Could women benefit from a different way of articulating and manifesting their freedom from oppression?

Question

The terms "feminist" and "women's movement" are viewed with skepticism of varying degrees by most men.....and, yes, women. When most people think of a feminist, they don't think of a person (male or female) that believes that women deserve equal rights, equal opportunities, and equal respect/credit for equal contributions. Most people think of feminists as men who are perpetual apologists for the behavior of bad men & women who want to levy power (in court, at work, and especially at home) in their favor with little real accountability. I know this isn't what feminism is supposed to stand for, but it's what is more often thought of when the term comes up. How can this be remedied?

Answer 1

I have 2 thoughts/ideas:

1. Third Wave Campaign with a "new image" - more of a humanitarian view. The image of the bra burning male bashing feminazi needs to be re-developed with a new logo.

2. Seems like Suffragists have quite a bit of respect, but I will bet they didn't 100 years ago. I think the same thing has happened to the Feminist. Maybe we just need a new name, or should employ Egaltarian (sp?) more often?

Answer 2

This can be remedied by more women having the ovaries to say that they're feminists. The best way to get rid of the negative connotations of a word is to take it back. What, now we should be cowed by people who are terrified of women's liberation? Our great-grandmothers would spin in their graves! They faced jail time and their children being taken away, and we can't face Pat Robertson?

Answer 3

What if we just go back to 1950 and start over...OK, maybe that won't work. There has been so much damage done already in the name of "you know what".

I think someone should get creative and come up with a new movement that is balanced and fair. The problem is this; too many women don't even know what that should look like anymore. (Listen to Hillary's puke-box and weep)

Maybe we should de-program our little children by introducing a more well rounded viewpoint of what makes Mommy a mommy and Daddy a daddy, and go ahead and let the genders be different...but thanks to that whole movement, there is a BIG campaign for "gender-inclusivity" moving into the elementary schools right now- shared baths - "you are not really a boy or a girl unless you think you are" - mentality.

But then, we TEACH that girls & women are just going to be treated unfairly.

Excerpt: http://www.dest.gov.au/archive/schools/genderequity/6_5.htm

"In this study, the gendered structures and processes of the wider community were seen to impact on the school in a number of ways. In the first instance, the school as a social situation was seen to mirror the wider community. In addition, the wider community was where students had their most significant gender experiences and where their gender was constantly 'being made and remade'. "

WHAT?!?!?! What does that mean?

More: " According to one teacher:
I think when they go beyond schooling, that's when it worries me, because even though the girls might be higher achievers at school, when they get into universities and into the work force, they're still coming up against all these barriers.'

THEY WILL BE LOOKING FOR IT, THAT'S FOR SURE!

More: " According to a principal:
So it's the wider community that's still a big problem, and that's why we're focusing a lot on social structures, and language discourses with the school kids, so that they can get a better understanding of how society is structured to make it easier for men than for women. So that even though a man might have lower qualifications, in actual fact he might get the job instead of a woman. I think that element is very important for the girls and for the boys, if you're going to actually succeed in doing anything."

TEACHERS & PRINCIPALS....HMMM

The more we continue to confuse the fertile minds, the worse it will get in the future....hang on!

Answer 4

Could PEOPLE benefit from a different way of articulating and manifesting their freedom from oppression?

Q: "How can this be remedied?"

A: I have "remedied" problems with the definition of the term "equality" TWICE tonight already. My top-secret, ultra-sophisticated method? LOOK UP THE DEFINITION IN A DICTIONARY. Geez, how I hate it! People squabbling over concepts- and nobody has bothered to look up the word to see what the hell it means in the FIRST place!

Answer 5

I think the movie "Thelma & Louise" provides a good feminist model and way to articulate and manifest freedom from oppression.

Answer 6

"Who knew" makes some good points, the suffragists of yore were maligned and marginalized in the same way as feminists today (thanks, Rush). Perhaps "Egalitarians" would be a better term for today's purposes, but I don't know if changing the name would matter...I think we need to work toward educating people as to our real intentions, and working toward equality (for all) in general, and maybe, with time, it will correct itself.

Answer 7

People can educate themselves. Giving credibility to loud-mouthed radio or tv personalities is like seeking marriage counselling from Brittney Spears. Consider the source.

Good places to start are:

http://www.msmagazine.com/
http://www.bitchmagazine.com/
http://feministing.com/

Maybe people can realize that feminism is quite necessary in our world. I long for the day it isn't required. Until then...

Answer 8

Actually, feminism has never been about equality; it has always been a struggle for dominance. The negative connotation that accompanies the term 'feminism' is justly earned and can probably never be remedied. Women need to redefine what it is that they want, and relabel it accordingly. The word itself is either ambiguous or should connote a woman who aspires to femininity (lace and frills). Semantics sank that boat before it ever sailed. No one likes disingenuousness in coining terms or phrases.

Women need to be taught (as children) that they have a unique, defined role in society. That role does not involve usurping men's unique roles. Men and women can enjoy equality of rights, but they will never be interchangeable. Women who aspire to the trappings of manhood are building facades, like movie sets. They look for all intents and purposes like their male counterparts, but there is no structure behind the facade.

Women should embrace what it is to be a woman (whatever that means, individually), and not repress it to be more like men. Aggression is an example of a male trait that women do not come by naturally, in general, of course. To teach girls to suppress their tendency to 'get along' and work together in exchange for attaining a dominant advantage over others is contrary to thousands of years of socialization and a detriment to the species as a whole.

As American women have made the gains that they've sought in recent decades, they've lost much, much more. They are ceasing to be women at all, with the exception of giving birth. Otherwise, they are just men in women's bodies.

Edit: Oh, and that whole diatribe can be reversed for the 'girly men' we are producing today, as well. All of these guys with 'product' and feelings and sensitivity, etc. are just trying to usurp the role of women. (Except gays, of course. They come by it naturally.) Likewise, we are proiducing as many grown male children, too. Some men today are attracted to dominant women so they will never have to grow up and be men. They are content to marry a mother, rather than a wife.

Answer 9

how about ''feminine people'', that has a softer sound