Thoughts on Feminism

[nightelvenserva]

BuiltWilt

Like anything else, it must be done in moderation. I don't mind the idea of feminism or the advocating of it; what I do mind is when the men-bashing begins.

Anything that turns radically violent (physically or ideologically) is dangerous not only to the movement, but also to society as it garners opposing parties for such behavior.

But my opinion on the general idea of feminism? It's a good thing. Regardless of what anyone says, there's still problems in society pertaining to women. I'm not going to lie, the idea of a "Men's world" is still in position. Of course things have gotten much better than before, but the past rings vibrant like a bitter burn of vodka.

This essentially sums up my view well enough.

[SomeRussaboo]

As a male, I feel there are some deep issues with the current feminist movement that must be addressed before they can move forward with their agenda.

For example, they have an incessant need to insert feminist ideology into everything which can be frustrating when you are discussing an event relates only tangentially.

Another thing is that the feminists of this generation, unlike others, are mostly made up of impressionable women with other problems in their lives. My sister, a young woman with depression and social issues, has donned the persona of a communist feminist and has a hatred for all things masculine. She cannot explain it in a logical manner, but she feels as if she hates her step father. I've never felt anything but love and dedication come from this man as he is almost constantly busy dealing with work and the care of his children. This makes me angry at her, but I understand that throughout her life she's been trying to find somewhere where she fits in and it's really hard for her. I just know that the current way she is won't lend well to gaining friends, regardless of social issues at hand.

I recognize that feminism as an ideal is fine, but from what I've seen from the "third wave" of feminists, I am not liking the way they act. They claim misogyny when they clearly hate men, they play the victim for attention, and they try to insert their ideas into everything (Example in the game Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel). In the example given, it's supposed to be some sort of joke, but it ends up being so forcefully crammed into the script that it just hurts and kills the mood.

Forgive me if I can't get what I'm saying across, I'm tired as hell.

[Fullmetal Joestar]

In moderation. As a woman myself, I do believe in gender equality.

But in a first world country, we already HAVE rights.

Feminism is good for 3rd world countries. Not here, in the USA (for my fellow Americans posting).

[ST0RAGE]

Sierra052

As a male, I feel there are some deep issues with the current feminist movement that must be addressed before they can move forward with their agenda.

For example, they have an incessant need to insert feminist ideology into everything which can be frustrating when you are discussing an event relates only tangentially.

Another thing is that the feminists of this generation, unlike others, are mostly made up of impressionable women with other problems in their lives. My sister, a young woman with depression and social issues, has donned the persona of a communist feminist and has a hatred for all things masculine. She cannot explain it in a logical manner, but she feels as if she hates her step father. I've never felt anything but love and dedication come from this man as he is almost constantly busy dealing with work and the care of his children. This makes me angry at her, but I understand that throughout her life she's been trying to find somewhere where she fits in and it's really hard for her. I just know that the current way she is won't lend well to gaining friends, regardless of social issues at hand.

I recognize that feminism as an ideal is fine, but from what I've seen from the "third wave" of feminists, I am not liking the way they act. They claim misogyny when they clearly hate men, they play the victim for attention, and they try to insert their ideas into everything (Example in the game Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel). In the example given, it's supposed to be some sort of joke, but it ends up being so forcefully crammed into the script that it just hurts and kills the mood.

Forgive me if I can't get what I'm saying across, I'm tired as hell.

People (usually women) who call themselves feminists but also say they hate men ARE NOT FEMINISTS. They are misandrists.

[Cosmo_Shinden]

It is very important position in humanism and philosophy as it helps to define the meaning of equality and sexism, just as much as it is about social justice and it makes contributions to the professional field of philosophy. And to prove my point, I present a pair of academic papers on feminism within philosophy:

http://booksandjournals.brillonline.com/content/journals/10.1163/174046809x12544019606067

http://www.mit.edu/~shaslang/mprg/nussbaumO.pdf

[GhostPretzel]

Misandry isn't a thing you guys. Its not a real thing. Its like reverse-racism. Its not a thing.

Feminism= equality for both genders, in a society of male privilege.

People claiming that feminists are man hating monsters is not new, its wrong, but its not new. Do you realize that if feminists "gave up" because men decided it was all about them we wouldn't be able to vote? Evidence
Its no different now. No, men and women are not equal right now. Yes, patriarchal ideals and the social expectations regarding gender and sexuality are hurting EVERYONE. So quit whining about hurt feelings and get on with it. Issues need to be dealt with. Quit blaming women for everyone's problems and educate yourself.

