From: pmmst8@unix.cis.pitt.edu (Paul M Mweene)
Newsgroups: soc.culture.african
Subject: Re: Feminists!
Date: 10 Apr 92 03:10:40 GMT
Organization: University of Pittsburgh

In article <1992Apr8.142305.27944@mercury.cair.du.edu> rhuffman@diana.cair.du.edu (Robert T. Huffman) writes:
>
>This seems to be rather convoluted logic.  How many African
>women ever reply to postings of any sort on this newsgroup?  Well, none that
>I know of.  Thus the fact that no African women have responded to that first
>posting can hardly be taken as "vindication" of sexist opinions.

Obviously this explains you have taken it upon yourself to speak for them. 
So even thouh you are not one of them, have never live with any of them, have
never had one of them as your lover, you still care more about them than I do.
Thats both eye opennin and instructive. Carry on`
.
>
>If your view is that the "sanctity of the family" (to use a favorite phrase
>of US conservatives, people who I am surprised Paul Mweene evidently agrees
>with concerning the rights of women)

To a small extent, it would be approprite for me to consider myself helpless
aainst certain individuals. No matter what the case people will find it appr
opriate to think for me and speak for me. If there is still any need for me
to answer the above sentiments, let me say I know and care nothin about the
so called conservatives based here or else where. And also, I have never fami
liarized myself with their philosophy and never plan to. If it so happens that
my statements seem conruent with with their belief, that is purely coincidental.There is however, here a disturbin pattern. It seems that everythin I do or say
must have a source in this or another non-African country. Obviously the perce
`ption here is that I am incapable of preparin a rational thouht process in 
support of any thin I believe without plagiary. But again this is consistent
with the foregoing comments on behalf of the unconsulted female portion of the African population
.
> must be preserved at all costs, then,
>yes, feminism may have been a failure.  But if you believe that all human
>beings, regardless of sex, have equal rights, feminism has been enormously
>successful.

Other than to wish you all well, I will not participate in a discussion of the
above subject matter. The reason is that the dosmetic problems of Americans are
for Americans to solve. I am not entiled, uninvited as I am, to opine these matters or to impose my kind of logic. I conceed that I come from a different cultu
al backround and may not always adequately understands the cause of the problem
`and the consequence of usin my solutions on them. I respect Americans on these
matters even as I may disagree with hteir methoids to solve them.


>Paul Mweene is in the habit of making sweeping generalizations about cultural
>norms in Africa,

And this statement in answer to my assertion that marriage in Africa is a cont
ract between two families is a vindication of my statements above. What I said
is such an obvious thin to an African that only an exceptionally ignorant pers
can even question it. But as I did not come to be on-the-net-teacher on African
culture, therefore I will leave the those have no knowledge that way.i

> of which the above statement is one example.  I am no
>cultural anthropologist, so it could be that he is right and this is ideed
>an accurate description of marriage throughout the entire continent.

So my statements would be regarded doubtful until such a time that they were corroborated by an "expert" on African culture. Ofcourse it never mattered that th
ey teach us African culture on an hourly basis, why you never do this because itwas wrong for this or that reason. I think that I would harbour just as many 
doubts and misconceptions if  I to interpret American practises in an African 
cultural context.

>
>Face it some African women
>obviously disagree with your viewpoint.

After sayin a lot and meanin nothin, people had come to forget  that my initial
postin was addresed o African women, a  move that would have been unwarranted ifI felt I had nothin to hear from them
.>
>A good tactic--if you don't like someone's opinions, attack them personally.

I could actually learn from you bearin in mind that you have agreed with ever thing I have said and you did not once mention my name.
>
>
>I suspect that no culture has all the answers.  Perhaps we can learn from
>each other.  There are a lot of things I respect in the African cultures I
>have come in contact with and which I wish were a part of American culture.
>Subjugation of women, however, is not one of them.

Chooise what you want but dont try to impose your beliefs on us. Of the virtues
of this society, their are none I can not find in mine, though the same does nothold for the reverse case.
jj>
>Robert Huffman
>rhuffman@diana.cair.du.edu

Makala