Sep 9, 2006 11:20:00 AM cite

Tania Bruguera:

by Tania Bruguera

Sep 9, 2006 11:20:00 AM cite

Tavis Smiley: Well, I’m not sure that human society can be in balance and harmony when you have the entire female population to this day still disregarded, disrespected, and disenfranchised. And so we have to understand that the values of women are really the values of all of us, values that can empower us, values that can enlighten us, values that can empower us, values that can enhance us. Those values are the values that each of us share. I don’t subscribe to this notion that somehow the values of women are different than, or less than the values of all of us as human beings. I mean in a very frank and forthright way, we would not be here as human beings were it not for the female species, the female race that makes obviously all life possible. So to not value their values devalues all the rest of us. Thank you.

by Tavis Smiley

Sep 9, 2006 11:20:00 AM cite

Tegla Loroupe: Answertext will be available soon.

by Tegla Loroupe

Sep 9, 2006 11:20:00 AM cite

Thenmozhi Soundararajan: This question to me is really a question about how do we approach society as whole people and whole communities and what is that vision for wholeness we have? Because I think there’s multiple marginalities and multiple values that come from marginal communities that aren’t reflected in the way that polices get set. I think as a woman of color I always look at the intersection between gender, race, class and heterosexism as all communities that I am a part of, but also that have intrinsic values of justice that I don’t see reflected in the world around me. That said, I really I am also very concerned about trying to set up a binary and I think around the issue of women’s rights. I think when we talk about women’s rights we want to talk about people that are marginal, vis-à-vis White patriarchy, but I don’t think that we want to send up a gender binary either. I think it’s really important that we talk about gender equity and gender justice and allow for a whole spectrum of gender identification and access. Because regardless of whether I am a transgender person or a final woman, I am still impacted by White patriarchy in multiple ways. I think, once again, like I talked about earlier, I think when we look at trying to integrate whole values into our systems we want to look at the way that the systems of oppression really have been, and look at their internal, individual and institutional manifestations. So at some level, I feel like it’s about us gaining political power, and political power that’s accountable to the basis that got us there can help change some of the systems that we’re dealing with. I also think in terms of particularly in the context of looking at spiritual values, I think there’s a lot that we need to do to reclaim our religions from orthodoxy, and from the places of power that actually don’t empower us as women and transgender folks and other folks impacted by gender inequity. But I think that if we can look at holistic models for spiritual development that can do some of the healing, I think that’s another way that we can also approach the way that we may have internalized patriarchy and sexism. Fundamentally, when I look at interpersonal relationships, I think that’s another place where we can do a lot of work and where I think each of us really need to look at the way that we grapple with these systems and the power that we exert and the privilege that we exert; but also ways that we want to open and create dialogue like in the Table today. Finally, I think that one of the things that - I think one of the best ways to really take back and create not just a more feminine culture, but a whole culture, I think is to create dialogue and really see and hear multiple perspectives. I think one of the privileges [audio ends]

by Thenmozhi Soundararajan

Sep 9, 2006 11:20:00 AM cite

Tu Weiming: It is important to recognize that some of the values that have contributed very powerfully to the vibrancy of the modern society such as liberty, rationality, rights, due process of law and dignity of individual are not comprehensive enough to help human beings to flourish comprehensively. Part of the reason is the absence of the values, important values that are being advocated by some of the most vocal and brilliant feminists or people who are dedicated to woman’s movement. In this sense, the lack of active participation of women in the process of developing a culture of peace, harmonious society is extremely serious matter. What are some of these values that are absolutely critical for women? I am not saying that women are not interested in human rights, rationality, freedom, to due process of law and dignity of individual. Of course they are - they are part of the modern human community, but in addition they also cherish values such as justice, such as sympathy, compassion, empathy, such as senility, such as the well being of the future generations, therefore responsibility and of course the idea of social harmony. And of course, we believe that many of these values are also Buddhist, Confucian, Dowist, Hindu values. If you want to have a society that is not only equitable but harmonious that we are able to continuously practice the culture of peace. We need both genders, more than half of humanity to be involved in this process. Otherwise, what we do is not only impoverished, it is also unjust, it’s not sympathetic, it’s not civil, it’s not responsible, it is not socially viable.

