Comments on: Is Women’s Empowerment as Simple as Drawing a Line? Thoughts on the Khede Kasra Campaign

By: Tracey Mc

Tracey Mc — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 02:36:30 +0000

Thanks for mention. For what it’s worth, I now do believe that language does frame our perspective and can effect change, albeit at a glacial pace.

I’ve come a long way since I walked out on the meeting in college.

Girl power!

Tracey McCormick

By: Eman Hashim

Eman Hashim — Sun, 15 Nov 2009 10:16:19 +0000

Hello ladies,
First of all Thanks for the comments and the support.

I have to say I do believe language does affect culture. But it has to be in a language-oriented mentalities. In a group of people who actually care about what they say and what it means.
But does it really help when it is represented in a place where where problems are much deeper and deeper.

I know language does emphasize who someone feels about himself. But it cannot give someone a “self” to start with.
Yes language helps you define your identity, but unless you have an identity language can’t be of any help

what do you think?

By: eyes serene

eyes serene — Sat, 14 Nov 2009 07:49:19 +0000

Assalamu alaikom,
I have no idea what the impact this campaign will have in the end, so I can’t give an opinion on that aspect specifically. However, I’d like to say this: I grew up in the era of “he” and “man” as the default English. When I first learned to read, I did feel as though statements intended to be general but using the male terms (like “he” and “man/mankind”) did not apply to my gender! And when I got a little bit older, it bothered me greatly! And things changed, we started to see “s/he” “he or she”, “fire fighter” instead of “fireman”, etc. I think inclusiveness is always a step in the right direction. Language is a tool and it has a profound influence in shaping our thoughts and feelings.

By: Mary Alice

Mary Alice — Sat, 14 Nov 2009 02:00:36 +0000

It’s funny, my mom told me a quote yesterday “a man is born as many men, and dies as only one.” However, I had to wonder why, seeing as we were both female, why some of the saying I hear from women never even bother to change the language. I mean my mom is a teacher, there are many teacher-y women in my life that like to tell quotes like this, and yet they are often “mankind” “a man”….It does kinda give the underlying impression that this wisdom is more important for the men than for the women, IMO.

I think language represents a culture, and as culture changes, language has to change with it.

By: Krista

Krista — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 04:57:46 +0000

This was really interesting – thanks Eman for writing about it! As a feminist and a big language nerd, I’m totally fascinated by the ways that our language affects our perceptions about gender.

To me, I think the most important part of this campaign is the potential it has to make people reflect on their own assumptions, and particularly the way that it exposes (and disrupts) the idea of maleness being the default or neutral assumption, with women always being the other, or the second thought. That the absence of a kasrah isn’t a neutral absence, but rather an implicit presence of a fathah.

On its own, I’m not sure how wide an impact this will have in making major changes to Lebanese society, but I think it’s a really interesting (and useful) way to get people to think twice about their own readings and to question the assumed neutrality of the words that people use.

By: celeritas

celeritas — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 00:21:08 +0000

I can see the point in wanting to shift the linguistic presumption of Arabic from male forms to both male and female forms but the question is the words we are doing this to. My question is what do these sentences address, what is “Your responsibility”, “Your right” and “Your willpower”?

A female may perceive her rights in a patriachal society to be less than men, her responsibilities focused on the home rather than outside and her ability to excercise her willpower limited to simple choices that do not influence her family, religion or country.

I still don’t understand what the actual aim of the campaign is, not being an Arabic speaker I may have missed something significant in the campaign which indicates this but from the video it seems a pretty limited advertising stunt. It is elegant and got a lot of coverage but how was its influence measured?

I’m not sure that this sort of advertising would really reduce violence against women or help women feel more empowered to express themselves. Afterall it was about making women feel that they too are addressed by signs and considering most of them are either providing information or advertising will it really make women more equal, surely they are still the passive person being addressed by the sign.

Do Lebanese people really feel that the basic Arabic language rule of using masculine pronouns to address both genders and mixed groups is a problem?