The producers news. [volume] (Plentywood, Mont.) 1918-1937, 1934-11-23

meeting all kinds of men working
together or under the leadership
of some of the most devoted and
brilliant comrades incur Party.
"How did the comrades behave
toward me?
Before l answer this, let me
give you the psychological setting,
which, incidentally, failed to un-
derstand at the beginning, a fail
ure which has cost me no end of
needless pain and suffering. Take
first our men. The ancient Mos
lem attitude toward woman, the
feeling instilled in every one since
childhood that a woman who I'M
covers her face in tire presence of
/ strange men is a. harlot, has so
conditioned mans PSYCHOLOGY in
Central Asia as to make it impos-
sible for him to react to an I'M
yelled native woman in a manner
that you Europeans would consid-
er normal. This is true of all our
men. Even our best, most sincere,
; Intellectually most emancipated,
and principled Communists reveal
occasionally this psychological alb
CREATION. Even they betray at
times the inability to suppress a
reaction which in its immediacy is
tantamount to a conditioned re-
flex; even they, albiet unconscious
ly, tend to assume that peculiar
freedom of manner which men al
low themselves in the presence o.
women of questionable character.
AS result we have viciou.
psychological circle. It is gener
ally the adventurous, daring and
naturally enough, rather good
looking woman who filings asid,
her paranja. AS reaction to he
previous enforced meeEness, sh
!. now tends to become more self
assertive and unrestrained than i
good for her. In her relation
with the opposite sex she is help
less. Not having been trainer
since childhood to meet men, sh
has not built up the particular de
! lenses which a woman needs
J she is to meet men freely, on a
equal basis. In her work she min
> giles among men without bein
Il emotionally prepared to ward OF
: their equivocal remarks ana pei
sistent advances. Whenever she
L in mixed group, the atmospher
e becomes charged-passion, jea
ousy, fear-much more so tina
f you probably find among Europea
d men and women. The woman her
d needs a good deal of discipline an
e balance, particularly when he
habitual defenses have been SUI
rendered and no new ones have &
+ yet been erected.
It "In my own case this resulte
S in tragedy. Meeting men was
l me novel and thrilling exper
, ence. A compliment or an en-
/ brace was a grand experience.
n lost my head. Being a good Con
Y munist, Feizula tried to overloo
it. But after all, he was a Cel
trail Asian. For him to let h
/ wife go out unveiled was a tr
d mendous step forward. It was a.
is surd to expect of him the tole
It ance which l now know is raj
n even among European men.
r suffered terribly. He made jea
t. Gus scenes. He even struck n
1t on, several occasions. He wou
s then cry, and beg me not to brir
t. it up before the party nucleus. v
a argued, and discussed, and qua
Is elled. Both. young and inexpel
3 enced, this new freedom was t,
i much for us. Later, when l b
d gan to understand the true natu
c. of the compliments and the a
IS vances, 1 suffered terribly. l us,
I'd to be hurt and insulted. Are the
Mt comrades? Are these Conmu
n lists? I began to lose respect.
m began to detest some of the be
j. and most heroic fighters in O
lie ranks. They are no better TIL
the basmachi,' 1 often thought
Is my disgust. They are worse, b
? cause they have pretensions.'
e, the meanwhile, Feizula and we