[Kim Smith-Stout]

'Tiny little males' who are drafted do not have the option to choose a desk job or a combat position. Nor should women. Draftees of either sex (and any sexual orientation)should be trained and tested, and then placed in positions based on *individual abilities* -- as it is (theoretically) done now. I absolutely believe that women should be subject to the draft, should be able (and required) to assume combat positions, etc. Denying women the right and responsibility to serve in all military capacities is sexist; furthermore, it deprives the military of half its potential pool of soldiers. (Please don't suggest to me that lots of women can't handle it. I will not argue the point one way or another. I will say that there are lots of men who 'can't handle it', either. See my point above -- we have training, testing, and ability-appropriate placement. The solution to this argument is already in place.) For women to suggest that they 'don't wanna' be drafted is appalling -- it insults women who wish to serve in any capacity, it suggests to more close-minded people that *no* women should serve in anything other than a desk job, and it insults the males who are not allowed to whine 'I don't wanna be drafted'. Women should not be allowed special dispensations. Nor do I believe this position is tied to the oft-heard argument, 'well, if women want equal rights, they have to have equal responsibilities'. After all, such logic would then force us to make dispensations for women who don't want equal rights -- they would be able to opt out of the draft. The point is, no capable person in our society ought to have the ability to worm out of military service should such service be required. On the other hand, if women were suddenly called to serve and, as a group, truly hated the idea, then perhaps our society would be forced to have more honest discussions about where and how we use our military forces -- perhaps we as a nation would then be more circumspect in our deployments.

User Detail :  

Name : Kim Smith-Stout, Gender : F, Race : human, Religion : Atheist, Age : 36, City : Tempe, State : AZ Country : United States, Education level : Over 4 Years of College, 

[Kim Smith-Stout]

I would like to respectfully request that C.C. refrain from making blanket statements such as, 'We women tend to like this...'. As a woman, I can assure Yforum readers that I do *not* like this kind of behaviour; nor do my female friends. We look at feminism as the radical notion that women are people. For example, since I am completely able to open doors when I am alone, I resent the idea that, in the presence of men, I suddenly lose this well-honed ability. When my uncertain male friends ask me how they're supposed to behave towards women, I explain that they should behave in the same manner as they behave to each other. For example, when two men approach a door together, the one who arrives at the door generally holds the door for the second. It is really not difficult to extend that behaviour to any person -- even if such a person happens to be female. As far as seats on buses -- I prefer not to be treated as if I am too weak to stand alongside all the other crowded, tired, standing passengers. Having said all that, I recognize that the 'rules' are in flux, and can be confusing to women and men alike. Therefore, if a male offers a seat I always say thank you -- even though I choose not to take the seat (I usually make some excuse about not going far). If a male rushes ahead of me to open a door (assuming he doesn't knock me out of the way in his hurry to be chivalrous, and assuming he doesn't make some nasty crack about supposing I'm a liberated woman who won't want the door held), I say thank you and go through -- because in the final analysis, I believe we should be courteous to each other. That makes the world a better place. Meanwhile, I just try to educate my friends and family, and hope that little changes will eventually result in women being considered people, rather than some special group of special things, all of whom need special treatment.

User Detail :  

Name : Kim Smith-Stout, Gender : F, Race : human, Religion : Atheist, Age : 36, City : Tempe, State : AZ Country : United States, Education level : Over 4 Years of College, 

[Kim Smith-Stout]

Is it possible that some men who feel this way believe they are threatened by gay men in the same way that perhaps they themselves threaten women? Before I proceed, I want to make clear that I do not believe men are inherently predatory, nor even that most/all men behave this way. My statements about predatory behavior toward women are based on stereotypical, generalized situations - cultural messages, generally accepted behavior by men in groups, etc. Furthermore, I believe that some men may not even recognize predatory aspects of our culture and/or their own behavior. Having said that, men in some cultures (I refer specifically to my own) are taught to degrade women; to view them as objects to satisfy male desire; to deny the validity of, or to simply ignore, a woman's right to say 'no.' Therefore, is it possible that some homophobic men are afraid (perhaps unconsciously) that they will be on the receiving end of such behavior? Perhaps they are (unconsciously) placing expectations of their own behaviors onto gay men - and they are terrified of the possible results.

User Detail :  

Name : Kim Smith-Stout, Gender : F, Race : human, Religion : Atheist, Age : 36, City : Tempe, State : AZ Country : United States, Education level : Over 4 Years of College, 

[Kim Smith-Stout]

I would like to comment on the (sub)cultural aspect of the PSATs. The test segment was 'analogies'. The question read something along the lines of 'Crimson is to Harvard as [some colour that I cannot remember]is to...?' The correct answer was 'Yale'.(I may not have the colour correct -- I still have no idea which colours go with which university.) In any case, I was absolutely shocked -- exactly how did that question test anything other than cultural knowledge? There were other examples that I noted as I took the SAT, the ACT, and the GRE -- but this is the example that stands out most clearly in my mind. I must point out that this example is a result of a test I took about 17 years ago, so it is possible that the framework of the testing has changed. However, if the framework has not changed, then I must agree that in some sections, the tests are definitely testing *cultural/subcultural* differences rather than basic abilities (and were clearly doing so at least 17 years ago).

User Detail :  

Name : Kim Smith-Stout, Gender : F, Race : human, Religion : Atheist, Age : 36, City : Tempe, State : AZ Country : United States, Education level : Over 4 Years of College, 

[Kim Smith-Stout]

Shaving my legs and my underarms has been optional for me since my late 20s. At that time I recognized the unfair contradiction that women (at least in the United States) are nearly always considered unclean if they are unshaven but, that men are not. (I recognize that some businesses require a clean-shaven male face. However, this requirement is not the same as the societal expectation - or should I say demand - that women must always appear hairless under their arms and on their legs.)

Furthermore, shaving daily under my arms is painful, and I am simply not interested in engaging in behavior that is painful just to meet other people's standards of beauty. Shaving my legs is simply time-consuming. So now, because I like the way smooth legs feel, I shave my legs once or twice a week during the summer; in the winter when I wear pants or tights, I shave my legs far less frequently. As for my underarms, I shave maybe once or twice a year - whenever I feel the clean-shaven look is better with my sense of style of the moment. Such a decision is similar to one regarding my choice of earrings or shoes. In other words, my shaving behavior is as much a choice as that made by many men.

In closing, I would like to mention that my significant other doesn't care either way; when we first met, he was attracted by my sense of independence and lack of attention to certain societal expectations, and his attitude hasn't changed. (In fact, when I get in the mood to shave my underarms, he is always a little startled because it's such a contrast.) Even though we often have to interact with his business associates, my chosen hirsuteness has not caused him concern.

User Detail :  

Name : Kim Smith-Stout, Gender : F, Race : human, Religion : Atheist, Age : 36, City : Tempe, State : AZ Country : United States, Education level : Over 4 Years of College, 

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