At 08:51 AM 2/27/98 +1100, Dave Eddy wrote:

It's a pity that there is a "side" to this issue, though I think a number of
people feel threatened by Ranma's emotional path in this story... Him,
the quintissential macho and a character I imagine a large number of
people would like to identify with, suddenly projecting something that
scares some people.  (Many people?  A good way to get into a fight
is to challenge a (typical) guy's masculinity.  Trouble is, many people
on this list aren't typical.)

  I really doubt that the author of "Thy Outward Part" feels that his
masculinity is threatened by the fic.  Richard simply objected to the
implied message "Women are inherently better than men" as detracting from
the story.  I agree.  And I wouldn't enjoy a "women are inferior and men
must lead them" story either.  Also, if Ranma was misleading Kodachi to
push her away, then why is everyone else convinced that Ranma will stay
female? 

  There is also the troubling matter of the lines - 

"Then comes more... personal areas, areas you never want a man to violate...
except _you_ are the man now, and that very fact feels like a violation."

  This seems to be a statement against hetero-sex.  So is Ranma asexual?
Or does Ranma prefer women?  Would he accept "violation" of those personal
areas by a woman?  

  I was also trouble by Ranma's threat to use Jyusenkyo water against
Kodachi.  That seems like much too severe a reaction by Ranma. 

  Despite Doug Murphy's tale (and an interesting one it is), I don't see
that the pressures on Ranma are such that he would prefer being a woman
full time, especially in Japan where onna-Ranma would have to deal with
Japanese society's attitude towards women.  Anyway, Ranma in female form
has to put up with about as much trouble as in male form.  Part of the
Ranmaverse is that Ranma attracts trouble.  Even as a woman, Ranma would
still be challenged by other martial artists, and would probably need to
deal with additional suitors besides Kuno as well as the gender-neutral
trouble that would find Ranma anyway. 

                                                                     dml