Since our liberated era is busy gearing up for the Valentine’s Day release (!) of 50 Shades, a celebration of misogyny by people who think they know better, I thought I should repost a couple of links. One is to my HuffPo piece on this whole travesty called 50 Shades of Prey. The other is called Cloacina, Goddess of Sewers, which provides something of a round-up of some of the sexual hysterics that this kind of thing is capable of producing.
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I’m afraid that any appeal to feminism is too much. The answer is not a better feminism (feminism is defined by feminists and it apparently includes lauding co-ed prostitutes and abusive porn). The answer is patriarchy. Christians need to let go of their Victorian misconceptions about the female nature. Turn off the television and read the Greeks, Shakespeare, or Madame Bovary. Fifty Shades, college hook up culture, abortion on demand, all of these were demanded by women. Probably THE major project of feminism is to restrict male sexuality while completely unrestricting female sexuality. Civilization is the use of social structures… Read more »
My thoughts exactly. Pastor Wilson seems to be suggesting that women are naturally good, and that it is men who are responsible for women’s bad choices. Isn’t it time we were honest about female nature per se?
Patriarchy is a civilizing influence.
The Onion catching up with Pastor Wilson.
Hmm, trying again: link.
Barnabas, you comment that “The natural inclination of woman is to live in a harem with the most powerful and psychopathic male that they can find. ” I find myself wondering what life experiences have led you to believe that the average woman would rather hang with the Manson family than have a conventional, monogamous marriage. We live in a fallen world which means, by definition, both male and female sexuality has deviated from what God intended. I agree with you that it is naive to see male sexuality as the source of all evil while viewing female sexuality as… Read more »
“From a biological viewpoint alone, a woman’s top priority is to ensure the survival of her children. There can be no doubt that the monogamous marriage offers a woman and her children more security than any other arrangement.”
The government can provide that security while not requiring monogamy. That’s why women and in particular unmarried women vote more power to the government rather than be dependent on a monogamous married relationship. More conservative women will tend to keep their options open with careerism. The more political and economic freedom women gain, the less they are choosing lifelong monogamy.
Re: Ted Bundy, there is evil which is natural to man (and woman) and then there is a degree beyond that which is evil that goes against nature. This would be what the Bible would call abomination. Every man is not necessarily a potential Ted Bundy, but that’s not saying much. Also, patriarchy is no rose garden for men either. Both the modern cad and the man-child opt out of the burdens of patriarch (particularly with the power of the State stacked against them). It is, however, the system which God instituted and the one that has served mankind since… Read more »
Jill Smith, One reason men might conclude what women want is different than what the Seneca Falls Ladies wanted is that there is after all the modern counterpart to which you refer, with it’s very different goals. Goals that don’t sound at all like ” very much in favor of encouraging the creation of productive husbands and fathers.”. As a woman who recognizes the difference, what are you willing to say to and about second and third wave feminism? I’m not so sure about the want-to-be-in-harem claim. That’s not exactly what I’ve observed. What I have observed is that women… Read more »
How is this a religious thing?
Hi John M, the goals of the first wave of feminism and its later counterparts are light years apart. Some of the second and third wave feminists make no secret of their desire for the destruction of the nuclear family unit; some see all masculinity as oppressive by its very nature. The first wave addressed issues that did imperil the nuclear family; these women would not have been on board with easy, no-fault divorce. I don’t consider myself a feminist but, if I were, I would be careful to associate myself only with this first wave. I think you are… Read more »
Jill Smith, Thank you for replying. Stories like yours need to be taken into account. I promise you I don’t dismiss it. I don’t think though that the kind of thing you experienced accounts for the two thirds of all divorces that are initiated by wives under our easy no-fault divorce laws. I think when our daughters survey the wreckage they need to realize that dissatisfaction stemming from cultivated resentment fed by unrealistic expectations is the major contributing factor. I suppose the tie in to the original subject at hand is that despite unrealistic expectations, deliberately created by modern feminism,… Read more »
Those who think that first wave feminism was different either don’t know much about first wave feminism or have an inability to extrapolate. The Declaration of Sentiments form Seneca was a declaration of independence from traditional marriage as it had been understood up to that point. Re: my statement about harem life. Most women would not admit that they want to be part of a harem but if you would rather be the Tuesday night girl for the captain of the lacrosse team than in a committed relationship with a regular schlump then you there you are. Would they rather… Read more »
Hi JohnM, I think divorce is one of those places where you need to be careful about statistics. In Ireland, for example, when divorce became legal in the 90s, most of the cases were brought by women. But they were brought by women who had been abandoned for over 5 years. Their once husbands no longer lived in the country and hadn’t for some time. Additionally, there are many women here in the US who file for divorce after their husbands have moved in with someone else…so I wouldn’t put too much stock in a blind stat. Barnabas, what do… Read more »
