Feminism in Music

So now the Vienna Philharmonic is being castigated by American feminists--most of whom wouldn’t know if Stravinsky was a composer or a violin--for hiring only one female in 156 years, a harpist, 12 months ago.

This neurotic need to do every last thing that men do is getting ridiculous, and the American courts ought to be ashamed of themselves for abetting these obvious feelings of jealousy. If God meant that men must always have women in their company, he would have joined us at the hip at birth.

If women wanted to establish their own musical ensembles or sports teams or military academies or business clubs, there has never been a law to stop them. But they rarely do that: They prefer to elbow their way into something already established by others (men). I have come to think that fully half of all feminists see men as rivals, people to compete with, and possibly conquer.

For the other half, I strongly suspect that many of them are in the vanguard, “carrying the flag for oppressed women,” because--at least subliminally--they love the idea of being surrounded by men, regardless of the circumstances. We should not pander to either kind.

ARTHUR J. STANLOW

Costa Mesa