The Sovereign Rights of All Men

This is a rant near and dear to my heart, asI’ve been ranting about it since I was old enough to know that the difference between men and women is vastly greater than the difference between boys and girls.  As Becky recently put it, “[E]qual rights means, you know, equal.  Not the girls get to stomp all over the boys for a while.”

I went through my undergrad at San Francisco State University, the student culture of which is a geyser of semieducated liberalism.  I won’t start in on the Spartican Youth Organization for now, though, since this has more to do with reading 19th century feminist literature (The Yellow Wallpaper, if you’re interested) and being forced by good manners to endure statements about how all men oppress (but especially the white ones) in all ways all the time.  To be truthful, I don’t believe that her husband caused her insanity.  Under the misguidance of 18th century science, he was doing the best he could to restore his wife to health and happiness, helping her out of post-partim depression.

I could go on in this vein for a while (years of practice), but one thing I’ve learned about this argument is that it often times cannot be accepted coming from a man, especially when he becomes heated in the discussion.  To that end, I redirect you toward Jodi Kasten.

But the real answer to all of this is compromise.  Neither side is intrinsically better than the other.  Equality means, again, that everyone is treated the same.

One way to look at things is by examining the rights of citizenship.  As I’m a classicist, I turn to Roman Law to outline the rights of a citizen.  Food for thought.

I:the right to vote

II: the right to hold public office

III: the right to make legal contracts and own property

IV: the right to marry and to pass citizenship to offpsring

V: the right to sue and be sued in the court system

VI: the right to have a legal trial

VII: the right to appeal decisions from magistrates and lower court rulings

VIII: A citizen cannot be whipped or tortured, unless found guilty of treason.

IX: If found guilty of treason, and if sentenced to death, a citizen cannot be sentenced to die at the cross. (no torturous methods of putting legally sentenced citizens to death)