Lysistrata : $b or, Woman's future and future womanLudovici, Anthony M. (Anthony Mario)
Philosophy
Lysistrata : $b or, Woman's future and future woman
Ludovici, Anthony M. (Anthony Mario)
Women; Women -- Social and moral questions
Now there is not a particle of doubt in anybody’s mind that the leading,
active, and gifted minority now constituting the van of the Women’s
Movement, are by far the most vital and energetic body of women in the
civilized world, admirable in their zeal, and noble in their readiness
to shoulder the responsibility of setting things right. This does not
prevent us, however, from believing them mistaken in their reading of
the situation, and pathetic in their illusions about their own and their
sex’s capacities. So indefatigable are they, indeed, that large numbers
of apparently monorchid and shallow-minded men have already gone over to
their side; while the conversion of girls and young women to a sexless
life is one of the least obvious but most pernicious results of their
activities. And, since there appears to be no general recognition that
our present state of muddle and lack of mastery over all things is the
outcome of masculine degeneracy; since, moreover, there seems to be no
attempt made to discover how man himself can recover his quota of manly
qualities, it is not only possible, but highly probable, that the mass
of mankind, through not having its attention called to the only remedy,
which is the regeneration of man, will, out of sheer lack of principles
and policies, see in the quack-cure of Feminism their only hope.
Given, therefore, the persistence of the body-despising values, and the
conditions to which they give rise, we may expect to see the energetic
minority of women, who now lead the Feminist movement, determine the
future of their sex; and, if we watch them and try to understand them,
we shall be in a position to describe the world they will call into
existence.
We have seen that Feminism is not only the outcome of the modern world’s
main characteristics, but also that it embodies these characteristics as
elements in its general attitude. Truth to tell, if we take our values
as given, together with all the results they were sure to bring about,
then Feminism was a foregone conclusion from the start.
Neglect and degeneration of the body were bound to lead to a loathing of
the body and the wish to be emancipated from its thraldom. This,
however, necessarily destroyed one of the chief bonds between man and
woman, and left the natural and radical hostility of the sexes naked and
unconstrained. This is one side of Feminism.
Next we have the fact that physical neglect and degeneration were also
bound to lead to the decline of man as the male, both in the material
and in the spiritual senses. This, in its turn, led on the one hand to
our lack of mastery in everything, which caused women to wonder whether
they could not help to clear up the muddle; and, on the other, to a
growing contempt of man’s powers, and, as we have seen, to an
exaggerated notion of woman’s. This is the other side of Feminism.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account