Saw something truly inspiring - true "feminism" or female empowerment

While driving home the other day I saw a team of 8 mules pulling a plow. It was strange that I couldn't see the person driving them but as I passed I noticed that it was a "smallish" woman (maybe 5'- 5'2) and the mules were HUGE. She was probably plowing 20 rows at a time and the length of the field is about 1/2-3/4 mile and a couple hundred yards wide. That is a big field to plow with animals (at least it seems to me it is). This was at an Amish farm btw. What was very interesting was where she was standing, which was on a little platform which looked like 1ft wide board which was located between the mules and the huge plow! I'm sure many people would flip out about the safety aspect of this but this seems to be a normal way of doing things and AFAIK the safety record is pretty good - because they are very conscious of the danger.

I would want to take a picture or video of that but I didn't want to ask her b/c I know how they feel about that, but it would have been very enlightening as to what real female empowerment is - not covering up an ugly face with Maybellene while wearing whore clothing - that seems to be what the media pushes as feminism today as well as blaming everyone else for being sexist and never accepting when they are at fault. (obviously not all are like this - but the media portrays this largely).

So I would like to see what 3rd wave feminazi's would say if they were required to do these actions by a person who might not even know what the meaning of feminism is. Could you imagine a university professor (feminazi professor) leaving her job to do this or any of her students choosing to do this?

a reply to: DigginFoTroof

Interesting post.

Are you sure they were mules and not draft horses? Mules are generally not 'huge' unless they've been crossbred with something like a Percheron (draft horse). Percheron / Mule crossbreeds are fantastic animals...if you can find one. (I am actively looking for a mule/draft crossbreed now...funny you would post this).

originally posted by: Flyingclaydisk
a reply to: DigginFoTroof

Interesting post.

Are you sure they were mules and not draft horses? Mules are generally not 'huge' unless they've been crossbred with something like a Percheron (draft horse). Percheron / Mule crossbreeds are fantastic animals...if you can find one. (I am actively looking for a mule/draft crossbreed now...funny you would post this).

I'm pretty certain they were mules. Just the way the head looked and the ears. I've seen horses and mules & donkey's around here since I was 4-5 and I'm 98% sure they were mules. I'm guessing that they might have some interesting breeds w/n the Amish community since they still rely on them for much of the work. Also, they looked almost furry which I've never seen in a horse - I've seen horses with longer than normal hair, but it seemed more like golden retriever hair, this stuff looked a lot like a stuffed animal (hard to explain really).

a reply to: DigginFoTroof

Sounds like my neighbor, but she is a Mennonite, and you didn't mention her three little mini mes in tow.

Her beautiful little girls are so smart and creative that it is amazing. They are planting and cooking, with supervision of course, at ages six and four. They can hold an intelligent conversation with you that is more mature than with your average eighteen year old. And they have never seen a day care or classroom.

The husband is brilliant and holds a corporate job, his wife does almost all the work around the homestead. She just had their third child about eight months ago and she hasn't missed a beat. She carries that child in a pouch in her front of back and keeps on working.

The six year old manages that horse and buggy like a pro. Better than me.

originally posted by: NightSkyeB4Dawn
a reply to: DigginFoTroof

Sounds like my neighbor, but she is a Mennonite, and you didn't mention her three little mini mes in tow.

Her beautiful little girls are so smart and creative that it is amazing. They are planting and cooking, with supervision of course, at ages six and four. They can hold an intelligent conversation with you that is more mature than with your average eighteen year old. And they have never seen a day care or classroom.

The husband is brilliant and holds a corporate job, his wife does almost all the work around the homestead. She just had their third child about eight months ago and she hasn't missed a beat. She carries that child in a pouch in her front of back and keeps on working.

The six year old manages that horse and buggy like a pro. Better than me.

Yes they are something to behold as well (Mennonite's). I didn't see any kids with her, they were probably back at the house. I've seen the boys working on the farm as well and we had a few work on our property as well, they've done excellent work all the times I've seen them work.

a reply to: DigginFoTroof
There is nothing empowering about a woman being told what to wear, what to think, how to act, what to believe, and what her role is in life by the sitting elders of the community, which are of course, men. That a woman can plow a field has nothing to do with "women's empowerment". Women have been doing that and much more since the dawn of humanity.

Your post wreaks of misogyny and ignorance. I am NOT saying that you personally are a misogynist. Women's empowerment is about social equality with men. Equal opportunities, equal pay, equal ability to dress herself as she chooses without being called ugly or a whore because you or I disapprove of her attire or her face/body.

The Amish church is probably one of the worst examples one could give. You can certainly bet she would not be allowed to go make the living while he plows the field.

You dont understand.
Women being confident, mentally strong and showing skills learned through actually doing things is not empowering.

No no

Empowerment is being given something cuz it's fair or equal.
And if its acquired by emasculating someone it's all the more empowering.

What's empowering about being in a religious cult?

True feminism is equality for women and no discrimination or oppression. Totally get your point OP, but feminism is also being able to wear whoreee clothes. Alot of countries will do terrible things to women who decide to wear some whorish stuff.

You got one aspect down --- empowering women to beable to do jobs beyond stereotypes.

However, there's alot of places out there where woman work hard labor and have far less rights than men.

