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From: Susana
Date: 10/12/99
Time: 12:21:22 AM
Remote Name: 24.4.252.69
Kristen,
What you wrote was very insightful. I am delighted by your level of maturity. I never thought this way when I was your age. Like many other women my age, I was raised in a traditional family with an authoritarian father and a submissive mother. They were truly victims of the times and cultural milieu. My way of rebelling has been to reject all forms of authority. I detest control freaks, authoritarian teachers, colleagues, and administrators. While thousands of articles and books have been written about gender equality and the co-construction of knowledge, about sharing with others, if you examine the way schools and universities are structured, you will find that they still follow the medieval, traditional, authoritarian model. Males are still in control in many areas of the academy. And of course, we have some pretty despicable women who undermine and betray other female colleagues. You are absolutely right. Caring is a characteristic of wholesome individuals, regardless of sexual orientation. Selfishness, machismo/machisma, pettiness is a characteristic of insecure, controlling, or egotistical individuals. I am also guilty of using stereotypical labels (feminine, caring, nurturing, etc.). Mea culpa.