Do those who criticize feminism have any idea what it really means?

Question

http://finallyfeminism101.wordpress.com/purpose/faq-i-asked-some-feminists-a-question-and-instead-of-answering-they-sent-me-here-why/
This website deals with the myths that surround feminist ideology.

Opinions please?

Answer 1

The problem is not the lack of material available at the touch of a button, it is the disinterest in reading such material. The website is a nice collection of resources and a good place to direct people towards.

Critics have many different motivations. Few critics of feminism know what it means, and those that really do understand are often worried that their own powerbase, and right of dominion is being eroded.

Answer 2

I must admit, I do not consider myself a feminist, because I do not have the intensity it takes to be a full fledged feminist. I am one who lives in the grey area. I do not know enough about the ideology, and I am sure that at some point my posts call for a cry of "traitor"...but, I really do not mean to be.

I applaud the feminist, because it is a difficult road to tow. In the 1960's, the world was a hateful place. Women with great strength started carving away at the bigotry. Chiseling to find a future where all women had a voice and the choice to live a life in the way that could be appreciated.

What people forget is that the people who criticize the feminist, owe their free thought to the women that freed those mothers that instilled the concept of thought. The world would be much smaller if women were still being put in "their place".

Answer 3

Some of us do.

EDIT

My issues with feminism (and I am one, after a fashion: at least there are women who call themselves "feminist" with whose views I identify) do not concern equality, per se, but with the scope of equality, with the explanations for inequality, and with many of the theories regarding the sources and possible solutions to inequality.

EDIT

By the way, when people use the dictionary definition of feminism, I have no quarrel with that. However, within academia, there are debates about what constitutes an "authentically feminist perspective" and the like. Coming from that background, I am more circumspect about using the term, though I will gladly call myself someone who cares about women's issues and supports women's rights.

EDIT

Having spelled this out, one might better understand why I resent being told I decline the label out of fear of "blacklash" (I get called "feminized" and accused of being gay and a feminist a-kisser in private mails quite often and it doesn't bother me at all) or because I am "sexist" or "misogynist".

EDIT

And when I do criticize "feminism", I am not attacking women's rights: I am criticizing certain trends observable in feminist philosophy and feminist theory, which do not necessarily represent all who call themselves "feminist" and certainly don't represent all who support women's rights.

EDIT

One last point: when I do criticize feminist philosophy and feminist theory, it seldom has anything whatsoever to do with my views on women's rights. My criticisms are very much the same as criticisms I would direct toward various trends that have influenced feminist theory, e.g. Rousseau, Nietzsche, various Marxisms, Freud and other Psycho-analytic approaches, Phenomenology, Structuralism and Post-structuralism, Social Constructionism, PostModernism, Cultural Relativism, and others.

Unfortunately, many feminists in academia have latched onto some of the worst intellectual fads, but that has no bearing on the legitimacy of many of feminism's ethical demands.

Answer 4

I'm pro equal rights. How does insisting that 50% of the student athletes in a college be female promote equal rights? Since far fewer women are interested in athletics, colleges have been cutting mens' programs like crazy. Not everything feminists have fought for really involves equality. Title IX is just one example. At this point, they're fighting to remold the world into their own Utopia. The fact that the majority of Western women don't share their ideology, or their vision of utopia, doesn't seem to bother them.

Answer 5

You yourself, and others here (or in various places) may well call yourself feminists because you're giong by the dictionary definition - which is great, I love the dictionary definition.

However, place yourself out of the book and into the real world and a different picture is painted.

When 'feminists' acquire power, they abuse it. Swedish feminist political group (amonst other branches of feminism) have been found guilty of financial fraud, tampering with ballots, trying to impose a 'man tax', relying on misinformation to perpetuate further hate against men as a group, and the list goes on.

Feminists will not speak up against injustices against men, and silence is effectively condoning it.These aren't just minor injustices either, these are hefty ones. So it cannot be about true equality. If feminism were for true equality between the sexes, I'd proudly call myself a feminist - but it is advocacy for one half of the planet's population, and oftentimes uses misandry to help push that advocacy...

Again, *if* feminism were based truly on the dictionary definition I would have NO problem at all.

But feminism is NOT based on the dictionary definition - and that means there IS a problem.

Answer 6

Some of us criticize current feminism *because* we know what feminism "really" means and it just isn't "equality" by any stretch of the imagination.

Using a sexist blog as a "source" is pretty weak but that's feminism for you. It doesn't matter what you say, what matters is what you DO and since feminism claims to be about equality but practices misandry, I criticize it because it deserves it. It is hypocrisy of the highest order.

Proof: examine the feminist-backed legislation in regard to the rights of men in reproduction (which is limited to refraining from sex) compared to the five that feminism has demanded for women (abstinence, abortion, adoption, abandonment and keeping the child while demanding someone else finance the operation).

Then there is the area of selective service and paternity fraud, custody and divorce settlements and even the sexist "women's studies' and on and on.

If feminists want equality, it is necessary to allow men to have the same rights as women OR to limit women to the same rights as men. Take your pick but demanding different treatments for men and women (as "feminism" does) is NOT and can never be about "equality".

Answer 7

I would say probably not. Or they are basing their opinions on the stereotypes surrounding feminists and feminism. (several posts on this forum might fall here.)
Perhaps they had a bad experience with someone that called themselves a feminist and they think everyone that identifies as a feminist must be the same way.

However...some really do read feminist writing and base their opinions on what they have read. Those are few but they do exist. They find out what it's about so they can put it down.

Answer 8

Yes, they do. They remember feminist efforts to manipulate women into working for pay, they disagree that men and women are the same, or must have identical roles to have equal rights, and they believe that children need fathers and that some of us women *need* our men, and we're not ashamed to say so. The men need us, too. And some of us disagree that every man out there wants to rape us and oppress us. Some do, but many others don't.

http://www.ladiesagainstfeminism.com/artman/publish/LAF_Theme_Articles_13/You_Don_t_Know_Feminism_744100744.shtml

Disagreement happens when feminism stretched from "equal rights" to "women must live in this manner if 'enlightened". It's deceptive to claim that taxpayer funded daycare is the only "woman friendly" side to the debate, for example, which is exactly what is argued. If large numbers of women disagree with that idea, then feminists don't speak for all women. And no, it's not a matter of "educating" them - indoctrinating them - into seeing how wrong they are.

I hope you understand, I respect you personally a great deal. You make a lot of great points and have a lot of insight into women's issues. I'm not against feminists. I'm against claiming that femin*ism* is only about "women's rights".

Answer 9

I do not know much , about feminism, but I understand Equality and inequality. I am learning daily more about feminists issues and concerns.

Answer 10

Some people don't like feminism because they don't have a clue what it means.

And some people don't like feminism because they Do know what it means and they just hate the idea.

p.s. of course criticising some feminists or something that a feminist says can be totally reasonable but that's a very diferent thing..