Edit : Amish are not a good example of feminism. Not condemning their lifestyle, but it's certainly not the ideal feminist community.
amishamerica.com...

a reply to: Klassified

O man, i missed the Amish part in my reading. Damn i take back what i said. Nothing empowering about a woman born into a life a labor...

This would be a different story if it was about a female entrepreneur who starts her own farm. That's empowerment, not an amish life.....

I'm gonna' take my Amish chair and go home!

a reply to: blueman12

How about if she was a killah in the Amish Mafia?

Would it be cool then?

a reply to: Bluntone22

And if its acquired by emasculating someone it's all the more empowering.

Unfortunately, for the more radical feminists this statement would be true, but they are a minority who don't represent women as a whole.

a reply to: Flyingclaydisk

I don't know if anything about the amish are "cool".

a reply to: Klassified

That’s really disappointing, a lady chooses a lifestyle and you decide for her it’s not acceptable and you want to change her lifestyle
Muslims want to wear a hijab, that’s their choice
The Amish, Mennonites are peaceful, choose a lifestyle and what, you demand they change to suit you and what? you call others a misogynist?
You are deciding what is right for others

You, others are worse than the Amish, forcing your views, condemning free choice, you are all hypocrites
Surely feminism demands women free choice

a reply to: Raggedyman
You obviously know little about the Amish. She has no choice. She was born and indoctrinated into her lifestyle. There was no freedom of choice. Sure, she could choose to leave and be excommunicated by the community as an adult, but since she has never known anything else, she fears that kind of choice, and I don't blame her. She has been brainwashed since she was a child.

You had a choice Raggedy. You have made an informed decision to be what you are freely. She didn't have that luxury.

a reply to: Klassified

Well I can’t deny I don’t know the Amish but
What I have seen is that they are not bad people but

I don’t know, fair point

originally posted by: Raggedyman

That’s really disappointing, a lady chooses a lifestyle and you decide for her it’s not acceptable and you want to change her lifestyle
Muslims want to wear a hijab, that’s their choice

Sure its their choice, and it is my choice not to communicate with them, as

I feel it is very disrespectful for someone to attempt to communicate with

me while covering their mouth and eyes (the very essence of all communication)

You are deciding what is right for others
You, others are worse than the Amish, forcing your views, condemning free choice, you are all hypocrites

As another woman I am not forcing my views on them......but I am not allowing

them to foist their (in my view) medieval views on me!!

Surely feminism demands women free choice

Every one whatever sex is entitled to free choice, but they should be

prepared that their choice may not come without repercussions?

originally posted by: AugustusMasonicus

What's empowering about being in a religious cult?

Have you ever met Amish people or Mennonites? Have you ever worked with them? I've spent my entire life around them, went to school with some more "modern" mennonites and where I live it is the highest population of both in the US. I have to say that I have never once had a problem with any of them, the biggest issue with them is having horse crap on the road once in a while but even that isn't much of a problem anymore b/c they CHOSE to listen to people being upset and designed a "catching system" that catches the waste as the horses trot - no law was passed to make them do it, they did this b/c they wanted to be good neighbors.

As for being in a "cult", don't take what you hear on the TV shows as gospel, much of that is people who were already on the outskirts of the community and they tended to exaggerate almost everything they claimed about the religion - I'm talking about the "breaking Amish" or whatever the show was called - it was mostly all bs.

As far a women not being able to do what they want, I don't know of any cases of that. There are things in general that they don't do for reasons of religion, but many of the women (especially younger, unmarried women) have their own businesses, drive cars & use computers for their business but when at home, I don't think they bring the outside world home with them - and this helps keep a healthy boundary of technology and work separated from the home & family.

Just because a religious sect is run by a patriarchal hierarchy doesn't always mean it is bad. I think things have changed a good bit over the last 30-40 years b/c I remember the older "old order" Amish when I was a kid and there has been a huge change in the way I see these people act towards others in the more recent years. I think 30-40 years ago they might have been somewhat under attack by certain sectors of society so they were very wary of outsiders but since then they maybe they realized that they largely have the support of the community and their non-amish neighbors aren't trying to change them - so maybe a lot of the older stories about being so strict was a result of the "women's lib" movement and their religion being targeted by "the English" so they were rightfully suspicions of outsiders because of this.

It's a complex relationship and there is a lot of prejudice against them, often unfair.

originally posted by: eletheia

originally posted by: Raggedyman

That’s really disappointing, a lady chooses a lifestyle and you decide for her it’s not acceptable and you want to change her lifestyle
Muslims want to wear a hijab, that’s their choice

Sure its their choice, and it is my choice not to communicate with them, as

I feel it is very disrespectful for someone to attempt to communicate with

me while covering their mouth and eyes (the very essence of all communication)

You are deciding what is right for others
You, others are worse than the Amish, forcing your views, condemning free choice, you are all hypocrites

As another woman I am not forcing my views on them......but I am not allowing

them to foist their (in my view) medieval views on me!!

Surely feminism demands women free choice

Every one whatever sex is entitled to free choice, but they should be

prepared that their choice may not come without repercussions?

Well with that attitude elethia, I would be happy to wear a burqua in your presence, happily accept the repercussions of you not talking to me

I am sure they know fully well the repercussions of their choice far better than you
And I am pretty sure the Amish don’t force their view on anyone but
Klass may need to correct me