I don't know about anyone else, but to me, equality means that every aspect of everyones life should be filled with the same oppurtunities, whether or not these opportunities are desireable or undesireable. Mostly it means that NO ONE PERSON, OR GROUP, GETS ANY KIND OF SPECIAL TREATMENT. Sure, everyone wants the right to vote, hold office, use public facilities, be eligible for the same programs and scholarships, and so on. What about other things, such as fighting in wars? There is a mililtary policy to keep femal military troops away from the front lines of combat. This is definitly unequal treatment. Couldn't men say that they are being discriminated against, since they are more likely to face danger? Of course, I haven't heard any women complain about this. In fact, I've heard women complaining that the military is ignoring the rule, as women are fighting the front lines in the middle east. (No, I don't agree with the military ignoring any of it's rules, instead, it should just legally change the rule.) No average woman would want to see combat. Well, what man would actually want to see combat, even if he is in the military? Being a woman doesn't justify being excluded from any aspect of military duty.
If you join the military, you join every aspect of the military.
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I have heard that the rules are in place because women are supposedly physically inferior and they menstuate and need to bathe (hence the front line would not provide facilities). I dont think there should be a difference in treatment. Maybe it could be decided by physical capability or some other measure.
What should be done to avoid this rule is have an across the board standard of physical capability in the military. When men and women join they have two sets of standards of what they're expected to be physically capable of. If there was one set standard, then no matter who you were male or female, you would be ready to be front line, or whichever other various job you have in the military.
As far as the rule being ignored and women seeing action in the middle east, it's tough to determine a "front line" in a war like this. My step brother is a fireman in the Army, but he has been under live fire. What it comes down to is...if you're being shot at, you shoot back.
-Tim
"It costs nothing to be honest, loyal, and true." -Avett Bros.
I agree with everything you say, about physical standards and indefinite front lines. I just hate that women are still stereotyped as the weaker sex. Women can shoot just as well as men can.
I agree with your point. If I were male, I wouldn't want someone who didn't pass physical tests as quickly or as extensively as I did defending me. I would feel cheated. As a mother, I do like the fact that I won't be drafted, but I still can't decide if this is fair or not. I think it is on the basis of this idea, but in the back of my mind it just doesn't seem fair that a man in my exact same situation has the possiblity of being drafted just because he's male. It's a tough issue, and one that I'm not sure about yet.
http://progressiveu.org/blog/leslieq
Check it out...it's a work in progress.
I've heard this rule is in place because of the men, not the women. Men are more likely to rush to the aid of a wounded female soldier, thus neglecting his duties and getting more people killed. I'm not sure how accurate this assessment is, though.
~C
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