Is there a way to educate more people about the feminist movement?

Question

I know many people who think they oppose it but in fact only oppose their strawman (or strawwoman, whatever) idea of feminism.

As far as I know, a feminist just says, "Dude, we want equal rights. If men can do something women can't, let women do it. If women can do something men can't, let men do it."

I keep hearing crap about how feminists want to destroy families. Where is that coming from, and how can I succinctly sum up the feminist movement to give someone a basic, factual understanding?

Answer 1

I wish!
The junk is coming from those who appose it and want to make a mess of it or look at the word feminism and believe it means something else.

Keep posting questions to keep the less educated from being heard more then the ones who actually know.

Answer 2

women do not want equal rights
if they did they would want equal pay for equal work
and this includes equal amount of days worked
something women work less due to time off, PTO, maternity leave, ect, leaving others ( including single women ) to pick up the slack
if they wanted equal rights they wouldn't sue for alimony as if they were independant before a marriage, surely it would be reasoned they would be independant after a marriage, but that's almost never the case, and in those cases where the women earns substatially more than the male, they always get a powerful attorney to help protect their assests.
a women can anem any man ( legit or not ) on a bith certificate and then go after then man for child support ( even if the man was not the father ) and the state will aggressively go after him on her belalf, in some cases even if the dna proves him innocent ( which btw is a non reimburse fee the accuse male must pay ) some state will still go after the accused if the real father is not found, after all the state does not like welfare roles increased. even if it happens later and the man has been found innocent he cannot back sue the state nor the accuser for child support allready paid, in fact most states will assume he must pay it as bonding with the child ( their assumption ) will have occurred. it's the case of legal fraud only women can commit and get state sanctioned backing for it
if women were equal then all women would gladly sign pre-nups and have all live births dna tested to 100% determine paternity, but most women take offense to both notions as they do not liek the idea of signing away what they see as an entitlement to a man's estate / assest once in marriage
even if in casual long term living relationship women still sue for palimoney and the stunner is that some liberal courts will award monies
so much for the feminist independant women of today

BTW is was feminst that got no fault divorce laws passed in most states
so a women can cheat on her husband, and he cannot use that as reason for divorce, therefore the courts see the divorce as amicable ( they never are ) and therefore do not award judgement based on fault on one side nor the other ( in theory ) so sound judgement is left out and feminsts laws take over , so a man can be a better child rearing person to a tramp drug user of a mother, but the courts will favor the mother and tax the man for it.
feminst also object to porn on the basis that it depowers and degrades women in general, in fact it does the opposite, those in the business have power , not the men, it's men that buy the bulk of the material, not women, women make the money and get the fame ( and approval from feminist oddly enough say look how much power you have to the like of Jenna Jameson and Tera Patrick ).

Answer 3

I can tell you one thing...plagariazing Wikipedia as *some* answerers have done isn't helping feminism at all.

Seriously though, I think the grassroots method is the best - talk to the people you know and explain to them what feminism is really all about. A lot of times, when someone sees a shrill, academic-looking feminist on tv, they will automatically tune her out. Unfortantely, a lot of feminist "spokespersons" come across as angry, bitter extremists.

But your friends and family know that you are a not a militant man-hater who wants to destroy the family or marriage. They trust you, and they'll be much more receptive to what you have to say than they would be to some Women's Studies professor from Ithaca.

To sum up the feminist movement, I find that it helps to relate the stuggle of women to a struggle your listener may have faced in life. Most people have been discriminated against or denied opportunity for some reason in their past. They may have been the fat but athletic kid who was picked last for the baseball team, or the most knowlegeable worker who was passed up for a promotion because they didn't have a college degree.

Relate the struggle of women to the struggle they faced. Relate the injustice of sexism to the injustices they faced because of their age, race, background, etc. Give examples where women only want to be held as equals to men, but are denied justice. Most people have a basic sense of fairness, and when they can liken the hardships others face to their own problems, they become much more sympathetic.

Lastly, and most importantly, reject those "femisists" who are clearly in the wrong. If someone brings up an example of a "feminist" who favors preferential treatment for women or a "feminist" who casts blanket condemnations of men, DON'T defend the "feminist". Reclaim the movement for what it really stands for- equality, NOT female superiority. That will also go a long way to showing them what feminism is really all about.

Answer 4

First things, first -- amen!!! However, as far as educating people about the movement we have to realize that there are some deep rooted misogynistic attitudes in seemingly benign packages.I recently moved to a different part of the country and was shocked to hear preachers on the radio speaking against "women in authority" or women working outside the home,etc. It was a real eye-opener about how prevalent some of these attitudes still are. The best thing we can do is to get the information out there and make it accessible, and continue to vote. Unfortunately some people will refuse to move past whatever conclusions they have made and ignore any evidence that suggests otherwise. I still have hope that even when some are raising their children with sexists ideals; people will be exposed to strong women in the home, community, government, etc. that can serve to counteract the ignorant.

Answer 5

Let men do something that women cant do ??
You mean coal mining,fighting for the nation,labourers job,father children,donation to sperm banks.

Let women do something that men cant do?
You mean Bear children,breast feed them,kick men(unlike women guys still have some ethics in a fight),manipulate emotionally and sexually,gossip,use the law for protection.

The only way this is going to happen is when you embark on sex change operations on a global scale.

I would really love to understand what you have to say about feminism and how you are going to educate guys about how good and fairy like it is.

You might succeed with guys still not using there intellects or bigger heads but not the ones who have been burnt once by feminists and what they have planted.

