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When white men appeared to natives,
using oxen to carry supplies,
the natives thought the oxen
were the white men’s wives.
using oxen to carry supplies,
the natives thought the oxen
were the white men’s wives.
In the (mite) bargain, men are released
from the burdens that drove them so
hard and can live for today instead.
Gender Inequality
They were not the first, nor the last, to treat their women like
cattle. One would expect mistreatment of women and children in
any society founded on the male warrior.
Up through about 1920 in the late second millennium, women were not allowed to vote, could not participate in male occupations, were not allowed in libraries, were not expected to have informed opinions, and would not have been counted if they did. A few women asserted their talents in what was supposed to be a man’s world, fighting back against discouragement, lack of recognition, and outright persecution.
It seemed as if men held all the cards, but their roles came with burdens, obligations, and restrictions. Societal pressure on men was so intense that they would rather march into certain death in a senseless war than go home in disgrace. If a man rejected the lies of the day and acted logically, he would refuse to fight. He would stay with the women instead. Of course, the others would then call him a woman — their strongest epithet.
Oh, Your daddy’s rich
And your mamma’s good lookin’
So hush, little baby
Don’t you cry. [1]
If something happened to a man such that he could no longer measure himself by his wealth or the size of the load he was pulling, he was lost. That wasn’t holding all the cards; it was a trap so deep he had no other identity.
Men held glorified roles. They were the Atlases with the world on their shoulders, the heroes duty-bound in the service of others, the good providers. But glory came at a price. In the name of manhood, traditional institutions would exploit the boy and discard whatever remained of him.
The war wasted his years.
The preacher wasted his hours.
And the lover wasted his minutes.
Men eventually figured out that everything they had ever been taught about Manhood, Duty, Honor, God, and Country were lies designed to control. It took enormous control over men to get them to enter battle ready to sacrifice their limbs and their minds. Any lie that accomplished that would do — such as: To be called a man you must prove yourself in battle; you have been given a great honor by being chosen to serve; it's your duty to follow through. Militarism was endemic to society, as were its lies. Suppression of women fit like a glove. When lies no longer produced willing soldiers, men were conscripted with resisters shot, or imprisoned. That led to low morale and loss of the home front. Would-be empire builders then had to abandon their ambition. Maybe peace isn't so bad after all.
How many roads must a man walk down
Before you call him a man?
How many seas must a white dove sail
Before she sleeps in the sand?
Yes, and how many times must the cannonballs fly
Before they're forever banned?
The answer, my friend, is blowin' in the wind
The answer is blowin' in the wind [2]
Men will volunteer when the cause is right, and the leadership is worthy of them. Honor belongs to the men themselves, not the state, and a pledge of honor has to be earned.
No one will ever know how much humans lost due to gender biases and restrictive roles. But based on our experience with mites, the loss to humans was beyond all measure.
Mites have no use for cannon balls. Among us, men and women are equal in all regards. We all have the same vote, education, career opportunities, and expectations for greatness.
Women bear and care for children, but the colony meets all their needs free of charge. That includes the embryo implant from a lab — they don’t need a man for even that. Given colony support, mite women can do it all without a man.
Men have access to children through colony youth programs. Men are under no obligation, but those children are adorable and seem born with the knowledge of your heartstrings. Male youths need their adult role models, and the boys know it. The colony offers many expeditions and activities — all expenses paid — to encourage the men and boys to spend time together.
Children discover a network of support. There are no orphans. No mite youth has the misfortune of being born to an insensitive father or growing up without one. There is no such thing as an illegitimate or unwanted child.
Mites depart from the Roman concept of family. In Europe, during the first and second millennia, the nuclear family was the norm — one man, his wife, and his children. In contrast, mites consider their family to be the whole village.
This concept of the village as the family is not new; it is ageless. Various extended family forms have always been more common worldwide than the Roman nuclear family. The Roman model is likely a recent historical aberration.
Mites born into the colony take a first name given by their mother. They take their mother’s surname. Later, in the rite of passage into adulthood, mites choose their own names. The former children then belong entirely to themselves. They will not be the identity extension, let alone property, of anyone else.
The story continues here.
_________________________
[1] Gershwin, George, “Summertime,” song from the 1935 opera Porgy and Bess. Lyrics by DuBose Heyward and Ira Gershwin.
