The word “feminist” carries a great deal of negative connotation. Most of us envision a free-spirited, head-shaving, liberal woman with a loathing for all things male.
The truth is much different.
Indeed, there are some feminists in our world that insist on breaking every social stereotype and rejecting all interaction with the male world, but these figures are the exception to the rule.
In reality, most feminists are people just like you and me that support and work towards gender equality in the work place and in society.
Most of us, whether we realize it or not, are, in fact, feminists, but the word carries so much negative connotation that we refuse to recognize our own social beliefs.
Take a moment and ask yourself some questions. Do you believe there is a biological difference between the mental capacities of men and women? Do you think that women can be as creative or productive as men? Do you believe that women ought to receive the same recognition and compensation for their achievements as men?
If you answered yes to any or all of these, you may actually be a feminist.
You see, being a feminist isn’t about rejecting the male world or refusing to help out with the dishes: It’s about challenging popular social stigmas that devalue women and stifle the creativity and advancement of our society.
As Cheris Kramarae once put it, “Feminism is the radical notion that women are people too.” Most of us (hopefully all of us) recognize that while there are some biological differences between men and women, women are people too. As humans, we ought to be defined by our attributes, not by our deficiencies.
So, what does it mean to be a feminist? Well, it doesn’t mean that you need to march to Washington D.C. to protest in front of the White House (although I won’t stop you). If you believe that men and women ought to be treated equally as much as physical limitations will allow, then you can express your opinion in ways that don’t involve stereotypical feminist demonstrations.
As members of a population on their way to entering the business world, it is your and my responsibility to seek gender equality in whatever profession we pursue.
As a manager, you need to make sure that women receive equal compensation for doing the same job. Don’t single out women because of their biological differences, but rather try to include both men and women equally in social cliques and business teams.
As a worker, always treat women with the same respect you would expect from them. Feminism and equality through feminism isn’t about making consolations for women; it’s about making room for women. Instead of alienating your female co-workers, try to understand how it feels to have such a muted voice in such a loud world. Give them the same respect you would give any other co-worker.
As a teacher, instill at an early age the idea that minor physical differences do not mean that men and women deserve different amounts of respect or responsibility. If we want to change this social stigma, we must inform and educate new generations on the mistakes of the past.
Don’t be frightened by the word “feminism”. After all, it’s just a word. But most of us, although we resist admitting it, believe in the concept of gender equality. Don’t let peer pressure or social stereotypes deter you from confronting and expressing what you believe.
I’m not trying to call out anyone who has ever spoken negatively of feminism. You aren’t bad people; you are just swept up in flow of social norms. You have to make the choice to embrace and spread feminism, whether you like the word or not.
-Josh Wesneski is a college of education junior
king3808 2 years, 10 months ago
Wow, harsh words from the previous poster who I think is being a little dramatic.
Josh's point was that feminism is often painted with broad strokes that do not often represent the true values of this philosophy. And he's got a point.
As a social conservative, when I think of a feminist, I think of a radical idealogue. I think a lot of people picture the same thing. This is probably wrong, and this is what Josh is pointing out. Back off a little, JJanowiak.
Also, JJanowiak, get off your high horse. Why is it that a 21-year-old, white male can't have an opion on a topic such as this? Your comments are bigoted and racist. Save me your "males cannot possibly understand the strife of women" attitude. It's so egotistical.
One last thing. He didn't write this article for you, JJanowiak. He wrote this article for people that might need to hear it's message. Go back to English 101 and learn about a writer's "audience."
JJanowiak 2 years, 10 months ago
Maybe Josh didn't set out to write an incredibly patronizing and condescending editorial, but saying this piece falls prey to the biases of a liberal college-aged male would be an understatement. The whole piece is based on the mistaken premise - fed by overexposure to the blogosphere's incestuous groupthink, it looks like - that most people who read the Daily either hold or are afraid of the vulgar stereotype that only the crotchietiest social conservatives hold. Or that they just don't know what feminism means. That's a little entertaining coming from a 21-year-old white male who has obviously not spent very much time thinking about the gender perceptions of people besides himself. Josh is in no position to be counseling other men or women about feminism when he takes those stereotypes, flips them around, projects them on his readers, and expects them to just swallow it silently. In fact, most people aren't enslaved to some farce of an ideology, and in turn, you might be surprised at what a lot of educated conservatives think about gender.
I've got some bad news for you, Josh - people aren't as stupid or ignorant as you apparently think they are. Please spend a little more time researching reality rather than wallowing in an indulgent liberal fantasy that makes all of us - especially "rank and file" non-activist feminists - look like a bunch of idiots in need of enlightening by a man.
JJanowiak 2 years, 10 months ago
Sorry King, you don't get to arbitrarily define your audience when you write for a student paper. You audience is students, period. If you had read a little closer, you might have realized that I was trying very hard to be charitable to conservatives - my whole point is that Josh is basing his argument off what I think is a mistaken idea that all conservatives paint feminists with "broad strokes" as "radical ideologues". It's a shame, then, that you subscribe to such a, well, stupid attitude. You are a major part of the problem, but I like to think that most conservatives have added a little nuance to their views since the days of radical third-wave feminism. But maybe I'm wrong; maybe social conservatives are all as stereotypical as you are.
As for being bigoted (lol) and racist (roflcopter), you apparently missed (perhaps because you fell into what I hoped was the imaginary group of college students that need this baby talk) the entire subtext of the editorial, which is of a young White male who has recently become invested in gender studies and wants to correct - pretentiously - the misconceptions he believes other people hold about feminism.
One problem is that there's not a woman on campus with so infantile a view because, unlike Josh, they've probably had this somewhere between the back and front of their heads since childhood. But as a "social conservative" with the mentality that feminists are "radical ideologues", you could probably be excused for missing all the other complicated aspects of sexism and gender bias that exist in our society.
The reason Josh isn't in a position to be lecturing men is because he's on such a stereotypically male trajectory of interest in feminism. He's still in the zeal stage, which has led him to make all sorts of condescending remarks that insult the intelligence and thinking capability of his male peers and assume they're all stuck in some '50's mindset about women which, miraculously, he's found his way out of. I never said that males can't understand the strife of women; I reject that kind of view on a purely political basis. But Josh could try a little harder to put himself in the shoes of an educated woman so he can make a more sophisticated argument. No high horse here - I'm giving way more credit to the readers of the Daily than either you or him.
PS: since you registered just to hate all over my post, did it ever cross your mind that just assuming all feminists are "radical ideologues" might be a little, teensy-bit bigoted? There must be an audience for this after all.
dargus 2 years, 10 months ago
Come on now, JJ. You can't deny there is hatred in right wing circles for feminism. As Rush said, "Feminism was established so that unattractive women could have easier access to the mainstream of society." This attitude seems to be rather prevalent in the far right, although what they refer to isn't equality for women. What the right seems to dislike are the feminist writers who attacked the fabric of our culture as patriarchal, and often the fabric of religion with it. It is easy to see why the far right doesn't like these ideas. If anything, Mr. Wesneski seems to be attempting to redefine feminism and distance it from those feminist thinkers. Feminism has come to mean something more specific than simply equal rights for women. I don't necessarily agree with the author that feminism needs to be softened, and we can use other words to describe those who desire equal rights. However, your criticism did seem a bit harsh.
kdbp1213 2 years, 10 months ago
jjanowiak is always harsh.........
dio 2 years, 10 months ago
Replace the word "liberal" by "communist" in your first post and it will take a whole different meaning. Maybe you will then realize what was wrong in your criticism.
Very well said.
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