Feminism is NOT equality

I think feminism as it used to is -- useful -- back then.

Because we need drastic leap to overcome years and decades and centuries of power imbalance tilted to the side of the men.

What about now?

I think a certain growth has to be done; even with the risk of 'tainting the previous generation's work'; more equality, less special rights.
And that goes for everything; biology, social rights, personal human attitudes (by far would be the hardest one, rules and etiquettes be damned).
For instance, I personally believe the 'men are from Mars, women are from Venus' biological belief (that is, that women and men are biologically different) is still too heavily biased by the virtue of history; it seems to be a legacy of centuries of gender segregations inbetween attitudes and behaviors. I won't deny there will be some amount of differences, though. That goes per human beings, no?

In some areas, we're going towards the right direction.
In others, we're not. (Men's plea against feminism, regardless of its validity; speaks of something wrong that had happened at some point in each of the men's personal lives. Even when if that something wrong is unrelated.)

Although human interactions are really, really complex.. :|
 
I think my life has been better due to the efforts of feminists. But most ideologies have their flaws. Classic feminism purports that women and men are the same except for the capacity to bear children. I think that is prima facie FALSE and a dangerous notion. Even if you try to ignore or explain away the differences as environmental, there is simply too much scientific evidence to indicate that our brains are substantially wired differently. I learned this from watching my kids, who shared toys. My son would bend the Barbie doll at the waste and go "pow pow." My daughter would give names to the water pistols and have them talk to each other. I think that trying to shove women and men into the same box does a disservice to BOTH men and women. I consider myself a "neo-feminist": I'm for equal rights under the law, but I don't need to dress like a man, talk like a man, have the title of a man, or have sex like a man, in order to be equal to a man, and I'm highly insulted when anyone suggests otherwise. I'm all woman, and feel great about it. I think men are wonderful, and they don't need to find their inner woman.

BTW, I just bought the special edition of TIME called "The Brain: A User's Guide." I'm looking forward to reading the section on the differences between female and male brains.
 
It would be great if feminism could come to mean that women could accentuate and thoroughly enjoy their feminine aspect and dignity.
 
Women who are feminist-leaning are vigilant for a reason. This reason may arise from a sense of injustice and discontentment. Many believe they went so far as to encroach on the well-being of men. Feminist and anti-feminist sentiments seem stronger than reasonable.

I believe one can support the sentiments of feminism without supporting all of feminism's agenda.

I find contradicting issues at work in the world. Feminism does not necessarily seem to create a healthier atmosphere. Switzerland, for example, did not implement women's suffrage till 1971. Could it be that women were happy with their condition until then in that nation despite the lack of voting ability? Nonetheless, Switzerland now ranks 27th in the percentage of women legislators. The US, however, despite nationwide women's suffrage since 1920, ranks 71st in the percentage of women legislators and significant differences in wages between men and women (i.e., females who desire to or need to work and being similarly productive as their male counterparts).

Is a macho culture responsible for disparity where it is needless?
Is feminism essentially a backlash on patriarchy gone wrong?
Was feminism a necessary adaptation to the loss of male presence in families after the World Wars?
Is feminism a necessary response to violence against women (even if excessively implemented and harmful to men in significant ways)?
How can society adapt to or correct the harmful effects of feminism and promote healthier environments for men?

The answer seems to be a constant tug and pull that occurs in democracy and each person maintaining his/her opinion in a hopefully non-incendiary manner.

On the familial level: Is there a natural role for men and women in a family?
 
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Obviously, there are real biological

differences between men and women. But according to human rights theory and the

principle of equality contained in domestic constitutions, these differences do not have to

cause inequality. Rather, such inequality is prohibited. If the principle of equality referred

only to equality between people who have no differences, there would be no reason

for its existence. The prohibition on discrimination is a prohibition on discriminating

based on factors such as sex, race, age – all conditions that have biological and social

elements that differentiate some from others.

Biological differences produce inequalities or disadvantages for women because

due to androcentrism most laws and policies function with a standard that is based

on the masculine sex. Thus, physical force and the fact that men do not get pregnant

are conditions that translate into demands on women if we want to have the same

opportunities. But in addition, there are inequalities in the social order due to gender

that result in disadvantages and inequalities for women. For example, inequalities are

generated due to women’s double or triple workloads, the fact the women are more

vulnerable to sexual violence, and the fact that we have been subjected to thousands

of years of subordination and oppression. All these are conditions generated by the

45
Art. 2(a).

IWRAW Asia Pacific Occasional Papers Series • No. 14
15

social construction of gender and not by biological differences. For this reason, it is

important that laws, policies, mechanisms and institutions that are created to achieve

equal opportunities for women take into account the various ways in which women

are unequal to men. This means that they must take into account when inequality is

due to biology and when to gender and that they also must reflect an awareness that

most existing policies are not neutral but are based on the masculine standard.
Click to expand...

http://www.iwraw-ap.org/publications/doc/OPS14_Web.pdf
 
Nobody has to read this thing if they don't want to.

