Everything is made in China, right?

[leehljp]

WT,
I lived overseas (from the USA) 1/3 of my life. In each country, I see and meet people that have not traveled outside their own country other than as a tourist or short term (two weeks) business trip. That sets up this: Each country sees their own as the ideal. Most countries have laws similar to ours or European/Great Britain, primarily to be seen as similar and to be accepted into the international community. But the reality is they do not follow those "laws" or promote those laws over and above their foundational culture. Gender bias is more than a male idea. Women will fight if you try to change them out of their "position". There is far more of this "thinking" (called 1000+ year old culture) in the world today than what we see back here.

While I am for gender equality, even that must be qualified. As Aristotle wrote almost 2400 years ago: "Equality consists in the same treatment of similar persons." When we get to dissimilar persons, inequality comes into play trying to make them "equal". Aristotle also wrote this: "The worst form of inequality is to try to make unequal things equal."

Equal work where equal work can be accomplished - I agree fully. But there are areas that we have gone overboard on to the point that the best one for the job is not chosen, but for the purpose of making things equal in gender and race. I have three daughters and two have accomplished far more that I will. The third one will take care of their mom and dad in their (our) old age . But I still act chivalrous towards LOML & them, and make sure my son-in-laws do too. There are some things women can do better than men and some things men can do (in general) than women due to physical size. Another Aristotle quote: "This is the reason why mothers are more devoted to their children than fathers: it is that they suffer more in giving them birth and are more certain that they are their own."

Wise use of equality:
There are differences in gender and races, but I give every one the chance to be the same. A trait my grand parents and parents passed on to me was: give foreigners, women, outsiders an open door the first time you meet them; respect and honor is theirs to lose.
Todays society demands it (equality, honor, respect) be given and kept. Equality cannot be demanded and commanded without creating severe consequences down the road. Equality is best given as an honor up front, regardless of gender or race, but it must be allowed to be lost if abused, hence the statement "respect/honor" is theirs to lose.

As to equality in race, I have to say this. (and in some ways it applies to gender also.)
I work with a well educated black fellow from Atlanta that I will call Chip (not his real name). He does consulting work with our Mississippi church organization at the State level. He began his work after visiting me 5 years ago. In the Mississippi delta area where I live, it is 70% black. Chip came to one of our (my location) church conferences at my and another's invitation. We have 7 all black churches in our local association of "primarily white" churches - that is the most number of black churches of any in our 74 associations (of primarily white churches) in MS except Jackson, MS/Hinds county. One day after I spoke at a conference, Chip came to me and said "Hank, Bette Midler had a song "From A Distance". Your message sounded like that - From a distance we all look the same and we all are equal; and it was good, but I need to remind you that God made us as individuals and God made each race different. IT IS OK to celebrate our differences, and we should. Hank, I don't want to be white, I want to be the way God made me. And most blacks do too. There will be some people in high up political leadership and in some educational circles that want to cast the "acknowledging differences" as being uneducated."

Chip, by the way has written numerous books on missiology and the infusion of immigrants from around the world.

BTW, above, 6 of our Black churches refer to themselves as "Black Churches", The other church refers to themselves as African-Americans.

[Carlos]

If my house were on fire, I certainly would not want my wife or anyone like her coming to my rescue. She's 5'7" and 110 pounds. She can't lift much. But if I need a business partner and technician, she's as good as any man has ever been at it.

On the other hand, I've never had a man leave a contentious meeting crying and hold a grudge for days, but have experienced that with a couple women (not her).

[woodturner]

WT,
I lived overseas (from the USA) 1/3 of my life. In each country, I see and meet people that have not traveled outside their own country other than as a tourist or short term (two weeks) business trip. That sets up this: Each country sees their own as the ideal. Most countries have laws similar to ours or European/Great Britain, primarily to be seen as similar and to be accepted into the international community. But the reality is they do not follow those "laws" or promote those laws over and above their foundational culture. Gender bias is more than a male idea. Women will fight if you try to change them out of their "position". There is far more of this "thinking" (called 1000+ year old culture) in the world today than what we see back here.

