If family violence teaches children that might makes right at home, how will we hope to cure the futile impulse to solve worldly conflicts with force?
When men are oppressed, it's a tragedy. When women are oppressed, it's tradition.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote highlights the contrasting perceptions of oppression based on gender, suggesting that women's oppression is often normalized as a traditional norm.
Letty Cottin Pogrebin's quote reflects on the societal double standard surrounding oppression, where the oppression of men is seen as a rare and tragic event, while the oppression of women is frequently dismissed as a traditional practice. This perspective urges us to critically examine cultural norms and question why certain forms of oppression are normalized, pointing to the need for a deeper understanding of gender inequality in society.
Themes
In practice
Example use cases
In a public speech addressing gender equality, one might use this quote to highlight the normalization of women's oppression.
More from Letty Cottin Pogrebin
All quotes βWhen a family is free of abuse and oppression, it can be the place where we share our deepest secrets and stand the most exposed, a place where we learn to feel distinct without being better, - and sacrifice for others without losing ourselves.
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