Flavus Aquila said:
It would be great if feminism could come to mean that women could accentuate and thoroughly enjoy their feminine aspect and dignity.
Click to expand...

Why yes. Yes it would.

Creating the paradigm of the oppressor and the oppressed seems somewhat misleading. I am a straight, white, able bodied, male and I've never personally oppressed anyone. Everyone has equal opportunities in any areas of life or business I have personal control over.
Click to expand...

True... and no one is accusing you personally of oppressing anyone. (I certainly hope not!!!)

The thing is, oppression can be either personal or public. Similar to public health issues vs. personal health issues -- one person can get vaccinated for the flu, for example, but unless millions of people do it, it is not going to help reduce deaths from flu. Likewise, one person can refrain from oppressing anyone, but until general fairness and respect is the rule, on a large scale, it is not going to make much of a difference. And I do believe that general fairness and respect is not the rule, worldwide.

There are many ways of measuring this.

To try to explain what I mean: I am sure most people in China have not left their infant daughters out to die, or aborted them as fetuses, but enough have done so, that there are currently 121 males born to 100 females.

YOU didn't do this... but enough people did, that there are measurable, real numbers that make it obvious and easy to see the preferential treatment of males.

I think what I am trying to say is that the oppressor is in all of us -- there is not a "Person" who is oppressing everyone, but the results of a sort of mass conciousness (???) which makes things really and measurably oppressing for women in many places. China was just one example.

There are parallels with slavery or racism: I personally have NEVER been a slaveowner, or practiced racism against anyone. But I've had enough experience with Jim Crow, that it would be absurd to declare racism dead simply because my friends and I do not practice it. And yes, reverse racism exists too, just like reverse sexism exists. But looking at the numbers, anyone can tell at a societal level that something is happening that makes things harder for certain groups.

But it gets complicated, because people are so good at creating their own problems, on top of any oppression that exists. Men, women, minorities, everyone does this.

People on the whole need to take responsibility for themselves and their communities. Because whereas it would be absurd for me to go and try to change things in China, it is easy for me to help myself succeed, and to try to mentor and help people near me, and improve the rights of everyone over whom I have any influence.

Personally, I never considered myself a raging feminist. I would much prefer to have the same amount of power and respect as my husband, brothers, and sons. And I want the same opportunities for education and advancement as my male colleagues, some who do really oppress women, and some who don't. I've seen too much to ever believe we have approached gender equality.

I do agree with what many people have said today, that in western countries, where I live today, women are treated much much better than they were years ago, and have far more opportunities. And some women do hate men, and vice versa.

Although, I think it was on this website someone said that women who wanted college degrees were only out to get "Mrs." degrees. Someone told me that years ago when I was working toward my degree. Makes me wonder what year this is... anyway.

Biggest problem with gender equality today, in my opinion, is that the way women are portrayed in the media is NO GOOD for women or for men, and people are media addicts who are looking in the wrong places for role models. Role models do exist, quite a few of them. Female doctors, for instance, are powerful and also love their husbands and sons... they just don't have their own reality shows, usually.

It makes me sad to know some of my young female friends have been told over and over again, directly and obliquely, that they are not beautiful unless they live up to some impossible standard, and that they are only worthwhile if they are beautiful and attractive to men.

That happens soooo often, and it is so fucked up.

I would not want any man I cared about to marry or be with a woman who was not, on some level, a feminist, one who wants personal responsibility, because otherwise it would not be a partnership of equals but an employee/servant/slave relationship.

And for those men who want powerless women: think about this: how much do you love/respect your boss, and if someone offered you a more lucrative job, would you take it? Yes? Well this is the exact same dynamic that exists in a relationship where there is an imbalance of power. You'll just be one more thing on the to-do list, nothing more. That's why I say that feminism is and should be good for men and women. (which was kind of the OPs point, no?)

MOST men do NOT want this kind of relationship, I know this! But some do. Therefore, powerful women who take personal responsibility should not be threatening to men.
 
Oh, and one more thing --

regarding strippers.

Strippers are a kind of athlete, someone who makes their living with their body. Men who make their living with their bodies are called "Professional Athletes". The pay potential for that is much larger than the pay potential of stripping, and women are completely excluded from the top tiers. Has anyone ever heard of a multi-million dollar stripping contract?

Though the two professions are alike in that they are open only to certain people with certain physical characteristics, and the careers are short and prone to bodily injury.
 
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