1、Unit 2 Book 3 What does the word feminist mean to you? A man-hating female who gets offended at common courtesy? Someone who insists that women can and should do everything men do? A person who sees womens strengths and abilities as different from mens, but equally valuable? Or someone whos sensitiv
2、e to the unfair treatment that women have suffered for centuries and wants to correct it? The feminist movement has made great progress in ensuring women equal legal rights, but social critics in most countries agree that theres still a long way to go. The three texts in this unit explore some of th
3、e difficulties that both men and women encounter along the road to equal rights. Text A challenges us to examine our priorities and attitudes more closely, while Texts B and C contemplate some of the complications of putting our visions of equal rights into practice in everyday life.The Titanic Puzz
4、leShould a good feminist accept priority seating on a lifeboat?by Charles KrauthammerYoure on the Titanic II. It has just hit an iceberg and is sinking. And, as last time, there are not enough lifeboats. The captain shouts, “Women and children first!” But this time, another voice is heard: “Why wome
5、n?”Why, indeed? Part of the charm of the successful movie Titanic are the period costumes, the period extravagance, and the period prejudices. An audience can enjoy these at a distance. Oddly, however, of all the period attitudes in the film, the old maritime tradition of “women and children first”
6、enjoys total acceptance by modern audiences. Listen to the audience boo at the bad guys who try to sneak on the lifeboats with - or ahead of - the ladies.But is not grouping women with children a raging anachronism? Should not any self-respecting modern person, let alone feminist, object to it as in
7、sulting to women? Yet its usage is as common today as it was in 1912. Consider these examples taken almost at random from recent newspapers:“The invaders gunned down the Indians, most of them women and children .”“As many as 200 civilians, most of them women and children, were killed .”“At the massa
8、cre in Ahmici 103 Muslims, including 33 women and children, were killed .”At a time when women fly combat aircraft and run multi-national corporations, how can one not wince when adult women are routinely classed with children? In Ahmici, it seems, 70 adult men were killed. And how many adult women?
9、 Not clear. When things get serious, when blood starts to flow or ships start to sink, youll find them with the children.Children are entitled to special consideration for two reasons: helplessness and innocence. They have not yet acquired either the faculty of reason or the wisdom of experience. Co
10、nsequently, they are defenseless (incapable of fending for themselves) and blameless (incapable of real sin). Thats why we grant them special protection. In an emergency, it is our duty to save them first because they, helpless, have put their lives in our hands. And in wartime, they are supposed to
11、 be protected by special immunity because they can have threatened or offended no one.The phrase “women and children” attributes to women the same dependence and moral simplicity we find in five-year-olds. Such an attitude perhaps made sense in an era dominated by male privilege. Given the disabilit
12、ies attached to womanhood in 1912, it was only fair that a new standard of gender equality not suddenly be proclaimed just as lifeboat seats were being handed out. That deference - a somewhat more urgent variation on giving up your seat on the bus to a woman - complemented and perhaps to some extent
