Tuesday, January 26, 2010

The old greeks were sexists

Okey, I realize that in old Greece and Rome and all these places sexist and racist theories were the general norm of things (like antisemitism was really normal before WW2), but it's still kind of upsetting to read Socrates talk about how to keep the race clean (that is nearly an exact quote), and Aristotle talk about how women and genetically inferior to men, which makes us unfit to hold high positions.
I realize that all of these notions are in theory antiquated, but in reality they aren't. In reality you still have racism, and Social Darwinism, and people who seriously believe that some people are unfit to have children and should be neutered.
I think one of the reasons these thoughts upset me this much is that if the practices of neutering inferior people, or killing inferior children still held sway to day I would either be neutered or dead.
It is no secret that I was an odd and, lets say troubled, child, and the fact of the matter is that if I had been living in a society where killing of children that did not live up to the ideal where the norm, I would not be allowed to grow up. Never mind that I am fairly intelligent, I am off, and that would have been my death sentence.
Had I been allowed to grow up thou, I would have been neutered, because I do struggle with mental issues, and this was for literally thousands of years seen as hereditary (with some mental illnesses this is actually correct thou), and it would have been held without a doubt that I would transfer my madness into my offspring, and this is bad for society, so I would be neutered.

It's kind of frightening to think about these things actually. That had I lived in ancient Greece I might very well have been forced to live in some enclave, and not been allowed to even go out in the world and meet regular people. (Not 100% clear to me if this was the case in ancient Greece or if I have a wrong idea formed on the things I read in my philosophy book.)

I am very lucky indeed to live in a time (and in a country, very lucky to live in Norway, cold and drab as it might be) where it's considered my right to receive help, so that I can function in society, and so that I can actually go to school and learn about how lucky I am to live in said time and country.
In fact there are still countries today where I would be locked out of sight, and would be allowed to sink so deep into my illness that I would not be able to emerge at all, and that is a scary, scary thought.

As a conclusion to this ramble I would like to thank my family, my boyfriend and my friends, who are here for me, and who believe that I have not only the right, but the ability to be a functioning member of society. You all rock=D=D

1 comment:

Tom said...

You're right that Socrates, Aristotle et al said lots of things that simply wouldn't be accepted these days. But these were often when they erred into 'science' which was still the realm of philosophers in those days.

As I'm sure you'll agree, Socrates's and Plato's work on morality, and living a good life - more universal themes, if you like - still stand up today and for better or worse underpin pretty much all the moral laws of the three Abrahamic faiths.

Remember Pythagoras? Look out for the insane religion he tried to start (when he wasn't squaring the hypotenuse).