[Cado]

Originally Posted by Lioness

It now takes 2 incomes to support the average middle-class family, whereas before it was more of a choice for mom to work outside the home.

I don't think that has anything to do with feminism. That's a result of other economic factors such as inflation and a rising standard of living.

The number of single mothers increased dramatically. The idea that mom can be a superwoman and do it all by herself.

I don't feel qualified to delve too deep into this but-at least in America-there's this odd idea that strength, independence, and individuality means not accepting anyone's help or advice, ever. It doesn't just impact women, rather it's the result of introducing feminism into a culture that still idealizes patriarchal values. As I said before, that's not good for anybody, and men are not only prone to a kind of superhuman attitude, it's encouraged. You're not supposed to feel. You can't appear like you don't know what you're doing or buckle under pressure because then you're weak.

One criticism I've leveled at the women's lib movement has been that a lot of women seek their freedom by acting more like men, or rather what society thinks a stereotypical man is supposed to be. Does that have anything to do with this issue in particular? I think aelle got closer to the root of it, but on a broader scale I'd imagine this is a factor, too.

Chivalry is dead or dying. Men bust in front of elderly women and ladies with babies to board a bus first all the time. And men used to refrain from cursing in front of women in public. I know, some women do it as much or more than guys do now, but there's still something so nice about a man who abides by a little old-fashioned courtesy.

To be frank, this is a good thing. The whole idea of "bad words" is pretty stupid to begin with, and while it might be considered rude to step in front of an elderly woman or what have you that's just general disrespectful behavior which isn't inherently gender charged. Busting in front of anyone is a dick move, and if someone isn't doing that then there's no reason they should have to cede their spot unless it's a genuine act of kindness. Equality means getting the same treatment regardless of which set of genitals you have and while it can be argued the standard of behavior should be bettered for everyone I don't think the death of chivalry in the classic sense is hurting anybody.

If you saw "Starship Troopers", there was a scene where male and female officers showered together without anyone batting an eye. I think we are becoming more jaded to differences between the sexes, and it will be a sad day when unisex showers appear in the name of equality and when a (straight) man looks at a nude lady and has no reaction at all.

We're all born naked, and in a different society we'd all walk around naked. It's natural, it's beautiful, and it would take a lot more than casual nudity for the spark of sexuality to fizzle out. (Just look at Europe.) There's a whole host of other factors which determine how something is perceived and making nudity a non-issue is way healthier than the seeming condemnation of the human form we see today.

I also don't see how much longer we can justify an all-male military draft/registration. Not sure that's a good thing.

My opinions on the draft are best saved for a thread where it's more appropriate. To keep it short, I don't think it should exist at all. As for voluntary military personnel, the more equality the better.