A look into "More Over"

http://www.cunepress.com/cunepress/booksonline/essays/etg/etg-pages/a-d/aziz.htm

Well, I apologize for subjecting you to my reading notes, but sometimes I find an article and don't have enough time to expound upon it before life gets in the way and punctuates my thoughts! "More Over" is a great essay by Barbara Nimri Aziz, a spunky Arab-American woman who refuses to allow her identity to be hijacked by stereotypes. While reading her essay, she metaphorically slapped me in the face and reminded of the damning curse of the single story (aforementioned in previous blogs.) To say the least, I realized that I need to change my perspective, fully acknowledge the accomplishments and strengths of social development in the Middle East, and capitalize on them.

Aziz claims that far too often, feminists play the "third world woman" card without showing the true story – the full story. This single story shows a disempowered and helpless female race, yet in reality, there are many successes taking place. We just fail to mention them. Instead, feminists seek out the worst situations and portray that as the sweeping majority. Her words brought me back to William Easterly's "white man’s burden" and how the "developed" and "sophisticated" West often feels that it must condescend to assist the helpless instead of empowering the able-minded. Western feminism is no exception to this phenomenon and has an agenda that paints these women as victims. We must each adapt our paradigm of viewing the situation to better lift the hands that hang down without stripping those hands of their dignity. Thank you Barbara Aziz for setting me straight!