R2-D2

R2-D2 history will look at Shah & Mullahs & compare 'em 2 next1!

Everything is sacred.

The Ambiguity Of A Definition

The Empowerment Of Women, Has Within It, The Empowerment Of The Family, And Indeed By Extension, The Empowerment Of The Society Also :)

We Are Not Really Doing Something For Women Only - But Indeed, Doing Something For Ourselves -  

The Term Empowerment Of Women Should Be Equated At The Very Least To The Betterment Of Family, A More Enlightened Society, And An Aspiration And A Hope For A Nation -

Absolutely Nothing Less :) - !

Anonymouse

Life under the Shah was not perfect, but just compare our Beloved Iran to now and then :)

There is no question in my mind that history will look more kindly towards the Shah as these Mullahs tear up our country more and more -

No Doubt Whatsoever!!

R2-D2 & Bahram

Thank you for your comments - I agree!

Enlightened Self-Interest :)

Very Well Put .....

Altruism goes only so far

Self-interest beats altruism if not every time, at least nine out of ten times anyway. So, it is good for people, men and women, to support women's rights for complete equality. It helps to keep appealing fo fairness, to justice and so forth. Enlightened self-interest is the most effective and enduring force for achieving objectives.

There has got to be something in it for the powers that be, men, to promote women's rights. And there is a great deal indeed. What's in it for men? They get an equally-competent contributing partner in marriage, if they marry, or a society member who is capbale of shouldering any and all labor that a society needs to provide the goods and services for its members.

There is already plenty of data that support conclusively the contention that the more women are empowered the better it is not only for women but also for men. I need not belabor this point here. For anyone who questions this contention I suggest a few minutes of searching the literature on the subject.

So men, and I am one, let's be "selfish" for change and do everything we can to empower women. It is not an altruistic act. It is good for them and it is good for us. It is a case of enlightened self-interest.

Baharam G

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Hi! RD,

    Thank you for your comment that:

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In this beautiful dance that we call Life, my personal belief is that we are equal partners - Neither Party Is Either Superior Or Inferior To The Other :) -  And, By And Large, Complementing Each Other's Efforts!!

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It is so beautiful and harmonious! 

Thank you! 

Esther

Your point is well taken. Nevertheless, just as there are inherent physical differences between men and women, the roles that we both potentially play could also be both complimentary and different!

In this beautiful dance that we call Life, my personal belief is that we are equal partners - Neither Party Is Either Superior Or Inferior To The Other :) -  And, By And Large, Complementing Each Other's Efforts!!

Tks For Your Comment .....

Esther

Your point is well taken. Nevertheless, just as there are inherent physical differences between men and women, the roles that we both potentially play could also be both complimentary and different!

In this beautiful dance that we call Life, my personal belief is that we are equal partners - Neither Party Is Either Superior Or Inferior To The Other :) -  And, By And Large, Complementing Each Other's Efforts!!

Tks For Your Comment .....

Thank you R2-D2 for accepting the invitation.

Your blog (no longer a belog ;-) is very thoughful.  Indeed the societies that allow and enoucrage their women (half or more of their population) to reach their full potential have a more progressive country.  Life indeed will be better.

On the other hand and as we've witnessed in Iran life will be worse, much worse, when women are treated as second class citizens with less rights.

As for women's life under the Shah, I agree that it was better but the male chauvinism was still dominant and at that time the feminist movement had just accomplished their own milestones in more progressive countries.  So Iran could not have been ahead of them.

I remember towards the end of Shah's regime in mid to late 70s it had become fashionable for men with more means in upper middle class and on upward to seek 2nd wives!  I don't know if Pahlavi dynasty had survived Shah, there would be laws against it.  We'll never know. 

Everything is sacred.

Two thoughts

R2-D2, thank you for your thoughtful and supportive blog!  There is a Chinese saying that "Women hold up half of the sky," and it is true that improving the situation of women usually improves not only their own lives, but also the lives of their families and society.

Second, please be careful about the "myth of a woman".  The "myth of a woman" gives life, but the "reality of a woman" has PMS a lot more often. :)

(Azadeh, if you stop by, before you remind me to combat my internalized sexism and stop promoting negative stereotypes about my gender, can I ask you for a definition?  In race discourse, you have the racists, and then you have the Orientalists - in gender discourse, is there an equivalent term for men who exoticize women (or vice versa)?)

R2-D2, I am not accusing you of being the term I asked Azadeh for.  I just wanted to make the point that positive stereotypes can be just as counterproductive as negative stereotypes (my own "myth of the Persian-poetry reading man" is an example).  Neither men nor women should be tools of anything!

The Myth Of A Woman

Socities that have embraced their women in the most comprehensive of ways, and have allowed their flourishing, by and large, have been the most successful of the socities in the history of humanity - To embrace and encourage the Myth of A Woman is to embrace life -

Life Comes From A Woman - Man Is Essentially Tool Of A Society - Woman Is Indeed Tool Of Nature - To Suppress A Woman, Is Indeed No Different Than To Suppress Oneself :) - !

Yolanda

The lesson to be learned from the situation in Iran is this:

If things are not exactly how you want them to be, make sure that you don't make a Serious Mistake:

By That I Mean, Make Sure That You Don't Jump From The Frying Pan Into The Fire :) - !

We, Iranians, made that mistake back in 1979, and have been paying the price for it ever since - The only genuine solution to the problems in our Beloved Iran is a Secular Democracy: A System Where Politics And Religion Are Totally and Completely Separate From One Another :)

We Don't Need To Re-Invent The Wheel - Just Look Around The World - Almost All The Civilized Nations Have This System, ie. Western Europe, US, etc.

R D

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Hi! RD,

    Your blog is beautifully written! Thank you! It is sad to hear that women have less freedom after the revolution.....I truly admire Iranian women's beauty, bravery, wisdom, and tenacity! My heroines are Simin Behbahani, Hila Sedighi and Shirin Ebadi!  60% of college kids are girls in Iran.....I hope they will be given the opportunity to become leaders, get jobs, and make a difference!

    I am saddened by all the hurdles IRI imposed on women: the Islamic dress code.....they can't be lead singers......they can't be judges.....they are not allowed to compete in swimming, figure skating, gymnastics....countless restrictions just because they are girls!!!.....they are deprived of many rights! .........

The amazing thing is that they never stop fighting for their rights and freedom!

A Note ...

This blog was originally posted in the form of a comment at the following blog: Chauvinists vs. Shadi Sadr: invitation to write - At the request of the blogger, I am re-posting it in the form of a blog :)