Broad generalizations of men, women, wrong

By Jill Alderson

I was disappointed last week after reading Andrew Jones’
column (“Sexual double standard is natural,” Daily
Bruin, Viewpoint, April 17). Here I thought that feminism had
achieved so much and people like Jones didn’t exist in a
university’s intellectual environment, but I was being
incredibly naive. Unfortunately, it is obvious that we
“Femi-Nazis” have a lot of work yet to be done. I would
like to attack some of his many ignorant misstatements, from a
woman’s point of view.

Jones cited biological Darwinism as evidence for the male
practice of spreading his seed versus the female practice of
selectively choosing a mate with the best qualities. First of all,
thank God we are not animals and can practice control over our sex
drives and enjoy sex that is not only physically but emotionally
satisfying as well. Second of all, sex is a two-way street in every
respect. Just as women should be selective against bad male
qualities, so should men ““ the chromosomes in the female egg
are just as important as good male genes.

Jones also stated that the human child is best raised by both
the man and the woman who created it. In a perfect world, where
every individual is kind, hardworking, sane, unselfish and
responsible, both parents would be ideal. But we live in a world
where the very opposite of those traits exist in people of both
sexes. Sometimes, the biological parents are not the best parents
““ I know many people who weren’t raised by their
original parents and are the better for it.

Another problem I have with Jones’ article is his broad
generalizations of both females and males. He assumes that all men
want to “slay” every attractive woman they meet with
their “sword” without being in a relationship first.
That can hardly be attributed to all males. Most men I know would
rather have great sex with one special person than all the women
they can get their hands on. He also states that women have a lower
sex drive. That couldn’t be farther from the truth. I think
the reason that it seems men want sex more often is because every
time a man has sex, he is able to have an orgasm unless he has a
physical problem. The same is not true for a woman. When sex is not
always pleasurable or there is no orgasm, it is harder to want it
all the time. But on the other hand, if sex is pleasurable because
either (or both) the woman or the man are good at helping a woman
achieve orgasm, then her sex drive can be just as strong as a
male’s, and often is.

The opinion that men bear no responsibility in sexual
relationships is a shock. Jones also states that women should be
glad that they share the sole responsibility, because it gives them
power. I don’t want that sort of power and why would men want
women to have that power? It is almost as if Jones insinuates that
women have no other power except over men’s overzealous
sexual appetites. Women simply receive the “sword” of
their “dominant” partner and lay on their backs in the
missionary position. Jones needs a wake-up call. Sex is not always
like that and it hasn’t been for some time. The Kama Sutra
dates back from centuries ago and illustrates all types of sexual
situations, few of which the women are being dominated.

Finally, Jones states that women are not better off with the
diminishing of the “slut/stud system.” There are two
problems with this. The slut/stud system still exists and is
prevalent in most people’s daily language. “What a
ho” and “What a pimp” are phrases I hear all the
time from everybody. So how can its diminishment be cited for the
ills of society?

Clearly, there are other problems to blame. Irresponsible
fathers who abandon their families leave mothers to raise their
families alone. This cannot simply be blamed on the
“promiscuity” of the mother. Another problem is
sexually transmitted diseases, which are the result of unprotected
sex. This could be prevented with a condom, something both partners
are completely capable of putting on the man. Finally, if the
slut/stud language was to disappear and the equality of the sexes
became more of the norm, who would this really be hurting?
Certainly not women. Jones’ examples simply don’t hold
up as evidence for calling a sexually active woman a slut.

However, there is one point in Jones’ article that I agree
with. I do believe that women should be selective. And if they are
smart, they will select against Jones and other men like him.