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Battle of the Sexes

In the system of nature, sexuality, desire and pleasure of orgasm refer ultimately to reproduction. In the system of men, they refer inevitably to the use by males of females as a reproductive resource, as well as a labor resource and now a market resource. Romance and marriage are working compromises established between the genders in the battle of the sexes. Within the masculine psyche, they involve balancing the need for nurturance, companionship, and surrender with the drive for control over society, nature, and women. While the man idealizes the woman, commanding her to stay frozen even in time on the pedestal where he knows he has put her, he defers to her only in the larger context of this control. Should women refuse these relations, what would men do? What will be the partnership between genders if it is not oriented toward reproduction, economic dependency, and the contract that allows men to pay homage to the feminine while retaining power? What would it be like to have a conscious partnership between two truly equal moieties?

RELATED TAGS: [system of nature, reproductive resource, romance and/versus marriage, gender balance/partnership, idealized(ing) woman]


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