Also humanism =/= anything to do with gender equality.

[tealoving]

Silver Corin

Misandry isn't a thing you guys. Its not a real thing. Its like reverse-racism. Its not a thing.

Feminism= equality for both genders, in a society of male privilege.

People claiming that feminists are man hating monsters is not new, its wrong, but its not new. Do you realize that if feminists "gave up" because men decided it was all about them we wouldn't be able to vote? Evidence
Its no different now. No, men and women are not equal right now. Yes, patriarchal ideals and the social expectations regarding gender and sexuality are hurting EVERYONE. So quit whining about hurt feelings and get on with it. Issues need to be dealt with. Quit blaming women for everyone's problems and educate yourself.

Also humanism =/= anything to do with gender equality.

<- I'm in agreement.

[GoldenEnlightenment]

I'm for equality. I want equal pay, but I still want to be able to be drafted.

However, males and females will be in a forever power struggle because our DNA says "REPRODUCE AND TAKE POWER!!!". It's just instinctual.

[Nitroglycerific Rainbow]

Feminism's ********' rad. It helps both men and women. whee

[ST0RAGE]

"Misandry isn't real"
Yeah okay.
Just like racism isn't real. Just like obese people aren't real. Just like Canada isn't real.

Literally the definition of misandry is the hatred of men(misogyny's opposite). You're completely ignorant if you don't think people like that exist and you think that's what feminism means. Honestly. You're on the internet already. Use it for something good and educate yourself!

[Casually Fabulous]

ST0RAGE

"Misandry isn't real"
Yeah okay.
Just like racism isn't real. Just like obese people aren't real. Just like Canada isn't real.

Literally the definition of misandry is the hatred of men(misogyny's opposite). You're completely ignorant if you don't think people like that exist and you think that's what feminism means. Honestly. You're on the internet already. Use it for something good and educate yourself!

What they mean is that it doesn't have the same effect on a larger scale. Racism against white people is pretty much a joke because white people have been the ones in power in all ways and forms for so long that to them, a comment like "********' cracker cops keep killing our kids" is on the same level as them calling black people the n-word, which has a huge amount of history of oppression and awful meaning behind it. So does cracker--the cracker of the whip. So even the white people's slur is a testament to their position of power.

Likewise, the hatred of men is equally as ineffective. Women hold almost no high positions, they're not represented in the same numbers as they should be in the media, they're not taken seriously and infantilized by our society as a whole, in addition to the constant threat of Schrodinger's rapist/murderer/abuser, who they will of course be blamed for because of clothes, timing, drinking, not being careful enough, being alone, whatever excuse someone can come up with. Whereas men, as in the example above of racism, can do far more harm, and often get little to no repercussion, especially in examples of rape and abuse.

[Casually Fabulous]

Honey of the South

As a feminist myself, I have to say that I hate the way some women take the movement and how others, men and women alike, take it all as a joke. I'm for the equality of both genders, not the superiority of women over men. And I know that while there are a lot of times where women aren't given the same rights as men, there are also times where men aren't given the same rights as women. A good example would be when it comes to child custody. The father could be the more fit parent but the mother still gets the child anyways.

America's supposed to be about equal rights, but when you factor in things like sexism, racism, prejudice, ageism, and ableism then you notice that in reality America's citizens are hardly equal in their rights.

Also: Ageism is stereotyping and discriminating against people because of their age, and ableism is discriminating against people with disabilities.

I would just like to point out that often the child is given to the mother by mutual agreement of the parents, and fathers who actively seek custody obtain either primary or joint physical custody over 70% of the time, according to the Massachusetts Supreme Court’s Gender Bias Study (1990).

[Casually Fabulous]

To directly address the subject of this forum, my thoughts on feminism are closer to the extremist side.

I consider myself a radical feminist, and I do so for a few reasons. Namely, I believe that sex, while an important part of our biology and makeup as human beings, has absolutely nothing to do with gender, that there is no such thing as brain-genders, and that the social construct of gender is inherently oppressive and should be abolished at its core (which makes me a gender abolitionist). Furthermore, I don't think of feminism as a fight for equality any longer, because that implies that I want the chance to oppress men the way they have systematically been able to do to us for centuries, and that's not it at all. I don't want equality in this flawed system. I don't want a matriarchy or some blended form of warped equality. I want liberation from the patriarchy, in all of its forms.