Wednesday, October 6, 2010

I'm a _______Feminist!

The phrase "I'm not a Feminist but..." is one of the most frustrating things I can ever hear coming out of someones mouth. The problem with this phrase is obvious. If you have to insert the word but after saying you're not something then odds are you have a problem with the word and not the ideology.

Part of the problem is within the overarching collection of what I call (blank)_______Feminism. Blank Feminism as I define it refers to the individuals who for all intensive purposes are Feminists (men or women) and are so turned off by the dozens of different "types" of Feminism that in their mind what they believe about Feminism is skewed by societies inability to accept overall gender equality (or in some cases neutrality).

Without going into extensive research on woman's history, the ability to define what kind of Feminist you are isn't incredibly important. As in every movement, Feminism was divided from the onslaught. Further categorization comes only after the initial realization that a collective consciousness exists among dissenters of the status-quo.

The wikipedia definition of Radical Feminism says it considers the male-controlled capitalist hierarchy as the defining feature of woman's oppression and the total uprooting and reconstruction of society as necessary to achieve equality. Yes, I agree with that. I also think that gender equality is impossible while society is restricted by biological reproduction. If we don't need to reproduce naturally then I don't see why we keep doing it. Yes, that is a marginalized opinion even within the sect of Feminism deemed radical. So it goes.

You are a Feminist, if you need to say otherwise feel free to borrow the phrase (blank)______ Feminist and insert whatever you need to in order to feel okay about it.

Some things to check out:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/cifamerica/2010/oct/06/feminism-gender1

http://feminist.org/news/newsbyte/uswirestory.asp?id=12661

http://bitchmagazine.org/post/mad-world-the-most-sexist-ad-in-america

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