Something about the “not human” phrasing is bothering me. I get what they’re trying to convey and I don’t dispute it, but it also feels inaccurate in a way that might lead us to miss important aspects of the situation.
I’m sure if you asked an Afghan man how many people live in his home, he’d include women and children in his answer. So I don’t think they literally see women as a separate species.
My gut feeling is more like Afghan men don’t generally believe in the concept of human rights, as opposed to separate sets of rights for men and women. Hell, they may not even believe in the Western concept of rights at all, and may think only in terms of things like religious obligations and cultural norms.
I wonder if there’s a different phrasing we could use that has the same emotional impact but doesn’t suggest questionable conclusions about the world view of Afghans.
Something about the “not human” phrasing is bothering me. I get what they’re trying to convey and I don’t dispute it, but it also feels inaccurate in a way that might lead us to miss important aspects of the situation.
I’m sure if you asked an Afghan man how many people live in his home, he’d include women and children in his answer. So I don’t think they literally see women as a separate species.
My gut feeling is more like Afghan men don’t generally believe in the concept of human rights, as opposed to separate sets of rights for men and women. Hell, they may not even believe in the Western concept of rights at all, and may think only in terms of things like religious obligations and cultural norms.
I wonder if there’s a different phrasing we could use that has the same emotional impact but doesn’t suggest questionable conclusions about the world view of Afghans.