EXPRESSING POTENTIAL

There are women among us who do not conform to the norm.  They do not follow the cultural edicts set forth by a male dominated culture.  They are redefining themselves and the culture along with them. No, they are not from outer space or some particular planet.  Yes, they are gaining in number every day.  It should not be any cause for alarm but rather a cause for joy.

It is tempting to call them "new women," but that would be an error.  Women have always had potential, and a few have expressed it over the millennia.  The difference is that we only know of a precious few from the past, but now many more are expressing it -- we have named them EPs or "Eppies."

Columnist Gail Collins called early Eppies "overachievers."  She identifies FREYDIS, the sister of Leif Ericson, and notes that when the first Norse settlement in North America was attacked, Freydis (undoubtedly a Norse Xena) led the defense, despite her advanced pregnancy.  "She took her breasts out and whetted the sword upon them.  At that, the [enemy] became afraid and ran away," reported a Viking chronicler.

Collins also includes QUEEN ELIZABETH I, JOAN OF ARC and SHIKIBU MURASAKI but her favorite is HILDEGARD OF BINGEN, "a 12th-century abbess, mystic and composer who went into a trance and levitated whenever a male authority figure tried to cross her."

There were relatively few Eppies in this country involved in the fight to get voting rights for women.  They would have been astounded that it took another Women's Movement before a critical mass was reached for progress to go forward, according to Lynn Sherr, author of "Failure Is Impossible," an Anthony biography.

The Eppies all over the world and in our land today are winning converts, influencing our present culture and the next generations.  By EXPRESSING the POTENTIAL given to us all, they stand like beacons to guide and encourage the more timid among us.

How did they come to be?  Did they just explode on the earth or was their emergence a slow one?  Some of both, we believe.  Eppies happened when each was able to shed the heavy mantle of cultural conditioning without being intimidated by the sanctions or reprimands of society -- but how did they escape what we all dread?  By ignoring it.  *They did not allow their reason to be subverted by their emotions.*

How they learned to do this is not completely known but we have seen Eppies emerge from families that treated their female children the same as their male children.  Whereas most females are taught to be subservient and are encouraged to express their EMOTIONS, males are taught to boldly explore their world and develop their EGOS.

One learns to relate to people according to their gender.  It is a truism that if you want to influence or control a male you must first separate his reason from his ego; if you want to influence or control a female, you must first separate her reason from her emotions.

Actually, both genders have emotions (legitimized as "passion" when expressed by males) and egos.  The female in our society has always gotten reinforcement from parents, teachers and clergy to suppress her ego.  They also encourage her to express her emotions.  The male in our society has always gotten reinforcement from parents, teachers, clergy plus TEAM SPORTS AND TRADITION to control his emotions.  The team and tradition also feed his ego.

Our Eppies have benefited from the Woman's Movement and the way it has changed how many parents relate to their daughters.  In schools now, team sports are also allowed for girls and laws demand that higher education give women the same access to sports that was always given exclusively to men.  Women are also uncovering their own TRADITION by discovering the buried Eppies and "HerStorys" of the past.

We need to recognize current Eppies too, so we salute The National Organization of Women for winning a temporary blocking of distribution of Florida's new "Choose Life" license plates.  The Judge must now decide whether these plates amount to a political statement against abortion.  NOW claimed that the state improperly approved a "religious motto, which has frequently been used to harass, intimidate and at times kill and maim those who seek to exercise their rights, including the right to choose abortion."

Is the Equal Rights Amendment dead?  Not if Eppies Shirley Breeze and company have their way in Missouri, with the help of James Madison.  Keep them in your thoughts!

In addition, we call attention to Eppie Hillary, who is currently running for the U.S. Senate in New York.  Here is a good test of how women can be induced to separate their reason from their emotions.  Hate radio, shock jocks, such as Donald Imus, and Republican Limbaughs have poured forth masses of hate and misinformation concerning the First Lady over the last several years.

Hillary Rodham Clinton qualifies as an Eppie because of her many contributions to the Women's Movement throughout most of her life.  The media has condemned her for many things.  One of these is that she is the only First Lady to go before a Grand Jury, but very few media reported that when her testimony ended, the entire Grand Jury stood up and applauded her.

We would hope that the women of New York will rise to Eppidom also, by considering her QUALIFICATIONS for the office with their REASON, and put aside the EMOTIONAL HATRED engendered in them that is incited by Republican spin.

The increase in the number of women who daily demonstrate their great abilities is threatening to some, and there are always those in the media willing to promulgate backlash.

NBC covered itself with several layers of excrement during the last week in January by twice using women on their staff to present the opinions of Randy Thornhill ("A Natural History of Rape") WITHOUT ANY OPPOSING SCIENTIFIC VIEWPOINTS getting in the way.  Thornhill claims that rape is "not a crime of violence but a natural, biological and evolved" male behavior that came about as a reproductive strategy so men could pass on their genes to as many progeny as possible.  [addresses for email and snail, phone & fax #'s to express your concerns below.]

"Rape is a sexual act with sexual motivation," he insists and that women PUT THEMSELVES AT RISK by the way they dress.  Gosh.  And a man carrying money is STILL not at fault if he gets robbed... because?  And many rapist wear condoms to...?

twanda@together.net  

2000-007

Copyright 2000 Renee T. Louise and Ruth M. Sprague, Ph.D. These articles may be republished for noncommercial use only, provided that they are copied intact, and that this copyright notice is attached. Address all queries to: twanda@together.net.

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