K'hat'n'dlawa

Declaration

Sarek looked at the news article on his PADD, eyebrows risen a fraction of an inch.

He had come out of his meditation only forty-eight minutes before, and settled in his bedchamber to read both the Terran and Vulcan news- as he always did in the evenings. He had not expected this particular article, however. To say the least, it was...interesting.

NO HAPPY ENDING- By Lynn Hatter, reporter for SF Chronicle

It's officially over- says Amanda Grayson, now ex-girlfriend of the Vulcan Ambassador to Earth. When asked whether or not she and Sarek of Vulcan were still dating, she remarked, "No! We're not!", rather adamantly.

Considering the fact that Amanda usually said nothing to representatives from the media, he knew she would have only broken in such a manner because she was being harassed. The 'adamantly' could be ignored. She had been in distress, and it had been evident in her tone. He was sure that the reporter had simply misinterpreted it. And as for the fact that the public now knew of their 'breakup'...well, if they resumed their relationship, this could be excellent news. The privacy they had previously enjoyed could be reinstated- at least briefly.

This breakup confirms what several sociologists have been saying repeatedly- Vulcan/Human relationships do not work. Take Dr. Herbert Freud, great-great-great-great grandnephew of the 19th Century's famed psychologist Sigmund Freud. He says, "It was clear from the start of this relationship, that the values and cultural norms of Humans and Vulcans are too different. Their emotional repression is systematic, of a need to dominate and control- humans on the other hand, reject any form of submission. It was clear that in analyzing this relationship, the human could not acquiesce to the demand for subversion."

What Freud is saying is that Ms. Grayson may have backed out of the relationship on her own accord- It has never been confirmed, but is rumored that Vulcan men treat women as property- a norm that went out of style through Earth's Suffrage movement of the 20th Century and completely forced out of common thought by the Feminists of the 21st Century.

While it was true that their cultures were vastly different, Sarek believed that their relationship had been going extremely well up until that dinner at Landon's. If it had not been for that, this Herbert Freud's theory would have held merit- although he did not believe that logic meant domination and control. He had never pressured Amanda to submit to him in any way- although she had, on many occasions, found logic to be frustrating and hurtful. And as for the idea that Vulcans considered women property, well...that was a matter he chose to address at a later time. Their culture was complex- although largely matriarchal, there were still certain aspects that he knew would take time to explain.

But the article made it sound more like slavery. He considered Amanda his because she was his mate. He simply disliked the idea of anyone else touching her. In any way.

But another psychologist, Dr. Mary S. Rolletti, takes an opposing view.

She says, "Humans view relationships differently than Vulcans do. For our Vulcan friends, a relationship is formed for logical reasons- the concept of romance and love is not included in their culture. Although we do not have all the facts, we can make a safe assumption that in the end, it simply was not a logical pairing."

This was certainly very true. He believed he preferred this Rolletti's theory over Freud's. She, at least, had come closer to the truth. It had not been Amanda who rejected him- it was simply believed to be an illogical match at the time. Love and romance were not, indeed, included in his culture- at least not openly. Such concepts were not used to justify actions, but they were still quietly present in some places. He must ensure that Amanda not feel that romance was absent from their relationship. His goal, all along, had been to accommodate her views on relationships. He must try harder- he did not want her to feel trapped by Vulcan strictures.