In response to Laura Vichinsky's "Strong, independent, assertive female seeking a man of quality," I wish to point out a theoretical flaw in the Viewpoint's statements. She writes that being an assertive woman "puts you in the spotlight, [forces one to be] really liked or really disliked, and is something that some people cannot handle." The problem? It makes no difference whether you are a man or a woman for those statements to be true! When a woman assertively claims to be pro-choice, for example, it is difficult for some people to handle. When a man assertively claims to be pro-choice, the same result follows. Or, more pertinent to the situation, a man who is assertively in favor of women's equality is open to criticism and public opinion in the same way as a woman.
The ideal of being against the norm may be different for men and women in certain scenarios, such as the increasing amount of women in high level jobs. And such atypical situations are indeed laudable. However, the basic idea of putting oneself into the public's eye due to assertiveness transcends gender. The argument that wearing the seemingly feminist T-shirt with the words "A man of quality is not threatened by a woman for equality" is provocative due to the nature of the shirt, not the person wearing it. If any male wore such a shirt, the public would respond in the same fashion: some feeling threatened by this "radical" concept, others siding with it 100 percent.
As long as women consider themselves to be different from men, yet seek equality through feminism, logistics will be put on a standstill.
Josh Cohn
LA '06
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