saw this cross-posted on Rav Arora's from Noble Truths, you've hit the nail on the head....I've talked recently with my 40+ year old daughter and her friends and you've captured the issues as they see them. "rarely do I see traits that actually enrich life—unsexy things like virtue, selflessness or humility—celebrated as part of being a strong, empowered woman."... instead we've a generation, or several, of females who try to out-bitch each other, and now we have males who want to become females so they have permission to be strong. It's sick. Our society is sick.
Excellent piece. I sincerely believe that men and women are equal on the intellectual level, but different on the emotional and physical level. Celebrate the difference. « I can do anything a man can do », not strictly true and why would you want to? A man cannot do everything a woman can do, and why should he want to. I feel so very sorry for younger women and men, life is hard, but boy is it now complicated. Have some respect for yourselves and each other.
Jul 21, 2023·edited Jul 21, 2023Liked by Freya India
The virtues: Faith, justice, prudence, hope, temperance, fortitude and charity; are unknown to generations of women, and men. The loss of them has clearly led us to where we are now. The seven deadly sins are the mantra now and everyone knows and not only practices them, but celebrates them: pride, envy, wrath, sloth, greed, gluttony, lust. The western nations are wallowing in every attitude and behavior that kills the body, mind and soul. A generation raised to venerate the highest calling of existence as humans instead of the lowest might save us from the fate for which we are clearly headed, but I believe we have already lost.
Jul 21, 2023·edited Jul 21, 2023Liked by Freya India
Bravo! Feminism in its most virulent form today has indeed become very tiresome and counterproductive. Too many have embraced ‘pushiness’ and pride - one of the ‘Seven Deadly Sins - over composure, modesty & devotion. It’s time to consider the meaningfulness of ‘the other’. It’s time to reconsider conceit & ‘self-love’. More than ever, the answer is family & community.
Love this article. So much to unpack. I don't recognize today's feminism as liberation at all. It resembles nothing I'd hope to achieve when I was growing up in the 60's and 70 for all the reasons the author mentions and more. We wanted to be recognized for the inherent strength that is woman and be rewarded for our contributions, not tear men down or to be like men. The movement itself was multi-faceted and struggled to recognize the black women, the gay woman, etc. And somewhere in there is the individual that needs its own recognition as a free thinking human.
So here were are today with crazy divorce rates, single parenthood, still sub-par wages, more tribal than ever, sexual exploitation, addictions to porn and phones that keep intimacy at bay, and poverty for the majority of working people in the world. We have a lot of work to do, and we won't do it if we keep stepping on each other to get ahead. And speaking of getting ahead? Where exactly are we going?
Jul 21, 2023·edited Jul 21, 2023Liked by Freya India
WEF sponsored new public schools in the USA feature urinals no longer being installed in boys' bathrooms. Boys are being penis shamed from an early age and now told to pee sitting down on a toilet. Unreality still rules the day with constant bombardment of children from the sick child grooming trans-agenda movement running loose in the school systems.
Great piece Freya. You see all sides without bitterness and anger and that's great.
Love, self giving, discipline, sacrifice, devotion. The answer lies in these ! Men and women supporting each other, and always keeping spirituality and each other first. Everything else comes later.
Wrote a small poem for this. Think you'll like it...
Another area in which your point is supported is in the realm of motherhood; feminism has not helped empower moms.
I applaud your thesis that empowerment is a profit driven industry that has been sold to women under, let’s say, the guise of feminism. To super impose this formula onto men as the answer to their liberation is almost satirical-and I get that the author you highlighted is being serious.
My wife and I are 70 and have a very happy marriage. We have succeeded because we recognize we are different. She is a professional who also values traditional women’s roles-- household manager, child-rearer, and tear-wiper. I am a professional who provides, protects and supports. We both contributed to our (modest) wealth. We both keep the house and yard up. Our decisions are all made together. Either of us can, at any time, invoke “The Rule”, which is: If one of us feels very strongly about something, the other gives in. If we are driving and one points out a hazard of some kind, the only allowed response is, “Thank you”; never “I know” or “I saw it”. We are equals. We are loyal to each other. We have never had a fight. Accordingly, we feel very bad for the misguided, confused younger people who don’t know who or even what they are.
Gen Z is finding out first-hand what the limits are to unencumbered, self-directed "empowerment", without being directed toward a tethering to healthy communities and values. The voices of the loudest feminists have unfortunately advocated lifestyles that do not benefit the majority of women, while until a few years ago very few were widely advocating toward some version of a healthy masculinity. I am heartened that a growing number of young men and women like yourself are able to cut through the malaise and articulate a way forward for a distressed generation.
