Call to allow women drivers stirs wasps nest in Saudi Arabia

Middle East Times ^ | June 2, 2005

[null and void]

They can own property? I had no idea. Shocked, I tell you, just shocked. . .

*snrk* Not anywhere near as shocked as you'd be at the terms of a typical divorce!

Q: Why are divorces so expensive?

A: Because they are worth it!

[SandyB]

Yeah, 'cause as we all know, America (for instance) is SO much better off now that women can vote.

I dont think so. Most people dont know that women had the right to vote, starting in the 1850's. The western states, Kansas, Colorado, Montana, Idaho, etc. gave women the right to vote, long before the federal ammendment in 1920. By 1920, about half the states already allowed women to vote.

Secondly, When I studied voting patterns, I found that men and women vote nearly identical, in all parties, at all levels of income, education, etc. In other words, white rural male and female Nebraskans will most likely vote republican, and inner city black males and females will also probably vote democrat. The differences between how men and women vote within a racial or social or economic class, are nearly insignificant.

So......It is not voting that changed things, but rather :

allowing women to smoke, alowing women to go into a bar/saloon, allowing women to wear pants, etc is what really changed things.

[m87339]

Zulfa said that the obligation to hire a driver represented a financial burden for families with limited income and cost the country more than 12 billion Saudi riyals ($3.2 billion) a year

Pay me $3.2 billion a year and I'll drive anyone around!

[familyop]

"Your persuasion is irrelevant to my point, and I stand by it."

Actually, her feminazi opponents (those who are women) are far more likely to be concerned about how many women they can get. But yes, like Nazis, they would attempt to project their desires on their conservative opponents.

[humblegunner]

Tell me we'd be better off as a nation with a weepy Pat Schroder poised with her hand over the button.

Pat Schroder is a guy who plays classical piano and is admired by Lucy.
You are SO ate up.

[obnogs]

Huh? My point was that if Xenalyte's female acquaintances are "illogical, emotional, unreasonable, impervious to rationality, flighty, and PMS-driven", perhaps she's hanging out with the wrong crowd, regardless of her "persuasion".

Most of the women I know are not like that -- perhaps because I have respect for women in general, I don't drive off the intelligent ones.

[Xenalyte]

No, what you SAID was that you figured I'd "had a spot of bad luck with my women."

That indicates that you think I actually TRIED my luck with women.

I can assure you that is not the case.

Not that there's anything wrong with that.

[obnogs]

At the time of my first reply I had no idea you were female, and assumed, in error, that you were male.

As I said, I stand by my point, regardless of your persuasion.

[Petronski]

"...while I was lost in time." I mean "...while I AM lost in time."

Well, that proves that! LOL

[Bon mots]

I don't think you're hysterical.

I've always believed that the nurturing instinct of women makes them more susceptible to the allure of Socialism.

I know of few men who would ever vote for Hillary Clinton.

[familyop]

USA Today Poll: Majority Would Vote for President Hillary [60 percent of women, 45 percent of men]

NewsMax.com
Friday, May 27, 2005

For the first time, a majority of Americans say they are likely to vote for Hillary Clinton if she runs for president in 2008, a new USA TODAY/CNN/Gallup Poll reveals.

In the poll, 29 percent of respondents said they were "very likely" to vote for Clinton, and another 24 percent were "somewhat likely," while 7 percent were "not very likely" and 39 percent were "not at all likely" to vote for the senator from New York.

Those saying they are virtually certain to vote against her topped those nearly certain to support her by 10 percent, showing that Clinton still elicits powerful feelings from those who oppose her.

Among women, 60 percent said they were likely to vote for her, while only 45 percent of men said the same.

Her strong support has risen by 8 percentage points since the same question was asked in June 2003, USA TODAY reports.

"This may reflect that she has been recasting her image as a more moderate person," said Andrew Kohut, director of the non-partisan Pew Research Center.

Clinton is running for a second term in the Senate next year. When asked by CNN when she has to make a decision on the 2008 presidential race, she said, "I'm not even ... remotely considering that."

In the new poll of 517 adults, two out of three voters under age 30 were likely to support her, compared to fewer than half of those 50 and older.

[Polybius]

I would LOVE it if other FReepers on this thread would tell us which one of us is the hysterical female and which one is the rational human.

I have to side with Xenalyte on this one because she has been on FR for quite a while and because she's really cute. (Not that blueminnesota is not really cute but, since she hasn't posted photos, we don't know.)

What?

Men aren't allowed to be unfair and shallow once in awhile?

[SandyB]

You can never just look at aggregate numbers when comparing how "all women vote" compared to how "all men vote" because the numbers are skewed when looking at the total aggregate. The biggest factor skewing the numbers, are huge disproportions of certain ethnic groups who only vote for one party. When you look closer, you find there are no differences between male and female voting preferences within each demographic grouping known to pollsters.

[Tribune7]

I could join the chorus to have this settled via trial by jello, but blueminn would have to posts some pixs.

[Allegra]

Calling in some minds I respect (and Bacon too, so he doesn't feel left out . . . ) for opinions!

Now that Kuwaiti women have finally achieved the right to vote (and they were already allowed to drive), Saudi Arabia and Iran are the only two Middle Eastern countries with such stringent restrictions for women.

The men are going to have to eventually suck it up and accept the fact sweeping changes are occurring in the region, or they may face isolation in the future.

I firmly believe that the elections in Iraq in January had an impact on all of this. In a newly liberated country, women were immediately given the right to vote and hold public office. In May, after years of struggle, Kuwaiti women were granted that right and the call for reform has now spread to Saudi Arabia.

We have been reading the outrage of the Saudi men here with amusement, but it is actually quite serious and certainly serves as a reminder to us Americans how good we have it. Saudi Arabian men will fight this, but they will lose in the long run.

Time to join at least the 20th century, KSA. We'll bring you to the 21st when you're ready. ;-)