How We Teach Our Kids That Women Are Liars
I thought this article was very thought-provoking. I have of course heard and read some about the "women as witches" myth/stereotype that is perpetuated, but this article take that to a whole different level. Those views of women as deceitful and manipulative, in my mind, were more limited to the image of the "witch". However, as this article points out, it seems to have even stronger roots in our country's Christian history, which can be seen even in the way that our children learn to speak about and view women.
I especially thought this paragraph was on point:
"Ideas about women, credibility, legitimacy, authority and—notably—Catholic and Evangelical “priesthood” are important and have deep roots in religious thought and philosophy. And those ideas have contemporary expression (see links): Tertullian: "Women are the devil's gateway." Thomas Aquinas: "As regards the individual nature, woman is defective and misbegotten." St. Clement of Alexandria: "Every woman should be filled with shame by the thought that she is a woman...the consciousness of their own nature must evoke feelings of shame." St. John Chrysostom: Women are "weak and flighty...For what is a woman but an enemy of friendship, an inescapable punishment, a necessary evil, a natural temptation, a domestic danger, delectable mischief, a fault in nature, painted with beautiful colors?" St. Jerome: "Woman is the root of all evil." There’s Origen, one of Christianity’s greatest thinkers, a man who castrated himself and who considered women worse than animals. And, not to be left out, St. Augustine."
What do you guys think about this article? Do you think these sorts of connections to religious texts are outdated or irrelevant, or more indicative of just how extensive the misogynist thought in our society is?
I really think that these quotes are not outdated for our time. If we just look around, and possibly do some self-reflection, we can see how much women really hate/distrust themselves. Some women don't want to be a concern to their family, and do not go and see a doctor when it is needed. The rates of depression in women are about four times that of men. The brains aren't the causes of the mental illness; the way we treat ourselves / are treated in society is the cause. Being a child in Western society (specifically the Christianaited USA) teaches women to loath themselves. Boys are girls are suppose to know that women are evil (Eve and the apple) and that boys save the day (Moses with saving the Jews out of Egypt). The bible, and many of its followers can be a silent brain washer for the patriarchal state.
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