“and you wear pants, and are proud of your mother’s red wardrobe, and proudly use an ugly word for an ism that has stood in direct opposition to the Torah for 50 years”
Yes, I wear pants; in fact, I’m wearing a pair of khakis right now. Az mah?
As I have stated before, I am not “proud” of my mother’s red wardrobe (which, by the way, she doesn’t own anymore; this was thirty years ago), nor do I think that it’s anything of which to be ashamed. This too is irrelevant to the current topic.
As also stated before, feminism as I view it (I add this because your conception of what feminism actually is seems to be dramatically different than mine) is actually an integral part of the Torah and could never oppose it. I think feminism is a beautiful word, and it stands for the way I live my life (call it a “modern derech” or whatever you want, I don’t care.) Feminism has been around for a long time. What changed 50 years ago that suddenly made it unacceptable for feminism to coexist with Torah philosophy?
I’m not quite sure why you put the word “learn” in quotation marks in reference to my statement that I have spent a great deal of time studying Torah. I’ll assume that you meant no insult by it. I haven’t attended seminary, or Stern, or Drisha, or any such institution that might give me “credentials”, nor do I feel that I have “goyish attitudes” which I justify through my Torah study. (I don’t generally like to use the terms “goy”, “goyim”, or “goyish”, since they have derogatory connotations.) I’m sorry that I’ve somehow given you this image of myself. Weren’t you the one who said in a different discussion that I seemed to have good middot?
“You are just another unfortunate Yid destroyed by Golus, and you are so absorbed by it as to be proud.”
Wow…it’s interesting that you feel qualified to make the assessment that I am “destroyed” given that you have never met me. I am quite sure, however, that I am indeed “absorbed” by the distractions of galut to some degree- aren’t we all? I don’t know what your pride reference is about, though; do you think that I am proud of this absorption, or proud of my “destruction”, or proud of my lack of “credentials”…?
“i’m somewhat sorry if this is harsh, but when you dare try to use the Torah HaKodesh to defend your anti-Torah outlook, I am unable to just sit by such sewage quietly.”
I somewhat forgive you.
I see nothing “daring” in living a Torah-observant lifestyle, which for me necessarily includes feminism. I have already been called “anti-Torah” (although never outside of these boards) so I am not really surprised that you chose to paint my views with that particular epithet, but I am still saddened, and quite offended. Imagine then how I must feel when you call my entire belief system- which is carved out of years of Torah learning- sewage.
I’m sorry that you feel that you can’t just “sit by quietly” and refrain from attacking me, but I must reiterate the sentiment that has been expressed on this website far too often already- that we must all imagine as we type that the person to whom we direct our comments is standing in front of us. These are not just words on a screen; they are people’s lives and emotions, and we must all take special care to avoid alienating and offending our brothers and sisters of Am Yisrael. Because we are all one family, and I hope that if the two of us were to meet in person, you would not treat me as you have done here.
You seem to feel that I have overstated my point; I think you have understated it in saying that an unreturned greeting causes an “unpleasant” feeling. I must respectfully disagree with you here. “Public” is your word, not mine. It doesn’t matter if the street is completely empty save for myself and the man I have just greeted; I am still embarrassed when he fails to respond. Embarrassment has nothing to do with the presence of other people.
I see from your posts that you feel I am too sensitive, but I believe that men who don’t return greetings are acting insensitively, and I’m not going to apologize for this belief, no matter how many times you tell me that I am “deadened” or something of that nature. This is not about my wanting to control the way men behave or injecting “alien philosophies” into their behavior, but it is a matter of simple courtesy.
I am well aware that a smile and a few words can have a great deal of power. So too can a LACK of a smile and a brief greeting. I think the problem here is that you cannot see the tremendous damage that is done when men refuse women basic acknowledgment.
One final point: I think it’s highly presumptuous of you to suggest that you know better than I do the “underlying reason” behind my words and actions.