In "Feminism and War" one of the main points that the author makes is that war is not simply just war. With war comes the idea of sexism and masculinity. Like we might know already, many wars rely on these ideas.
In this essay, the author explains that war lies around the idea of the role a man plays within society. War is seen as something good, something that a man is able to do in order to "save" a country. Since men are always seen as more strong than women, a mans quality is said to help a country and the people of the country ( women and kids.) The way in which these man "save" a country is by going out to war and "saving" other oppressed women and kids from their own countries. In reality, the country going at war does not realize or take into consideration all the effects war actually has on the country being bombed.
This is when the idea of sexism comes in. By men going to war it forces women to play the role that society expects from them. Since men go to work women are to stay at home and take care of their children while the man is at war. Women are seen as inferior to men because we are not seen as strong enough to go into a war zone. Like I mentioned earlier, when these men are "saving" "oppressed" women from other countries in reality they are affecting their lives. Since war usually occurs in places where women actually don't already have the necessary resources, war just makes them have even less resources than before. A war makes women and children have even less access to healthcare that they need and education or free social services.
In a movie called "Voces Inocentes" we are able to see how in El Salvador children and women live in fear because once boys turn a certain age they are taken into war zones and are forced to fight. This causes for women and children to be living afraid their daily lives. War also causes the seperation of families as seen in this movie. Like talked about in the essay, it shows how men in this case kids are the targets for war instead of women.
https://www.elseptimoarte.net/carteles/voces-inocentes.jpg
Will there ever be bigger movements that will force war to end in order for women and children to stop living their lives in fear?
I agree with your point that war brings about sexist perspectives towards women because masculinity is revered in times of combat and war-time. The reading explains how women are expected to be "quiet supporters of militarized men" and true femininity is supposed to be gentle and caring. This sexist perspective is also used to justify the war itself in a way that is framed as if the men are going to war to save the gentle and caring foreign women, but in reality their homes and communities are being destroyed.
ReplyDeleteI agree with your idea that war takes away from the already limited resources provided to women, such as healthcare and education. However I disagree with the idea that war relies on the idea of sexism and masculinity. In this article, Riley stated that women like Jessica Lynch were among the US soldiers sent overseas. This made me realize that war isn't just about the men saving women, in fact I believe it revolves more around the idea of orientalism. The idea of Orientalism fits perfectly with war as the "superior West" swoops in to rescue and save the "helpless and uncivilized" people of countries such as Iraq and Afghanistan.
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