Lois & Clark Forums Forums General Discussion Off Topic Anti-valentine spirit

Found another interesting article: Hating Valentine\'s in Frontpage magazine. I had no idea so many people passionately despise Valentine's Day, and not in a Lois Lane sense, either. More like a Wedding Destroyer, except real and a lot scarier. Anyway, thought-provoking analysis.

PJ

I read the article, but he lost me when he started talking about "left-wing feminists" and later refers to "feminazis." I don't have his experience in academia so I don't know what they are teaching in women's studies programs these days (although I have been doing independent reading in women's history--I find parts of it fascinating), but I am proud to be considered a feminist. And I see nothing wrong with Jane Fonda campaigning against violence toward women in connection with Valentine's Day, the day we talk more than any other about love. It is NOT a wholesale indictment of men, because there are plenty of men who are NOT violent toward women. However, there are too many men out there who think that they own women, who claim to love women while abusing them. (Yes, I'm vocal on this subject, because I was in such a relationship many years ago.) We need more Clarks and fewer Lexes. I can also think of a couple of other reasons that Muslim governments hate Valentine's day: 1.) it is named after a Christian saint; and 2.) they hate the open expression of female sexuality in the Western world.

Jamie Glazov said: Well, hmmmm. I defintely consider myself a leftist feminist. I strongly dislike the burka - no, I frankly hate the burka and the niqab, the face-covering veils. I don't like the hijab either, the veil that only covers the woman's hair. The reason is that I regard these veils as "portable prisons", or symbols that say that a woman's place is in her house, and if she ventures outside she'd better carry her "house" with her. And in the Arabic world where Islam was created, very many people lived in tents. I see these veils as symbolic "tents" that the veiled women wear in order to be "indoors" or "in-the-tent" as they venture out, to acknowledge a norm system that says that women don't belong in the larger world outside their homes. Instead, women should stay inside, where their lives can be totally controlled by the male members of their extended families.

So, am I a leftist feminist? Yes, I am. Do I condemn the forced veiling of women? Oh yes, you bet I do. So, do I agree with Jamie Glazov? Well, it seems to me that he is saying that I must be in favor of the enforced veiling of women since I'm a leftist feminist. Do I agree with him, and do I think he's right? You bet I don't.

Ann

While some of the 'information' that the author puts forth is thought provoking as Pam said, the conclusions he arrives at are laughable. The logic does not hold up.

In the simplest terms, he asserts that because middle easterners, a group whose religious beliefs subjugate women, hate Valentine's Day; and some individuals who call themselves feminists hate Valentine's Day because they see it as a vehicle for the objectification of women, then these two groups must therefore share and embrace the same ideals. Ridiculous

I dislike Valentine's Day because it's strictly a made-up holiday solely designed to sell flowers and candy.

If you need a 'special' day to tell your significant other how you feel about them, then you ain't got much going on there.

Tank (who has always believed that the middle east, in general, will always be the center of strife and conflict until the women of those cultures step up and demand the treatment they deserve as human beings)

Jamie Glazov said another thing that I found very surprising:

If a Norwegian professor had really said that Muslim rapists were not at fault for committing rape and should not be punished for it, but Norwegian women should assume responsibility for their own rapes and try to avoid being raped by adapting to the Muslim culture by veiling themselves, then such a statement would undoubtedly have caused an uproar followed by an extremely heated debate in Norway, and Swedish newpapers would undoubtedly have written something about it. But I haven't read a thing about a purported suggestion that Norwegian women ought to be veiling themselves to protect themselves from Muslim rapists.

So I googled Unni Wikan, and this is what Wikipedia says about her statements about Muslim rapists and Norwegian women:

You can most certainly still disagree with Unni Wikan's views on Muslim rapists and Norwegian women, but at least she doesn't appear to have said that Muslim rapists are blameless, or that Norwegian women ought to veil themselves.

And Jamie Glazov, who wrote that Anti-Valentine piece, seems to be playing rather fast and loose with facts in order to suit reality to his own views, if you ask me.

Ann

Wow. So, as a feminist, I'm supposed to hate Valentine's Day? Huh. Why didn't anyone ever tell me that before? Darn. And here I thought it was simply another excuse to pig out on chocolate.

Didn't read the whole article, because when I got to this statement...

I found myself laughing so hard that I couldn't see through the tears.

So now... not only am I supposed to hate Valentine's day, but if I'm against violence againt women, then I must also hate all men.

Wow.

I really wish people would tell me these things. How am I supposed to know that I hate Valentines Day and hate all men if no one tells me?

ML (who hates always being the last to know these things)