I'm reading Ursula Le Guin's "Earthsea" series. It's infinitely better than the dreadul TV adaptation, although I don't consider it anywhere near as good from a magical perspective as other series, such Katherine Kerr's Deverry series, J.R.R. Tolkien's "Lord of the Rings" or even J.K Rowling's Harry Potter series.
However, what really gets up my goat is the gender stereotyping: one type of power only vests in one gender, one type of power vests in "the other" gender, and who the hell ever heard of trans, bigendered or intersex people?
I can understand the writing, to some extent, as being a product of its time, as the first writings in the series came from the 60s, when (to simplify!) gender stereotypes were being identified so that they could be broken down (partly) in the 70s, but more importantly than that, people live sequences of lives where they experience male, female and other gender options. (I am NOT talking about gay/lesbian/bisexuality/other sexual orientations here: they are variations within a gender role, and are NOT variations of gender identity*!).
* the idiots who try to determine "who is the male/female" is same sex relationships, or look for alleged failures of upbringing (by which they mean, "failure to inculcate then current gender stereotypes") are just that: idiots.
The crap where power is exclusively belonging to one gender and not another is as much crap when applied to the psychic and spiritual worlds as it is when applied to society!
If you have problems with that, consider this: a few decades ago cheerleading, that bastion of female sexuality and "womanliness", was an exclusively male domain, with heated "debates" about whether women could cope with being a cheerleader, and what effect their inclusion would have on (a) those handsome, "manly" (read: "sexy", in today talk) young men, and (b) the poor woman included, who would no doubt become sadly manly themselves.
Consider also the continued existence of the Anglican Church, with a functioning that rational, objective observors would consider the same, and the continued location of the sky above us, after the Anglican Church allowed - shock! horror! - women priests ...
Things change, and in the changing, show our assumptions and stereotypes for the absolute stupidity that they are! NO psychic/spiritual power/potential is the exclusive preserve of people, no matter WHAT group, whether ethnic, race, religion, gender, sexuality, or some other characteristic that we don't even recognise as a characteristic yet (in much the same way that ancient Romans would be bemused by our current differentiation of same and opposite sex attraction), they happen to be part of in this one, solitary, single incarnation out of a line of many.
Unfortunately, that concept doesn't sell books ... (which is a shame, as I have a multi-incarnation story line all worked out, too :D )
Love, light, hugs and blessings
Gnwmythr
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Tags: discrimination, gender, change, limitations, restrictions, restraints, society, sexism,
First published: Sunday 25th October, 2009
Last edited: Sunday 25th October, 2009
