The Subtleties of Cadsuane

[Jeangray]

 

The problem is that he seemed to believe that "working together" meant the men being bonded and in a subservient position to the women.

 

He also had the opposite, no? I am not getting your point.

 

So, personally, I don't trust that RJ truly understood what "working together" means. It does not mean one group completely dominating another as the Aes Sedai want to do with the Asha'man and Rand.

 

Right, they should have just trusted that a large group of channelers of tainted saidin, who were fated to go mad and who didn't (and still don't) have any deeply ingrained framework of using the OP morally and responsibly, wouldn't repeat history and destroy the world.

I mean, huh? You are so outraged on behalf of the men, that you chose to leave out that they are like, really dangerous and unreliable. Yes, even after the taint is gone - because who can say what long-term effects the taint that they have already absorbed is going to have? Not their fault - but there it is.   

 

And, until the people in Randland learn what cooperation really is, I think "separate but equal" is the only way to go.

 

When various oppressed minorities and majorities iRL got rights, they didn't get a whole parallel political structure to exercise them in. They had to do with the already established institutions. Why should it be different with male channelers?

 

She truly believes that she knows what needs to be done more so than he does and that he is not capable of doing anything without her or the Aes Sedai

 

Well, Rand isn't always right. Neither was LTT. I am not sure what you understand under "cooperation", if you think that Rand is never ever wrong, should never ever concede anything to anyone and doesn't need female channelers.

 

I also don't get the outrage that in WOT world sexism goes both ways, rather than just one.

 

And Aiel? What's the deal with the Aiel? Only _men_ can be clan or sept chiefs among them. In exchange they have WOs as advisers. But ultimately, the chief is the boss. Not seeing any oppression of men  here, sorry.

 

Having said all that, I dislike Cadsuane. 

 

[Durinax]

the WO's are basically above the clan chiefs though, if enough of them say do this the clan chief will end up doing that. Plus the WO's have special status to go among the clans and septs with safety.

 

 

Aiel have to be the most fair of the cultures we have seen so far

[aunt_pol]

The aiel prob correlate the most to the Anglo centric portions of our world. No country has even near equal representation, in most any walk of life; but all of the men I know, (with wits, anyway) won't go against their women in any meaningful way. That's not saying the women are running the show, but that it can often be more equal than it appears. As in RJs relationship, apparently, and he did once remark on the strength of women in his family.

[Jeangray]

the WO's are basically above the clan chiefs though, if enough of them say do this the clan chief will end up doing that.

 

Well, like your basic congress/parliament can often make a president/PM do things? Or effectively stop them from the same? That heinous, heinous division of powers! Granted, in Aiel society it works along the gender boundaries, but still, huh? 

 

Plus the WO's have special status to go among the clans and septs with safety.

 

Yes, and? That always keeps avenues for diplomatic solutions open, which could only be a good thing, surely? I mean it isn't like the chiefs don't get enough wars and feuds going.

 

[Lambada]

I think that what is being forgotten is that for quite a long time it made sense for women to be in charge overall - a man could not have absolute power in case he started channeling and went insane.