My daughter was inundated with this empowerment crap & “we can do whatever the guys are doing”. That translated to the girls being slutty with whatever guys “she wanted” to be with & acting like you didn’t care if they didn’t call you or want a relationship. I pointed out to her that these girls were mimicking the worst type of guys. Who wants to be or be with a user & abuser? A better mottoes is “you get what you put out there”.
This superb essay is a much-needed comment as well on Barbie and its wallowing in consumerism, infantilized behaviors, and gender conflict. Looking forward to more quality writing!
In my view it goes far deeper than association with tribal identities (Conservatism vs Liberalism), but rather the result of lack of self awareness and self love, juxtaposed to the age of hypocrisy.
An age where human beings lead ONLY by words but completely contradict them by behavior. More than ever before, it is easier to mask things since the virtual has long ago surpassed the actual. Everything can be presented in a totally opposite way from the reality at hand. This leads to confusion and huge misunderstandings through which masses of people fall in between the cracks.
Here's a tip: if one is of the rare minority who is interested in getting to the bottom of things, all they have to do is inversion. That is, everything that one is exposed to needs to be turned upside down in order to be able to reveal the truth; the underlying motivations of people and their true qualities.
So for example, if we are currently bombarded with a culture of 'empowering women'; that women are stronger than ever before; that women are starting to take control; that women are becoming equal to men and so on, if we invert it we will discover that in no other time are women more insecure, more unloving of themselves, more unequal and more objectified.
The contradiction inherent is a derivative of slavery. What I mean by that is that, when people talk about freedom - isn't all this pumping up of women's empowerment a form of expression of "freedom"?! - they’ve been conditioned to believe that freedom is something that comes from without.
Well, first of all, we are never really free. We’re always dependent on the whims of our unconscious till the last breath. But freedom, as an independent existence of "I can do whatever I want", is not freedom but a form of indulgence. It’s an illusion. As soon as one realizes it’s an illusion, ironically they begin to get closer to a state of true freedom: surrender to their true nature.
So since freedom is an illusion, the normal existence becomes a contrived existence. An existence that takes an idea and matches it to a form of behavior. In this way, an unnatural behavior is formed, adapted to ideas and imagination that neither belong to the individual nor are in touch with reality.
When a person tries to match a mental idea to an action or a set behavior, at that moment the action and attendant behavior become artificial.
It's like the cultural trend about 'diversity' - purple hair, a new tattoo, an "original" and "shocking" haircut, a gold necklace or a diamond tooth, a very expensive slipper, etc., are merely external symbols expressing the artificiality of the idea of ‘difference’ and ‘individuality’. In reality, however, it is not individualism or diversity but homogenization under the patina of "unique expression".
And so, the most prominent thing coming out of such contrived existence, in lieu of the topic of ‘women's empowerment and liberation’ is a culture in which the main idea surrounding that, is a kind of in-your-face power display behavior of: "I'll walk down the street in a thong and I'll show everyone that I'm a free, empowered woman because I do what I want with my body."
From then on incorrect patterns of behavior are created in the psychology of young women; that they need to reveal their body as much as possible, doing it all the time, in order to find love and attention because the vessel is empty to begin with. And because it is not love that is a byproduct of self-respect, and never can be, that very behavior that is supposedly there to "liberate" them, attracts exactly the forces they wish so much to eradicate: relationships that humiliate and degrade them more and more.
Society’s consensus about "women's liberation" leads to perversion in which there are no checks and balances. Because, as you so well expressed, it is through such a topic that consumerism is maintained, By such lack of awareness, however, humanity doesn't know that it actually perpetuates the opposite: it maintains a culture which empowers dependence, weakness, self-hate and victimhood. Not only do we encourage lack of self-respect, we celebrate decay. This is how the consciousness of hypocrisy is preserved.
In a darkening world that believes it’s enlightened, the only role models we have for a healthy mind and body are clearly unhealthy people. If children are raised to be themselves (especially girls) society wouldn’t need to face horrendous, nerve wracking and painful outcomes when they mature.
saw this cross-posted on Rav Arora's from Noble Truths, you've hit the nail on the head....I've talked recently with my 40+ year old daughter and her friends and you've captured the issues as they see them. "rarely do I see traits that actually enrich life—unsexy things like virtue, selflessness or humility—celebrated as part of being a strong, empowered woman."... instead we've a generation, or several, of females who try to out-bitch each other, and now we have males who want to become females so they have permission to be strong. It's sick. Our society is sick.
