(November 20; 1970 ‘THE‘ SCARLET AND BLACK PAGE 5 For-ronging Discussions Spark Wl Conference Dixon: US Women’s Lib Scared MILITANT Women's LiberationiSt Marlene Dixon, on campus last weekend for the WL Conference, spoke about the WL movement and the Quebec separatist movement. (Photo by Marty Sachs) FeministsStute Their Position Saturday the WL Conference continued with the workshops listed in last week‘s 5&8. Ap- proximately half the huge workshop attendance was from Grinnell. Outside participants included a surprising number of married adult women inad- dition to the expected college students. While some work- shops admitted men, most did not in order to encourage free exchange. Women were able to ask questions and exchange opinions about such subjects as day (are centers, lesbian» ism, and communal living. Discussions were led by soc~ iologist Barbara Chesin, Shannon, the Iowa City WLF, and the Feminists. Judging from participant re- sponse, the workshop ”Mari riage and Sexual Intercou- rse," led by the New York based Feminists, was prob ably the most interesting and controversial. It exposed a split between old style liberal and radical WL groups on the subject of whether or howwm men should relate to men. The Feminists began by stating their position as the first gre cup in the country to demand the abolition of marriage. They saw it as an institution which benefits men entirely at Women's expense. While the Feminists did not rule out forever all malerfemale rec lationships, they declared: "For right now we're more interested in women relating to women. For the present, relationships with men can be very destructive. They take up a lot of time and energy, if nothing else." The Feminist aim is not "telling women how to achieve a happy life, but telling them to struggle to achieve freedom.” The Feminists raised them- teresting question: ”Why sh— ould it ever be a good thing to have a relationship between two people (marriage) that cannot be broken except by permission of the state?" They also demanded that men and women share equally in the job of rearing children. In the second half of the work- shop, participants fired their questions and approval or (1115’ agreement at the Feminists. A Digger dinner of stew and bread in Gardner Lounge and informal discussions filled Saturday evening. Sunday morning a large grr oup considered ”WL: A Basis for Radical Social Change." A representative from Gle men explained What she be- lieved wives and daughters of military men could do to im- prove living conditions for en- listed men and their families. She said: 'Wlost people aren‘t afraid to fight if there‘s a chance of winning. And if you know how to organize against the army, you can win in sig nificant areas. Like officers can be courtrmarshalled for mistreating men, so somebo- dy should see thatthisis done. Struggles that WL leads are not just for women but can benefit all people. A struggle against the army is a perfect illustration of this." NeXt Bonnie Tinker, an Am- erican student familiar with the Mexican student move- ment, discussed Latin Amer- loan attitudes towardWL. Ti , ker said that Latin women dis-. trust WL because they see it as ”a frivolous plaything for the wealthy American gringa. They don't see how it relates to their struggles for landand food. WL has to find a way to turn on to the very realstrug— gle in which these people are engaged." A participant ex- pressed concern that taking stoI’i es by Debby McKnight Last weekend Grinnell Col* lege was host to a Women’s Liberation Conference that drew participants from WL groups and private individuals all over the Mid\vest.The Fri- day night session, "A Defini- tion of Women's Liberation," opened to men and women and filled Roberts. Marlene Dixon and Shannon formed a panel moderated by a Grinnell WLF members. Shannon, from the Twin Oaks, Virginia, experir mental community, began dis cussion by explaining how that community tries to overcome stereo~typed sex roles. Then Marlene Dixon presented her provocative views, which set the tone for the rest of the evening. Dixon, a sociologist now at McGlll University in Monte real, expressed serious dis- satisfaction with WL in this country. She said: "I don’t think the movement's about liberation . . . [used to think the female capacity for emr pathy was so great that it we balked to women about their own oppression, they would . . . reach across class and race lines to work for liberation of all people." However, because WL ismade up ofmiddlevclass women, it has too much at stake in the seams quo towork for significant social im- provement." Addressing the college women in the audience, Dixon charged, "You don't WL to Latin America was a form of “cultural imperial- ism." Tinker agreed mat cul- tural differences and North American affluence make the situation sensitive: “it's very hard for a North American to go to Latin America and not be an exploiter." Before breaking into smaller units for more specific cons versation, opinions were ex- changed about the general suc- cess of the Conference. Most women agreed that it gave them “an overwhelming feel- ing of sisterhood." Differen— ces in philosophy and tactics were apparent, and no abso- lute answers were found. Still, it was encouraging to note the large number of uncommitted women who came to the Con- ference to listen and learn. At least the Conference suc- ceeded in provoking thought on several important questions that WL faces. Dixon Claims While attending the WL C0“, ference, Marlene Dixon also addressed the general college community about the situation in Quebec. At a Sunday after noon gathering in Younker Lo- unge, she presented the back- ground for recent terrorist and separatist activities. Di» xon stressed the