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Here's a good book for the psychotherapy student: Laidlaw, T.A., Malmo, C., & Associates (1990).
Although I'm a bit of a feminist now, having crossed over into my 60s, it wasn't always that way! I grew up without any sisters; most of my cousins were also males. In short, I was very unfamiliar with the fairer sex as I stumbled into adolescence. To begin with, for some reason, I just didn't like hearing women lead vocalists in rock music! That shut me off to great groups like Heart, Blondie, Pretenders, Pat Benatar, and the like. I just bathed my brain in standard hard rock groups - Deep Purple, Black Sabbath, Jethro Tull, Johnny Winter, Beatles, Kansas, Aerosmith and others, none of which featured any female lead vocalists.
I felt resentment and yes, even a little anger toward women holding positions of power, like Maggie Thatcher, college professors or employment supervisors, etc. (Remember now, I was also quite mentally ill at the time; that was no help!) My saving grace was my tenacious determination to better myself mentally, emotionally, physically and even spiritually.
Back in 1984, Walter Mondale challenged Ronald Reagen for the presidency. Yet, Mondale chose a woman, Geraldine Ferraro to be his running mate. He was dead in the water to me, and although I voted for Carter to have a second term in 1980, I voted for Reagen in 1984! I was still quite the chauvinist, it seemed.
By the time I graduated with a BA, my attitudes toward women were just starting to change for the better. I believe that the results of my research study I did as a senior gave my mentality a significant nudge towards the acceptance of women as equals. In the published study I did together with my Stockton professor, Dr. David Lester, I expected for the results to show that males are more occupationally confident and mature; ready for employment before women were.
Our observed results were undeniable; women, it seems, are the ones ready for work sooner. The results were so strong (p=.001), that David asked to see the original questionairs - to double check the results, I assume. After that, I had been trying to explain the results to myself. Still not wanting to surrender to reality, I came up with some possible explanations for the results we got.
First off, I wasn't even allowed to administer the questionnaire to my high school subjects in person! The school principal insisted on doing it himself, possibly because I looked like the picture above at the time! He can't let his students see a longhair being successful! So, I can't be sure he presented the instructions the exact same way for all subjects, assured them of anonymity, etc; he was, after all, their principal. How did he handle asking the 10th grade subjects to respond how they actually behave and not how they would like to be, or to see themselves? In other words, it could have been compromised by a culturally myopic high school principal right from the start, but that was the sample I drew from that high school tucked away in the pines of southern New Jersey!
However, I contacted most of my college student subjects myself, so I have nothing to point to, which could contaminate the data except for my inexperience in conducting research in general. I did my best to talk to all subjects equally, not to influence their responses one way or the other. Or maybe it was just that wacky ol' Universe having some fun with me... again!
As my inaugural publication of this feminism-centered web page (18 May, 2019), I am going to simply publish a letter I received from an upset feminist on FaceBook, addressed to all U.S. men. (I edited the following only three times, fixing two small instances of spelling/grammar mix-up and adding the two rows of the female symbols at the top and bottom.):
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Men on my timeline, I'm posting this as a heads up for the foreseeable future. Our government has declared a war on women. Most of the women you know are stunned, in shock, infuriated, terrified, and a host of other emotions today. Usually we try to spare your feelings. We have run out of capacity for that.
If you are a good ally to us, we know. You don't need to tell us "but I'm not like that!" We know. Shut up and help us.
We don't need you telling us that if we are out here speaking caustically about men, you don't want to help us. If your doing the right thing is dependent upon us "being nice" and trying not to hurt your feelings, take a fucking walk. You're not valuable enough for us to waste our time on you. If you can understand that a lot of our screaming is because we are trapped and powerless in many ways, and that you are not trapped and powerless in the same ways, HELP US.
Share the memes. Spread the information. Let your bros see you supporting us. Let your CONGRESSIONAL REPRESENTATIVES see you supporting us. Argue FOR us in the comments. Be seen.
These anti-woman state measures are the velociraptors hurling themselves at the electrified fence, seeking a weak spot. They probably won't work individually, but eventually one will make it to the Supreme Court, where Yertle and Cheetolini have made sure there are two new anti choice white men sitting.
This is not about abortion. Abortion is the emotional trigger, the smokescreen for the real agenda.
This is about controlling women. Alabama also has a bill working its way through the state legislature that would take women whose rapists have been found not guilty and automatically find them guilty of filing false charges, and jail them for it. What do you think that's going to do to the chances of rape victims prosecuting?
This is about controlling women. There are provisions in these bills that make certain forms of long acting birth control illegal, too, making unwanted pregnancies MORE likely.
This is about controlling women. The cost of a tubal ligation varies in this country, from $2200 to over $9000, and that's assuming that you can find a doctor to agree to do one if you're not "old enough" or if you don't have "enough children." Many states and insurance companies are working on legislation that would make sure birth control isn't covered by insurance, so you're shouldering the cost alone, and if you have to choose between paying rent and buying birth control, unwanted pregnancy becomes more likely.
This is about controlling women. If abortion is a felony, and felons can't vote, what happens to women's votes?
This is about controlling women. How many times have you seen "close your legs" in the comments section on abortion?
This is about controlling women. When a woman is able to choose if and when to have children, she is less likely to remain trapped in the cycle of poverty.
Men friends, I love you. But your demographic contains bad people, and those bad people are making it dangerous for me and my sisters and daughters, my trans and non-binary friends, for any of us who have uteruses. I need to be able to rage against that group and get shit done without having to slow down and coddle your hurt feelings. We are ready to set the world on fire, and when you say "not all men...." "but I'm not..." "not all Christians...." it makes us want to use you for fucking kindling.
SHUT UP AND HELP US.
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My two cents' worth on the above letter:
I think that what we are seeing today is the unfolding of a sinister plot hatched long ago, before that piggish buffoon was even elected president. I'm not sure on all of the motives, but one of the more obvious ones is that a group of (Evil) men somewhere got fed up with having to tolerate women in the work place. Sexual harrassment lawsuits were seen to be unavoidable and hence, unacceptable. Women were "cramping their style". Now, what is the biggest factor in deciding whether a woman works or not? Apparently, having a child was their answer. Now, all they have to do is illegalize abortion again, and over time women will vacate the work place, leaving more room for the boy's club once again!
Another reason for that clown to be elected was to loosen or remove all the EPA's measures that protect the environment against pollution and harmul factory discharges. That system apparently stiffled business and had to be cleared away to make America great again; to make the US more competitive with China, a country that isn't much hindered by environmental polution laws. Oh, and his slimy industrialist friends pocketed millions - if not billions, in the process!
Perhaps those in power at the big 3 (China, Russia & the US) are convinced the human race has come as far as it can. What happens now will be a fatal entropy. Everybody's trying to position themselves for when the shit actually does hit the fan. Next stop...satellite mapping and military installations on the moon!
Many of my speculations are/will be visited in my short story about a possible future, The General Fund.
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