to be condescended to on the basis of their sex. IF you would typically be condescending to a woman on a date, then you would want to modify your behavior .but if you’re typically condescending to women then it’s unlikely that you would want to date someone who is a feminist, or that she would want to date you, so I don’t think it’s an issue! The fact that you are interested enough to ask the question suggests to me that you would treat her just fine on a date, feminist or not.
I’m not great at articulating my thhguots, so please bear with me as I try to do so here Mention the word feminist and many people conjure up an image of a business suit-clad woman who makes her own rules and can be unapologetically rude when she so desires. We envision a woman who is willing to literally fight for what she wants.I’ve not met anyone who thinks of a feminist as a housewife, mother, homeschool teacher, or nurturer. If we are honest, many of us will say that we are a little afraid of feminists. Why is that?Is it because deep down we know that women are created to be kind and nurturing? Because women were designed to create? Because women were designed to be strong and to be gentle at the same time? Why do we think of housewives as drones as women who are largely unfulfilled? Why do feminists look upon these women with a balance of pity and disdain?Could a woman who homeschools her children not be every bit as strong and driven as a feminist without also understanding her divine role as a woman?Could the mother of young children who adores her husband and finds joy in creating a warm home for her family not also be a woman who knows that she is valued far more than rubies? Could the housewife who volunteers in the community while her children are away during the day not also be a woman who has found her voice without brow-beating the men around her?Could the woman who has never married still feel a place in a largely family-oriented society without relinquishing her identity as a daughter of God?In my opinion any woman who has a successful marriage knows that there is great power in being a woman. She knows that she is a companion to her husband, and she understands that she is on a level playing field when it comes to marriage. She understands that by divine design she is to be the organizing and driving force behind her family. She understands and accepts that her husband is fulfilling his divine design by providing for and protecting their family and she is satisfied with their individualized roles.If I had to choose between running a multi-million dollar company or raising good kids I’d choose the kids. If I can’t be happy with God’s plan for me then I’m in trouble