I’m going to agree and disagree with Barnabas and carole here. Agree with Barnabas: Women are, by and large, attracted to power. Disagree with Barnabas: Women are not, by and large, attracted to psychopaths. Also, first-wave feminism’s mainstream, while not perhaps backing “traditional” marriage, was most definitely in favor of Biblical marriage, NT version. Agree with carole: “Initiated by women” does not necessarily mean “it was the woman’s problem that caused it.” Disagree with carole: There is absolutely no sin that I am unwilling to believe that any of my brothers and sisters in Christ might commit, and no twisted… Read more »
Carole, and all – First, sorry if it seems like I’m trying to have the last word here, someone else may if they like and I won’t mind. I think this will be it, unless someone asks a direct question. But I do stand by my previous statements. No, I we shouldn’t put too much stock in a blind stat, but would shouldn’t disregard it either. Among other things, we should take into consideration to what we observe in life. For example as you pointed out we know “There are many women here in the US who file for divorce… Read more »
Hi Tom, Fair enough, I am sure there are thoughts in some of my sister’s minds that I would be surprised by, but to state that most women…would take hunky over monogamy is not true as far as my experience goes. And I dare say I have had more open conversations with women then Barbabas has. Quite frankly, the whole angry tone of those comments comes across as if patriarchy is there to squash the debase natural desires of women who are all sick and all twisted all of the time. Patriarchy is a blessing, one that I would say… Read more »
Sorry if I am beating a dead horse here, but the comments really jostled me even though I do strongly believe in patriarchy. I think, and Jill I am very interested if you agree, that what pastor Wilson consistently gets right and what was missing in the comments, is that women do seek powerful men not in a perverted way but for protection. Women are vulnerable in ways men are not. They are much more likely to live in poverty, to be raped, to be abused etc. Strong men are appealing because they can protect us. The first wave of… Read more »
I’m hearing a lot of not all women are like that but 100 million sold means the onus is on you. (If you are reading this blog then the odds are that you are under more of an influence of patriarchy than are your more secular sisters.) I listed several disturbing social trends brought on by women rejecting monogamy and traditional marriage by the millions. I haven’t heard any alternative explanations from this crowd.
This is helpful to the conversation.
http://www.firstthings.com/web-exclusives/2015/02/fifty-shades-against-gender-neutrality
Those of you who find the analysis of sexual psychology distasteful may want to avoid clicking on the 50 Shades posts.
Barnabas, What are you talking about? How have you decided that the college hook-up culture is demanded by women?? You’ve witnessed the men loathing it, but being coerced into it? You have decided that women want to live in harems with psychopaths, based on what evidence? Do you think it women’s animal instinct to kill their babies? Do you think the majority of women have had an abortion, first of all, and secondly, this is from our animal nature? You’ve lost me completely! The link you posted is quite interesting and I think true, but it is a far far… Read more »
This movie HELPS the feminist movement. 50 SHADES OF GREY: THE TRUTH 50 shades of Grey is feminist propaganda. It attacks traditional gender roles by taking them to their logical and sexual extremes. It makes a dominant man and a submissive woman look damaged by taking those dynamics to the extreme (BDSM). The book says Christian Grey was sexually abused in his past ( damaged) and it depicts Anastasia Steele as a weak girl with low self-esteem that is easily manipulated and controlled with the mentality of a domestic abuse victim. She leaves Christian but returns to him saying: ”… Read more »
It is beyond me how this series sold one thousand copies let alone one hundred million. The style is moronically, appallingly illiterate; the characterization is flat; the plot is nonexistent; the only sex scene I read reminded me unpleasantly of an occasion when Sister Mary Adelaide explained sexual intercourse to a class of young girls. It was enough to put us off sex for decades. There is more erotic potential in a tomcat yowling on a fence than in this turgid, interminable drivel. At one point Anastasia tells us “My stomach did a pole-vault over my spleen.” This makes the… Read more »
Hi Jill, Im really glad you commented here again and as always your words are insightful and helpful. Your point about women loving the Cinderella story is especially important I think, because it does seem to me that feminism and the PC police have objected to these stories. Would you agree that a lot of film and TV since the 70s have had the women strong, able and intelligent and the men wimpy and ineffective? It is often the woman who has to save herself and along the way, her weak, incompetent husband. I think this has led to the… Read more »
Carole, I agree with you completely. Young men don’t know what they are supposed to be, and young women don’t know what they are supposed to find admirable in men. The loveable doofus has become kind of normative which may be charming when you are dating but not when you are going into labor and he forgot to put gas in the car. I don’t think this is a natural identity for most men who, in their heart of hearts, would rather be admired for competence than for fecklessness. I also believe the economy and the college industry have given… Read more »