I'm a little nervous about posting on a thread about Feminism because it invariably leads to everyone looking stupid at best, sexist at worst, but I just can't help myself. So here goes.
I believe any and all people regardless of color or gender deserve equal rights.
I have not felt Feminism promoting this as a large portion of the feminist movement appears to be infected by women who fuck it all up and set the tone for the movement to be the man-hating stereotype we think of today.
There should be a new movement under a new name that strives for the equality of all and not just the few. A movement does not need to have an emphasis on one group. Feminism based of it's name appears to prioritize women. I believe it would be better, if everybody who truly wants equal rights for everybody, comes under one banner. I dunno call yourself Equalists or something, don't hang under a banner that emphasizes one gender or one color over the other if what you're fighting for is equal rights. If you gather under a term all parties can agree with that stands for equal rights, more people will be willing to listen. Since appearances mean everything in society these days, why the hack not create one we can all stand behind? You want equality? pool your resources! And be rid of the negativity that has begun to cling to the term feminist.
The Term is outdated and ill-suited based on what feminists claim feminism stands for regardless of stereotyping.
But hey, that's just my OPINION.
I think that people/groups who campaign for racial equality have an advantage over those who campaign for gender equality. At the risk of being obvious, there are (pretty much) only 2 genders and countless different races. So it's hard for people to advocate for Gender Equality on specific issues without coming across as taking a side. While concepts of privilege and patriarchy may be true, they do come across as blaming all men, which will mean that they will avoid Feminism. I've read Feminst blogs and while I know the topics are more important than my being comfortable at times I feel like an orc reading Lord of the Rings. It does put me off.
The fact is while I am a man and I know that Feminism has been primarily focused on women's rights (as it should, comparing the situation women were in to the situation for men is like comparing a building on fire to a cat stuck up a tree, which one should the fire department go to first?). I think in many ways it has helped me. If the world was the same as it was before Feminism then men would be mocked for suffering from depression. Any man that was raped would be mocked for being weak or being a 'girl'. Feminism acknowledges that the line between men and women is not as clear as we think/thought.
I'm not sure about the name change. You could look at it from the POV that it is about the Feminine side of things which includes men's feminine side (e.g. feelings). When you look at the differences between male and female suicide, it's obvious that this is an issue that needs to be discussed.
I think at this point (and this is just my opinion) feminism would help itself greatly if did a better job at explaining to men the benefits it can bring. The 'good' feminists (terrible phrase I know) focus on women's rights and do good work. The 'bad feminists' you descibe, hijack the name and use it to give themselves the moral high ground while they talk s***e. I've seen articles in national newspapers arguing that female teachers having sex with male students is fine because the boy wants it, women hitting men is justified and that men who commit suicide should be left on their own because they are just being selfish. I don't believe the majority of feminists believe this but a minority poisons it's image to alot of people. There is still a need for feminism but it might (IMO) be better served by trying to include men. It will give it protection from those who talk about 'misandry', extra people involved, better PR, a different perspective and give a male voice to the movement that will stop the genuinely misogynistic people from turning men against the movement and even help recruit women (imagine if a girl grows up with both parents involved in Feminists movements). Why not build the bridge from both sides so to speak?
I think the speech by Emma Watson was brilliant and would recommend it to anyone man or woman, mostly because it incorporated a male view. There is a difference between working to help one gender 'catch up' and working for gender equality. I believe (again IMO) that working towards the latter will help us achieve the former so much quicker.
