Students' speeches

  • During the meeting, students particpated very actively, some by giving speeches on gender equality. Here is the text to Capucine's speech (translated from the speech she made in French for the Eloquence competition - she is one the finalists and will be going to the National Assembly and Senate to make her speech soon!)

    Introduction

     

    In class, our French teacher, M. Fossard, spoke to us about a national speech competition. The theme was gender equality, and we were given 5 possible quotes to comment. I was very excited by this project, and immediately set to work. My speech was selected, I participated in the Reunion semi-finals, then in the finals in front of 700 people! And now I will be going to France with the other finalists, to speak at the National Assembly and the Senate.

     

    Speech on equality between men and women

     

    I was asked to respond to Janusz Korwin-Mikke's allegation. I quote,"Of course, women must earn less than men because they are weaker, smaller and less intelligent. ».

     

    In your opinion, Mr. Korwin-Mikke, women have inferior physical and intellectual capacities. You argue that women should earn less than men because they are less intelligent. But, if I have the same education as a man, is it fair that I don't get the same salary? Is this rational? We acquire the same knowledge at school. So, whether we are boys or girls, we receive the same education, not to mention that of our parents, so it would be right and wise for women's salaries to be equal to those of men.

     

    Do you sincerely believe that technology and our view of the world has evolved only because of men? There have been many women scholars, scientists, artists, adventurers and explorers. Some of them hid under masculine names to be able to publish their work, for example Colette, a great writer, under the pseudonym Willy. And your friend George Sand, , you know that writer who dressed like a man, and loved to sleep with whom she wanted! Indeed, I am talking about Aurore Dupin, the writer who marked her time in an admirable way. And why don't we talk about Marie Curie and her dear husband? Didn't Pierre Curie need Marie Curie? After Pierre's untimely and accidental death, Marie Curie continued her discoveries and inventions, so she did not need help, unlike Pierre.

     

    You also say that women are less strong than men, but let me tell you about the evolution of sporting performances, for both women and men. Jeannie Longo, a great cyclist whose longevity is unequalled in professional sport, has won 59 national titles, 13 world championship titles, 38 world records, 1 Olympic title and 3 Tour de France. And recently, in May 2017, the Lleida Women's EMEA football team won 12-14 versus the Men's League 2. Women therefore have the willpower and the strength to increase their performance.

     

     

    A woman’s life cycle goes through childbirth and its associated pain as well as menstrual pain. Would a man be able to handle these pains? Experiments concerning pain experienced during childbirth in volunteer men were carried out using electrodes placed on their belly and lower back. In conclusion, I quote a journalist, Tom Evans, who lent himself to the experiment: "I really thought it was torture. I don't know if I would dare get my wife pregnant now!”

     

    Since you consider women to be inferior to men, if we follow your thought, we should do without women! It would be so much easier! But what would you do without us? First of all, you wouldn't have a scapegoat to listen to your stupid words. Then there would be no more children, so the human species, what am I saying, "Man" with a capital "M" would disappear! Men and women are complementary and inseparable, so they cannot exist without each other for the survival of the human species.

     

    And what about the little child of man? his education? Still today, many women are housewives, and therefore take care of their children and educate them. All men are intelligent, they have been educated by women, so women are intelligent. Isn't that sophistry the same level of lowliness as your statement? Yes, Mr. Korwin-Mikke, I'm talking to you. With education, mothers pass their intellectual resources on to their children. So, I ask you, why do some men continue to believe in the inferiority of women?

     

                Would this inferiority be placed in a great capacity for benevolence through the defence of humanitarian causes? Would it not be a fighting force contrary to that of men and their wars, those ugly scars of history? While women are fighting for just, good, sensible and humanist causes, men created two world wars for their children. For example, rivalries between the great European powers and nationalism in Europe led to World War I; and for World War II, Hitler, the dictator, wanted to reclaim certain territories and exterminate a "race" which, according to him, was not part of the human race. Don't you feel that these causes of hostility are familiar ? that they remind you of discrimination and harassment during recess at school? Is that what you call intelligence?

     

    And let us not forget that Article 1 and 2 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights states that all human beings, i. e. men and women, are born equal in rights. I quote: "All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights. They are gifted with reason and conscience and must act towards each other in a spirit of brotherhood. Everyone is entitled to all the rights and freedoms set forth in this Declaration, without distinction of any kind, including race, colour, sex, language, religion, political or other opinion, national or social origin, property, birth or other status.” Why was this declaration made if no one fully respects it? You call yourselves politicians, so respect them.

     

                We do not choose to be born woman or man. Do we have to pay the price? The only thing that differentiates men from women is our sex, nothing more. We are all equally capable of doing the same things, making the same decisions. We cannot evolve without each other. Women and men are equal, let's stop running from the truth.

     

    You'll probably blame me for being a feminist. I say I'm just human.