From: gcf@panix.com (Gordon Fitch)
Newsgroups: alt.feminism
Subject: Re: Who Is Really Oppressed? (was : Re: Self Appreciation (was: Re: Elle MacPherson causes rape?))
Date: 17 Nov 92 21:37:01 GMT
Distribution: usa
Organization: mydog in exile

gcf@panix.com (Gordon Fitch) writes:
| >My observations of the pre-Civil Rights South were that
| >the white people were psychologically worse off than the
| >black people; this was consistent with many other observers
| >I spoke to at that time, although I don't know of a
| >quantified study.

schultz@unixg.ubc.ca (Stewart Schultz):
| As it happens a large body of research has addressed this question, 
| and the indisputable conclusion is that the black population suffers 
| from higher rates of total psychopathology and general negative 
| well-being.  In fact, the issue is not and never has been whether, or 
| even why, but rather what can and should be done to mitigate these 
| inevitable consequences of racism. ...

I had hoped that my mention of Fanon, who was one of the
first and most famous to conduct and interpret this sort of
study, would have forestalled this.  I'm well aware of such
studies, and in general I don't trust them.  To go back to
the gender question, in the late 1960s it was "proved" that
women were psychologically worse off than men because they
were overwhelmingly predominant in the patient or client
population of psychotherapists.  I would not be surprised if
this were still true.  I think you can find the data in
Chesler's first book.

My problem with these studies lies in their immateriality 
and the necessity of interpreting them with a preexisting 
theory which is likely to dominate the outcome of the
interpretation.  If more women than men get the services of
therapists, what does this prove?  Try one or more of: (1)
Women are unhappier than men.  (2) Women have more money for
doctors than men.  (3)  Women get better mental health care
than men.  (4)  Women are crazier than men as a matter of
course.  (5)  Women are habituated to oppression and are
forced or tricked into oppressive relations with male 
therapists.  (6) Men are trained to resist submissive roles
and thus are repelled by therapy.  I'm sure you can think 
of six more.

Even the most materialistic epidemiology can be suspect.  
Women tend to live longer than men.  This is because they 
have easier lives.  Or because their metabolisms run at a 
lower rate.  Or because they are less likely to be the 
victims of violence.  Or because they are less likely to 
incite violence.  Or ....

But besides the fact that "happiness" studies are so much a
matter of interpretation is the very important fact that the
question doesn't matter much morally or politically.  For
instance, even if a slave-owner were relatively less happy
than his slaves, it would not make slavery right.  That was
what I was trying to get at before.

By the way, the follow-up line, at least on the article
that arrived here, was set to soc.culture.african-
american exclusively.  How come?  Did you think we had
wandered away from feminism entirely?
-- 

 )*(    Gordon Fitch    )*(    gcf@panix.com    )*(
( 1238 Blg. Grn. Sta.,  NY NY 10274 * 718.273.5556 )
Newsgroups: alt.feminism