Todd Archer (Sun, 21 Oct 14:21) wrote:
>
> Lou said:
>
> [clip]
> >One of the "good things" of the early days of the Chinese revolution
> >was precisely the institution of women's committees who would go to
> >the house of the patriarch who beat his wife, and beat him. What's
> >wrong with that, pray tell?
> Quite true; some people need that kick in the ass. But that's ALL it
> should be, a kick, not a beating to "teach him/her a lesson" or "make
> some justice".
I suggest that you get hold of Jack Belden, _China Shakes the World_, and read the two chapters in it dealing with women. He accompanied an irregular guerilla group ("irregular," not under CPC or Red Army discipline) on a mission: they infiltrated a village guarded by Nationalist troops, kidnapped the landlord and his wife, marched them quite a few miles, and shot the landlord in the head. Belden felt sorry for the wife and sat down with her. I don't remember exactly, but what in effect she said was "Bravo for shooting the SOB." That was what got Belden interested in the subject of women in the Chinese Revolution. And the wife probably was correct -- a beating would not have done the trick: the bullet in the head was probably the correct treatment.
Carrol