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Ain't I A Woman? newspapers, June 1970-July 1971
1970-07-24 "Ain't I a Woman?" Page 9
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[hand drawn figure] A METHOD FOR THE MOVEMENT THIS PAGE IS FROM THE GRINNELL, IOWA WOMEN'S LIBERATION FRONT The Women's Liberation Movement has long been bringing the issues of women's oppression out into the open, hopefully for education and free discussion. But it is time for women to face these issues (usually defined by men as women's problems) in a critical and analytical way, a way which will assure that these issues are not forgotten or thrown to the background of a male dominated revolution. The process of dialectics as defined in Mao Tse-tung's essay, "On Contradiction," offers a valuable model for such an analysis of where women stand, anywhere we should be going. Lenin said, "Dialectics in the proper sense is the study of a contradiction in the very essence of objects." This sentence defines what we will be doing in analyzing WL by the dialectical method. First, we will be observing and examining contradictions, or opposites, which reveal themselves to us through historical, material development. This involves understanding the principles of universality and particularity, and being able to identify the two aspects, or opposing views within each contradiction. And second, discovering that contradictions lie in the very essence of things, in our bodies and our minds, in the system which binds us, in the institution of marriage and the institution of sex, we will analyze the dynamics involved as priorities emerge and aspects are transformed into their opposite. As women, we have already gone through the first step of observation. For centuries and centuries we have been observing our own oppression and the oppression of others. But that observation has been blurred over the years as we began to accept our oppression as natural and good, thereby accepting only one side of the contradiction within us. Even though Women's Liberation has helped to define these contradictions, we must continue to look, delving deep into each thing to reveal the very most basic contradiction. What are some of these contradictions? Some are easily seen, like the contradiction between a woman's ability to do a job, and her salary for doing that job. Or a woman's performance in pre-med school and her difficulty in entering medical school. Going deeper, we can see women's powerlessness in a world of power-oriented decision making. Or women's natural kinship to each other and their forced separation. Or women's concept of themselves and what they want to be, as opposed to what society defines them and expects them to be. The second step, after observing women's oppression and defining the basic contradictions, is to understand the universality and particularity of each contradiction. Universality means that contradictions exist in all things and are interdependent on each other. The struggle between the two aspects of each contradiction is a dead thing. Interdependency of contradictions is evident in the fact women cannot isolate the contradictions within themselves as not affecting the rest of society, that is, men. By particularity we mean, that each contradiction involves a particular essence which defines it as separate from other contradictions. It is very important to be able to discover these particularities, since they will determine how each contradiction is to be faced and finally resolved. Particularities will be found by studying the two aspects of each contradiction in its concrete condition. This involved studying both sides of a contradiction, such as, our need for control over our lives, and the reality of no control over our lives. At this stage of our analysis, important variants appear. Because of the dynamic quality of each contradiction, seen in its constant movement and development, the two aspects involved are unequal. Women are often put down as unable to perform jobs which they are trying to get, while at another time in history (like WWII) they were forced into such jobs. This illustrates why it is important to view a contradiction in its historical perspective and consider it as a dynamic and ever- [Cartoon image of doll "Don't get dirty! Act like a lady! Be Quiet! Play with dolls!"] moving force. This also applies to the relationship between whole contradictions. Some contradictions will always emerge as more important than others, although they will constantly change places within this system of degrees. Understanding this concept is essential to any revolutionary action or policy development. It is the basis upon which priorities are decided one so must occupy much time and thought. After a long and complex analysis of the contradictions we see as women, what will be the end result, and what will make it worthwhile? Mao sees the worth of the dialectical method in what he calls the identity and struggle of the aspects of a contradiction. This is simply going back to the basis of the dialectical method--change. Under certain conditions, the two aspects of a contradiction can transform themselves into each other. The ruler will one day be the ruled and the last will be first. Those who do not want change in society try to exert the opinion that this does not occur, that things are static and motionless, that changes occur only in quantity and not in quality. But history proves that this is wrong and materialist dialectics reflects the reality of history. Contradictions will struggle until they transform themselves into each other or unite into one, thus forming a new contradiction with two new aspects. [Arrows and dots image] The Women's Liberation Movement has passed the time of complaining and hopelessly looking on as both capitalist society and the New Left continue their oppression of women. We ourselves must begin to take the contradictions we see seriously. We must recognize their application to the whole of society and their interdependence on all other contradictions we sense around us. We must also recognize their particular significance and implications, since only this will lead to the effective solution. We must study ad analyze the whole range of contradictions so as to establish priorities and deal with realities And we must come to believe that change is the natural order of things under certain conditions, and we alone can and will create the conditions for this change. Analysis will lead to awareness, awareness to struggle, and struggle to revolution (resolution). -Susan Preston Grinnell WLF a Woman? [arm] July 24, 1970 9