[2] Lyrics written by Bob Dylan, Album: The Freewheelin' Bob Dylan, Released in 1963.
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Copyright (c) 2024 by Don Knight
Up through about 1920 in the late second millennium, women were not allowed to vote, could not participate in male occupations, were not allowed in libraries, were not expected to have informed opinions, and would not have been counted if they did. A few women asserted their talents in what was supposed to be a man’s world, fighting back against discouragement, lack of recognition, and outright persecution.
It seemed as if men held all the cards, but their roles came with burdens, obligations, and restrictions. Societal pressure on men was so intense that they would rather march into certain death in a senseless war than go home in disgrace. If a man rejected the lies of the day and acted logically, he would refuse to fight. He would stay with the women instead. Of course, the others would then call him a woman — their strongest epithet.
Oh, Your daddy’s rich
And your mamma’s good lookin’
So hush, little baby
Don’t you cry. [1]
If something happened to a man such that he could no longer measure himself by his wealth or the size of the load he was pulling, he was lost. That wasn’t holding all the cards; it was a trap so deep he had no other identity.
Men held glorified roles. They were the Atlases with the world on their shoulders, the heroes duty-bound in the service of others, the good providers. But glory came at a price. In the name of manhood, traditional institutions would exploit the boy and discard whatever remained of him.
The war wasted his years.
The preacher wasted his hours.
And the lover wasted his minutes.
Men eventually figured out that everything they had ever been taught about Manhood, Duty, Honor, God, and Country were lies designed to control. It took enormous control over men to get them to enter battle ready to sacrifice their limbs and their minds. Any lie that accomplished that would do — such as: To be called a man you must prove yourself in battle; you have been given a great honor by being chosen to serve; it's your duty to follow through. Militarism was endemic to society, as were its lies. Suppression of women fit like a glove. When lies no longer produced willing soldiers, men were conscripted with resisters shot, or imprisoned. That led to low morale and loss of the home front. Would-be empire builders then had to abandon their ambition. Maybe peace isn't so bad after all.
How many roads must a man walk down
Before you call him a man?
How many seas must a white dove sail
Before she sleeps in the sand?
Yes, and how many times must the cannonballs fly
Before they're forever banned?
The answer, my friend, is blowin' in the wind
The answer is blowin' in the wind [2]
Men will volunteer when the cause is right, and the leadership is worthy of them. Honor belongs to the men themselves, not the state, and a pledge of honor has to be earned.
No one will ever know how much humans lost due to gender biases and restrictive roles. But based on our experience with mites, the loss to humans was beyond all measure.
Mites have no use for cannon balls. Among us, men and women are equal in all regards. We all have the same vote, education, career opportunities, and expectations for greatness.
Women bear and care for children, but the colony meets all their needs free of charge. That includes the embryo implant from a lab — they don’t need a man for even that. Given colony support, mite women can do it all without a man.
Men have access to children through colony youth programs. Men are under no obligation, but those children are adorable and seem born with the knowledge of your heartstrings. Male youths need their adult role models, and the boys know it. The colony offers many expeditions and activities — all expenses paid — to encourage the men and boys to spend time together.
Children discover a network of support. There are no orphans. No mite youth has the misfortune of being born to an insensitive father or growing up without one. There is no such thing as an illegitimate or unwanted child.
Mites depart from the Roman concept of family. In Europe, during the first and second millennia, the nuclear family was the norm — one man, his wife, and his children. In contrast, mites consider their family to be the whole village.
This concept of the village as the family is not new; it is ageless. Various extended family forms have always been more common worldwide than the Roman nuclear family. The Roman model is likely a recent historical aberration.
Mites born into the colony take a first name given by their mother. They take their mother’s surname. Later, in the rite of passage into adulthood, mites choose their own names. The former children then belong entirely to themselves. They will not be the identity extension, let alone property, of anyone else.
The story continues here.
_________________________
[1] Gershwin, George, “Summertime,” song from the 1935 opera Porgy and Bess. Lyrics by DuBose Heyward and Ira Gershwin.
[2] Lyrics written by Bob Dylan, Album: The Freewheelin' Bob Dylan, Released in 1963.
Home | Creation Story | Warriors | Honesty | Limits | Class | Gender | Religion | Sexuality | Countries | Stewardship | Author | Contact
Copyright (c) 2024 by Don Knight
A glorified role for men. At a price.