Marilyn L's Recent Activity

I'm an artist and art director, web standards enthusiast, photographer, voyaging through this life learning all the while.

A discussion with Djehuty led me to say:

I've been thinking about the filters through which I view the world, and the first and primary one is feminism.

It is my belief in the rights of women that brings me to a curious combination of left and right. I judge a society by the social freedoms, rights and responsibilities it gives its female citizens.

I am against armed resistance, terrorism and anarchism because they destabilize society, and make women and children rightly fearful for their own safety.

So I do not glorify violent liberation movements, because they usually result in increases in rape, pillage and murder of women and children. I'm all for large-scale nonviolent civil disobedience on the other hand.

I believe strongly in education for all, but especially for girls. I believe that's it's the work of women that drives many if not most developing countries, so believe in property rights for women, ability to hold office and vote, ability to work outside the home.

More than other reasons that is why I am against societies founded on strict adherence to Shari'a religious law, which can be terribly discriminatory towards women. I find Israeli society a curious mix. Very strong on civil rights for women (and gays), and yet strongly influenced by patriarchal Orthodox mores.

I believe strongly in democracy, and feel that women have the most social freedoms under this system, while it has plenty of other problems.

I do not comprehend people who support dictators just because they dislike the US. The US has many problems, but has made tremendous progress in rights for women. Young women may find some of these rights being withdrawn (abortion). It will be their fight to restore them.

And I supported the overthrow of the Taliban because of the horrible treatment of women under its regime. I no longer care about being called an imperialist. I reply that I am a feminist.

Technorati Profile