The Other

Beauvoir speaks much on the conceptualization of Woman as 'other'. I am struggling with exactly what is meant by this moniker, but with some thoughts of mine on a previous post and a contribution by Alexandra, I want to try to work through but one facet thereof.

I think that a feeling of alterity can be extremely healthy especially when paired with a comprehensive understanding of similarities as well. It is important to understand how we are different from those around us; it is through such comprehension that tolerance and empathy is begotten. What is concerning is that alterity seems to be applied to women only which is patently false. In a nigh tautological fashion, if women are other, then so too must men. If we have two letters A and B, we cannot claim that B is the other letter without also noting that A is also an other letter from B.

While alterity and difference are important, it is more important to note the bi-directionality of otherness.

Female Identity

De Beauvoir makes the point that the first thing she cognizes when she thinks of herself is that she is a woman. She is also right that males do not do this: my first thought is, though maybe slightly revealing here, is that I am intelligent. (This is no claim of pomp and arrogance; I am no genius) I am left wondering why the discrepancy? Also, is this healthy for women to do, or should we, as a society attempt to move to a place where gender is more irrelevant?

Knowing little enough about this, I am assuming that it is actually the oppression of women that begot this tendency for Beauvoir to think of herself as such. It would not be as irrelevant if men did not spend so much of history attempting to subjugate them.

I do not know if it is healthy though. I want to arrive at a place where gender is both irrelevant and yet there are some important differences between men and women. As long as women can give birth and men cannot, gender will never be irrelevant.