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Subject: 
Re: I think I'm going to puke....
Newsgroups: 
lugnet.off-topic.debate
Date: 
Wed, 22 Jun 2005 20:27:23 GMT
Viewed: 
1671 times
  
In lugnet.off-topic.debate, John Neal wrote:

  
   What about providing a single (or several, for that matter) generic restroom facility? At least five businesses near my home offer this exact arrangement, presumably because it was cheaper than installing two separate bathrooms. Granted, only one person can use the facility at a time, but it’s still gender-neutral.

In theory that’s fine, but in practical terms a nightmare.

I don’t see why, honestly. Or, if it is a big problem, then why not have two separate gender-neutral bathrooms?

  
   Besides, it wasn’t so long ago that people danced cheek-to-cheek, so to speak, while using public latrines. Is this move toward excretory sequestering, in your view, likewise a sign of culture on the decline?

No, I consider respecting and honoring the distinctiveness of the 2 sexes a sign of cultural enlightenment.

It sounds as though you’re respecting the distinctiveness of the 2 sexes more than you are respecting a person of either of those 2 sexes, partially because you are making the differences in sex central to their identities, rather than recognizing similarities that bridge sexual differences (or differences of gender, for that matter).

You are more like an American woman of your social and geographic background than you are like a aboriginal Australian man, yet you seem to identify the sexual difference as paramount. In the proper context, what you perceive as sex-based differences aren’t so different after all.

   I consider the treatment of women as men to be crass and uncivilized. Boiled down: what do you think of my behavior when I open the door for a women, but not necessarily for a man? Isn’t it merely a sign of respect? I will open the door for an eldery gentleman-- again out of respect. I respect other guys my age, but opening the door for them isn’t a way I chose to show that-- I’ll hold the door open for them after I’ve entered. Now, in this example I’ve treated men and women differently, but I still respect them equally. Why is this rather simple concept beyond Feminists and others on the Left?

Oh, we understand it, but we understand it differently from how you probably intend it. Respecting a woman because she’s a woman rather than respecting her because she’s a person is inherently patronizing (and, frankly, paternalistic).

I hold the door for the person behind me because it’s a nice courtesy for the person behind me, and because it consistent with my value system to express such courtesy. Whether the person is a frail old man or a healthy young woman is irrelevant, in my opinion.

Dave!



Message is in Reply To:
  Re: I think I'm going to puke....
 
(...) Many places actually have those-- they are called "family bathrooms", and are a good idea for that reason. (...) In theory that's fine, but in practical terms a nightmare. (...) Again, efficiency is WAY more important than being "PC". (my new (...) (19 years ago, 22-Jun-05, to lugnet.off-topic.debate, FTX)

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