The Secret Lives of Wives + This Is Not A Book Review

[Guest guest]

Antardwipa typed:

 

> > > Men are the culprits of the feminist movement, not the women, if I

> > > understood Srila Prabhupada correctly.

> >

> > Considering that most of the men mentioned in that article were not even

> > born or were small children when the 2nd wave of feminism was at its

> > height (we are presently suffering through the 3rd wave of feminism) and

> > Srila Prabhupada made those statements I fail to see how they could be

> > the social engineers behind feminism. These are just ordinary guys not

> > social engineers.

>

> What I was referring to was in keeping with Srila Prabhupada's statement -

> he said men were the culprits. You can't quote his opinions about women's

> lib without accepting who he said was the cause.

 

 

Perhaps if you have a copy of the VedaBase you could research this topic and

find out exactly what Srila Prabhupada said was the connection between men

and the feminist movement. I am just going by memory, which is not always

the best.

 

Actually I just went through the VedaBase and the most that Srila Prabhupada

said was that it was a "trick" by (some) men to exploit women. There has

always been and will always be a class of men who will look for any means to

exploit women. Arjuna was worried about this in the opening statements of

the Gita. They will flatter women to get what they want. So Srila Prabhupada

said men "trick" women with this "women's lib" you may construe this to mean

that by "trick" men went out and started the whole thing. But so far no

evidence of that appears. Nor did Srila Prabhupada explicitly say that a

plot existed back in the 1700s (or any other time) by men to exploit women

by the creation of feminism.

 

My understanding is that (some) men "tricked" women by flattering them. The

women were already into women's lib so the men just went along with it and

flattered them that "Oh you are a nice women come sleep with me etc." If the

women refuses then the man would reply, "Well I thought you were a liberated

women, seems I was wrong." With pricked pride the woman would then

agree-after all she was liberated right.

 

So my understanding is that (some) crookedly clever men took advantage of an

already existing situation started by women to flatter women into bed by

challenging how liberated the woman was.

 

So the burden of proof lies with you. Please show me some quote where Srila

explicitly says that the whole enterprise of feminism from its inception was

a plot by (some) evil men to exploit women. So far I found no such quote, at

best Srila Prabhupada says it is "trick." But in light of the context of

what SP said and the actual history of feminism, then the "trick" was that

some men used the women's movement that the women themselves created against

them; not that the "trick" was that that they actually created feminism from

the beginning.

 

If we take the second scenario, which you seem to be insisting on, then you

put Srila Prabhupada in the position of contradicting the history of

feminism which was started by women as late back as the 1790s. Why do that

when it is not necessary? And considering that he never explicitly says

this. And, when the first option explains things just as well without

creating this unneeded dilemma.

 

You might find a perusal of the following site:

 

http://jkalb.freeshell.org/web/antifeminism.php

 

to be helpful in understanding many of the contemporary issues surrounding

feminism.

 

>

> > While it is difficult to identify the culprits in the karmi world it is

> > not at all difficult to identify them in ISKCON.

> >

> Intelligent point and I missed it, you are right, it is some women who

> push the feminist agenda in ISKCON.

 

What I meant is that it is easy to identify the MEN responsible in ISKCON

for allowing feminism to flourish and to indeed promote it.

 

 

 

 

Yours in the service of my eternal master Srila Prabhupada,

 

Shyamasundara Dasa