Are women inherently "better" about civil rights? If so, why?

[mandyky]

Is it just American women? Or is it just me.

I often refer to myself as a white oreo, because I identify strongly with "black" issues, like reparations. Like last week, I really identified with Tavis Smiley's State of the Black Union (CSpan) and today on Booknotes (CSpan2), the book about civil rights monuments really caught my interest.

Is it because we as American women had to fight for sufferage and rights?

I am also very sympathetic and interested in Native American history and any other minority rights issues, including gay marraige, etc.

So is this a gender thing?

[Mari333]

1. when wealthy white heterosexual males run the system

and dont want to give up power, the people who are the most trashed by them rise up and tell them to go fuck themselves. Thats why I tell them to go fuck themselves daily and embrace civil liberties for all who have been squelched by their system.
edit to add: George Soros is an exception as is Sen Kennedy and many who speak out for the rest of us.

[Skittles]

3. may I say the overwhelming majority of men in the DU make me proud

YES INDEED

[GreenPartyVoter]

2. 2 words. Leona Helmsley.

[mandyky]

4. I did not say all women

Obviously there are exceptions.

[mandyky]

5. Any takers?

Kick

[DrWeird]

6. Maybe towards women's rights.

But I think for the most part racism and homophobia is just about as rampant with women as it is among men.

[SemperEadem]

7. I don't think so

it has more to do with the condition of your heart and your consideration of others' "personhood" and gender has nothing to do with being able to tap into that.

Women have no inherent disposition towards fairness anymore than they have inherent disposition towards being unfair. It all depends upon the events and experiences that have shaped their lives and the way they process information.

[pmbryant]

8. No

Sounds like a personal thing for you, as it is for many of the rest of us.

Should I extrapolate from my own concern for civil rights to the question, "Are men inherently 'better' about civil rights?" I think that would be completely unwarranted.

--Peter

[SuffragetteSal]

9. good question

traditionally things have probably been a certain way for a very long time. But now things are changing, well hopefully they are. I know that as a mother I taught my son (through action and education) to be a compassionate person and he did turn out to care about these issues.

[kayell]

10. I think it may be partly a female culture thing

Females have a tendency to work on problems through cooperation. We also have more training from childhood in seeing things from other peoples perspectives. And with the whole nurturing tradition, we just plain don't like seeing people in pain.

These are qualities that are sometimes seen as negatives in our (American) culture, since overall women may not be as agressively competetive as men. I see them as tremendous strengths, since I see women as having the better abilities to work out win-win situations, rather than only seeing winning as beating someone else.

These are very broad generalizations - they definately don't apply to all women, and the traits of cooperativeness have served some women poorly when working in a masculine competetive world.

I am not going to get into the whole nurture vs nature debate. I'm not sure, it may be partly both, and I think it is more important to look at traditionally feminine cultural values to make sure that they are not undervalued.

[Dirty Hippie]

11. I seem to know more about Black history than some African Americans

Sadly, not much is taught in the public schools here in the south. About ten years ago I watched the PBS series "Eye on the Prize" about the civil rights movement and I have been informally studying the topic ever since. I highly recommend it. I was able to check it out at my local library.

While my son was hospitalized, I read a book about African American women. The book had lots of great photos. Several of the African American hospital staff expressed surprise that I would be reading it being a white woman.

[mandyky]

13. Except for a few people, like Harriet Tubman,

Martin Luther King, and Rosa Parks - not many school textbooks cover accomplishments and contributions made by black folk.

I was pretty amazed about the meaning of "real McCoy" and where it came from during the State of the Black Union Forum last weekend.

[Cat Atomic]

12. No. Some of the most unfeeling, cruel, openly racist people I know

are women.

Women don't have a monopoly on enlightenment or inclusion. I think it's a popular idea for some reason, but it certainly doesn't jibe with my own personal experience.