13、 compensated for the legal and social constraints placed on women at the time.But in our era of extensive social restructuring to grant women equality in education, in employment, in government, in athletics, what entitles women to the privileges - and reduces them to the status - of children? Evolu
14、tionary psychologists might say that ladies-to-the-lifeboats is an instinct that developed to perpetuate the species: Women are indispensable child-bearers. You can repopulate a village if the women survive and only a few of the men, but not if the men survive and only a few of the women. Women bein
15、g more precious, biologically speaking, than men, evolution has conditioned us to give them the kind of life-protecting deference we give to that other seed of the future: kids.The problem with this kind of logic, however, is its depressing reductionism. Its like a serious version of the geneticists
16、 old joke that a chicken is just an eggs way of making another egg. But humans are more than just egg-layers. And traditional courtesies are more than just disguised survival strategies. So why do we say “women and children”? Perhaps its really “women for children.” The most basic parental bond is m
17、aternal. Equal parenting is great, but women, from breast to cradle to reassuring hug, can nurture in ways that men cannot. And thus, because we value children, women should go second. The children need them.But kiddie-centrism gets you only so far. What if there are no children on board? You are on
18、 the Titanic III, and this time its a singles cruise. No kids, no parents. Now: Iceberg! Lifeboats! Action! Heres my scenario. The men, out of sheer irrational heroism, should let the women go first. And the women, out of sheer feminist self-respect, should refuse.Result? Stalemate. How does this mo
19、vie end? How should it end? Hurry, the ships going down.泰坦尼克号之谜一位真正的女权主义者应该接受上救生船的优先权吗？查尔斯 克劳瑟莫你在泰坦尼克 II 号轮上。它刚撞上一座冰山，正在下沉。像上一次一样，没有足够的救生船。船长喊道：“妇女和孩子们先上！”但这一次，人们听到了另一个声音：“为什么妇女先上？”的确，为什么？大获成功的电影泰坦尼克号的部分魅力在于那个时代的服装，那个时代的奢华，和那个时代的偏见。时隔多年，观众能够欣赏这些东西。然而，奇怪的是，电影中的所有那个时代的观念中，“妇女和儿童优先”这一古老的海事传统却被现代观众全盘接受了
20、。听一听观众对那些试图同女士们一起-或抢在她们前面-偷偷溜上救生船的坏家伙发出的嘘声就知道了。但是将妇女和儿童归为一类难道不是一种与时代极不相称的行为吗？难道任何一个自尊的现代人-更不用说女权主义者-不该视其为对女性的侮辱而加以反对吗？然而如今这种做法仍像 1912 年时一样普遍。看看这些几乎是随意从最近的报纸上摘选的例子吧：“入侵者枪杀了印第安人，其中大多数为妇女和儿童”“200 名平民被杀，其中大多数为妇女和儿童”“在阿米奇的大屠杀中，103 名穆斯林被杀，其中包括 33 名妇女和儿童”在一个妇女驾驶战斗机、经营跨国公司的时代，这种将成年妇女与儿童归为一类的惯常做法，怎能不让人皱眉蹙额呢？
21、在阿米奇好像也有 70 名成年男子被杀。那么有多少名成年妇女被杀呢？不清楚。在事态严重时，在鲜血开始流淌或者轮船开始沉没时，你就会发现她们是和孩子们算在一起的。孩子们之所以有权享受特殊照顾有两个理由：无助和无辜。他们还不具备推理的能力或来自经验的智慧。所以，他们不能自卫（不能照料自己），无可指责（不可能真正犯罪）。这就是我们给予他们特殊保护的原因。在紧急情况下，我们有责任先救他们，因为他们软弱无助，已将生命交付于我们手中。在战时，他们应该受到特殊豁免权的保护，因为他们不可能会威胁或冒犯任何人。“妇女和儿童”这句话将我们在五岁的孩子们身上看到的依赖性和道德上的单纯也赋予了妇女。这样一种态度在男性
22、特权占统治地位的时代也许还讲得通。考虑到 1912 年时妇女被视为软弱无能的情况，在安排救生船的座位时，确实不宜突然宣布一种性别平等的新标准。这种礼让-同在公共汽车上给女士让座一样，只不过更有点紧迫-对当时加在妇女身上的法律和社交限制是一种补充，或许在一定程度上是一种补偿。但我们正在进行广泛的社会重组，在教育、就业、政府、管理、体育运动中给妇女以平等地位，在这样一个时代，是什么使妇女享有儿童的特权，并将她们贬至儿童的地位呢？进化心理学家们也许会说女士上救生船是一种为繁衍物种而形成的本能：妇女是必不可少的生儿育女者。如果全部妇女和只有为数不多的男子幸存下来，一个村庄可以重新人丁兴旺，但如果全部男
23、子和只有为数不多的妇女幸存下来，情况则不然。因为从生物学的角度来讲妇女比男子更为珍贵，所以进化论的影响使我们把给予未来的另一颗种子-儿童的那份保护生命的礼让给予了她们。然而，这种逻辑的问题在于它那种对妇女的简单贬低令人沮丧。这完全像遗传学家的那个老笑话-蛋要生蛋只有变成鸡-的一种翻版。但人类绝不仅仅是下蛋的鸡。传统的礼让绝不只是伪装掩盖下的生存策略。那我们为什么说“妇女和儿童”呢？也许事实上是“妇女为了儿童”。最基本的亲情纽带来自于母亲。父母同等的养育固然伟大，但是妇女，从哺乳、抚育到安抚的拥抱，能够以男性做不到的方式养育子女。就这样，因为我们珍视孩子，所以妇女就该位居其后。孩子们需要她们。但
24、是儿童中心论只能解释到这一步为止。如果船上没有孩子又会怎样呢？你现在是在泰坦尼克 III 号轮上，这次是一群未婚者的航游。没有孩子，没有父母。瞧！撞上了冰山！快上救生船！马上行动！我的镜头设计是这样的：男士们出于完全非理性的英雄主义，应让女士们优先上船。而女士们出于纯粹女权主义者的自尊，应予以拒绝。结果呢？僵局。这部电影怎么结局呢？它应该怎么结局呢？快，轮船正在下沉。Unit 2 What does the word feminist mean to you? A man-hating female who gets offended at common courtesy? Someone w
25、ho insists that women can and should do everything men do? A person who sees womens strengths and abilities as different from mens, but equally valuable? Or someone whos sensitive to the unfair treatment that women have suffered for centuries and wants to correct it? The feminist movement has made g
