After quickly looking through the other blog updates, I have found that, like myself, many others were particularly struck by De Gouges' Declaration of the Rights of Women. After reading it, I find that I can only respect and admire this woman for her courage. She is one of those feminists that brings it all back to the source: equality. It is no secret that, in recent years, feminism has been given a black name. Some people wrongly construct it as a desire for women to be superior to men. This is just a perversion of the original desire for simple respect and equality. As De Gouge says, women simply want to be treated like men. If a woman has done something wrong, then she should receive equal punishment. Consequently, a woman who has done right should be rewarded, as a man would be, or at least reconized.
Another interesting fact about this declaration is that, despite it's age, it is still very actual. De Gouge speaks of things like equal representation of women in positions of power; though some strides have been made in that respect, it is still nonetheless true that women are grossly under represented at the governamental level. It is evident that there is still much work to be done.
About the other readings, I was struck by the idea of limitations or rights. I have heard of this concept before, but still find it very interesting. The basic idea is that we should all be able to do what we want...as long as we don't limit someone elses liberty, or harm others. This implies a certain amount of empathy, or basic respect of others. As this is by no means a given amongst human, I do understand the necessity of laws being put in place to limit the actions of people. However, I also believe that nothing is static, and that laws shoud be revisited to accomodate the changing dynamics of human life.
I most say she also had very progressive views about slavery. She condemned mistreatments of indigenous people in French colonies around America (I presume, Guyana and Guadalupe). She was not only one of the first feminists in Europe, but also an abolitionist. She was indeed very courageous and was executed for doing so. A very impressive character.
ReplyDeleteI too was extremely impressed with De Goughes' desire to achieve equality among the sexes. I agree that modern feminism has been tarnished by ignorant people who believe it is an ideology that campaigns for the superiority of women over men. One needs to be only minutely educated to know that feminism is simply about achieving equality between men and women (a horrifying, appalling, shocking, infuriating etc. etc. aspect of society that is far from being accomplished might I add). In fact, one only needs to read De Goughes' straightforward yet brilliant declaration to understand that equality is the only thing women are demanding from men.
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