Word: unisex
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Will there some day be a "unisex" society with no differences between men and women, except anatomical ones? It seems unlikely. Anatomy, parturition and gender, observes Psychologist Joseph Adelson, cannot be wished away "in a spasm of the distended will, as though the will, in pursuit of total human possibility, can amplify itself to overcome the given." Or, as Psychoanalyst Therese Benedek sees it, "biology precedes personality...
Psychoanalyst Martin Symonds agrees. "The basic reason why unisex must fail is that in the sexual act itself, the man has to be assertive, if tenderly, and the woman has to be receptive. What gives trouble is when men see assertiveness as aggression and women see receptiveness as submission." Unisex, he sums up, would be "a disaster," because children need roles to identify with and rebel against. "You can't identify with a blur. A unisex world would be a frictionless environment in which nobody would be able to grow...
...Unisex Uniforms. Because Founder Walt Disney was distressed by the sprawling, unsightly commercial ventures that sprang up around Disneyland to take advantage of the influx of tourists, the designers of Disney World were careful to guard against a similar blight: the land area is large enough to keep other entrepreneurs away from the amusement and recreational areas. Sleek thruways lead to turnpike-like toll gates, and from the 12,000-car parking lot a Space Age monorail, operated by youngsters in futuristic unisex jumpsuits and helmets, sweeps visitors off to hotels and amusement areas...
...Fred Brown's assuming that a unisex society is sick and immature is a result of a pervasive fear of women and everything feminine, and should itself be closely examined by the psychologists. No wonder we feminists are angry...
...desirability and permanence of unisex, Brown remains unsure. He hopes that the phenomenon will turn out to be like adolescence-a painful but necessary stage on the road to maturity. But even if society is really sick and not just growing up, Brown says, "patients do recover, and another study ten years from now may show a different picture." On the other hand, he glumly observes, "patients and societies also...