[HPforGrownups] Re: gender balence/strong women

[Snuffles MacGoo]

No: HPFGUIDX 15127

Hi everyone, I've been very quiet on this topic but here goes ....

Susan said:
Let me try again..
Why are all the people who are in positions of leadership men?
Why are the VAST MAJORITY of the characters who are pivotal,
important, in central  roles  --- MEN?
Why are the vast majority of the characters who are compelling,
exciting, cool -- MEN..?
Sure, the 13% of characters who are women are wonderful, exciting,
amazing, and I love them..
BUT why are all the important actors in the drama - MEN?
After all, this is fiction.
Why can't we envision a world in which some of the leaders and actors
are WOMEN?
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Storm:
We *can*, JKR *hasn't* (at least not this time)

We can think about JKR and wonder about what influences she has had on her to 
write this story this way. We can talk about English society (since that's 
where JKR grew up) and how it molds women and the stories we/they write but I 
don't think we can get any further than that in terms of discovering in this 
story strong public roles for women.
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Susan said: NO ONE has answered the question -- where are the men who stay home
with the children?
where are the men who are basically the supporters of the women who
act?
where are men whose primary role is NURTURANCE?
And who have no other major role?
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Storm: They aren't in this story, just like the people with significant 
disabilities aren't there (damn!) and the non english speaking people aren't 
there and a whole range of other people aren't there. I wish they were, I would 
love to see how JKR handled them, but they aren't. That's just how it is.  This 
doesn't mean that they are not there in JKR/Harry's world, just that ole POV 
problem strikes again.

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Susan: NO ONE has answered the question about fantasies about adult
women/men in fanfiction.......
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storm: ok, I don't understand what you are saying here. I thought you didn't 
read fanfiction. Maybe I missed this post.
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storm