26、reat progress in ensuring women equal legal rights, but social critics in most countries agree that theres still a long way to go. The three texts in this unit explore some of the difficulties that both men and women encounter along the road to equal rights. Text A challenges us to examine our prior
27、ities and attitudes more closely, while Texts B and C contemplate some of the complications of putting our visions of equal rights into practice in everyday life.Text B Unjust DessertsCindy BlakeThe first time I went out to dinner on a date, I was 17 years old. The 18-year-old boy in question took m
28、e to a fancy restaurant and, at the end of the meal, paid the bill with a flourish. I was thrilled. He seemed fairly pleased himself. It didnt occur to me to offer to split the bill. In those days, life was simple. And wonderful. Men paid.Then what was once called Womens Lib came along and females o
29、f my generation claimed that we wanted equality. We didnt want doors opened for us, we didnt want bills paid. Suddenly, being wined and dined was considered insulting, part of the male conspiracy to keep us in our places. So we got out our chequebooks and went Dutch. What a huge mistake that was. If
30、 I had carried on assuming Id be paid for, I would not only have saved a lot of money, but a lot of worry as well. I used to spend entire meals wondering what to do when the bill arrived. Should I offer to pay half? If I dont, will he expect me to kiss him or .? And if hes paying, can I still have t
31、he lobster? How fair is it of me even to offer to pay half when I know Ill be disappointed in him if he accepted? And what if hes got less money than me, should I pay for it all?My unattached female friends, who all used to believe in the shared-bill policy, now say that the only time they would pay
32、 for themselves is if they were out with one of those men you meet through dating agencies. “Sometimes I think about saying Ill put in my share,” one of them told me, “But paying for yourself is one way of signaling that you dont fancy the man. Of course, if he asks me to, Ill split the bill with hi
33、m, but Im afraid that signals something to me: the fact that hes tight-fisted.”Women my age have double standards where money is concerned. We want equal treatment and equal opportunities, but we have a deep-rooted, illogical and romantic desire to be taken care of emotionally and financially. We hi
34、de this feeling because we know its old-fashioned and sexist, but it exists nonetheless, even among women who are highly successful earners.During my university days, I started getting tired of political correctness. I hated splitting the bill for two pieces of takeaway pizza, and secretly longed fo
35、r some man to whisk me away to restaurant. So I was thrilled when I was asked out to dinner by one of the heirs to the Rockefeller fortune. This was my dream come true. I wouldnt have to worry about what I ordered, or who paid. He was a nice man in his late twenties; a nice man with millions in the
36、bank. When he told me that hed booked an expensive French restaurant, all I could think of for days was how romantic the evening would be.Shortly after we sat down, he began talking about how many people took advantage of his wealth. “Everyone just assumes Ill pay for everything,” he frowned. I frow
37、ned along with him. I knew Id have to offer to split the bill. At the time, I had a low-paid job in a book-shop. If he accepted my offer, I calculated that Id effectively lose two weeks salary. By the time the bill arrived, I had heard so many stories of how difficult it was to be rich, that I wildl
