A Call to Boycott Ubuntu? An Important Discussion Thread

[Goh Lip]

Michael Haney wrote:
> Times have certainly changed and improved for women in the past
> 100-200 years.  There was once a time when women couldn't vote in the
> United States.  Women were expected to do the house cleaning, cooking
> and take care of the children.  It was thought strange and improper
> for women to want to have a career or got to college.
> 
> Over in Japan, during the Meiji Era before Admiral Perry sailed into
> Tokyo Harbor ending that nation's centuries old self-imposed
> isolation, women had no rights at all.  They were property who could
> be bought and sold, sometimes they were used by families to gain
> political standing through marriage, and other times they were made to
> work in brothels to earn money if the family was poor.  Rape was never
> punished unless the victim was married, and the wife of a Samurai was
> off-limits unless you wanted to risk loosing your head.  That also
> happened to be one of the bloodiest eras in their history.  Despite
> its name Civil War isn't civil by any means.
> 
> So, yes, conditions for women have improved immensely in the many
> parts of the world.  There are still trouble spots like the Middle
> East where they're still treated as property in many respects.  Where
> women have against the most equality has to be in the Western world.
> 
Yes, I think you have a point here. But the difficulty is not to just 
accept what is a cultural norm but to try to be what should be the right 
thing to do. To accept 'zeitgeist' as acceptable is not just to condone 
slavery (or worse) in the past but also not acknowledging or watching 
out for what should be corrected in the present.

Of course, there are diverse viewpoints, sadly clouded by superstitious 
belief systems accepted as irrevocable that causes much dissension. And 
where such systems clash, the possibility of conflict arises. To have 
tolerance, indeed, even toleration, is insufficient. To have compassion, 
without understanding or comprehension too is inadequate. Nevertheless, 
I shall gladly accept, even with misguided outcomes, the intent to 
follow 'the golden rule' or confucious edict, namely "Do not do to 
others what you do now wish others to do to you."

Well, let's keep our philosophizing in check here and enjoy ourselves.
Life is short. So let's get back to everybody's favourite subject:women!

In my not so humble opinion, women are ........



Regards,
Goh Lip