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[hand drawn figure] A METHOD FOR THE MOVEMENT THIS PAGE IS FROM THE GRINNELL, IOWA WOMEN'S LIBERATION FRONT The Women's Liberation Movement has long been bringing the issues of women's oppression out into the open, hopefully for education and free discussion. But it is time for women to face these issues (usually defined by men as women's problems) in a critical and analytical way, a way which will assure that these issues are not forgotten or thrown to the background of a male dominated revolution. The process of dialectics as defined in Mao Tse-tung's essay, "On Contradiction," offers a valuable model for such an analysis of where women stand, anywhere we should be going. Lenin said, "Dialectics in the proper sense is the study of a contradiction in the very essence of objects." This sentence defines what we will be doing in analyzing WL by the dialectical method. First, we will be observing and examining contradictions, or opposites, which reveal themselves to us through historical, material development. This involves understanding the principles of universality and particularity, and being able to identify the two aspects, or opposing views within each contradiction. And second, discovering that contradictions lie in the very essence of things, in our bodies and our minds, in the system which binds us, in the institution of marriage and the institution of sex, we will analyze the dynamics involved as priorities emerge and aspects are transformed into their opposite. As women, we have already gone through the first step of observation. For centuries and centuries we have been observing our own oppression and the oppression of others. But that observation has been blurred over the years as we began to accept our oppression as natural and good, thereby accepting only one side of the contradiction within us. Even though Women's Liberation has helped to define these contradictions, we must continue to look, delving deep into each thing to reveal the very most basic contradiction. What are some of these contradictions? Some are easily seen, like the contradiction between a woman's ability to do a job, and her salary for doing that job. Or a woman's performance in pre-med school and her difficulty in entering medical school. Going deeper, we can see women's powerlessness in a world of power-oriented decision making. Or women's natural kinship to each other and their forced separation. Or women's concept of themselves and what they want to be, as opposed to what society defines them and expects them to be. The second step, after observing women's oppression and defining the basic contradictions, is to understand the universality and particularity of each contradiction. Universality means that contradictions exist in all things and are interdependent on each other. The struggle between the two aspects of each contradiction is a dead thing. Interdependency of contradictions is evident in the fact women cannot isolate the contradictions within themselves as not affecting the rest of society, that is, men. By particularity we mean, that each contradiction involves a particular essence which defines it as separate from other contradictions. It is very important to be able to discover these particularities, since they will determine how each contradiction is to be faced and finally resolved. Particularities will be found by studying the two aspects of each contradiction in its concrete condition. This involved studying both sides of a contradiction, such as, our need for control over our lives, and the reality of no control over our lives. At this stage of our analysis, important variants appear. Because of the dynamic quality of each contradiction, seen in its constant movement and development, the two aspects involved are unequal. Women are often put down as unable to perform jobs which they are trying to get, while at another time in history (like WWII) they were forced into such jobs. This illustrates why it is important to view a contradiction in its historical perspective and consider it as a dynamic and ever- [Cartoon image of doll "Don't get dirty! Act like a lady! Be Quiet! Play with dolls!"] moving force. This also applies to the relationship between whole contradictions. Some contradictions will always emerge as more important than others, although they will constantly change places within this system of degrees. Understanding this concept is essential to any revolutionary action or policy development. It is the basis upon which priorities are decided one so must occupy much time and thought. After a long and complex analysis of the contradictions we see as women, what will be the end result, and what will make it worthwhile? Mao sees the worth of the dialectical method in what he calls the identity and struggle of the aspects of a contradiction. This is simply going back to the basis of the dialectical method--change. Under certain conditions, the two aspects of a contradiction can transform themselves into each other. The ruler will one day be the ruled and the last will be first. Those who do not want change in society try to exert the opinion that this does not occur, that things are static and motionless, that changes occur only in quantity and not in quality. But history proves that this is wrong and materialist dialectics reflects the reality of history. Contradictions will struggle until they transform themselves into each other or unite into one, thus forming a new contradiction with two new aspects. [Arrows and dots image] The Women's Liberation Movement has passed the time of complaining and hopelessly looking on as both capitalist society and the New Left continue their oppression of women. We ourselves must begin to take the contradictions we see seriously. We must recognize their application to the whole of society and their interdependence on all other contradictions we sense around us. We must also recognize their particular significance and implications, since only this will lead to the effective solution. We must study ad analyze the whole range of contradictions so as to establish priorities and deal with realities And we must come to believe that change is the natural order of things under certain conditions, and we alone can and will create the conditions for this change. Analysis will lead to awareness, awareness to struggle, and struggle to revolution (resolution). -Susan Preston Grinnell WLF a Woman? [arm] July 24, 1970 9
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