Loving

http://www.theeuropean-magazine.com/barbara-kuchler--2/8648-love-and-the-modern-society

Strife follows suit to many gender issues, trailing a pattern of argumentation, dispute, and sadness. The callus truth of making changes is that they very seldom happen without a force to establish upset, opening the wound so that a difference might be made.

Maturing has enlightened me to the false belief of peaceful negotiations. I had once believed that words held the power to establish relationships capable of dismantling the oppression that hold others down, however the resilience of systematic oppression is dreadfully fluid. So much so that I sometimes question whether or not I will ever see a difference in those who are oppressed during my lifetime.

The disposition of unbalance in our society is deeper than I ever imagined, with ideological social control reigning supreme over thoughts that I previously never would have seen as sexist, racist, or overall oppressive. Piercing the veil is only the beginning, due to the insidious nature of this problem it is extremely challenging to understanding what needs to be corrected. This instigates a type of frustration between the parties involved, somewhat perpetuating the struggle that exists.

Following my time with this gender studies class - along with the modern changes of society, - I've come to a state of mind that has temporarily set aside the impotence of conflict, and am attempting to welcome a wholesome state of love. Call it insignificant, impractical or dismissive, but I feel that I need to reestablish my foundations for why I fight for the oppressed, and in order to do that, I need to step back from the situation.

Getting lost in the haze of social conflict has caused me to grow crass to those that oppose my own views, and I find that to be wildly depressing. It's from this experience that I hope to further understand why civil oppression appears to be so cyclical. Knowing when to back away from a cause can be just as important as knowing when to get involved. The same can be said about relationships, feminism and even how we live our lives. Loving others seems like such a beautiful solution to me, however it also seems to be the most tragic; if only because the current state of society appears so far removed from that possibility.

Marilyn Frye's Oppression inspired me to feel this way, if only for how wonderful I think the illustration of a birdcage is.