Re: multilevel dialectical global totality (fwd)

kohler wrote:

>>Learn from the world's women (American women, at least):
>>BEDROOM level action: behave, no wife beating
>>DINING ROOM level action: behave, no sexist language, no more "chicks"
>>JOB PLACE level: behave, no more sexual exploitation of female staff
>>COURT level: behave, pay up for your woman and kids
>>NATIONAL POLITICAL level: behave, legislation--Equal Rights Amendsments
etc.
>>Women have figured this all out -- it's a multilevel dialectical
totality.

>There is no ERA in US. In 1960 in US the average income for women was 42
>percent of what men earned. In lastest statistics, US women earned 56
>percent of the average male income. What is more, women are being beaten
>as I write this, men still use sexist language everywhere (the consumer
>media is built upon a foundation of sexism), women still suffer extensive
>job discrimination, and men still abandon their families (although very
>often for the better). Capitalism reproduces the patriarchy as a matter
>of
>course, and that includes keynesianism.

>Andrew Austin
>Knoxville, TN

I agree with Andy. Plus, the other tragic evidence is that even the little
important achivements of women's movement in the 60s regressed after
1980s. In the west and generally speaking, women are once again invited
to kitchen. Sexism is as strong as before in the work place and
at home, including sexual abuse and battering. This is also due to the
fact of depolitization of the left and disastreous effects of neo-liberal
economic reforms on women, especially on "third" world women. Women are
recruited there into low paid jobs in the form of "slave labor", subject
to traditional patriarchy and capitalist patriachy at the same time.
Escaping from the authority of their fathers, women are this time subject
to discrimination of capitalist bosses and multi-national corporations in
the cities. As Iranian feminist Najmabadi correctly puts, third world
womens' identity is constantly being threatened by the dialectial
interaction of "modernity" and "modesty" in a patriarchal fashion. Global
capitalism, while reproducing patriarchy, does so by creating multiple
levels of hierarchies cross cutting women, races and classes within the
world system. Whatever the ideals of global keynesianism are, it seems
these ideals tend to obscure important realities stemming from the nature
of capitalism.

peace,

Mine Doyran
SUNY/Albany