Feminism is an idea that
has been around for years. The word itself was coined in 1837 by a French philosopher.
That means we have gone all these years with this word affecting our world. Feminists
have then stirred people to take action, helped bring about women’s rights, to the
right to vote, to efforts towards equal pay acts and maternity leave, to
important strives to end domestic violence or to improve reproductive rights,
and so much more that still goes on nearly 177 years after the word feminism
was first spoken. Despite the goals of feminism or even the steps we’ve already
made in its name, there are still many adverse reactions to the idea of it, or sometimes
even just the word. I can’t tell you how many times – and I’m sure you have
seen it to – the word feminist has just left my mouth and the person I’m
talking to scrunches up their face or narrows their eyes almost
instantaneously. 177 years, and the stereotypes and discrimination are still
there in the back of people’s minds, making them react as though they have
smelled a rotting corpse.
And it’s not getting any
better.
Time Magazine recentlyheld a poll on their website asking what word should be banned in 2015. The
list included all those annoying terms that we’re sick of constantly seeing on Facebook
and – because it’s just so annoying, right? – the word Feminist. The definition
beside the word on the poll read:
“You have nothing against feminism itself, but when did it become a thing that every celebrity had to state their position on whether this word applies to them, like some politician declaring a party? Let’s stick to the issues and quit throwing this label around like ticker tape at a Susan B. Anthony parade.”
But if you have nothing against feminism, then the word feminist shouldn't be on your list. The issues feminists fight for and the changes they want to make are important to all of us. You can’t have feminism without the feminists. Somehow, the word was still the most voted for on the poll.
So what do we do about the visceral reaction to the old word that has helped us achieve so much? Maybe these people don’t really understand what it means in the first place; all we can do is remind them. Tell those people who shake their head at the word that Feminists are anyone who believe that all people, man or woman, should be treated equally and be equally free. Announcing you are a feminist is not like declaring a political party, it’s more like declaring you’re a good human being.
But if you have nothing against feminism, then the word feminist shouldn't be on your list. The issues feminists fight for and the changes they want to make are important to all of us. You can’t have feminism without the feminists. Somehow, the word was still the most voted for on the poll.
So what do we do about the visceral reaction to the old word that has helped us achieve so much? Maybe these people don’t really understand what it means in the first place; all we can do is remind them. Tell those people who shake their head at the word that Feminists are anyone who believe that all people, man or woman, should be treated equally and be equally free. Announcing you are a feminist is not like declaring a political party, it’s more like declaring you’re a good human being.
The problem with treating everyone "equally" is that it often leads to unfair results. When my teenagers complained about inequality, I offered to give everyone the same curfew. Turns out -- they didn't really want equality after all. They wanted equity: "fairness or justice in the way people are treated."
ReplyDeleteLikewise, there are unintended consequences and negative side effects if we legislate that everyone are equally free. To quote Anatole France, "The law, in its majestic equality, forbids the rich as well as the poor to sleep under bridges, to beg in the streets, and to steal bread." Our political system is corrupt because everyone (including corporations) is equally free to contribute as they want.
But what does that have to do with women's equality? How would women being equal to men be a detriment? I would hardly compare this issue to teenagers wanting the same curfew. We are talking about a world where women are continually treated as inferior beings, as objects, as less intelligent, with less potential than men.
DeleteSince you didn't like my teenage "equality != fairness" example, here is another answer to your question "How would women being equal to men be detrimental?" Gender is used to determine passing scores on the https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Army_Physical_Fitness_Test , and everyone considers that "fair". If women were treated "equally", then there'd be a less fewer women passing the test, and thus eligible for deployment to combat zones. For an overview of how this has played out over the past few decades, see https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Women_in_the_military#Policy_changes .
DeleteWhen you say "women are continually treated as inferior beings, as objects, as less intelligent, with less potential than men", you're trying to derail my point about equality/fairness. If you want to start a conversation about objectification and stereotyping women as less intelligent and having less potential, start your own blog post.
It all depends how you phrase/define "equality" and "fairness." They are very close to the same idea.Yes it's FAIR to have the test the way it is, based on gender. Similarity, to give men and women EQUAL chances of passing the fitness test, the test must be made the way it is.
DeleteWhen women ARE being treated as inferior beings, in schools, in the workplace, and this IS unfair. It's UNFAIR for anyone being treated this way,no matter your gender, race, or place in the world. We must (as feminists hope) strive to treat each other with EQUAL kindness and respect and consideration for what we are all capable of, instead of looking down on each other for differences.
Equality and fairness may or may not be close to the same idea. I guess it depends on which dictionary you favor.
DeleteHowever, fairness and equality are too often completely incompatible goals. The controversy over past 50 years of https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Affirmative_action is a good example. When someone is hired, when someone is admitted to college, someone else is turned away. Do we, as a society, want that decision made on the basis of fairness or equality?
I talk to people serving in the military on a regular basis. The males are infuriated that they may have a woman in a tank or foxhole beside them who is not as physically capable, who did not have to pass the same test. Because bullets do not care about fairness if they get shot and the woman does not have the strength to drag them to safety.
This was an excellent blog with a lot of great links. I myself have had to deal with people bristling at my description of myself as a "feminist." I use it to describe my general belief that men and women should not be given different rights based on their sex. It especially upset a girl that I know who proclaimed feminism itself as "annoying" and "unnecessary" or even "overdramatic." Her ignorance is keeping her from accepting the reality that women in this country face unfair obstacles based on unfair presumptions about what it means to be a woman and the roles a woman "ought" to have. Anyone who thinks that women are treated equally and that the movement feminism is over in our society need to further educate themselves. If that's true then why is it that on a list of thirty of the highest paid CEOs in the country, not a single one of them is a woman? Coincidence, I think not!
ReplyDeleteCoincidence? It may be. After all, correlation does not equal causation.
DeleteThere are many factors which are considered when a Board of Directors hires a CEO, and another group of factors when their Compensation Committee decides how much to pay them. But I think the social stratification and ethnography of the "One Tenth of One Tenth of One Percent" who make up the self-perpetuating oligarchy who own (almost) everything plays a much larger role in who gets paid what, than whether they are male or female.
I would agree with a lot of the points made in this post. Your use of links really set it in that you did your research. I absolutely agree that people may not be aware of what feminism is anymore. When it is brought up, a lot of people just use the term "feminazi." Which, from what other people have told me, is basically when feminism is brought to the level of women being better than men and that is why it is ridiculous that women don't have the same exact rights as men. The definition of a feminist has absolutely changed over the years, socially at least. It is important to bring everyone back together down on the earth and stand up for the actual problems. Great post!
ReplyDeleteThe definition of "feminist" hasn't really changed since the 70's, but it has split. There are still people (women and men like me) who believe in what is nowadays referred to as "academic feminism", as opposed to the newfangled theories of https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Radical_feminism . (Which I consider just as discriminatory as what they are attempting to overthrow.)
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