jj@rabbit.UUCP (10/05/84)
Jim Collymore makes a good point when he points out the "backlash of the feminist movement". There have been, in fact, strong backlash effects to most of the popular "movements" of the last 50 years. <Witness Prohibition, Black rights, feminist movement, age rights, etc> The current backlash seems to be against the "moral evolution" and is (as is common with such backlashes) disguised as a "return to religion". (Hmmm, what I mean is that such return movements are usually disguised, not that they are always disguised as "return to religion". Sorry.) In any movement, there are people who, for reasons real, imagined, right, or wrong, feel the need to make extreme statements (Susan Brownmiller comes to mind, as do Carry Nation, Malcom X, various labor unions, Abbie Hoffman the first, for example) which antagonize many people who do not feel that they can act on their feelings AT THE PRESENT. In addition, a substantial number of neutral people feel that the extremes are bad, and react by trying to moderate or slow the situation, an action that is invariably interpreted as enemity rather than moderation. Hmm. I'm doing a rotten job of explaining a very complex thought that would take about 5 pages, I guess I'm saying that: When you state your position in a forceful or accusitory manner, be sure you're accusing a guilty person. Nothing but NOTHING will set the EFFECTIVE neutral individuals against you faster, or cause a more certain and more extreme backlash! One thing that is CERTAIN in the history of the human race is that it cannot be FORCED to do anything (including remain static) for long. During the middle ages, when the situation was such that survival was ensured only inside the system, it took 1000 years or so for change to take place. In the modern society, change may take (literally) a few minutes. (Hmmm, I'm redirecting this to net.flame and net.politics.) -- BE KIND TO SOFT FURRY CREATURES, THE LIFE YOU SAVE MAY BE YOUR OWN! "Get out of the new one if you can't lend a hand..." (allegra,ihnp4,ulysses)!rabbit!jj