Shan wrote:
> You could be a mini Mary Daly and gather a network around you of
> passionate co-believers. This could be very exciting. But I warn
> you after only a few media interviews they become unpleasant and
> boring experiences one suffers in a good cause. And Mary Daly had
> a pretty solid standing before she squared up to the
> establishment, and still she lost her job.
Had it been standing up to the establishment on account of her religion that
cost Mary Daly her job, I would sympathize greatly.
She has become a hero(ine) to many feminists, but the mystique that
surrounds her has also covered up her failings in her campaign. If women
want recognition, they are not going to get it by attacking men
indiscriminately.
Let me explain by example:
A male colleague, a professor of religious studies, and an active feminist
in both his personal life and as a professor, attended one of her public
lectures some years ago. He sat in the front row, ignorant of the fact that
he was perhaps the only man in the room. At the end of the lecture, he
approached Daly along with many other members of the audience. He tried
several times to ask her a question about her lecture and was ignored.
Finally, Daly turned to look at him. Instead of listening to his question,
Daly said "I don't talk to any f--king man."
If we, as women, want to be recognized and to have our views heard, we must
also listen.
Daly passed up a good opportunity to communicate. It was a failure at
communication (which must be two-way) that probably cost her position, not
her religious beliefs.
If we want to be heard, we must also listen, n'est-ce pas?
Silke Force
a.k.a. The Denizen of Damascus
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