By the way how much do feminist know about prostrate cancer and do they ever realize how horrendous emotionally and physically a kick to the mans jewels is????

Answer 6

The "crap" about feminists wanting to destroy families comes from feminists that makes statements about destroying the tradition of marriage:

"We can't destroy the inequities between men and women until we destroy marriage." - Robin Morgan

"Since marriage constitutes slavery for women, it is clear that the women's movement must concentrate on attacking this institution. Freedom for women cannot be won without the abolition of marriage." -- Sheila Cronin, the leader of the feminist organization NOW

and

"Marriage as an institution developed from rape as a practice."-- Andrea Dworkin

That's only a part of it, though. Some men's rights groups also belief that courts are working against men in the sphere of child rearing and domestic violence, favoring women in the overwhelming majority of the cases. Some groups also think that certain advertisements (like recent Valentine's Day advertisements), demonstrations like "Take back the Night" at colleges, and other media are used to portray a caricatured version of an evil and oppressive male identity with the main goal of putting distance between the sexes... some believe this is done because it results in lucrative opportunities for companies and businesses. It is also true that feminists generally approve of abortions (One magazine had a write-in list of women who were proud that they had had abortions), and some groups use this as indication that feminists don't want to deal with children, focusing instead on themselves.

I personally believe that some of it is trumped up but that a lot of it is not. What I am relatively sure of is that quite a few present day "feminists" exert a negative influence on the country as a whole and are really getting in the way of true movements toward equality for men and women under the law.

EDIT: Elle M, I'm hurt. Don't you think I'm a loony too? I want to be included with Alexandra and Happy Bullet. I'm totally against the supposed "feminism" going on in today's Western states. I'll take the opportunity to reply the same way I did on another article; if you want to link to the Wikipedia article on feminism, use a link like this:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Feminism

Don't just copy and paste. It showcases extreme rudeness. After all, who wants to scroll through what they could just click to see?

Answer 7

Explain feminism to others just like you did here. You did a great job.

PS I'm sorry you had to hear from a few of the people who like to hang out in the women's studies area and quote the same old same old stuff. They're really boring.

Answer 8

Feminism is being judged on it's actions and results rather than what people "say" about it.

The fact is if people are educated about what feminism is REALLY about, as judged correctly by its actions and results they have the opinions that you think are wrong.

How about YOU get educated about what feminism is about by having a look at the latest NOW campaigns, or the fact that the NOW National Counsel is:

http://www.sherridonovan.com/

Look at the site and the cover of her latest book, "Hit him where it hurts - The take no prisoner's guide to divorce, alimony, child support and more, by Sherri Donovan, National Counsel, National Organisation for Women".

Or quotes from the National Organisation for Women and other feminists:

"Since marriage constitutes slavery for women, it is clear that the women's movement must concentrate on attacking this institution. Freedom for women cannot be won without the abolition of marriage." -- Sheila Cronin, the leader of the feminist organization NOW

"Marriage has existed for the benefit of men; and has been a legally sanctioned method of control over women.... We must work to destroy it. The end of the institution of marriage is a necessary condition for the liberation of women. Therefore it is important for us to encourage women to leave their husbands and not to live individually with men.... All of history must be re-written in terms of oppression of women. We must go back to ancient female religions like witchcraft" (from "The Declaration of Feminism," November, 1971).

"We can't destroy the inequities between men and women until we destroy marriage." -- Robin Morgan

"Marriage as an institution developed from rape as a practice." -- Andrea Dworkin

Or the fact that the declining marriage rate can be traced back to the rise in the divorce rate and the rise in divorce rate can be tracked to two things:

No fault divorce - Pioneered by the National Association of Women Lawyers:

http://www.crisismagazine.com/march2005/baskerville.htm

and supported by feminists ( "Why shouldn't a woman be able to leave a bad marriage?" etc. etc. )

And

MATERNAL CUSTODY IN DIVORCE WITH ALIMONY AND CHILD SUPPORT.

If you don't think feminists aren't behind child support or sole maternal custody then you really know nothing about feminism.

So basically where people saying feminists want to destroy families is coming from is:

1) Feminists saying they want to destroy families.
2) Feminists incepting and supporting legal attacks on the family.
3) Feminists destroying families.

Yeah I don't know where on earth they could be getting the idea.

Answer 9

I don't know anything about the feminist movement (to speak of). What were the pros and cons?

Answer 10

A few years ago I lived with a couple of feminists|

It was a nightmare on wheels|

They did everything within their power to emasculate me|


But down the street there were a couple of decent and wonderful girls|

The difference was like day and night|

They were totally respectful of me, and me of them|

It was some place that I could be validated|

But it was all on the level, since I treated them like sisters|

They were true friends|


The malevolance of the feminist movement is shown in the fact that they want to destroy the institution of marriage|

They wish to kill goodness, beauty, and happiness, wherever they can|

This is because they are so miserable themselves, they wish to make everyone else miserable|


Now about that thing of marriage being "slavery" is based totally upon a false pre-supposition|

It is based upon the Marxist world-view in which everthing is in conflict|

Feminists see men and women in opposite warring camps, so that the gain of one is considered the loss of the other|

It does not occur to them that men and women can truly care for one another, and wish to help each other out, as one compliments the other|


But of course, a person always judges another in terms of himself|

If he himself (or herself) is totally selfish, he or she will judge all other people as having nothing but the motive of taking advantage of others, so it will be judged that a man wants to marry a woman simply to exploit and control her, as feminists erroneously do|




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