Are there any people here that agree with these quotes and find them?

Question

empowering, enlightening or offensive?
Warning to the faint of heart, as they express obvious feminist sentiment.
http://www.feminist.com/resources/quotes/index.html

Answer 1

Of course not, Dierdre. The anti-feminist posters on here have a biased viewpoint of feminists, and the feminist posters on here have a biased viewpoint of anti-feminists.

"In my heart, I think a woman has two choices: either she's a feminist or a masochist."
—Gloria Steinem

Is the only one I disagree with, from a relatively quick reading. Why should a woman that thinks a woman is subordinate to a man (even in rights) be a masochist? A masochist derives sexual enjoyment or happiness from pain. Such women need not be this way, otherwise, the overwhelming majority of women pre-feminism in the Enlightenment era were masochists.

A newsflash for you- the anti-feminists here are mostly people that are disgusted with double standards that work against men or are disgusted with feminist rhetoric based upon lies like the Super Bowl Sunday statistic, the eating disorder death statistic, or the 1 in 4 statistic for women being raped.
Those statistics are old, but I have not particularly seen feminists that decry them as biased and motivated by sexism.

Likewise, I have become aware that I had a somewhat biased viewpoint of feminism before I got on Yahoo! Answers- people like KoreaGuy, Wendy G, and Rio helped point that out to me not through their adherence to the notion of "feminism is only about equality" but through their interaction with other people, even if they were obviously trying to offend. (KoreaGuy more through his honesty and the expression of his concerns- one post in particular did it for me.)

(By this point Baba Yaga and Rain just crack me up- the offensive part of their antics is long gone.)

You, not so much, because you still accuse people of misogyny up and down when it's not warranted. Sometimes the anti-feminists and myself respond with unnecessary attacks too, but it's always a cycle- first one then the other.

That's enough of that, though- the issue won't solve itself overnight. I would just like to think that this would give insight into the anti-feminist mentality.

(This of course does not apply to random trolls, who are just acting like asses almost constantly.)

Answer 2

Yes, I agree. However, there are some imperfections that are unforgivable. I became an adolescent when I was about 4, I think. And I became an adult when I was about 16. And wise (according to the quote) when I was 17. But I can't remember ever being a child.

Answer 3

Those quotes reflect feminism much better than the one Thor's screwdriver presented. Empowering, enlightening, completely without offense.

Answer 4

The day will come when men will recognize woman as his peer, not only at the fireside, but in councils of the nation. Then, and not until then, will there be the perfect comradeship, the ideal union between the sexes that shall result in the highest development of the race."
—Susan B. Anthony

I wonder what she would think if she saw us now.... Inspiring, definitely not offensive...

Edit:
By the way not sure if I broke one of YA's rules, if so sorry Yahoo :o)

Answer 5

why would they be offensive?
many of these quotes are from different time periods, and many of those still hold up today...I think they are all enlightening...and I think they all have the potential to be empowering to someone...

Answer 6

Thank you, I enjoyed reading those quotes. I don't agree with every single word, but on the whole, it is inspiring and empowering. I bookmarked it.

Answer 7

Definately empowering and enlightening.

Especially:
"Many persons have a wrong idea of what constitutes true happiness. It is not attained through self-gratification but through fidelity to a worthy purpose."
—Helen Keller

Answer 8

I agree with the quotes--the Margaret Fuller quote in one of my favorites, and i actually used it in my statement of purpose when applying to grad school.

One that I had not heard, but really liked, was this:

"The first problem for all of us, men and women, is not to learn, but to unlearn."

I think that this quote sums up what education in general--and women's studies specifically--is all about: learning how to question, to think critically, especially about things that we take for granted as norms, "facts," and "givens."

You are sharing such great links today--it is a breath of fresh air in this forum. Kudos!

Answer 9

Nothing comes over worse than people trying to sound wise or trying to sell some idea that people see as worthy but not worth the effort for the uninvolved (or comfortable).

The feminist movement has achieved a lot for women but is in danger of losing direction by trying to micromanage women.

Answer 10

didn't find them offensive at all, but not very funny either (and all my favorite quotes are both). And I don't think Jane Fonda pulled off what she was trying to do.