Books that raise your Heathen Hackles

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Books that raise your Heathen Hackles

1clamairy
Jan 20, 2022, 4:53 pm

Last year I listened to The Devil in the Shape of a Woman and I have to say I stayed angry for weeks. I was just starting to move on when I listened to Carl Sagan's The Demon-Haunted World: Science as a Candle in the Dark which contained a chapter on what some people call the Burning Times. Needless to say I got my knickers twisted all over again. So many tortured and executed, especially women.

Which books have you a similar reaction to recently? (Or not recently.)

2WholeHouseLibrary
Jan 20, 2022, 5:56 pm

The Middle Way: Finding Happiness in a World of Extremes by Lou Marinoff

It is, in effect, a tome of comparative religion. Fine; I'm good with that; I'm all for understanding other people's viewpoints. I don't recall which chapter this was mentioned in, maybe a quarter to a third from the beginning when he wrote (and I'm paraphrasing here - because I no longer have the book) something to the effect of:
I'm pretty sure I'm going to lose half my audience now, because it's an undeniable fact that women have been, nor ever will be, on a par with men. It's simply not possible -- women are incapable of it.

I read a bit further, but he offered no explanation as to what he meant.
I don't recall whether I tore the book up, burned it, or got a dime for it if I had part of a pile of books I sold to Half-Price Books.

3clamairy
Jan 20, 2022, 6:07 pm

>2 WholeHouseLibrary: Holy shit. I'm glad I never read this. I would have driven to his house and kicked him in the nuts...

4TeaBag88
Jan 20, 2022, 11:20 pm

>3 clamairy: . . . . Your case comes up on Thursday . . .

5Bookmarque
Modifié : Jan 21, 2022, 9:17 am

I will avoid any book that has religious overtones or themes no matter what religion so I can't comment about books, but there have been a few movies or TV shows that have bugged me. Can't remember which ones now, but it's when men laugh at the idea of women doing things. Like oh that's so funny that she wants to run a marathon/be a pilot/report the news/be in law enforcement/__________ fill in the blank of whatever bullshit crap men do all the time.

That's what gets me. What women do, no matter what it is, no matter how good they are, is funny somehow. Men laugh and dismiss and discount out of hand. It's a reflex. Are their egos really that fragile? Poor little men. All busted up and don't know how to handle it except to lash out and belittle.

But this is really a feminist thing not a religion thing so maybe it's misplaced here. But you asked!