by Tu Weiming

Sep 9, 2006 11:20:00 AM cite

Udi Aloni: Sometimes I'm not answering a question not because I don't really think they're important, but sometimes I think they are too important to answer in three minutes. And the situation of women in this structure, not only in power, but in all weaving of life, it's a very complex one. And it's interesting how, like in my left, there is a woman from Afghanistan that speak how when it's really women has no power there in the Taliban society. But it's also interesting in the West where there is appearance of power and yet there is no power. That the result the possibility for big part, equal part of the society, but they are not. And I'm not here to blame. I think we have to understand the structure and that it's much deeper. How we can weave in those. And it's also not only women and men, like we can use some queer theory to understand really different kind of genders that has to live in the same society somehow, sometime through conflict, sometime through harmony. Harmony it's not the best place to be always. Sometimes a conflict is a place that creates something new. So when we speak about gender question, I would like to raise queerness as a way of thinking about alternative gender relationship in society and not only the dualistic concept of male and female. Not because it's not the main gender debate, but [audio ends]

by Udi Aloni

Sep 9, 2006 11:20:00 AM cite

Valentina Melnikova: Women still traditionally agree to play a subordinate role. And it is impossible to constrain her to take the reins of power. Women have to realize themselves that the normal development of humanity is impossible without their participation in decision-making. It does no good to invent any quotes for women in government because these reins of might fly then to the hands either of week women or to the hands of women who still play under the men's rules. In Russia our organisation “Soldiers' Mothers” have the function to educate women, to give them self-confidence, to make them understand that their point of view is the right one and break-through their fear and unwillingness to interfere in politics. Maybe the example of “Soldier’s Mothers” in Russia, our wish to be engaged in politics and to get power will be a good one for women in other countries. Soldier’s mothers come to politics through our work of right protection and this is the natural way to include women into political life. Women can enter into politics helping people, through understanding people’s problems. And they can still be women and search for non-violent solutions of problems. We are inspired by examples of Scandinavian leaders, or of the German chancellor Angela Merkel, “Iron Lady” Margaret Thatcher and of female politician in the United States. These are good, successful women and their story is instructive.

by Valentina Melnikova

Sep 9, 2006 11:20:00 AM cite

Vesna Pesic: Answertext will be available soon.

by Vesna Pesic

Sep 9, 2006 11:20:00 AM cite

Viviana Figueroa: I think that women in general are holding important offices over the last few years, especially indigenous women. And I think that we are longing to a balanced and harmonic society in terms of native women occupying more and more charges and women in general occupying positions of power, so that we are able to show our [appereance]. But I do not think that, as David Hoffmann says, the range of female influence is diminishing; quite the contrary. Every day there we are winning more and more spaces for women. This is the case of many indigenous women, who nowadays are local authorities or professionals and so help to achieve this really important change in society. For this reason I am convinced that we are going to reach this balanced and harmonic society in terms of men as well as women really accepting, [on a fair and balanced basis], this intercultural vision or this idea of dualism between both sexes, so that we can all help to create a better world. With regard to indigenous people, we always have had this idea of dualism, so that men have always been accompanied by women. We do not believe that either men or women are all human beings and none of them should stand in front of the other one, but rather have the same status, and they are always working together so that the well being of all humans is guaranteed. Thus our society is based on the equality between men and women. We do not believe that in the past few years this has minimized, but rather that now there is a gain in influence of women, especially of indigenous women. In this case we created the international forum of native women, and many other spaces in which we achieved the [ ] of native women, so that this development is ensured in a special direction [ ] Therefore, another forum that we created for native women treats with biodiversity, in which we really are emphasizing that women should be the main figures of the present development.

by Viviana Figueroa

Sep 9, 2006 11:20:00 AM cite

Wim Wenders: That is not the case everywhere. In my own world of filmmaking, you can see enormous cultural differences from country to country. You come to Australia, for instance, and you see that the film business is women’s business; men are the helpers or the janitors. In some countries certain professions are done by men almost exclusively like editing, for instance; and you work in another country and you see that all the editors are women again. But you, of course, write with your question if you generalize it. And the only way out again, it is that – it is to make sure that it doesn’t happen in your own realm of possibilities. When I decided myself for my own work to have my film crews balanced as good as possible between men and women, I started to have much more fun shooting. I started to have a much better climate on my sets, and I truly appreciate working with women also in important positions where initiative and responsibility is required. Women friends, in general, are better organizers. I find more often that I can just rely on a job being done well and without any complaint if it is done by a woman. Men, of course, very generally speaking, have a higher tolerance of sloppiness. So start in your own backyard, in your family, in your workplace to establish that balance. Start on working on your own perception on that balance and sharpen your senses for it. And all of a sudden you will start missing women. All of a sudden you will start realizing it: wait a minute; I am sitting here in a plane full of men. All these guys here around me are men. What is that? Why is that?

by Wim Wenders

Sep 9, 2006 11:20:00 AM cite

Yungchen Lhamo: Answertext will be available soon.

by Yungchen Lhamo