Make reading newspapers great again!

Have you ever heard the argument that allowing a gay couple to adopt a child is a dangerous venture? Or, maybe, you have encountered a person with a very strong opposition to our children being taught anything about the LGBT community? Well, this type of social resistance is a natural historical phenomenon. It might be useful to remember here that there were times, for example, when the society feared over the effects of women reading newspapers:

“In Victorian times, it was thought that women shouldn’t read the newspaper because it was too intense for them. They were too delicate to handle it. So the husband could share what he felt was appropriate. That’s not to say women didn’t read them at all, but it was discouraged.”

Moreover: “More often, however, men are shown in Victorian paintings reading newspapers and playing the role of omnipotent patriarch, in charge of gathering and monitoring knowledge of the outside world. Keeping informed about daily news was part of masculine interaction with the business and political worlds, while ladies were inordinately ‘protected’, and - except in unusual circumstances - in the earlier years of the Victorian era especially were not generally encouraged to read beyond the society pages since they might be upset by possibly sordid, scandalous, political, violent, or morbid news.”

Here’s an idea for an interesting social experiment. Whenever one encounters a conservative woman - whether opposing abortion rights, gay marriage, or feminism in general - explain gently to her that she should no longer watch news, or read political posts on her smartphone. After all, it’s too intense for her! She is too delicate to handle it. Unless, of course, she already relies upon her husband to share what HE FEELS is appropriate. All in all, it is better for her to stick to novels:

“Novels were held suitable for women, because they were seen as creatures of the imagination, of limited intellectual capacity, both frivolous and emotional. The novel was the antithesis of practical and instructive literature. It demanded little, and its sole purpose was to amuse readers with time on their hands. Above all, the novel belonged to the domain of the imagination.”

What is the most important thing to note here in relation to these Victorian values? It is simply the fact that there was a huge amount of individuals at this particular historical moment who died holding fast to the belief that women were inferior readers to men. May they rest in peace now. Will the conservatives of our days fall for the same historical error? Most likely. But they should not worry too much about the future generations fully embracing the LGBT community, or about the books the children will be reading. For by then they will equally be resting in peace.

Sources:
1. https://christiestratos.com/why-did-victorians-think-dangerous-women-read-novels-newspapers/
2. https://www.ncgsjournal.com/issue31/casteras.html

Image by freepik.com