NH: Joel? A response to this one? Sean's right that women in most Dune
societies could fight, could be scientists, but I agree with you; most of
the cultures seemed basically sexist, only I can't formulate concrete
arguments about it this pre-coffee morning.
As I recall, though, the Fish Speakers were not an independent sect.
They were subordinate to the men, sort of trained fighting machines, the
way I've heard King Shaka Zulu's army of women described.
-nalo
On Tue, 23 Sep 1997, Sean Johnston wrote:
> >Fremen. Women owned by men (Paul won his first wife by killing her
> >husband) polygamous, not polyandrous (as I recall and I am probably
> >messing up the formal definitions) Men were the warriors.
>
> Uh-uh--women fought, too.
> Also, it was more that Paul took responsibility for the man's family than
> that he won the wife. It's more like this: you kill a Fremen brother, you
> don't get off scot-free--you take responsibility for his family so they're
> not left so high and dry.
>
> >
> >Social structure. Royal title through male descent. Women political
> >pawns (emporer's daughter), prostitutes, and playthings (emporer's
> >"gifts"). Mentats: men. Security: men. Soldiers: men.
> >
> What about the Fish Speakers? (mighta been in later books)
>
>
> >
> >So, my assesment is that it is extremely sexist. With some small power
> >given to some freakish women that no one much likes. Perhaps that is
> >better than much, but I think there is better still.
> >
> >-- Joel VanLaven
>
> Not here. I saw them as pretty much eqpal, but in different ways. There
> wasn't much of a prohibition on women doing security, being soldiers or
> mentats. There was, though, a sort of prohibition on men being in the B.G.
> Sisterhood, but even that isn't very sexist, interpreting the term loosely.
>
> -Sean
>
"There are two kinds of dates; the kind that you go out with, and the
small fruit that you eat."
-my aunt
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