[Marxism] Fw: The History of the Breast

["Graham M." <gkmilner@xxxxxxxxxxxx>]

----- Original Message ----- 
From: Graham M. 
To: Mark Weeks 
Sent: Thursday, April 26, 2007 6:50 AM
Subject: The History of the Breast


Dear All,
            Bad connotations for female breasts only appear in recorded 
literature in the Jewish national epic The Bible (from the Latin Biblia ie. 
'Little Books').   For example the prophet Ezekiel rants and raves about 
Jerusalem and Samaria as 'wanton harlots with sinful breasts'.   The 
Judeo-Christian tradition follows in these footsteps, blaming Eve for the Fall, 
and representing her in art with small, apple-like breasts, which look as 
though they have never been suckled, even though she is supposed to be the 
mother of humanity.   

   The guilty conscience of men at causing the sufferings of childbirth and 
maternity seems in that culture to be externalised in passing off the blame on 
the temptress, and accusing innocents for being the cause of the men's own 
behaviour.   Previously female idols in many Western and Near- Eastern 
civilisations were deliberately gross (pregnant with hanging breasts) and even 
in some cases many-breasted, such as Diana-Artemis of the Ephesians, who 
suckles and comforts all.   All it takes is a few sick hierophants (priestly 
cum political leaders who had misused their position of power to create a 
mythology of psychologically ill sexuality of men who rape, then attempt to 
destroy {in words or in actuality} the person that they momentarily blame their 
absent-minded lusts upon).

   Instead of intimating a reasonably friendly and caring approach from the 
male, sex became a powder keg that ended up by women labeling half of our 
species 'male chauvinist pigs'.   

   Luckily the streak of chivalry and uxuriousness in most males has never 
become extinct, such as the gender attempt to show that men are 'snags' or 
'sensitive New Age guys'.   

   Five hundred years ago the motif of the nursing Madonna and the harlot Eve 
were the only chance to present the female nude or semi-nude in art.   Then two 
hundred years ago the breast became politicised by paintings allegorising 
Liberty, Equality, the Nation, etc.   

   Meanwhile women were possibly ordered to stay home and suckle their 
children, instead of participating in politics, by suckling their own infants 
instead of putting them out to wet nurses.   Indeed a large proportion of the 
population was hiring working-class women to wet nurse, and high infant 
mortality was the unfortunate result.


                              Love from Monette and Graham       
________________________________________________
YOU MUST clip all extraneous text before replying to a message.
Send list submissions to: Marxism@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Set your options at: http://lists.econ.utah.edu/mailman/listinfo/marxism