Feminist View In Nuclear Discourse - Essay Example

FEMINIST VIEW IN NUCLEAR DIS Contents INTRODUCTION 3 THE CONCEPT OF FEMINIST DIS 4 FEMINIST DIS AND THE NUCLEAR WEAPON DEBATE 5 GENERAL APPLICATION OF FEMINISM IN WMD ISSUES 8 CONCLUSION 9 Bibliography 11 INTRODUCTION The possibility of the use of weapons of mass destruction existed at the turn of the 20th Century (Robins, 2012; Watson, 2010). Throughout the 19th Century, there were instances where biological weapons were used in various wars including the attempted Italian invasion of Ethiopia in 1895 (Robins, 2012). However, it was in the war against Japan in the Pacific theatre of the Second World War that the Americans used the atomic bomb against another nation. This effectively ended the World War in August 1945. After the Second World War, the United Nations was formed and five of the most powerful members of the UN became permanent members of the UN General Assembly. The permanent members of the UN were generally allowed to own nuclear weapons. Thus, the Soviet Union followed the United States in acquiring nuclear weapons in 1949 (Watson, 2010). Nuclear weapons are seen as a form of deterrence and have not been actively used in global discourse. This paper examines the feminist discourse and the feminist views about the role of weapons of mass destruction in global polity. To this end, the paper examines the research question about whether nuclear weapons have achieved a gendered discourse or not. In order to answer this research question, the following objectives will be explored: 1. A critical review of the concept of feminist discourse 2. An application of the concept of feminist discourse to the nuclear weapon debate 3. A review of aspects of nuclear weapons’ conception and its application to day-to-day feminist discourse THE CONCEPT OF FEMINIST DISCOURSE There are numerous facades to examine and review the concept of feminism. In one of such conceptualisations, there is the radical and the liberal feminist schools of thought. “Radical feminists suggest that patriarchal ideology (the concept of male domination, which comes from the superior role of men in family) leads to the tyrannization of women and children both within the family and within the wider society. Rape and sexual assault are evidence of male power and the family is the key site of its manifestation” (Kirby, Kidd, & Koubel, 2010, p. 48). This implies that radical feminist ideology is steeped in the fact that men are seen as a problem and they ought to be contained. This is because the feminist viewpoint indicates that the traditional role of men as heads of families has culminated in a system that has created a massive set of controls and manipulation by men. On the other hand, liberal feminists blame neither men nor capitalism for the unequal treatment of women and the children in the family. They have argued for legal changes in order to ensure equality of opportunity (Kirby, Kidd, & Koubel, 2010, p. 48). This implies that liberal feminists look at a constructive method and approach to dealing with the inequalities created in the society as a result of its fundamental structures. In this school of thought, women and children are seen as marginalised but the emphasis is on how to bridge the gap rather than imputing blame. “A feminist perspective or approach confronts the social, economic and psychological reasons for inequality in order to rectify it.” (Reardon, 2012, p. 17). Another definition indicates that “a feminist perspective demystifies patriarchal assumptions about the nature of human beings, their relations to nature and the relation of physical and moral qualities to each other” (Hein & Corsmeyer, 2013, p. 68). This forms a basis for examining the position of nuclear weapons in our society. This is because like all other sectors, the nuclear strategy and nuclear policy of nations is influenced heavily by masculine thoughts and male domination. Hence, there is a new, developing and observable feminist perspective that can be critiqued in the nuclear weapon situation around the world. FEMINIST DISCOURSE AND THE NUCLEAR WEAPON DEBATE The concept of nuclear perspectives is mainly based on the masculine posture in which the nuclear weapons are examined and reviewed from a macho posture. This is mainly because from the onset of the nuclear debate, men have been at the forefront of planning and evaluating the defence policy. Therefore, there is a general trend of abstraction and euphemism in which some very impersonal thoughts are presented to planners of nuclear-related defence strategy (Cohn, 1987). The dominant views of the use of nuclear weapons involve the cold blooded dimensions of first-strike, counterforce exchanges, counter nuclear war and the use of nuclear weapons as a threat to other nations (Cohn, 1987). The language used in nuclear strategy is mainly violent with no civilian consultation directly. Rather, the strategy is mainly seen as a man-to-man thing. However, in reality, it is extremely difficult for any of these masculine views and facts to be employed in actuality due to mutual fear. Masculine images of science and nuclear weapons have grown throughout the world and throughout history (Easlea, 1983). This culminates in presenting the notion that a nation is ready and competent to destroy the enemy’s nuclear forces and capabilities. Hence, the masculine image of success and destruction is presented to the public and this forms the fundamental foundation of nations and their nuclear weapons and practices. Technostrategic language is viewed as one in which masculine thoughts and views form the basis of the actions and processes of the military and nuclear processes (Cohn, Clean Bombs and Clean Language: Women Militarism and War, 2001). However, the trend of poor representation of women is beginning to end as women are gaining more right and more roles in the participation in discourse and discussions relating to defence and nuclear strategies. Due to this, awareness to the masculinity of linguistics in nuclear strategy and nuclear policy is growing and more and more emphasis is being laid on this trend as a means of seeking exchange and/or modify the existing system and processes (Cohn, Clean Bombs and Clean Language: Women Militarism and War, 2001). The process of identifying issues with language in nations includes the identification of the poor representation of women and the exclusion of women in the field. The vocabulary which presents women as the weaker sex and the less dominant sex is identified by the feminine discourse in the nuclear debates. Issues relating to the symbolism of women as the symbols for weakness like the use of “homosexual” to refer to people who seek discourse rather than violence in the nuclear debate is being exposed and more action is being taken to streamline the deterrence aspect as a part