Episode Timestamps
0:45 – 2:28 = Topic Introduction and Context (High Valued Women)
2:29 – 3:34 = Context from Women’s side
3:35 – 4:59 = Context from Men’s side
5:00 – 9:19 = Conservative’s Context
9:20 – 12:11 = Philosophy of Utilitarianism
12:12 – 12:39 = Conclusion
12:47 – 17:10 = Truth Beauty and Goodness
A conversation about a snippet that went viral
- Note: Our hosts do not take sides on this argument between whether the man or the woman was in the right. She was triggered by what he said, and he was triggered by what he said.
Instead, this episode is a conversation around ‘what is a high value woman’ and why this language is problematic.
Here are two concerns:
- The context around this phrase is ‘worldly success’ – in career, health, relationships etc. Her values are based on wanting the best, and a hierarchy of what that ‘best’ looks like and will not accept anything less than the best according to her measure in all areas of her life. She’s looking for what will bring her ‘greater’ value which equates to – greater financial success, career progression and ‘high value’ men. For men it is also a value based on level of attractiveness including a zero (or close to) body count and child rearing probability. We’ve affectively reduced women to a certain number of western socially desirable traits by a certain group of people instead of the kinds of respectful, and confident behaviours we ought to expect in a relationship (high standards).
- High value woman – suggests our value can either be increased or decreased based on a set of attributes, skills or assets. Why this division? Didn’t we agree, all women are valuable? Wasn’t that the point of equality?
This has become a common phrase in the conservative space, associating a high value woman with one who holds values attributed to traditional gender roles. What this perspective says is: you have value if (or worse yet ‘we’ as a church group), deem you to have value. This is anti-christian mentality. Our Value comes from God!
The power of words:
- Words have power, and words create meaning. When we accept terms like ‘high value woman’ we also accept that there is a ‘low value woman’. and that is disastrous! The value of a man or woman is not based on his or her social standing, their value comes from who they are – a child of God. Even practically speaking it’s not a sound move to take up social standing or socially desirable measures of ‘success’ as the target for value because these are constantly shifting and changing.
Truth. Beauty. Goodness
Padre – Crossing the Threshold of Hope – John Paul II
Stina – Our faith ‘affects’ Jesus, powerfully, tangibly and emotionally.
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