44/CHRONICLESnOn ‘Old Adam,nNew Eve’:nThomas Fleming’s article, “OldnAdam, New Eve” (Perspective, Junen1986) failed to mention the women innthe line of fire between feminists andntraditionalists.nSure, we all decry militant feministsnwho want to turn science, the sexes,nart and, indeed, all society into anprogressive’s hodgepodge of leftist doctrinenand Marxist Utopia.nBut what about us hybrids? As ansingle professional woman, I peer overnstacks of unfinished paperwork and seenmothers pushing their strollers alongnshady streets outside my office window.nBut I don’t envy them during thenday any more than I do at night whennI’m dancing downtown or quietly writing,nand they’re chasing screamingnkids as their husbands nod off duringnDallas.nWe hybrids believe that exchangingnideas, discussing goals and frustrations,nand working together for a commonnpurpose—whether it be organizingna magazine, introducing a newnproduct, building a church, or helpingnsomeone through the ravages of annillness—reveal much more about anperson’s qualities than what his or hernsex happens to be.nAs for women in the work force, wenhybrids work because: (A) We don’tnbelieve in welfare for the able-bodied;n(B) We believe the desire for financialnsupport from another human beingnshould not be the criterion for tying upnthat other person’s life and entanglingnhim in our problems; and (C) Conceptsnof capitalism, free markets, andninvestment appeal to us on a personal,nas well as philosophic, level.nFeminists take a machete to anynsuggestion that men and women arendifferent. Fleming takes a machete tonthe feminist idea that there are nonPOLEMICS & EXCHANGESnbiological or psychological differencesnbetween men and women.nAs proof of the inherent differencenbetween men and women, Flemingnclaims that women desire femininenbirthday gifts, such as perfume andnflowers, while men prefer fishing rods,ncigars, or golf clubs. Please, Mr.nFleming, don’t encourage anyone tonget me any more perfume. I alreadynhave several stale botdes. My brothern(an Army officer) wants the same birthdayngifts that I do: VCR tapes, newntires for the car, and, please God,nfewer commercials during Star Treknreruns.nFeminists who, in Fleming’s words,n”desire to discredit sexist biology andnpsychology” and “debunk the old sexistnstereotypes” are the ones who actuallynseek to accentuate the differencesnbetween the sexes. Those advocatingngovernment-run day-care centers,ncomparable worth, affirmative actionnfor women, abortion on demand, andnunilateral disarmament do so on thenbasis that because women are differentnfrom men, they need special privilegesnand have special insight into thenworld’s problems.nOne of the reasons feminists havenbeen able to “drag an entire societynagainst the grain of human nature”nand proceed with “vandalizing a civilization”nis because both men andnwomen have passively let them do so.nEach new court-ordered tearingndown of traditional morals is met withna few solitary groans, and then it’snbusiness as usual. Most people wouldnprefer to watch weakly as their civilizationncollapses under coercive socialnengineering schemes than to fightnback.nCaroline MirandanNorth Hollywood, CAnI truly had thought that the days whennblacks and women were supposed tonnn”know their place” were over. Apparently,nmore education is required.nAs for “plans to drag an entire societynagainst the grain of human nature,”nfeminists realize, and anthropologynand archaeology now document, thatninstead it is patriarchal culture whichnis in fact against the grain of humannnature. The original matriarchal cultures,nsuch as the neolithic site ofnCatal Huyuk in Turkey, demonstratenthat the woman-centered way of lifenwas extraordinarily abundant and extremelynpeaceful, unlike the povertypronenand disharmonious mancenteredncultures of today.nIn those times more in harmonynwith nature, woman’s ability to givenbirth, to bring forth life, was perceivednas Divine. As such, women consequentlynwere regarded as the authoritiesnwhen it came to religious rites andnpolitical functions. And the formernexplanation of “fertility goddesses” fornall the female statuettes that have beennunearthed all over the world has had tonexpand to further define fertility asn”inventive” and “creative,” since evidencenindicates it was women whondeveloped the arts of civilization suchnas agriculture, domeshcation of animals,nceramics, and weaving.nIn these matriarchal cultures, as inncurrent Navajo tradition, name andnproperty come down through thenmother. And chiefs and warriors werenselected by the Council of Women tondefend the clan if necessary, so thatnwomen could be free to tend to thencritical functions of civilization: food,nmedicine, shelter, clothing, etc. Anremnant of woman’s absolute authority,nthe power of Mom to say “no,” wasnstill going on in the Iroquois tribe lessnthan a century ago. If the Council ofnWomen felt that the male warriorsnwere pursuing an unjust war, thenwomen withheld the moccasins andntrail food essential for the quest. Whennwomen shut down their industry, menn