Essay:Second Open Letter to Homeschoolers

In reference to this discussion, in which some homeschoolers seemed to want to repress themselves.

This essay will probably be oversighted away from Conservapedia. Bummer.

Second Open Letter, this time to the Homeschooled Conservapedia Group in General

Dear Homeschoolers,
Good job for arguing for equal rights for women, above! Steve, I'm glad you've opened your mind and learned some from the debate. I urge you to do more of the same!

Moving on, some of you may remember that I once wrote an open letter to one of your number, because I was deeply concerned about that user's comment in the LA Times, where she imagined that liberals were out to destroy her. I argued there that liberals are really just out for the best interest of younger persons seeking to be educated, since liberals work to ensure that young people be allowed to find their own path, free of dogmatic or one-sided indoctrination. I'm happy to open a debate on that subject with any of you, to consider what liberalism really seeks to do, but of course, Andy & Karajou don't want you or other users of this site exposed to dissent, so it's kind of difficult to argue it here... Anyways, suffice it to say that category:Liberals ought not be your guide.

Anyways, I digress. I read with interest the above conversation, in which Steve seemed to be arguing that women ought to "know their place." I consider myself a feminist, and I was glad to see that there was serious push-back to that idea, and I'm also glad to see that people take the promise of feminism - the idea that women ought to have a choice as to what they want to do - seriously. I wanted to take this chance to re-emphasize that feminism is just that, a choice, that if women want to be housewives, they're free to do so, but if they want to be president, they're free to do that too! Regardless of what some empowered men tell women, women are just as competent and capable as any man, and often more so.

In reference to feminism, I write to ask that you female homeschoolers never let anyone hold you back, based on some outdated conception of what a good woman ought to be doing, and I also write this to plead with male homeschoolers that you never seek to oppress or hold back your female peers. Consider that Phyllis Schlafly's actions - that is, becoming a successful and powerful woman - make her a good role model for aspiring young women, but please disregard her words, in which she seems to suggest that women ought not to seek power (an odd argument for her to make!). Similarly, please remember that marriage is an equal partnership, and ought not discourage but further, without coercion, the goals of both partners. Andy's description of coverture is a romanticization of a practice that, in fact, was wildly sexist and oppressive to women.

The consensus seems to be that feminism and freedom for women are good ideas anyways, so I write this with the sense that I may be preaching to the choir, but I hope this reinforces the convictions of some, and opens the minds of others. That's all.αmεσ (advocate)