He and She for All

Matthew Palminteri, Contributor

I will first make a true statement: the genders are not equal. No matter how we slice it, men and women are just not the same. I write this because it is the basis for my counter argument against Ashli Howell’s opinion piece of the September 30 issue of The Sentinel.

As human beings, both men and women have a fundamental equality in regard to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. All human beings are equally valuable, and we have said value in virtue of the fact that we are human. Size, development, gender, and race have no bearing on our value as members of society.

Our rights are both recognized and protected under the Constitution, thanks to the hard work and dedication of many reformers, to include the feminists of the 20^th century. The feminist movement now, however, is quite different. I can honestly say that where we stand in history right now, I can find no fundamental inequality in western culture between men and women.

Although all humans have this fundamental equality, there is an inherent inequality that exists between the genders. Men and women are physiologically different, and it does not stop there. For as any biochemist will tell you, “structure dictates function.” Our fundamental biological differences not only make us look different, but the two genders typically think differently as well. You might say, “Well, you see, this is all just a matter of societal construct.” True, some of our conventions are arbitrary, but ask yourself why and how many of them came to be in the first place.

Why have men always been looked upon as the “warrior class” throughout human history? Does it have to be that way? Not necessarily, but could it be that men are in fact innately more aggressive? Why are they more aggressive? Is it bad parenting? Perhaps it is simply a matter of biology. This is not to say that we are somehow purely deterministic, amoral creatures guided by nothing but chemical reactions, but to ignore the biological truth because it makes for politically incorrect speech seems intellectually dishonest.

As an example, the average man is significantly stronger than a woman. Men are more aggressive, and this is no social construct, but a biological fact. Women tend to be nurturers and care givers, which biologically makes sense because they are the ones who give birth. At first glance this seems obvious, but ask yourself why it is that the moment a person goes to college they somehow forget the most obvious of lessons. You have to be taught that we are the same, no differences whatsoever.

This is what we will call equality. This is what the new feminist movement represents; the absolute prohibition of any recognition that the sexes do in fact differ in some ways. It is this crusade to sacrifice common sense and free speech at the alters of “tolerance” and “political correctness.”

Ashli states in her column that, “while I believe we’ve made great strides towards gender equality here in America, gender inequality still persists.” I take issue with this claim, because it could not be further from the truth. In her article, she chooses not to offer any actual evidence or particular examples of extant inequality. But looking at our current culture, I cannot find a single segment of society where men and women are not equal.

However, a quick look at many of the other countries (many of which hold key positions in the UN) in the world will show us various examples of theocracies and tyrannical regimes which do in fact withhold the fundamental rights and opportunities readily available to any woman living in a democratic nation. These are the places where you will find high levels of women who are illiterate. This is why we must promote democracy throughout the world, because it will be the best way to affect change in these women’s lives.

As a country, we must look at ourselves as the model for the world. We must spread the truth of these fundamental rights that all human beings are created equal, and that these are inalienable rights, not granted to us by the government, but recognized and protected by the government. These rights that our founders understood can set the world free. Our differences as men and women have no bearing on our value, nor does it hurt anyone to recognize these differences. To continue spreading the neo-feminist doctrine would be to ignore science, reason, and human equality. Instead, we must spread the idea that we are equal but different, and that we must cherish each other’s differences.