Modesty, Femenism, and Political Centrism

One of my favorite philosophical concepts is simply looking at things from another point of view...I was reading an excellent article in a Christian Counter-Culture magazine entitled "Uncompressed", published by the students of Calvin College. The article was about modesty.

Modesty.

What is the first thing that comes to mind?

Now... hold that thought.

First, let's take a look at the 'big picture'.

In our commercialized, sex-soaked economy, there is, obviously, a very low standard of modesty, as companies are continually pushing the envelope to maximize profit. I.e. The more skin a model shows in a commercial, the more people are attracted to buy the product. While this certainly poses a problem, I have recently come to realize that the corporations are not the main cause of this growing problem.

It's us: The people. (And yes, the Christians too)

We are the ones who buy into what these companies give us. We are the ones who exhibit interest in the sexual propaganda in the first place, and we continue to do so. The companies are not innocent; they prey on our weaknesses. But we are the ones who give into our own weaknesses. While we are both separate groups 'profiting' from each other, all we are really doing is continually taking advantage of each other to maximize each other’s ego (whether it be a company's amount of profit, or a person's level of self indulgence).

Now let's take this to a more personal level.

Women will dress provocatively in order to get attention from men, right? Generally, dressing immodestly is an act that is near always associated with women and women only. But men do this too: look at WWE. Women lust just as much as men do, only in a different way.Often, women give into their desires for attention by dressing immodestly. This is lust just as much as the men looking at them is.

Men and Women are both equally the root of these modesty problems.

By stating that men are the problem, I am labeled as a feminist. By stating that women are the problem, I am labeled the opposite. Why must we have these two extremes? I prefer the third way:I'm more of a radical centrist.

Our culture is so very sexist in nature.Men will talk amongst themselves about how stupid women can be, while women will say that all men are sex-hungry wolves. Why do we do this?

Women need to change the way that they view men in their minds and men need to change the way that they view women in their minds.

The companies are not the source of the problem; the are a contribution. consumers are not the source of the problem either, they are a contribution.

Excerpted from afore-mentioned article:In Japan, Geishas are sensual because they reveal the backs of their necks. Some Islamic women feel most comfortable wearing the nigab, which covers all but their hands. Other cultures, such as Australian aborigines and traditional African tribes, condone all but genital nudity. If our reaction to the human body is a result of cultural training, we all should be making efforts to relearn how to view the human body, rather than placing the responsibility solely on women to conform to vague expectations about what is “safe” to wear.

There is a point where being being free-minded is no longer being simply open to other opinions and points of view. There is a point where you must search on your own.

"We’re facing the sunset, and for a moment it looks like it’s rising - We're on the other side of things." - SA Martinez