Saturday, September 21, 2013

The place of women


"How do you do?" said Adela, likewise pulling herself together. She held out her hand. The old gentleman judged from so wanton a gesture that she was new to his country, but he paid little heed. Women who exposed their face became by that one act so mysterious to him that he took them at the valuation of their men folk rather than at his own. Perhaps they were not immoral, and anyhow they were not his affair. On seeing the City Magistrate alone with a maiden at twilight, he had borne down on them with hospitable intent. He had a new little car, and wished to place it at their disposal; The City Magistrate would decide whether the offer was acceptable."

A Passage to India, E.M. Forster



"I am wary of a solution that can be reduced to a kind of ‘female machismo,' because a woman has a different make-up than a man... Women are asking deep questions that must be addressed... The feminine genius is needed wherever we make important decisions."

-Pope Francis

Reuters h/t Lem

32 comments:

Trooper York said...

I believe I was ahead of my time.
(Ike Turner)

Trooper York said...

Anyone with a grain of sense would know that if I punched my wife I would rip her head off. It's all lies. I have never laid a finger on her.
(Mike Tyson)

Trooper York said...

Social order at the expense of liberty is hardly a bargain.
(Marquis de Sade)

ndspinelli said...

Anyone who meets Trooper knows he is not a sexist. His wife would kick his ass.

betamax3001 said...

In the Maxian AfterWorld Women Can Have Sex Slaves, Too: This is True Equality.

Trooper York said...

I am too sexy for my shirt.

Eric the Fruit Bat said...

The first rule of popular entertainment is to flatter your audience.

There's an evolutionary explanation, probably.

Eric the Fruit Bat said...

Decided to go for the twofer.

Trooper York said...

I am a marvelous housekeeper. Every time I leave a man I keep his house.

(Zsa Zsa Gabor)

ricpic said...

Hey, the Pope's a politician, so he tosses out "the feminine genius" knowing it's a big winner with women and also knowing no one will ever call him on it and ask, "So what IS the feminine genius, Francis?"

Trooper York said...

Hey the Pope added something to
the Vatican gift shop.

deborah said...

Hopefully Troop knows I was ragging him.

deborah said...

And I have NO doubt Lisa can handle the Big Kahuna.

Trooper York said...

I always assume that women are on the rag. It is easier that way. Just sayn'

Trooper York said...

I just like to keep in practice in derailing a thread before it gets all serious and stuff.

Trooper York said...

Moon ching sap daai huk ying ji chek law ling jeung.

deborah said...

Yeah, I'm philosophically worn out.

Palladian said...

I am wary of a solution that can be reduced to a kind of ‘female machismo,' because a woman has a different make-up than a man...

That's absolutely true. Men do best with a very light foundation and a muted blusher to accent the angular lines of the masculine facial structure.

deborah said...

Hello, dahling. How goes it?

bagoh20 said...

"According to exit polls 53 percent of the voters in the 2012 elections were women—more than one out of every two voters across the country was a woman. Moreover, 55 percent of those women cast votes for President Barack Obama." ~ Center for American Progress

"The feminine genius is needed wherever we make important decisions."

Let's not over generalize.

Shouting Thomas said...

According to the song Kansas City, the proper place for women is "12th Street and Vine."

And, keep you hands offa her because she belongs to me.

Palladian said...

Hello, dahling. How goes it?

Not well, though alive.

Had to take medical leave until January, so no job after all.

ndspinelli said...

12th St. and Vine is the 'hood in KC. But, it's not far from Arthur Bryant's @ 18th and Brooklyn, a piece of heaven in the 'hood. The old Municipal Stadium where the Chiefs and A's played was just up the street from Bryant's. You went to eat some of the best bbq in the world and then went to the game. Frank White, the great 2nd baseman for the Royals, grew up in that neighborhood.

edutcher said...

A woman's place is probably a man's doing.

PS Bag, take those exit polls with a grain of salt.

According to Ace, they're massaged to advance the agenda.

sakredkow said...

The feminine genius is needed wherever we make important decisions.

He's got that right.

deborah said...

Feel better, Pall :)



"Let's not over generalize."

Oh, I'll over generalize.

Dust Bunny Queen said...

The feminine genius is needed wherever we make important decisions.

I don't think he means genius as in Einstein genius. The translation from his native language is probably a bit different.

However, when an important decision is being made it is a great idea to get input from everyone. Men AND women. Men and women tend to think differently and approach problems from different angles. The same can be said for people of different political persuasions.

I'm on a board of directors and we have to reach a consensus on actions. There are three women and two men on the board. Some us are conservatives, libertarians and one very progressive liberal. We don't always get along, however, everyone has a chance to voice their opinion and explain their reasoning. Because we have to work together and listen to each other I often get a viewpoint that I may not have considered on my own, in light of the problem we are facing.

None of us are "geniuses" but we do all have important thoughts and differing mental processes to bring to the table.

I think that this is what the Pope was trying to convey.

Palladian said...

Wasn't it feminine geniuses who gave us Barack Obama... twice?

deborah said...

Thanks, DBQ. I'm so used to seeing the second meaning of genius, that I didn't think to distinguish.

I think it comes down to men and women being two halves of society. Both are needed. But this only general. We have men, hetero and homo, who are mild, and women, hetero and homo, who are tough.

TTBurnett said...

The Pope's remark was translated as "genius," a somewhat old-fashioned English usage, meaning the essential character of a person, group, or even nation. The English word is a late Medieval one from Latin, which, in that language means "race, stock, kind, or gender". The Indo-European root is "genǝ," or in Greek, γενος. Compare jinni in Muslim mythology, whence our "Genie."

The OED has:

TALENT, gift, flair, aptitude, facility, knack, technique, touch, bent, ability, expertise, capacity, power, faculty; endowment, strength, strong point, forte, brilliance; dexterity, adroitness, skill, cleverness, virtuosity, artistry.

Il Papa was talking along these lines.

TTBurnett said...

BTW, the Latin word is "genus," which we all might remember from Biology, unless, of course, like me, you were trying your best to forget.

William said...

I'm all for including the feminine genius in the decision making process, but, like the alpha males, it's always the dragon ladies who dominate that process. Bimbos and beta males are distinctly underrepresented in the decision making process........I think Emiliana Clarke in Game of Thrones is a clever bit of propaganda to soften the image of Dragon Ladies. Beware of Dragon Ladies. Bimbos are much more in touch with the true feminine genius.