importance of viewing Quebec as a colony exploited by both Anglor Can- adian and American investors. ”There is," she said, ”A kind of racism in Canada that Am- ericans are not accustomed to » the cultural racism his- torically practiced by the An glor Canadians against the French Canadians." For many years the Catholic Church was used to control the people of Quebec. This want to risk your classprivilr eges to translate academic thoughts into useful actions . . . To ask only forthe repeal of abortion laws, for birth con- trol, etc., is not to serve the poor and the black. They need more ~ like nationalizedmedi~ cine or the end of the AMA.” The panel opened for quest- ions, directedchieflyat Dixon. She was asked to clarify her statement that exploitation of women was inherent to capit- alism. Greatly condensed, her reply is that when factories took away women’s economic importance in suchhome tasks as weaving or canning food, capitalism made middle- class women into mere ornaments. Meanwhile, poor women were economically exploited either as factory workers or as housewives in city slums. Di— xon argued that such oppres- sion is as much part of capit- alism as, for example, the permanent choice between in~ flation andunemployment. lie» fusing to tag scapegoats, she said, ”The white male supre- mists in Washington are im— pelled by the insanity of the system. There’s nothing they can do within it. But is there anything that says you have to have capitalism , anything written on a stone by the hand of God?” Asked to name remedies for what she called “the inhumanr ity of the U.S. industrial cess- pool,” Dixon suggested, “You have to deal with specific is- sues in the community. Der mand loml control of hospit- als and support laboring wen men. Support young people who build communes that protest this anti-human envirour ment." A dynamic speaker, Dixon's , remarks introduced the major theme of the conference - WL's responsibility tosociety and exactly what forms that responsibility should take. Men’s lib Reiects Stereotypes by Bill Knecht "Men are leading only half a life," was the tone of last Saturday’s Men‘s Lib meeting at 1:00 in Gannaway House. “Men have the capacity to act in passive and intimate ways," went the general ad- mixture of thought, "although they are generally taught by our society to adopt aggres- sive and egocentric modes of behavior." Saturday’s discussion cent- ered on the differing roles of men and women in the White Anglo-Saxon society. It was generally agreed that both sexes had capacities for a broad spectrum of behaviors and emotions, although our society tended to push males to one side and females to the other. Males were Viewed as being naught to assume aggressive, dominant, egocentric, indeper ndent roles, and to view the World as a battleground with fierce competition for the best jobs, the most power, and the best women. At the other ex- treme, women were viewedas being proselytized to be sub missive, unquestioning, emo- tional, and seductive ~ to strive to become ripe fruits waiting to be picked by hand some princess. Neither the "ripefruit" cone cept nor the “handsome pri- nce" theory seemed accept~ able to the Men’s Lib'ers. They thought it time to dispel these notions and to begin viewing both sexes as 'equai members of the human race. Although they lcnew that men would have to relinquish their monopoly on power to effect sexual equality, most of those present agreed that this wasa reasonable price to pay for each sex’s development of the ”other half" of its human po- tential. Men's Lib is not a new ph- enomenon at Grinnell. Two other attempts have been made in recent years to found sim- ilar organizations. Bothfailed due to lack ofinterestand fail‘ ore of heads to "come toger ther", due to differing poli- tical objectives. As it stands today, Men's Lib has the potential to be a going concern. Its members include some of the mostpro- minent people on campus. They do not pretend, however, to push for campusrwide pube licity ornotoriety. Character- isticaliy, meeting times are spread by word of mouth, po- tential members being invited to sit in on a rap session and relate their personal exper- iences to the others. Men’s Lib is neither rhetors ical nor political. It is per- sonal. lt pretends no goals other than those of the self- fulfillment of individual dis cussion and enlightenment. As such, it will never beat mass- participation endeavor, but it will be a going concern. Cultural Racism Exists In Canada control took the form of ch- urch schools. Eventually bet- ter endowed government sch- ools in the rest of Canada left French students behind in the competition for higher educa- tion and technical jobs. In re cent years, complaints from the people caused the Quebec province government to open technical schools and make colleges more accessible to the French. According to Dix» on, this liberal pacifloation proved to be a "dragon." Students were prepared for professional openings that did n0t exist in Quebec, and their education helped them under" stand the causes for the pro- Vince’s economic problems. A student movement developr ed. At the same time uneme ployment, inflation, andgrow- ing welfare rolls drove labor to militant strikes. Because the frustrated students were the children of striking WOI‘k’ ers, the two movements unir ted as student- labor move- ments rarely do. Emphasizing the importance of American investment in Quebec, Dixon noted that five years ago a U.S. Department of Defense study found Quee bec to be one of severalareas in the world where U.S. counr ter-lns urgency tactics were needed. Thus, Dixon argued that U.S. interests saw theme selves threatened even before the actual separatist move- ment started. (continued to page 7)