answering my own questions

I didn't get as much response as I had hoped for this post, but at least people read it--and hopefully the questions I threw out there were helpful.  At the very least, they should have got us thinking more about the choices we make.  They've been helpful to me as they've been floating around in my head the past few days.  


Here are my answers:


Part I
Why do you think women are treated the way they are? 


Is it simply because of individuals?  Or is it more of a societal structural issue?


Both.  Individuals create structures, and in turn, structures shape individuals.      

Is it lack of education--for both males and females?  

Lack of education is one of the factors, but certainly not the only issue here.  And education doesn't always lead to correct behavior; for example, plenty of highly educated feminists perpetrate gender problems.  


Does a person need to be educated in order to not only understand basic gender issues and roles, but also to reach gender awareness?


Yes, but this education doesn't need to be extensive.  For example, a child growing up in American culture will definitely need some education besides what he/she sees in the media in order to "get" gender issues and roles, and to eventually reach gender awareness--but that education could be provided early on in life by parents who teach proper gender roles in their marriage.  


The challenge is getting parents to understand the importance of these roles--and as divorce rates, domestic violence stats, and pornography use continue to increase, it's obvious that more and more parents aren't understanding the basics themselves, so the cycle of false paradigms and confusion continues.  


An important question arises:  Where we will educate children if we don't educate them in the home?  Do public schools take on the problem?  This is one of the issues educators face, as they are told not to teach religious beliefs, yet they're expected to teach morals.  Somewhat problematic, no?   But that's another topic for another day.  

Is it because of androcentric cultures and traditions?  If so, could a society ever NOT be androcentric?


I don't know.   

Is sexism something inherent in Man? 


Absolutely not.  We learn false practices and beliefs; they aren't inherent in us.  



In Christianity, might we discover roots of the problem in the way society cycles between the "Eve" model and the "Mary" model of what it means to be Woman? (The one perspective meaning we are a condemned sex due to the Fall; the other perspective meaning we are a glorified, purified, elevated sex due to the Virgin Mary) 


This is a rhetorical question.   

Part II




Men, what do you do to create change?  What really makes conditions better for your girlfriends, wives, daughters, sisters, friends?  

Should you practice old-fashioned "chivalry" to show respect?  Or is it better not to practice "chivalry" because women are "just as capable" as men?


I'm amazed some women don't want men to be chivalrous.  Practicing chivalry does not imply women are less capable; chivalry implies that men understand the importance of respecting women--because they care about them--not because they look down on women. 


If a man practices chivalry condescendingly, that's a different issue.  But come on ladies, lets let men be gentlemen when they're doing it for the right reasons (which, in my experience, is almost always).  

Should you love your woman because of her gender traits that are inherently different than yours?  Or should you love her despite those gender differences? 


A man who realizes a woman literally completes him, that the two equal a whole--biologically, emotionally, intellectually, spiritually--will love his woman because of her gender traits.  Women's differences will not be mocked, put down, or seen as less valuable than male gender traits.  And vice versa!  Women need to be just as respectful of men's differences and needs.  

Should society focus on the differences between Man and Woman, or should society act as though no differences exist (based on the idea that when we publicly acknowledge differences between Male and Female, we discriminate against women)?


Because gender differences are key in defining a person's identity, we should not pretend they don't exist or try to get rid of them in our rhetoric.  Acknowledging gender differences is not equal to discrimination.  

What's your philosophy about porn?  Do you discourage porn as an oppressive force against women?  Or do you take the converse view that porn is a form of liberation and opportunity for women, and thus choose to actively promote porn?


Pornography oppresses women.  Although at first porn may appear a form of liberation for women, the effects of porn on women who participate in its making are always harmful to her perception of self and of her relationships and sexual partner(s).     

Do you boycott mainstream Hollywood movies that portray women as objects? Or, conversely, do you support those movies for the same reason mentioned above (because they provide a source of liberation for women)?


Boycott.  Movies that objectify women perpetuate gender inequality because they send men the wrong messages of female identity and also of how women should be treated.  They also send women incorrect messages, so we too being developing skewed perspectives of the self and of how we should behave to "attract" men.  


Women should boycott movies that portray MEN as objects--or as lazy baboons.  These portrayals frustrate me because:


1) They're wrong 
2) They're disrespectful to men (and if I expect a man to respect me, shouldn't I in turn respect him?  Common sense.) 
3) As I said in this post, raising boys who know how to be MEN becomes problematic when the media won't portray men in positive ways
4) When women watch incorrect portrayals, we tend to think of men as inherently lazy, unmotivated, unfaithful (or whatever other negative characteristic the movie/show portrays) and we start expecting that sort of behavior from the men in our lives.  Not healthy.  


My philosophy is this: We choose what we watch, and Hollywood caters to what we watch.  So if we want Hollywood to stop producing filth, we choose to stop watching filth.  I realize the unpopularity of my view--and yeah, I occasionally get made fun of or isolated for my beliefs about the media--but hey, I'd rather put up with that than be "half-way" about something.  


And it should be apparent now that gender is definitely not something I think we can be "half-way" about :)