38、y offered to pay for the entire meal. I was sure he would politely refuse and pull out his credit card. He very politely accepted and, to my horror, handed me the bill.My 14-year-old daughter is regarded by her brothers as a junior feminist. But when I asked her recently if she would expect a boyfri
39、end to pay for dinner out, she replied, “Absolutely, thats his job.” Sorry, men, but shes right. That is your job - at least on the first date.不公平的甜点辛迪 布莱克我第一次约会外出吃饭是在我 17 岁的时候。那个请我的 18 岁男孩带我去了一家高级餐馆，饭后，他很潇洒地付了账。我很兴奋。他看上去也心满意足。当时我压根儿没想到要提出支付一部分餐费。那时候，生活是简单的，美妙的。付钱的都是男人们。 随后便出现了所谓的妇女解放运动，我这一代的女性宣称我们要
40、平等。我们不想要别人给我们开门，我们不想让别人为我们买单。突然间，被请喝酒和吃饭被认为是一种侮辱，是男人们使我们安分守己的阴谋的一部分。所以我们便取出自己的支票簿，各付各的账。那真是一个天大的错误。要是我继续认为别人会替我付账，我不仅会省下许多钱，还会省去许多麻烦。我曾经常常整顿饭都在琢磨着账单来了该怎么办。我是否应该表示愿意付一半？如果我不表示，他会期待我吻他或？如果全由他付，我仍然可以吃龙虾吗？我提议我付一半合理吗？尽管我知道他如果同意我的提议我是会对他很失望的。如果他带的钱比我少又该怎么办，我应该付全部的钱吗？我那些还没有结婚的、以前都信奉 AA 制做法的女友们，现在都说她们只有在同一个
41、通过婚姻介绍所认识的男子出去时才会付自己的账单。“有时候我想说我来付自己的那一份，”她们中的一个告诉我，“但自己付钱是表示你不喜欢这个男子的一种方式。当然，如果他要我付，我会同他平摊餐费，但恐怕这也向我表明了一些什么：他很吝啬。”我这个年龄的女人在钱的问题上有着双重标准。我们想要平等的待遇和平等的机会，但我们有一种根深蒂固、不合逻辑、浪漫主义的欲望：在感情上和经济上被别人关照。我们掩饰这种感情，因为我们知道它是不合乎潮流的、歧视女性的，但是它却仍然存在，甚至存在于那些非常成功的职业妇女之中。在我上大学时，我开始厌倦那种“正确思想观念”。我厌恶为两块外卖的匹萨饼而各付各的钱，私下里巴望着有一位男
42、士风驰电掣般地把我带到餐馆去。所以当洛克菲勒家产的一位继承人邀请我出去吃饭时我真是激动万分。这是我的美梦成真啊。我不必为点什么菜，或者谁付钱而担心。他是一个 30 岁不到的出色男子；一个有几百万存款的出色男子。当他告诉我他已经预定好一家昂贵的法式餐馆时，我好几天所能想到的就是那个夜晚该会有多么浪漫。Unit 2 What does the word feminist mean to you? A man-hating female who gets offended at common courtesy? Someone who insists that women can and shoul
43、d do everything men do? A person who sees womens strengths and abilities as different from mens, but equally valuable? Or someone whos sensitive to the unfair treatment that women have suffered for centuries and wants to correct it? The feminist movement has made great progress in ensuring women equ
44、al legal rights, but social critics in most countries agree that theres still a long way to go. The three texts in this unit explore some of the difficulties that both men and women encounter along the road to equal rights. Text A challenges us to examine our priorities and attitudes more closely, w
45、hile Texts B and C contemplate some of the complications of putting our visions of equal rights into practice in everyday life.Text C Will You Go Out With Me?Laura UllmanI know that dating has changed dramatically in the past few years, and for many women, asking men out is not at all daring . But I
46、 was raised in a traditional European household where the notion of my asking a man out on a date is considered wildly naughty . Growing up, I learned that men call, ask and pay for the date. But during my three years here at Berkeley, Ive learned otherwise. Berkeley women have brightened their soci
47、al lives by taking the initiative with men. My girlfriends insist that its essential for women to participate actively in the dating process. “I cant sit around and wait anymore,” my roommate once blurted out (脱口而出). “Hard as it is, I have to ask guys out - if I want to date at all !” This is great:
48、 More women are having more fun by inviting men out, and men say theyre delighted and relieved that dating no longer depends only on their willingness to take the first step. So why am I digging my nails into my hand trying to muster up (鼓起) courage to ask you out? I keep telling myself to relax. Da
49、ting is more casual today. A college date can be as harmless as studying together. Its easier, cheaper and more comfortable for everyone that way. Students have fewer anxiety attacks when they ask somebody to play tennis than when they plan a formal dinner date. They enjoy last-minute “Lets make dinner together” dates because they not only avoid
