Oregon daily emerald., April 13, 1978, Section A, Page 4, Image 4

WOMEN’S SYMPOSIUM
Freud ‘catches hell’ from women’s panel
By GARY LEY
Of the Emerald
‘‘Usually when you tell women
you're going to discuss Freud and
feminism, the response is, ‘Well,
give him hell.’ ”
So said Mimi Johnson at the
beginning of a Women’s Sym
posium panel discussion Tuesday
before 30 people in the EMU.
And over the next 90 minutes,
old Sigmund and his theories did
indeed catch hell from the panel’s
four members.
Johnson and her colleagues
feel Freud contributed to feelings
of male superiority and female in
feriority.
“Freud said that the penis is
bigger, therefore better than the
clitoris," said Jean Stockard of the
sociology department.
“And Freud spoke of the fact of
female castration, when in fact we
have all been castrated by restric
tions placed on sexuality by soci
ety.
“Freud also said the clitoris is
basically a masculine organ,”
Stockard said, giving the audi
ence a primer in anatomy.
Sandra Gill, another University
sociologist, took a more sym
pathetic view of Freud. Gill said
she believes it is possible to ap
preciate Freua and be a feminist.
“It’s not important that Freud
was a sexist.”
She said some of Freud’s ideas
are more important than his
chauvinism. As examples, she
cites his development of
psychoanalysis, his theories of
social relations and his recogni
tion of the two sex groups.
Gill said one reason for feminist
dislike of Freud is that much of his
writing on women has been taken
AA 11th and Olive St., Eugene
Mountain Trails
Of Bond
SPRING
CLEARANCE
SALE
Up to 25% oft factory prices
* Down Parkas $34 and $39
* Dacron Parkas and Jackets $16
and $22
* Dacron Comforters
* Jeans and Sweaters
Coming Soon:
Hiking Boots • Tents • Backpacks • and Sleep
ing Bags • All Famous Name Brands At Tre
mendous Savings!
OPEN 10 TO 6 SIX DAYS A WEEK.
CLOSED SUNDAY
BANK AMERICARD/VISA
MASTER CHARGE WELCOME
Page 4 Section A
out of context. She thinks it is im
portant to look at Freud s articles
about women in conjunction with
his other writing.
“Freud was not a biological de
terminist," she said.
Johnson said Freud believed
the “male need for dominance is
because they don’t want to grow
up to become their mother."
She explained the male child
has to be persuaded to make a
core break with women — his
mother — in order to assume his
male role, according to Freud.
“Freud also said the father is
responsible for creating the sex
differences in children,” said
Johnson, who explained Freud
felt the father was basically a
woman, but with added charac
teristics — agressiveness for
example.
Jeanne McKnight of the English
department at Lewis and Clark
College said she feels psy
chotherapists are too conserv
ative and traditional in their views
of sexual roles.
Gill agreed but added that
psychiatry is one occupation
where women are over
represented.
According to McKnight, litera
ture has said what women have
done is unimportant. She said this
has contributed to women having
only “informal power.”
As if there was any question of
the panel members’ opinion of
Freud, Johnson said, “There is no
doubt in our own minds that Freud
was a male chauvinist pig.’’
Women s panel on music
urges need for acceptance
By WANDA LAUKKANEN
Of the Emerald
“The women’s community must include every
woman in the world,” declared Bernice Reagon of
the musical group Sweet Honey in the Rock, at a
panel discussion on women’s music as a political
medium held Wednesday morning.
“Today, when you say women singers,’ it has a
political connotation that leaves out most of the
women singing,” she said. She added that women
should accept each other as part of a larger group
without regard to political beliefs.
“No woman is outside the women’s commun
ity,” she told the almost 50 persons attending the
panel.
Sharing the panel with Sweet Honey in the Rock
were Alice Gerrard, folk singer and labor movement
worker and Chicano Musician Lydia Mendoza. Also
participating in the discussion were members of an
Oregon women’s music group known as Izquierda.
