More of Interest to Readers, and a Philosophical Consideration of Equality

    That's of interest to people who read generally, not necessarily to people who are reading this. I've no clue what's of interest to y'all. Really.
    I subscribed to an email mailing list a while ago, something about books. It arrives weekly and gives little reviews of new books and short interviews with authors and things. They've started a new service - a list of books (mostly fiction) that will be published in the next few months. It seemed pretty comprehensive (given that I see the fiction reviews).
    So, I'm not a feminist. The Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary defines feminism as "1: the theory of the political, economic, and social equality of the sexes; 2: organized activity on behalf of women's rights and interests." By the second definition, I'm clearly excluded. I've never joined or associated specifically for the cause of women's rights or interests. Under the first, I could be forced to conform, but I would think that it would be more of a preference issue than an against-one's-will situation. Simply put, I think a great deal about the circumstances of individual women, and I often consider the topic of human rights. But I rarely, if ever, devote thought or action to the consideration of fairness or even equality for those of my gender. Maybe it has its roots in having had, from early on, traditionally male interests - like history, law, and sports (OK, I don't participate all that much, but I certainly know a lot about some of them. I can talk golf until the cows come home, and baseball - Mmmmmm, baseball!). I've always had more to talk about with women than men. This isn't coming out right; I'm coming off sounding like one of those flaky girls who explain away their promiscuity by saying that other women are just competition and that only men understand them (and that they really understand men). But it's always been that way, that I can talk to guys (boys, men, whatever) without feeling like a ... whatever, like there's something lacking. And peoples' dads have always liked me, with the possible exception of Andrew's dad. But that's another story (and it wasn't my fault! Listen closely to the lyrics of "Wake Up, Little Susie" and you'll understand.).
    Here's what I'm decidedly not saying: that women don't deserve what they have, or shouldn't have the opportunity to get it or to try for anything. What I do want to say is that I don't think that women getting more than they've worked for, just because they're women, is right, at all. What does that say about our ability to do what we want for ourselves? What does that say about equality?
    It makes the idea of all-girls' public schools such a conundrum. My public school experience was positive. I learned a lot, had mostly good teachers, and didn't have any negative experiences as far as bullying and all that. Well, there was a bit of economic intimidation - two girls tried to hassle me for a while because I didn't have really fashionable clothes, but I didn't fight back (I was totally chicken shit, but it must've come off sort of Zen-like) and they eventually lost interest. I made some good friends and learned some terrifically important life lessons. Like, don't blow on a fire, 'cause it won't make it go out. And don't tell someone that you think you can fit into your locker unless you want to be shoved inside. (Even if it's your "best friend".) And don't try to cover up an uncomfortable truth because when it bites you on the ass, it'll hurt harder than it would've if you just took the initial punishment. And Shakespeare rocks, and John is amazing, and the River flows West to East past my hometown.
    But lots of people have a really bad time in public schools because, as studies show, girls are intimidated when boys are in class, and they don't get as much out of the educational experience. So if the genders are separated, girls will get an improved educational experience. Cut and dried, right? Well, yeah, if what "educational experience" means is improved test scores. But what if it means more than that? What if it's about socialization, too? What if it's about teaching boys to not be assholes? What if it's about sharing the space that we're given with people of the opposite gender, and sharing ideas, and sharing opinions, and not so much about the final grade after all? And if it's about more than just the grade, then are those all-girls' schools that result in better grades really giving those girls a better education? Or even an adequate one?