WHITHER THE NEW FEMINISM
Apparently there is a meme going around where people speak of the joys of feminism. Here are my thoughts.I disagree with the version of modern feminism that says:
1. There is no such thing as gender and thus children should be indoctrinated into sexuality at a young age, thus robbing them of their precious childhood.
2. Women are liberated by being promiscuous, which of course means that they define themselves by their sexuality, not their intelligence. These women are hollow, shallow and vapid.
3. Women do not need any men to be happy, which of course has led to a generation of men into thinking that they can treat women as playthings because being promiscuous is 'enlightened and evolved' (see 2). Funny how all of the men I know who are the biggest feminists have dumped their girlfriends as they approach 30 and trade them for young nubile playthings of around 19 or 20.
4. Marriage is part of an oppressive, patriarchy which needs to be destroyed. This has led to a generation of women entering their 50's alone and bitter and feeling betrayed (see Maureen Dowd's recent book).
5. That all men are 'evil' and 'bastards'. This has led to a generation of women who take the worst character traits of men and apply it to themselves as the norm. Hence all of the high rates of women teachers sexually abusing young boys.
Everyone is for the 'equal work/equal pay' feminism, but this is not 1952 and modern feminism is a twisted, perverted view of human nature rooted neither in science nor morality.
That is why so many young women no longer call themselves feminists.
posted by Nicol DuMoulin @ 2:21 PM
14 Comments:
Thanks for the post, Nicol!
If young women don't call themselves feminists it's because they don't understand what real feminism is and it sure isn't what you've laid out. That's not the "modern view of feminism", as you put it. That's an obscenely distorted view of feminism.
Catnip,
Tell that to all the feminists and progressives that taught me at university.
Reposted from the comments at Rational Reasons, since you posted yours there as well:
Nicol, what on earth are you talking about?
In point # 1, you contradict yourself. First you say feminists say there is no gender, and then you say feminists sexualize children. How can there be sexuality without gender? And I call bullshit on feminists sexualizing children. From where I stand, the sexualization of children (and let's be honest here, you mean girls more than you mean boys) has nothing to do with feminism and a whole lot more to do with objectification -> the same kind of objectification women have long been subject to. But now it's being marketed to younger people.
2. Recognizing that women are sexual beings, can enjoy sex, and can have orgasms does not necessarily lead to promiscuity. Shouldn't you be glad that the women in life are learning that they can and should enjoy sex instead of being taught that it will be uncomfortable and she won't enjoy it, but it is her duty to her husband? Aren't males taught that they are sexual beings who can enjoy sex?
3. Of course women don't need men to be happy, any more than men need women to be happy. In a good world, everyone would be emotionally strong, centered, and independent. Then we could build strong relationships - with people of either sex - instead of messed up co-dependencies rife with dominance struggles and manipulation. If you are happy with yourself, inside your self, that makes every other relationship, from your spouse, to your co-workers, to your friends and family, that much stronger. And I'll think you'll find that there have always been men who thought of women as nothing but playthings. After all, traditional Christianity considers women to be either the "Madonna or the whore" - the Virgin Mary or Mary Magdalene. Doesn't leave much room for other careers for us ladies, does it?
4. No one is describing marriage as a oppressive patriarchy. They're describing some of the traditions of marriage as being part of the oppresive patriarchy. Those traditions include: husbands are head of household and must always be obeyed (instead of sharing responsibilities and discussing issues and finding a consensus), men must propose marriage on their timetable (instead of discussing whether to marry and when to marry with his prospective fiancee), husbands must support his family, while wives look after children (instead of determining who has the better job, who wants to work, who would prefer to be at home, and whether there are other options). Many of these traditions are just as oppressive for the man as the woman - isn't it better for all of us to try to work past the traditions that don't work anymore, and try to find ones that serve us - all of us - better?
5. No one is claiming that men are evil or bastards. What you will find is that feminists are both male and female, who believe in equal rights for women and men. Because that's all feminism is; a striving for equality. Despite what the anti-feminists say.
The reason we need feminists is because of people like you. This whole complaint about feminists in University is as old as feminism itself.
There are, of course, many "schools" of feminism, including liberal feminism and radical feminism. They are different and you should not confuse one school with another. Just because someone may not identify themselves as a radical feminist (which I do) does not mean they are not a liberal feminist.
As far as I am concerned, any person who believes men and women should be treated equally, in every way, is a feminist. That is what feminism is.
Deanna,
"After all, traditional Christianity considers women to be either the "Madonna or the whore" - the Virgin Mary or Mary Magdalene. "
Been reading the DaVinci Code, have we?
I've been reading people like Bell Hooks, Andrea Dworkin and Catherine MacKinnon (who says all sex is a form of rape).
