Feminists: Do you view anti-feminist women as being "traitors"?
@ louis b: The op said these women label themselves as feminists, so you're way off base there. To answer the question, I consider myself a staunch anti-feminist, and I have been called names, been accused of promoting rape, and been treated as a traitor to my own. This should hardly be surprising. Feminism is about letting women do and be what they want, as long as it is a feminist-approved path. Thanks, but no. I am all about equal rights. But equal rights just means everyone has the same opportunities. It does NOT mean guaranteed equal outcomes. No one should get a "bye" just because they have boobs, or are a member of some "protected minority". Edit: I suppose I should add that I used to be a feminist. I've never been for nonsense like Affirmative Action, but I definitely believed women were treated as second-class citizens. That is, until I actually looked at the evidence that was clear around me, and stopped looking through the filter of what the feminists told me.
Why not all women recognise themselves as Feminist?
Let me start by stating the definition of feminism.Definition of feminismthe belief that men and women should have equal rights and opportunities.I believe that today many women are in favor of above definition of feminism. More and more women now believe that they are as capable as men and therefore should have equal rights.But sadly there are still a big section of women who believe that men are better suited for some jobs (Leadership, wrestling, on field job etc) . This perception is mainly because this is how they have been raised. Women are told from an early age what is expected of them and what is a proper way of living for a ‘lady’ .All these ideals get embedded in peoples brains and they stop seeing world as it is. Imagine that someone tells you that you should not wear black because it doesn’t suits you. You won’t pay any attention for first few times. But what if 100 people say same thing to you ? You will stop wearing black. This is human psychology. We tend to seek approval of others. Women are expected to be giving and adjusting, so obviously when they ask for something for themselves its not very acceptable to society.So what do they do ? They stop asking.Perhaps this is why some women don’t recognize themselves as feminist.P.S : To all women out there - “Don’t stop asking !”Source : Definition of feminism : Dictionary and Thesaurus | Merriam-Webster
Is there a difference between feminists and...?
Yes there is. What I understand from your statement is that more than a feminist you are an egalitarian and most probably a humanitarian. Feminists, on the other hand, not only believe in equality but also question the validity and naturalness of male/ female gender roles, and the connotations each gender brings up. For example, the association of women with the household emanates from an idea of a woman as a domestic being. Also the associations of men with the public space finds ideological support from the imagination of them as political beings. Feminists, although they are very different amongst them according to their ideological base, would question such assignments and their basis. Also, for example Marxist Feminists would not believe that true equality between men and women can be sustained without the abolition of the capitalist workings of the market, which reflects on women's status within the public sphere, brings limitations on their mobility and forms parallels with the relations constructed within the family unit (like, the ideal family unit being the nuclear one where women's labor is turned invisible and cast outside the market relations on the basis of it being a representation of conjugal love). So ultimately, believing solely on the equality of men and women would not be equal to being a feminist since a feminist would also be concerned with the particular construction of the system in which such equality will take place (and inevitably, questioning whether true equality has been sustained or not, or whether it is possible in the current political/ cultural/ social state of affairs). Marxist Feminists being one kind, you can find a lot more diversity in this arena. In order to give you more examples, for example: Giving pregnancy/ birth etc. leaves to working women might at first seem like sustaining equality between men and women laborers. While some feminists would be fine with this, some others might question the system where bringing children to an office is considered an abnormality (and then question the labor market itself and how it is constructed on male values and focuses on qualities that pertain to male physicality). I hope I made sense. I am not an expert, so if I have mistakes please look over them.
A question for feminists?
Classic feminism was a good one its practitioners were trying to oppose men who didn't recognize their rights But unfortunately now feminists are going to extremism. they hate all men now even if there are very men who recognize their rights. Even if they find a good man, they abuse him for their vengeance and for reaching their rights Even now feminists recall marriage as a legal prostitution! I don't say there aren't any men who even rape their wives and oppose his rights but beside there are very happy couples that love each other i know some feminists around me who hate to get married because they look at all men as a same way and they recall it a legal prostitution! well sexual life is one part of our life and it is a need for both men and women I can say with courage that only 2 percent of married women hate sexual act with husband. if she thinks so, why she got married then? but others have CONSENSUAL sex why feminists can't think of consensual sex with a beloved man (their husbands or boyfriends) nowadays? Why they think ALL sex aren't consensual? and my last phrases. Marriage brings responsibility for both man and woman If the man is good, why the woman must hate being responsible to him? Of course man must be responsible to his wife too even some feminists cheat on their husband or boyfriend very easily. It is not a good manner Of course man must be faithful too.
Does wearing a garter belt compromise my feminist beliefs?
I wear them for convenience (pantyhose I find kinda invasive and not very decorative and avoid when I can) not for public display. But I am conscious my boyfriends like them and that they are loaded with erotic connotations. So am I objectifying myself sexually? Or is feminism about being free to express yourself without deferring to male approval?
Is it correct to state that someone who is not a feminist is a sexist, a misogynist, or anti-women, as Ani DiFranco is reputed to have said?
No. It just means they’re not a feminist or part of their group and their actions. Just because you don’t support a certain charity means you’re against the cause. You might not support them because of their faults, actions, lies, etc.I am for equal rights AND responsibilities so I am not a feminist or any “-ist/-ism”. As far as I am concerned, “You must be ready to receive whatever you are willing to dish out”.I dislike how Feminists operate (biased laws, hypocrisy, shame tactics, bigotry, screaming/shutting down conversation if it takes a path they don’t like, abuse of authority/laws/social norms, lack of courtesy/respect, making fun of victims since they don’t come under their classification, etc).Basically Feminism is a power movement and uses Marxist tactics - just read up on that and you will see the near ditto SOP. They just want more privileges and special treatment everywhere and none of the responsibilities.“When people have privilege; Equality seems like discrimination”P.S.: I know a lot of good people in my life (had a great fortune in that regard) - men and women - who chafe because of the biases present in today’s society and feminism is just insulting all of them by classifying one side as the perpetual helpless incompetent victim while the other side as the evil incarnate who have no emotions.
What's a feminist?
"What's a feminist?" A feminist is an adherent to feminism. Feminism is an ideology. That ideology purports to be about equality of the genders by a definition that comes from the much earlier Women's Rights Activists. But today's feminists are NOT the Women's Rights Activists, nor are they the legacy of them despite their deceptive suggestion that they are. The feminist ideology, like all dogmas, moves forward by tacit approval of the public pronouncements and performed actions of it's prominent members that are in power in the movement. So the problem really begins when we are faced with evident knowledge that these prominent feminists are NOT acting in accordance with "equality". And, at the extreme end, are wantonly promoting misandry and hatred against men. We have 40+ years of publicly recorded instances where prominent feminists spout off their man hatred to NO disapproval from feminists of any stripe. You can read some examples of this right here: http://www.womenagainstmen.com/media/fem... This flagrant misandry has gone on, completely unchallenged for so many years now that man-hating has become an accepted part of the mainstream feminist ideology. Self-proclaimed feminists themselves have never risen up to challenge the misandric feminist leadership either. This must mean that they are OK with the pronouncements that prominent feminists make under the banner of feminism. At the end of the day, feminism's ugly misandric image is completely justified by the actions performed under the banner of feminism over the last 4 decades. The idea that random men or "sexists" have nothing better to do than to create ill-will against a group that is only innocently looking to help women gain equality, is both disrespectful to all reasonable people, and deceptively dishonest to our younger generation. .