http://thoughtcatalog.com/2012/yes-feminism-is-going-out-of-style/
In prowling the ever-expanding realm that is the
blogosphere, and all its discontents, I found this post that picked up some
attention and is definitely relevant to our discussions. The author takes
charge with the term “feminist” and sort of tries to expose it as an outdated
misnomer. The crux of her argument is that the word feminist is one bogged down
by semantics; that it’s an exclusive term that alienates people who might otherwise
agree with its beliefs and purposes. She underlines her argument with five points
highlighting the inconsistencies and/or problems with the modern feminist strain
of thought. It was interesting, as it is in much of the blogosphere phenomena,
to see the ensuing discourse that spilled forth in the comment section.
To
inject a bit of my own opinion, while I thought this article raised some valid,
thought provoking points, I did have a few issues with it. Firstly, the title
alone put me off. I understand that maybe the author wants to employ a bit of a
trendy-style, relavent/hip tone (like how many of the blog’s articles are
written), but it adds fuel to the erroneous idea that feminism is a fad or some
sort of trend, bringing to mind the recent readings that disproved a similar idea
that being gay is a lifestyle choice. There’s no doubt that the constant
belittling of feminism as a fad or lifestyle does tremendous harm to it and has
effectively diluted its meaning. The author’s second point –where she tries to
equate male discrimination and violence with that of their female counterparts
– is a false equivalency if I’ve ever seen one. To suggest that the number of
males who endure discriminatory practices or are maligned as sexual predators
is on par with females who are victims of violence or unequal treatment is an
absurd analogy, and I think many would see it as such. We know that,
traditionally, this country and many others operate through a male-centric,
patriarchal set of hegemonic values. I wish I had some substantive numbers or
facts to insert here to back up my claims, but I don’t.
In
the end, the article got me thinking about the term itself “feminist” and the
many (mostly negative) connotations and iterations it’s withstood. And then I thought about how many of
those are misled, erroneous ideas that bring the movement down – how so many
are deterred or put off from the term, and more importantly, the meaning, prior
to even learning its significance. I’m interested in this disconnect between
the misconception of feminism and its actual significance: how a lot of people
are resistant towards identifying with it – prior to even learning about it
first-hand – because of its many maligned connotations. One is the deeply
ingrained idea that you can’t be a male feminist, or if you are, it challenges
your virility.
Pardon
all the wordy redundancies. I just realized this post's way too long and will put off any potential readers. Nevertheless, here’s some food for thought for the few that might be reading.
Before taking
this course, what were your preconceived ideas of “feminism” and now, as we
close out the semester, has that understanding shifted at all? Or what was
(most) surprising about the myths we debunked in what feminism means? And
lastly, if the term “feminist” were dispensed for something more inclusive such
as “gender equitist,” as the author suggests, would that benefit the movement
and give it more steam?
I was talking to a female friend about feminism recently and she told me that she wasn't a feminist. I was intrigued that a woman, in this day and age would not ally her self with an intellectual movement that promotes her equality in the world. She told me that she was a humanist and that the notion of exclusivity in the defining of equality was reductive. I agreed that that was an interesting way of looking at it, and I saw her point of view. I mostly don't think about the term feminism because it usually gets folded into a vague blur of humanist ideas most left-leaning people (myself included) have. I wouldn't say I'm a feminist because there's almost no point in me pointing it out, it's almost an intrinsic part of the ideology of my culture.
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