I have decided to post some of my core beliefs and perhaps answer a few of your questions about feminism.What does it mean to be a feminist? Like I mention in the previous paragraph, I believe every self-proclaimed feminist should define what this means for herself/himself. That being said of course, the widely accepted belief is that feminism focuses particularly on advocacy for women.
Can men really be feminists? Yes. Of course they can be feminists. For example, John Stuart Mill was one of the great male feminists and advocate for women’s rights.
What’s the difference between feminism and humanism, and why does the distinction matter?
What’s the difference between radical feminists and other moderate feminists? Some of the core beliefs of radical feminism include: anti-pornography, the idea that women can only be completely free when they are around other women only, and women have the right to their own bodies. These are only a few of their beliefs, but some of the big principles. Please see Radically Speaking: Feminism Reclaimed for further review.
Liberal feminists typically have beliefs similar to my own with some exceptions. Liberal feminists believe that women and men are equal and should receive equal treatment under the law, and women have the right to their own bodies. See Radically Speaking: Feminism Reclaimed for further review. I would argue that many moderate feminists are probably married and religious.
Can a feminist be married, or is that antithetical to the entire dogma of feminism? Yes, male and female feminists can be married. If gays and lesbians are ever allowed to legally marry, then even more married couples would be feminists.
Why is religion not a component of your feminist ideals? I believe that the concept of god and the afterlife are man made ideas created to reinforce morality within religions, but like I stated earlier morality and religion are two separate things. I also believe in evolution. I don’t believe that some supreme being created the world and judges our actions. It shouldn’t matter whether someone is watching; I should value life and everyone around me because I want to be valued. I believe that religion also reinforces female submission and male authority.
Does the term “feminist” imply “man-hater”? Definitely not! I have three older brothers and a father that I love very much. I also love my husband. Most feminists are very similar to me in the sense that we “hate” the systems that reward (and cater to) men and fail to reward (and/or even punish) women for the same work and/or behavior.
Do all feminists believe in abortion? No. I personally believe that each woman has the right to choose for herself what to do with her body. I also believe that the father of the potential child should be consulted about whether or not to abort a fetus. I am pro-choice for several reasons. I believe that young women who are molested and/or raped (whether it be by a relative or a stranger) should have the option to choose to have an abortion or not. Women who have abortions for other reasons, I could care less about. It is their personal decision and I have no right to judge their actions.
What made you become a feminist? A lot of things. In high school I had a very vocal feminist theater teacher whom I admired (and still admire to this day). I also took a psychology of women course while I was an undergraduate that really opened my mind. The more I learned about women and our rights, the more I became a feminist.
Please feel free to post other questions that I have not formally addressed. Thank you.
Approval for comments?
ReplyDeleteThat's no fun.
"First and foremost, I believe every feminist has the right to define what it means to be
ReplyDeletea feminist for herself/himself."
This defeats the purpose of self-labeling and being a part of a group called "feminists."
There has to be some basic guidelines. You couldn't be a member of the communist party if
you decided that you believed in small government and laissez-faire business practices
now would you?
"That being said, feminism to me means that men and women of every race/ethnicity
(regardless of ability or disability) should have equal opportunity to education, health
care, positions of power, the right to marry whomever they choose, and freely be
themselves without persecution (except when this activity physically or psychologically
harms others)."
Why call it feminism? Why not just call it equalism or something to that effect? Other
than that everything you say here is perfectly agreeable. I just wish more fembots had an
objective and fair viewpoint in this regard.
"I also reserve the right to change my opinion and/or my beliefs when I see fit."
At least you are honest.
"I do not believe in a god. This of course is different than having morals."
Both are choices based on relative perceptions. There are no absolutes.
"Morality deals with how to treat others and I try to respect and be courteous to
everyone I meet."
By including censorship in the comments in you blog?
"Can men really be feminists? Yes. Of course they can be feminists. For example, John
Stuart Mill was one of the great male feminists and advocate for women’s rights."
No, they cannot. If a man under any circumstances except in cases under extreme duress;
subject to include recieving sexual favors from Angelina Jolie in exchange for a public
proclomation of feminsm, publicy proclaims he is a feminist he therefore forfeights his
man-card for the duration of his life, and will from there on out be referred to as a fag
- unless of course the man is in fact homosexual (not that there's anything wrong with
that) in which case he will be called a "bitch" and will be condemmned to being the bitch
in all present and future relationships for the remainder of his life.
"This distinction is important because the term humanism although it seemly includes everyone, excludes women."
Women are human are they not? Or is this an offical secession from the human race? Don't go baby. It will be different this time, I swear!
"What’s the difference between radical feminists and other moderate feminists?"
The latter tend to be more attractive while the former are often confused for men anyway.
"Does the term “feminist” imply “man-hater”?"
It might no imply but it does tend to rhyme in a weird way.
"I also took a psychology of women course while I was an undergraduate that really opened my mind."
My theory on the psychology of women is that all women secretly hate all other women.
Hello again Johann,
ReplyDeleteThere are some core and common beliefs-why the definition of feminism is listed--self definition allows women the opportunity to clarify whether their beliefs mirror radical or liberal feminism.
You ask "why call it feminism" and I think I answer this in my section "feminism" versus "humanism." I'm making a semantic argument--the problem is a terministic one, not whether or not women are human b/c they definitely are.
I agree with your assessment that there are no absolutes, I'm not suggesting that morality and religion are polar opposites- there is some cross over because religion definitely incorporates morality.
I think the belief that men cannot be feminists is sexist. Men who want women to be treated fairly and justly in their society are feminists even if they deny this label. This also doesn't suggest that they are not also humanists--feminism and humanism are not conflicting theories. I have also known many male feminists and believe many men are (even if they never accept or identify with this label, which I would argue that you don't necessarily have to).
Actually, in terms of attraction, I think you would be surprised. I feel like I am becoming more and more radical every day and I'm attractive. The more logical rationale for this though, is that since radical feminists refuse to physically enhance their appearances in order to meet the "male standard" of beauty and to be "gazed" upon, then they are less physically appealing to men.
I also think that women do not secretly hate each other. I do think we look at each other as competition, as do men, but we don't hate each other. Besides hate is a strong word. Some of my closest friends are women, and I know this is anecdotal, but I also have several male friends. I believe friends are formed because of intellectual compatibility, now whether or not this is at the third grade level, the superficial level, or at the level of abstraction depends upon the people. All of us, want to belong even women. If women were women haters, then this would exclude our chances of belonging to a community outside of or separate from men (I'm not suggesting this is a good or a bad thing, just different).
Cheers.
Jamie-- you have put most of me into words. Love your blog and totally agree that Keri made a huge impact on my life and beliefs.
ReplyDelete"I would argue that many moderate feminists are probably married and religious."
ReplyDeleteI find the whole idea of having stratums of feminists to be highly ironic--So now women are oppressing women? But the above statement really rubs me wrong. You say that women/men should be allowed to define feminism for themselves, then you define them for us...and put arbitrary (at best) qualifiers on them? I guess I'm not really sure what you're trying to do here.
My attempt to define what feminism is done in order to make sure my readers understand some universal beliefs of feminism. I still believe feminists have the right to define what it means to be a feminist for themselves. The statement that rubs you the wrong way, "I would argue that many moderate feminists are probably married and religious," is more of a hypothesis and belief more than a definitive result based on statistical data.
ReplyDelete