Anno-Second Sex

In this weeks reading, we observe Simone de Beauvoir's views of feminism both today and of yesteryear.  She makes many observations of the women of today and describes the inequality she sees with men.  She speaks of the death of conceptualism and in turn, the downfall of femininity.  She states that characteristics attributed to individuals are no longer biological but rather situational.  With this in mind, she hint's at the notion that the idea of a "woman" is lost.  Some other concepts Beavoir examines include the history and origin of women falling into the role of "the other," or the subservient being to man.  She argues that if the initial event that established men as the dominant sex in society, things would be drastically different and arguably, for the better.

I believe that Beauvoir's views of women throughout our known evolutionary process is very opinionated.  At times it seems as though she is entirely for the progression of the female society, and at other instances, she suggests that she isn't certain whether women would be better leaders or better suited for a position in society than a man.  Although she has contradictory views at times, her point is clear.  There is a slightly skewed demographic for women in our society in the sense that they are, without question, not equal to men.  This is not to say that they are incapable of more masculine activities, but rather to suggest that society has deemed women as less significant in certain areas of our society than men.

I agree with Beavoir in many aspects.  I feel as though it is unjust and very unfair to the women of today and of yesterday in our society.  Being a white male, I have rarely been put into a lower class group because of any aspects of my being.  I am in the least scrutinized category of individuals and if I was to put myself in the shoes of a woman today, I would not be satisfied with our society's views of women as a collective group.  I would argue fervently that the women of today are to be judged equally amongst men.  If women would like to be viewed equally amongst men, then why not?  What possible set-backs would arise from such views of equality?  I suppose it essentially opens up a spot for another group in society to complain about one of their groups problems.  However in this situation, I feel no better than women in our society and I think our society should re-think their views of people and be a little less judgmental in the future.