Hi, I think your site is very interesting and raises some very valid questions and issues which we should all be seriously thinking about. I for one hate the 'battle between the sexes' and I wonder why men and women don't try to work things out instead of acting hostile toward one another.

I'm in my final year at Leicester University in England and I'm currently working on a dissertation about masculinity in four of Clint Eastwood's films - Dirty Harry, Tightrope, Unforgiven and The Bridges of Madison County, so all of these issues interest me immensely. I was particularly interested by your article on Eastwood and Dirty Harry. Some critics believe that Dirty Harry was a backlash against feminism - well, it's debatable, but since the dawn of the film industry, haven't most men been acting tough in films, with women taking minor roles? Your comment 'Clint Eastwood has virtually played the same role throughout most of his career' is true to an extent but I think Clint is a prime example of an actor who has changed the image of masculinity over the years...he's tough and uncompromising in DH but just look at him in Bridges...(and here's a direct quote from my dissertation): he gives us a more modern concept of what it means to be a man, and dispells the myth that men cannot be both physically strong and understanding at the same time. Eastwood embodies this new version of masculinity in his belief that a man can be confident in himself and his masculinity without having to resort to violence or verbal insults in order to assert himself.

At the same time, I don't entirely agree with the 'aggressiveness' of the feminist movement. There's no way I would take offence if a man wanted to open the door for me - I'd be grateful, and see it as good manners rather than patronising. Chance would be a fine thing though, considering how rude a lot of the people can be that you meet on the streets! I can see how men might feel threatened by women's growing independence, but it's been coming for a long time - and I don't see why men and women can't live side by side, without sexism, resentment, and one side having to be dominant and the other submissive. There's a place for us all in society, so why can't men and women both be at the top?