Excellent piece. I sincerely believe that men and women are equal on the intellectual level, but different on the emotional and physical level. Celebrate the difference. « I can do anything a man can do », not strictly true and why would you want to? A man cannot do everything a woman can do, and why should he want to. I feel so very sorry for younger women and men, life is hard, but boy is it now complicated. Have some respect for yourselves and each other.
The virtues: Faith, justice, prudence, hope, temperance, fortitude and charity; are unknown to generations of women, and men. The loss of them has clearly led us to where we are now. The seven deadly sins are the mantra now and everyone knows and not only practices them, but celebrates them: pride, envy, wrath, sloth, greed, gluttony, lust. The western nations are wallowing in every attitude and behavior that kills the body, mind and soul. A generation raised to venerate the highest calling of existence as humans instead of the lowest might save us from the fate for which we are clearly headed, but I believe we have already lost.
Love your writing! Clear, powerful, insightful! Yass Queen!!
Bravo! Feminism in its most virulent form today has indeed become very tiresome and counterproductive. Too many have embraced ‘pushiness’ and pride - one of the ‘Seven Deadly Sins - over composure, modesty & devotion. It’s time to consider the meaningfulness of ‘the other’. It’s time to reconsider conceit & ‘self-love’. More than ever, the answer is family & community.
Love this article. So much to unpack. I don't recognize today's feminism as liberation at all. It resembles nothing I'd hope to achieve when I was growing up in the 60's and 70 for all the reasons the author mentions and more. We wanted to be recognized for the inherent strength that is woman and be rewarded for our contributions, not tear men down or to be like men. The movement itself was multi-faceted and struggled to recognize the black women, the gay woman, etc. And somewhere in there is the individual that needs its own recognition as a free thinking human.
So here were are today with crazy divorce rates, single parenthood, still sub-par wages, more tribal than ever, sexual exploitation, addictions to porn and phones that keep intimacy at bay, and poverty for the majority of working people in the world. We have a lot of work to do, and we won't do it if we keep stepping on each other to get ahead. And speaking of getting ahead? Where exactly are we going?
WEF sponsored new public schools in the USA feature urinals no longer being installed in boys' bathrooms. Boys are being penis shamed from an early age and now told to pee sitting down on a toilet. Unreality still rules the day with constant bombardment of children from the sick child grooming trans-agenda movement running loose in the school systems.
Great piece Freya. You see all sides without bitterness and anger and that's great.
Love, self giving, discipline, sacrifice, devotion. The answer lies in these ! Men and women supporting each other, and always keeping spirituality and each other first. Everything else comes later.
Wrote a small poem for this. Think you'll like it...
Freedom
You come back from
Office, late in night
The shrill war cry done
The tough mask undone
Tiger in high noon
Therapy in night
You had chased power all day long
Like a hungry knife
A mad knight
In the Washington corridors
And WEF towers
and EU tables
But now its time for
those pills
You pull up your chic
Scandinavian chair
All minimalism, no soul
No soul at all
Stare at the Caesar salad
In front of you
As the music grinds
off key
You wonder why
Your old grandmother who
Didn’t really have much
Didn’t really chase much
Didn’t even have teeth
Yet smiled like
the sun
You look around the room
the empty walls stare back
at you
Alone in the dark
Like the Kings of Old
You’ve had your Gender
Equality.
Another area in which your point is supported is in the realm of motherhood; feminism has not helped empower moms.
I applaud your thesis that empowerment is a profit driven industry that has been sold to women under, let’s say, the guise of feminism. To super impose this formula onto men as the answer to their liberation is almost satirical-and I get that the author you highlighted is being serious.
This was great, neither men or women are winning.
My wife and I are 70 and have a very happy marriage. We have succeeded because we recognize we are different. She is a professional who also values traditional women’s roles-- household manager, child-rearer, and tear-wiper. I am a professional who provides, protects and supports. We both contributed to our (modest) wealth. We both keep the house and yard up. Our decisions are all made together. Either of us can, at any time, invoke “The Rule”, which is: If one of us feels very strongly about something, the other gives in. If we are driving and one points out a hazard of some kind, the only allowed response is, “Thank you”; never “I know” or “I saw it”. We are equals. We are loyal to each other. We have never had a fight. Accordingly, we feel very bad for the misguided, confused younger people who don’t know who or even what they are.