I've also been reading Martha Bailey, a leading Canadian feminist from Queen's whom the Liberals consulted to get a document on why polygamy should be legalized and how it would lead to the dissolution of marriage, which she sees as a good thing.
Anonymous,
"This whole complaint about feminists in University is as old as feminism itself. "
Good arguments are like that...they tend to have staying power.
Also...there are differences between 'liberal' and 'radical' feminism?
If you don't like what I wrote, do not blame me...balme the self-styled progressives and feminists who taught me at Queen's University for 4 years.
"First you say feminists say there is no gender, and then you say feminists sexualize children. How can there be sexuality without gender? "
The modern feminist notion of sexuality is that there is no gender and we are all bi-sexual. They see gender as a construct; that sexuality is fluid and we have all been conditioned by the hetero-normative, Judeo-Christian, patriarchal...blah, blah, blah. They see sexuality as a 'sacrament' that should be instilled in children as young as possible. It's not a coicidence that the NDP wanted to lower the age of consent to 12 in the 1980's.
As far as I am concerned, any person who believes men and women should be treated equally, in every way, is a feminist. That is what feminism is.
Exactly.
If you don't like what I wrote, do not blame me...balme the self-styled progressives and feminists who taught me at Queen's University for 4 years.
Well, now that you've been informed that true feminism is not what you claim you have been taught, perhaps you'll take this opportunity to educate yourself as to what it really is. As I wrote at my blog on this issue, these quasi intellectual discussions that devolve into the parsing of words in order to confuse the issue serve nothing if all they do is lead to a misunderstanding of the meaning and intent of the feminist movement. There are very basic premises for feminism: equality, freedom and choice (and that goes beyond reproductive choice to simple issues like the ability of women to actually wear pants in public!).
Feminism is not complicated unless you choose to make it so or if you decide to use it to promote a political agenda that just further oppresses women. The bottom line is this: do you support equality for women or not?
Yes the "true" definition of feminism means the pursuit of equality between men and women. However, it's just naive and callous to think that feminism really means that in our culture and society today.
I have these same feminists (or, what I like to call them: bra burning bitches) teaching me for the past four years at Trent.
If feminism really meant equality for both sexes then things would be very different:
If it did then there would be a walk or run for men's cancers. But there is not.
There would be an equal number of men enrolling in university, and boys wouldn't be so far behind in school.
If these feminists are all for the eqaulity between both genders, why is it called women's studies in University?
If these feminists are all for equality of gender why do they primarily subscribe to left wing politically beliefs?
The short answer is, they are not for the equality of men and women, they are trying to get women ahead of men.
The simple fact of the matter is "equality" doesn't exist. The same thing with "objectivity". These are utopian ideals that we have created and never ever will live up to, because it is impossible.
Why do I have to put up with "female weight room hours" at my University, when my workout partner is male, and I can't workout with him during these times?
We should realize that we have walks for violence against women and government funding going towards violence against women, but MEN are three times as likely to be assaulted or murdered.
I am thankful for feminists giving me the right to vote and go to university, but they have gone too far, because now, our men are being left behind.
There are more women than men enrolling in University. So in 20 or so years the workforce will be unequal again because it will be women running the show. Is this the equality that feminists are striving for?
Frankly I'm tired of the left wing feminists that I'm being taught that have been teaching me for the past four years. But of course if I voice my opinions, I'm the one marginalize.
I wouldn't dare call myself a feminist because the radical (and I would argue the liberal ones too) have distorted the image of feminism with their left-wing agendas.
I want to get married, I want to stay home and raise my children. Isn't that what feminism was about? Choice? If I tell feminists I want to do this, they shake their head and lecture me about Judeo-Christian oppression and that I've been "socialized" to want this.
This is why I will never ever call myself a feminist.
Spitfire,
I could not have said it any better myself.
'Equality' is a lovely word. Who gets to define it?
'Equality' is a word used by feminists, the Pope, communists, the Dalai Lama, gay rights, poverty advocates and Islamists...just to name a few.
All use the same word. All have very different ways of defining it.
But in the end, the radicals can bait me all they want; the fact that so many young women are not willing to call themselves feminists speaks volumes more than I can ever write.
This is a movement that has undone itself.
Thanks to everyone for your responses.
Hi Arabian Knight,
I didn't think about that, but it definitely makes sense. I actually should have thought of that with all my Durkheimian theory from my Sociology degree. Thanks for letting me know :-)
Spitfire, will you marry me... I only ask because you've pretty much said everything I would have had I the brain power and attention span ;)
But I'm just a guy... They wouldn't even let me take 'Women's Studies'...
Les
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