In a message dated 97-09-14 14:28:04 EDT, you write: >>The way to say it without sounding like a chauvanist is to say it like a >>feminist. There is no cultural basis for asserting that Sr. Nirmala is >>acting out of an Indian cultural perspective. The beauty of culture is its >>adaptability. The Indian pantheon of religions include many female deities, >>and their is no Hindu sanction against abortion. The cultural imperialism >>of Europe and the patriarchy of Roman Catholicism (objected to by most >>Catholic women I might add) is what Sr. Nirmala is dutifully regergitating >>as per the requirements of subservience in her Catholic church heirarchy. >> >>The rigidity of the backward patriarachal Euro-Centrated position you find >>objectionable in Sr. Nirmala comes from Rome and hundreds of years of >>Vatican mysogynist jibberish. It hails from no where else. > >So what about dowry, widow burning, restrictions on property ownership, and >all that stuff? > >Doug Hmmm, diverse points galore; 1. I DO consider myself a feminist, and was trying to think of the feminist response-- while you present part of a feminist response, Doug is right, women aren't exactly treated as **revered equals** in Indian society. In addition to the points he made, the use of sonograms in India these days is used primarily to abort female children. I guess that's better than drowning them at birth... India is one of the few countries in the world with a female SHORTAGE. There are only about 93 women for every 100 men--hmmm, kinda blows the theory that shortages increase the price of an object. The primary problem I have is that it seems any critique of another country by someone from the USA frequently gets redressed with charges of cultural chauvanism. I was politely trying to find a way of saying that the Catholic Church increases the oppression of women in an already oppressive society. 2. However, I certainly agree that catholicism always puts the most backward/patriarchal spin on any local culture. For instance, before Catholicism took hold in Wales, women's decison making percentage in the household was a direct result of the percentage of marriage property they provided. A twice or thrice widowed woman would have more say over the household than her husband. All unmarried women were virgins--virginity had nothing to do with sex. Further, women could seek divorce from an unfaithful or abusive husband. The catholics stopped that shit dead in its tracks. I am sure that,** :-)as a feminist:-)**, you could supply more examples. maggie coleman [EMAIL PROTECTED]