Sweet Honey in the Rock was formed in
Washington D.C. in 1974 and Reagon said it is
“committed to struggle." The group plays at fund
raising events, political rallies and other events for
causes in which the members believe.
In addition to Reagon, the group is made up of
Patricia Johnson, Evelyn Harris and Yesmeen Wil
liams.
As black women with families who are also
women traveling and singing, Reagon said, “We are
aware our mothers did not have that kind of choice.”
Gerrard, who plays and sings music from the
South, also emphasized that women needed to ac
cept each other without regard for lifestyle choice.
She said she came in contact with many women who
would not feel comfortable in a feminist setting.
"It’s important to listen to them talk before you
talk,” she said.
Of her music, Gerrard said, “This music comes
from people who really had to struggle to survive, so
there’s nothing in it that isn’t political."
Mendoza, who speaks only Spanish, had a
translator tell the audience she had seen a lot of
changes in the woman's role and in family life since
she started singing in 1928 at the age of 12.
The panel discussion, which lasted two hours,
was without incident until near the end when one
man in the audience stood up and said it was pretty
funny’ to see all these women acting like men. The
man left after an audience member asked him to go.
oexuahty therapists offer
insight to personal growth
By ANN TRENEMAN
Of the Emerald
‘The more you get to know
yourself, the more your sex will
improve," said local therapist
Carol Green to more than 80
women during a Personal Growth
and Female Sexuality workshop
Wednesday noon.
A panel of three therapists,
Green, Carol Judge and Susan
Rutherford, talked for more than
an hour on female sexuality and
its relationship to a woman s per
sonal growth, before breaking
down the group into small groups
to discuss questions on a more
personal level.
"Our society is anti-body, anti
feel, anti-pleasure,” Green said.
“It’s important to learn to connect
the mind and the body.”
Judge spoke of two aspects of
female sexuality she encounters
frequently in her practice and life.
"The first is the unlearning of old
learnings...the second is concen
trating on the positive."
She said, “Just changing your
language in a simple way — say
ing I haven't yet...' instead of I
can’t...’ can make a big differ
ence.”
Judge added that the willing
ness to develop a fantasy life,
experimenting witn visualization
and using self-hypnosis are all
“ways to skin the cat.”
Her examples of “faulty” learn
ing included unlearning negative
models set by parents, getting rid
of the performance/achievement
outlook on sex, thinking there is a
best way' to have sex, and over
riding the subtle guilt and shame
many women tie up with being
sexual.
The women promoted women's
groups as a method of dealing
with their sexuality.
“Women’s groups are invalu
able,” Rutherford said. “You get
all kinds of support and
grounding...and the group cuts
down feelings of alienation en
tirely.”
Rutherford, who does work with
bio-energetics, talked of blocks
created by tension within the body
which constrict the “life-energy
force." Green elaborated on the
life force by saying it constantly
flows through the body and man
ifests itself in sexual energy.
“People can choose to direct
that energy toward work, school,
art...It’s up to you how you wish to
direct it.”
Rutherford added that a lot of
women develop tension in their
pelvises and jaws, which "cuts
down on the extent of orgasm.”
When asked how women can
improve their orgasms, Green
said a major thing to remember is
that orgasm is not the goal of sex,
saying that kind of attitude places
too much emphasis on perfor
mance.
Awareness of breathing and
masturbation were suggested as
methods of improving orgasms.
"You can't really love anybody
else until you start to love and
enjoy yourself," Rutherford said,
adding there are no "foolproof
techniques" for orgasm improve
ment.
A problem pinpointed in the
presentation was women's basic
inability to express what they
want.
"Women suffer from the inabil
ity to say no', I want’ and lm
angry,’ " Rutherford said.
When asked how she dealt with
the "no’s" that inevitably happen
when asking men out, Rutherford
laughed and replied, “cry, beat my
pillow...” and then added seri
ously, “I find the no’s’ make me
look at areas of my own sexuality
that need development.”
Thursday, April 13, 1978