Gen Z is finding out first-hand what the limits are to unencumbered, self-directed "empowerment", without being directed toward a tethering to healthy communities and values. The voices of the loudest feminists have unfortunately advocated lifestyles that do not benefit the majority of women, while until a few years ago very few were widely advocating toward some version of a healthy masculinity. I am heartened that a growing number of young men and women like yourself are able to cut through the malaise and articulate a way forward for a distressed generation.
My daughter was inundated with this empowerment crap & “we can do whatever the guys are doing”. That translated to the girls being slutty with whatever guys “she wanted” to be with & acting like you didn’t care if they didn’t call you or want a relationship. I pointed out to her that these girls were mimicking the worst type of guys. Who wants to be or be with a user & abuser? A better mottoes is “you get what you put out there”.
This superb essay is a much-needed comment as well on Barbie and its wallowing in consumerism, infantilized behaviors, and gender conflict. Looking forward to more quality writing!
Initially good and well intended ideas are very often hijacked by a bunch of malevolent extremist individuals who manage turning these into sickness.
Excellent.
In my view it goes far deeper than association with tribal identities (Conservatism vs Liberalism), but rather the result of lack of self awareness and self love, juxtaposed to the age of hypocrisy.
An age where human beings lead ONLY by words but completely contradict them by behavior. More than ever before, it is easier to mask things since the virtual has long ago surpassed the actual. Everything can be presented in a totally opposite way from the reality at hand. This leads to confusion and huge misunderstandings through which masses of people fall in between the cracks.
Here's a tip: if one is of the rare minority who is interested in getting to the bottom of things, all they have to do is inversion. That is, everything that one is exposed to needs to be turned upside down in order to be able to reveal the truth; the underlying motivations of people and their true qualities.
So for example, if we are currently bombarded with a culture of 'empowering women'; that women are stronger than ever before; that women are starting to take control; that women are becoming equal to men and so on, if we invert it we will discover that in no other time are women more insecure, more unloving of themselves, more unequal and more objectified.
The contradiction inherent is a derivative of slavery. What I mean by that is that, when people talk about freedom - isn't all this pumping up of women's empowerment a form of expression of "freedom"?! - they’ve been conditioned to believe that freedom is something that comes from without.
Well, first of all, we are never really free. We’re always dependent on the whims of our unconscious till the last breath. But freedom, as an independent existence of "I can do whatever I want", is not freedom but a form of indulgence. It’s an illusion. As soon as one realizes it’s an illusion, ironically they begin to get closer to a state of true freedom: surrender to their true nature.
So since freedom is an illusion, the normal existence becomes a contrived existence. An existence that takes an idea and matches it to a form of behavior. In this way, an unnatural behavior is formed, adapted to ideas and imagination that neither belong to the individual nor are in touch with reality.
When a person tries to match a mental idea to an action or a set behavior, at that moment the action and attendant behavior become artificial.
It's like the cultural trend about 'diversity' - purple hair, a new tattoo, an "original" and "shocking" haircut, a gold necklace or a diamond tooth, a very expensive slipper, etc., are merely external symbols expressing the artificiality of the idea of ‘difference’ and ‘individuality’. In reality, however, it is not individualism or diversity but homogenization under the patina of "unique expression".
And so, the most prominent thing coming out of such contrived existence, in lieu of the topic of ‘women's empowerment and liberation’ is a culture in which the main idea surrounding that, is a kind of in-your-face power display behavior of: "I'll walk down the street in a thong and I'll show everyone that I'm a free, empowered woman because I do what I want with my body."
From then on incorrect patterns of behavior are created in the psychology of young women; that they need to reveal their body as much as possible, doing it all the time, in order to find love and attention because the vessel is empty to begin with. And because it is not love that is a byproduct of self-respect, and never can be, that very behavior that is supposedly there to "liberate" them, attracts exactly the forces they wish so much to eradicate: relationships that humiliate and degrade them more and more.
Society’s consensus about "women's liberation" leads to perversion in which there are no checks and balances. Because, as you so well expressed, it is through such a topic that consumerism is maintained, By such lack of awareness, however, humanity doesn't know that it actually perpetuates the opposite: it maintains a culture which empowers dependence, weakness, self-hate and victimhood. Not only do we encourage lack of self-respect, we celebrate decay. This is how the consciousness of hypocrisy is preserved.
In a darkening world that believes it’s enlightened, the only role models we have for a healthy mind and body are clearly unhealthy people. If children are raised to be themselves (especially girls) society wouldn’t need to face horrendous, nerve wracking and painful outcomes when they mature.