Killarny's and feminist views of history rely on Marxist and Foucouldian theories of power. These theories divide society up into the simple groups of oppressor and oppressed. In feminism it's men as oppressor, women as oppressed. Each decison made by men, so the theory goes, is to dominate women solely for the sake of power. This theory gains popularity only around the time of Marx and more recently with Foucault and was not how history was viewed previously. This approach never actually tries to understand what the real motivations behind the morals, mores and legislations were of the time. In effect, it's a reinterpretation of history made out of the prejudices of the present.

Hmm

Looks like the gender war is alive and well
Pity the Tv stations don't offer as broad a spectrum of views as we get here, though……

All we get is simple stuff and extreme views

Killarney says this and Killarney says that. And Killarney likes to think this and Killarney likes to do that. And people like Killarney want to make some point or other about something or other. And Killarney doesn't speak for all hedgehogs.

Oh ... that's right. And Killarney didn't get invited to the school dance.*

If you think you can diffuse another's arguments by reducing them to a neat, personalised little script of your own imagination, that's fine. And if it makes you feel self-righteous and superior, all the better.

I'm a feminist. Feminism is part of the general discourse on gender. It's not going anywhere anytime soon. I won't be glib and say 'Get over it', because I know you won't.

(* I WAS. His name was Steven. And he was gorgeous.)

Hi Killarney,

Do you deny that feminist discourse uses Foucauldian theories of power?

aristocrat

I don't know the first thing about Foucauldian theories of power.

I do know, however, that your posts reek of Warren Farrell - especially all that 'women enslave men' stuff.

Killarney, my point was not that women enslaved men, but that history can be re-written by those who are able to successfully play on peoples' prejudices. Feminists, with their neo-Marxist and Foucauldian post-structuralist understanding of history, have done this. Note, feminists are not historians. They have no expertise in historical research and understanding the particular motivations behind the morals and laws unique to each culture/civilisation. Instead, all they have is post-structuralist philosophy; a philosophy that emerges around the 1960s and reduces all human interaction to "power structures", while ignoring the reasons behind these power structures.