A Place of Production

Look at that Radical Woman!

My good friend Amanda lent me this book called "Radical Womanhood" by Carolyn McCulley and I must say it is very good. I knew it would be a wonderful book because Amanda read it and we all know that whatever Amanda takes the time to read must be fantastic. Anyway, I am only about half-way through but I came across a statement that really struck me.  The chapter is describing the history of domesticity.  I love history and have thus greatly enjoyed reading this chapter; I find it fun to see the connection between what I know about history and what the author is teaching and expounding on.  All throughout the history of the United States one can see the evident change of perception. For example,  male roles shifting from working in their homes with their sons to working without family in large factories reveals the transition to predominantly female maintained households.  Mind you that is just one example that interestingly enough I learned about in US History by studying the techniques of evangelists during the second great awakening. 

Future Evangelist

Learning about other transitions or even what this sort of transition resulted in for the role of a lady in society has been very interesting.  The shift that really interested me in this chapter, however, was that of the home.  Throughout history something else has been evolving with the roles of men and women and that is how we view our homes.  The author of this book does a good job of sharing it throughout the history and shows that in the early 20th century the role of the home completed a long and drastic change. 

"Thus the shift from the home as a place of production to a place of consumption is completed"

Evidence: "Oreo consumption"

As I said, I knew this, but I had never really stopped to think about it. I yearn for my house to be a place of production. We have a garden, and are striving to turn our land into a fruit producing haven. This thought that every home is merely a place of consumption is truly something to mourn.  I am not a collector of "stuff", but that doesn't mean that I don't find myself wanting some of the luxuries of life. (I need a new computer... my birthday is in 1 week, go to apple.com to buy me one.) Yet I find that shift from producing goods to merely consuming them to be a sad occasion. The woman described in Proverbs 31 does not consume her neighbors produce, in fact I don't think there is even mention that she consumes her own produce. Rather, she produces enough food to provide for her family in the good times and the bad. I am sorry to say that I am not this woman, but I must admit that doesn't sadden me as much as the vacant homes I see from the hours of 9-5 everyday because we are now consumers and no longer producers from our homes. 

The Production Process: push one lego onto another

There is so much more that I can say on this, my mind is reviewing the subtle shift in history, and all of its effects.  The only thing that I can conclude is that the feminists have completely missed the point and without Jesus there is no hope for a better future.