Profile |
Author: Tony Harper (---.pink.co.uk)
Date: 08-06-06 22:54
East Spiritual West Pragmatic, Perceived?
There must be a bit in the middle, which is both spiritual and pragmatic, could that be Moscow? (Joke for the Muscovites, It is easy to make fun of all our Capital Cities as they tend to be cosmopolitan with the location of Embassies)
As always, it is very difficult to generalise when debating such things. Being a man, when I first read the whole thread I thought it was only about beauty. Such a shallow topic as is perceived beauty. (Sorry about the joke of being shallow) However the more I thought about the whole subject the more I wanted to say and ask questions about, so much so I could not write anything, as I did not know where to start!
• Is the theme gender related?
• Would a person form one generation have differing or conflicting views from another?
• Would the theme be perceived differently in other cultures?
• How much does peer presser affect the outcome, response, or dress code?
• We are bombarded daily by the media would this taint our perceived views?
• Knowing as stated by some satistic that there only 88 males to every 100 females would this alone force the Russian woman to dress or act in any particular way?
• Being “left on the shelf” at the age of 27 (I can hear the deafening screams coming from the “Russia and further a field” when this is read, I have tears of laughter in my eyes!!! I know it is not funny, it is the imagined response that I find funny)
• Would newly gain freedom help us to rebel and make a statement against the old way? As too newly found ethnic identity (Just for the record I do not believe that true freedom exists anywhere in this small world of ours wherever you are!)
Off course I am biased I am an idealistic male and therefore can only hold one concept in my mind at any one time! Unlike the female who is multi-tasking, practical, realistic, sensible, down-to-earth, levelheaded, truthful, faithful, genuine, and yes pragmatic.
So now, we have a question that has been slightly turned. Are men Spiritual and women Pragmatic? Because in the not so distant passed only males were the leaders the religious worlds. Women had to be multi-tasking.. etc.. etc.. etc… Running the family home. (Before shouting at me on the above line please read my get-out clause at the end)
In some cultures of the world the woman are only seen as baby making, caring machines. This is am impossible situation for me as it takes two to make a baby. It takes two to bring up a baby in a loving environment. Sadly, in one country this human instant is to be taken away. Development is continuing on the possibility of making babies without the use of a man, this would make the male species’ even more spiritual or turn to spirits for salvation! (Sorry, I make light hearted of this and I am very aware of the destruction alcoholic drink can bring, if we never talk about it then we can never correct its problems)
I like to bit about Barbie but where is Ken? Moreover, we must not forget the blond Bimbo, seriously “beauty is only skin deep” we must all realise that! However “beauty is in the eyes of the beholder” and yet one more “One mans meat is another mans poison” (I winced when I typed “blond”) true relationships are much, much more than looks alone. I feel sorry for the so-called glamour stars, painted faces with bits missing; cut out by the surgeon’s knife and silicon implants making up parts they perceived to be at fault. For me it is better to be with someone who is not checking the mirror every five minutes…. But who can receive infinite love and return the same without conditions.
Speaking as a granddad, has anyone else heard or said, “The young people of today they have no respect for their elders, it wasn’t like that in my day” Please someone kick me if I start to say such things!
A trend that does seem to be reoccurring in people is that they expect, demand things instantly no longer willing to make or help to make thing happen. In this, “throw away” society in England as it must be in other countries we are undermining our respect for others!
An example, I use to help run a sub-aqua club, held many official responsible posts, Diving, Equipment, Project Officers, the club taught diving in a swimming pool then took the novices diving around the coast of England. We were at one time one big family helping in which way we could to maintain the equipment, training running the social side of the club. However, a generation came through that thought “We paid our subscriptions now we want to go diving” and would not help the club. For me the “family” was the whole point of the club. (Old fashion views)
I want to tell you of an event that took place in England a few years ago. A magistrate was presiding over a rape case. After hearing all the evidence he based his decision on the following statement “Young lady you dressed in such provocative away that the case you bring of rape is dismissed, you asked for what you received” Clearly this was a total miscarriage of justice and should never have happened! You have to ask why this old man made such an alarming decision.
1) He was a man
2) He was from a generation when the sight of an ankle was through to be sexy.
3) Women did not go out on their own, if they did they were chaperoned
I am not defending this man; he based his WRONG decisions on his passed experiences, which is what most of us do. No thought or vision for the future.
Thank god that we have moved on from such biased male opinions. I feel deeply sorry for the woman, how the whole event must have scared her for life, and how the legal system let her down so badly!
Question
I have for some reason in the back of my head a memory that suggested that women who wore ankle chains/bracelets were classed as prostitutes. So I was surprise to see such jewellery displayed in shops in England. Dose anyone else have such memories of the wearing of clothing and jewellery? Now a person from one generation could misinterpret a situation of another just by wearing innocence piece of jewellery!
In a similar light if, I labelled a granddad by some on this Forum. I look at a beautiful scantily clad woman in the street. I am perceived as a “dirty old man” But if I am viewing a treasured nude painting inside of an art gallery, I am perceived to cultured? To me that is double standards. I think that there should be a distinction drawn between admiring beauty and lusting over beauty. Never mind what beauty is?
In England, we have the stereo type of working class family. The man is at work wearing his cloth cap everyday and the woman is talking to her next door neighbour our across the garden fence all day. She must have the evening meal ready when he comes home! Usually he is off to the pub after eating the evening meal. (Never understood how he could afford to go to the pub each night) On payday, most men handed their unopened wage packets to the wife who then gave out “pocket money” If the men kept all the money this would be spent on spiritual discussions putting the wrongs of the world to rights or telling the barmaid how his wife did not understand him. You see even in the old day’s woman were pragmatic!
But in the modern times in England, a couple cannot afford to buy a home on a single wage earnings. Both have to work to finance the home. This puts strange on the relationship especially if the man has lived in a family home when everything is done for him. He takes these misguided preconceptions into the marriage and expects his wife to be pragmatic and do all the work in the house and keep a full time job. Clearly, the pour woman would not survive long in such an environment and the marriage breaks down.
Dress code, I do not think that the “Western” society would view scantly clad young women as any form of “sexual harassment”. (Don’t like this east west thing, but words fail me to use another expression, I think that some people use this form to show some sort of superiority over others, this is NOT may intention at all.) However, in some situations she should be expected to be hassled by males (expression “Like Bees round a honey pot”) in other situations sadly much worse could be expected. I suppose if I went into a bar in Russia and walked up to a large, scarred man in a leather jacket, crew cut hair with hands the size of basketballs and said “Kak Dale comrade how’s your black Lada running” that would be the end of my writing carer on the forum. On the other hand, if I were to say your royal Goonness and offer a cheap Mercedes I could have a friend for life.
My get-out clause, Note: I have added numerous comments within this thread on this Forum, they are not necessary all my points of view! I do this to stimulate comments. Those who know me a little better will understand my opinionated views, great sense of fairness and equality (K) ;-))
I hope I have not been too flippant; there are some serious issues within the whole topic, not just my little bit. The important part is to talk to each other because that is the way we can start to understand each other, when we understand we have respect we have respect we have friendship, a quality that money can not buy.
Ivan the Fool
Munching away in pastures green.
|
|
