Saturday, November 06, 2010

Rachel and Mary

Far from dying down, the gender debate is developing in some very entertaining directions. Rachel Held Evans has plans to spend some time with Mary Kassian at Southern Baptist Seminary. Naturally I am deeply concerned that some people may get the wrong impression about Canadian women from Mary Kassian. I personally cannot identify with the come thither sexuality latent in her photo shoot. I tend to a more casual look myself, and am not into leather. Oh well, I always think of Canadian women as a down home bunch who don't aspire to much more than a well-fitting pair of yoga pants and Uggs.

I am following Rachel Held Evans blog with avid interest although I do think the entire effort bears an uncanny resemblance to the Julie and Julia fiasco. In this case, Held Evans is imitating the stereotypical 1950's housewife, as she is represented in Mary Kassian's book, but as she never existed in real life.

As Kassian says, "Pornography and rape and homosexuality, sexual perversion, sexual addiction, sexually transmitted diseases were uncommon and rarely encountered" back in the world of her childhood, that world which never existed. And of course, "once married, a woman could normally count on her husband to financially support her and the children." This is why there were so many orphanages. Orphanages where children were sterilized, back in the idyllic world of the 1950's in Alberta, and probably all across Canada, back in the good old days of Mary Kassian's youth.

Um. Just in case it sounds as if I am being hard on Kassian, this is what she has to say about those who don't hold to her view of womanhood. "Now days, the epitome of empowered womanhood is to live a self-serving, self-righteous, neurotic, narcissistic, superficial, and adulteress life."

She completely disregards the fact that many single women want to be empowered to care for their parents, their children, their pets and their house, as well as reach out to others.On top of that, most of them wish to support themselves - what a selfish and adulteress desire. Did I just write that? Will some save me from this kind of spelling blunder! I wonder who edited this sermon of Mary's?

10 comments:

Anonymous said...

"Now days, the epitome of empowered womanhood is to live a self-serving, self-righteous, neurotic, narcissistic, superficial, and adulteress life."

It is amazing how divisive comps can be. But what do we do with Mary who is an "empowered" author and speaker who gives us such "self righteous" quotes? Does her photo shoot look a bit "narcissistic" and "superficial", too? Did she really NEED a "photo shoot"?

This is exactly why comps are losing credibility by the day.

Anonymous said...

What Mary refers to as the idyllic 50's of her childhood is no where near the reality for poor women.

They have always worked like dogs. She forgets the migrant farm workers and cotton pickers who were women carrying babies on their backs while they worked. I guess she would say they were self centered and self righteous?

Kristen said...

I simply want to be empowered to be an equal partner-- not a superior, but just an equal-- with my husband. Odd that. So very narcisstic, to want to be equal. Especially since my husband wants that too. I must have brainwashed him into enabling my self-serving behavior. Why would a healthy man want an equal partner?

It's Kassian who sounds self-righteous. I'm not the one insisting that her marriage look like mine; she's the one who thinks my marriage needs to look like hers. Despite my husbands' and my clear desires otherwise.

Kristen said...

Whoops. Apostrophe in the wrong place above; I only have one husband. I don't live an adulteress lifestyle, whatever that is.

rae said...

You hit the nail on the head with this one. Mary Kassian is one of the most confusing speakers/authors ever. I have no idea what kind of world she lived in, but it was idyllic and not real - and somehow she thinks that we all can have the same lives if we just don't become empowered - as long as we don't live like she is living now. As a professor at a SEMINARY.

Arrrrgh.

How she gets by with that I do not know.

Suzanne McCarthy said...

I don't live an adulteress lifestyle, whatever that is.

I am pretty sure that it was supposed to read "adulterous."

Donald Johnson said...

Close enough!

It almost sounds the same!

Suzanne McCarthy said...

Perhaps - but it drives me totally nuts when people who can't spell in English try to exegete the Bible.

Muff Potter said...

With all that leather it's not hard to extrapolate further. I've always wondered if Kassian might be a closet dominatrix.

diamondnell said...

"How she gets by with that I do not know."

The doctrine of the "exceptional woman," i.e., comp women who teach comp doctrines and do not threaten comp males. One of many human-constructed doctrines that prop up comp understanding of Scripture.