Thanks, that is a perspective I had not really considered or known. I have often wondered when stories about FGM hit the news why the older women in the community support the practice, and your explanation provides some insight.

While I am for gender equality, even that must be qualified. As Aristotle wrote almost 2400 years ago: "Equality consists in the same treatment of similar persons." When we get to dissimilar persons, inequality comes into play trying to make them "equal". Aristotle also wrote this: "The worst form of inequality is to try to make unequal things equal."

I agree and believe we should strive for fair treatment of all, not "equality". Men can never be "equal" to women unless and until men can bear children, for example.

Let's hope for greater understanding and compassion of one another, showing God's love to others seems the best approach to me :-)

[leehljp]

Thanks, that is a perspective I had not really considered or known. I have often wondered when stories about FGM hit the news why the older women in the community support the practice, and your explanation provides some insight.

My opinion and it is probably wrong - but hanging on to old cultural traditions that position people into certain segments of society - has an element of the Stockholm syndrome to it. I am not a psychologist but there is some truth to the fact that people like what they are used to even if it is a form of slavery. After the Civil War, while many slaves were happy to be free, we don't read the stories of those who did not know how to handle "freedom" - in that their lives at that point were totally dependent upon what THEY did. They were not used to this. and freedom caused problems for those who depended upon the slave owner to provide food, shelter, medical care, clothes. Slavery caused a dependency that was not easily overcome when freed.

It is unfortunate that we have so many generational poverty in our area. There are two areas of the USA that the Federal government has set up special offices for the assistance in helping those in generational poverty: 1. West Virginia Coal mine areas. 2. Mississippi River Delta Area. We have the Delta Regional Office in our area. This is for the AR, MS, LA and a few other states along the MS River where there is is a high concentration of former field workers. Until the mechanical combine and mechanical cotton picker, farms had many workers to pick cotton by hand, handle mule pulled scythes to harvest wheat and oats, to harvest corn. Then the mechanical combine came and took away half the labor needs; Then the mechanical cotton picker came in the late '50s and became plentiful among farmers, rendering any need for field works down to about 10% of the work force needed for hand harvesting. This created a huge migration to towns. Most of these folks were not well educated beyond just reading and writing. We have a very large population ratio of generational poverty that are not trained to look out for themselves and are on almost total government assistance. It is not all their fault; when you aren't trained from early childhood to take responsibility and take care of yourself, very few break out of this. This isn't intended as a diatribe for pity, yet I did want to give insight into the causes. The answers are not easy. I have watched people in poverty get free clothes and wear them until dirty and throw them away. They don't have a washing machine or know how to use one. One lady who works with the generational poverty asked me how I could communicate so well with them. My reply: "I know Japanese". To which I got a strange look. I replied, Japanese language taught me that polite Japanese is not direct; direct Japanese communicates but is considered rude except among close friends. To the Generational poverty, direct communication is like orders from on high, it is frightening and intimidating. But indirect or passive voice puts them at ease, as it does in Japanese language.

Merely taking people out of their cultural context or giving them a job is not the answer; most do know know how to handle expenses, or to negotiate rent. We have a group within our organization that provides training for those that want to get out; Teach how to manage money; or how to do an interview; or how to get a driver's license, or how to get a GED and we make a commitment to work with them up to two years (and more if needed) in a support and mentoring relationship. However, most do not want out of their poverty. It is like the Stockholm syndrome, and they are like people of the world who are born into their culture. It is in the childhood that they develop their attachments to their culture. Education does not work as many would think.

I agree and believe we should strive for fair treatment of all, not "equality". Men can never be "equal" to women unless and until men can bear children, for example.

Let's hope for greater understanding and compassion of one another, showing God's love to others seems the best approach to me :-)

Agreed. As one of my co-workers points out every chance he gets about the men's organization that we have in our churches: We (men) all married UP!