of the nuclear debate as a whole (Cohn, Clean Bombs and Clean Language: Women Militarism and War, 2001). In the process of identifying the gaps and sexist position of the military and nuclear strategy, the US military has been identified to be one of the militaries that have systematically supported discrimination against females (Russell, 1989). The language of the US military in relation to the nuclear system and nuclear strategy has been harsh and it is based on an unspoken assumption and paradigms that have their basis in masculine thought (Russell, 1989). However, the role of feminist perspectives has forced the military wings including the nuclear strategic units to polish their language in teaching. Looking back at the main cable that was responsible for triggering the nuclear warfare in the late 1940s, Kennan sent a cable with a prose full of emotions about the Soviet threat and the possibility of the Soviets launching an all out nuclear war (Costigliola, 1997). “In the long telegraph, Lieutenant Kennan portrayed the Soviet Government as a rapist exerting insistent, unceasing pressure for penetration and command over Western societies” (Costigliola, 1997, p. 1311). Clearly, this shows that the view of Kennan and other officials at that time was one in which a masculine view was accepted. This will not be acceptable in the vocabulary of military strategists of the 21st Century due to the advancement and growth of feminine perspectives in the nuclear discourse. Many feminist thinkers are likely to rise up against such graphic descriptions that clearly juxtapose the degradation of women as a means of describing and presenting an urgent case for the modification of affairs in the American nuclear policy and plans. On further analysis of Kennan’s telegraph which sparked the foundations of the nuclear deterrence and the Cold War stated that “... he compared the Soviet people to a woman who had been romantically in love with her husband and who has suddenly seen his true colours revealed... there is no question of a divorce. They decided to stay together for the sake of their children but the honeymoon was definitely over.” (Costigliola, 1997, p. 1313). This shows clearly, that the masculine perspective ruled and controlled the way in which emotions were shared and things were discussed openly in the beginning. However, in today’s world, these views and ideas are likely to be condemned to be too patriarchal and it will be deemed politically incorrect for nuclear discourse and nuclear-related discussions to be steeped in so much masculine thought. This shows the growth and advancement of feminism in the formulation of defence and nuclear policies and plans. GENERAL APPLICATION OF FEMINISM IN WMD ISSUES In numerous studies, it has been identified that women show opposition to nuclear power usage in the military sense and in the irresponsible civilian sense (Nelkin, 1980). The mainstream feminist view is that women are concerned with the health effects of radiation on women and future generations. Hence, women are inherently concerned with the health and safety questions that come with the use of nuclear power (Nelkin, 1980). The use of the feminist perspective and feminist view implies that the discussions of nuclear weapons and weapons of mass discussions has normalised and presented nuclear weapons in the daily vocabulary and discussion of nuclear weapons in the general and everyday sense (Caputi, 1991). This has aided the lighter side of nuclear weapons and nuclear power to be viewed and discussed in public debates and discussions. Nuclear weapons’ domestic use is discussed significantly in the media and this has effectively eliminated the masculine view where the danger and militaristic use of nuclear weapon is put at the forefront. Nuclear discourse is seen as a degeneration of the living world and physical communities (Zoneband, 2007). Therefore, the use of nuclear weapons are mainly viewed as a negative and degenerative system in which nations and future generations are put at a risk if destruction. Hence, the nuclear strategy is seen as one that will be best viewed as a system of promoting and protecting the masses of different people in the society. In other matters and discussions, the nuclear weapon usage is viewed as a desirable system in which they are discussed in the lighter sense of entertainment and fun in which the body of a woman is compared to a nuclear plant or nuclear bomb (Zarlengo, 1999). In this system the juxtaposition of women as extremely pretty and classification of women as hot is done with the basis and foundation of analysing and reviewing nuclear weapons in relation to beauty. CONCLUSION The research indicates that gender is a fundamental matter and situation in discussions about nuclear discourse. This is because the role of feminist views and feminist discourse is steeped in the need to break down male domination in the society in order to create a system in which women and children are fairly included. The use of nuclear weapons emerged at a time where men dominated the military terrain and hence, most of the views and ideas relating to nuclear weapons are fundamentally masculine rather than feminist. Therefore, the growth and expansion of nuclear weapons and the nuclear discourse has encompassed numerous conflicts relating to masculine and feminist views. Through the masculinist and feminist discourse, there have been numerous modifications and changes in the systems and processes of viewing and conceiving nuclear weapons. The first aspect is that feminist perspective acts as a general check to views and opinions presented on nuclear weapons. Secondly, feminist consideration for the impact of nuclear weapons on women and children as well as future generations plays a central role in the definition of women in society. Thirdly, the sacredness of military usage for nuclear weapons have been replaced by viewing nuclear weapons from a lighter, entertainment-based method and approach of viewing nuclear weapons. Bibliography Caputi, J. C. (1991). The Metaphors of Radiation: Or Why a Beautiful Woman is like a Nuclear Power Plant. Womens Studies International , 423-442. Cohn, C. (2001). Clean Bombs and Clean Language: Women Militarism and War. In J. B. Elshtain, & T. S., United States of America (pp. 33-55). New York: Rowman and Littlefield. Cohn, C. (1987). Sex and Death in the Rational World of Defese Intellectuals. Signs , 687-718. Costigliola, F. (1997). Unceasing Pressure for Penetratoin: Gender, Pathology and Emotion in George Kennans Friction of the Cold War. Journal of American History , 1309-1339. Easlea, B. (1983). Fathering the Unthinkable: Masculinity, Security and Nuclear Arms Race. London: Pluto Press. Hein, H., & Corsmeyer, C. C. (2013). Aesthetics in Feminist Perspectives. 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