Folks who are familiar with my work know that I wear a whole slew of different hats and one of the various hats I wear is that of academic. My formal academic background is related to performance and critical theory. My undergraduate and first graduate degrees are firmly rooted in theatre while my doctoral degree is in comparative literature with a specialization in interactive drama.

So . . . having spent so much of my adult life pursuing things theatrical, I’ve picked up a favorite play or few along the way.

One of my absolute favorite plays is LYSISTRATA by Aristophanes which tells the story of a woman who organizes a strike by the women in her community . . . a NO SEX strike . . . in order to force the men to stop going off to war. She enlists the involvement of the women on the Spartan and Athenian sides and despite the grumbling of the men, it works.

Well, that sort of strategy . . . while funny in the classic Greek play . . . is also quite effective. A group of Filipino women have taken it off the stage and into actual practice. They organized a strike of no-sex to discourage local men from fighting. Displaced women in two villages on Mindanao Island find an unconventional way to stop their menfolk fighting, clear roads and start rebuilding amid a separatist rebellion.

Here’s a news story on the sex strike that brought peace:

See http://gawker.com/5841326/filipino-women-withhold-sex-to-end-village-fighting for more.

So, the Lysistrata Gambit actually works! Now, that it’s been proven on the village level, let’s see if it works at the national level. Peace talks anyone?

All the best,
Brian
http://www.briandavidphillips.com