What Do You Think The Next Feminist Event Will Be

Do you think the wave of feminism is destroying marriages?

Yes!I’m from Albania. I left in January 2000. So don’t know how it is now but this is what I remember:A lot of men would go out in the morning and come home late at night. Sometime they would not even come home. Either way, their wives (you could call them maids) were supposed to put aside a plate of the dish they prepared for dinner.Further, they would be expected to take verbal and sometime physical abuse from their husbands (you could call them masters).We lived in apartments. You’d see a couple at their door way arguing, where the man would be doing all the shouting, and (this I’ll never forget) you, the observer, would just go inside, as if you saw or heard nothing.Once I heard woman neighbours talking about these incidents but blaming the woman.When you asked this question, these are the marriages you were thinking Because, clearly, the other healthy marriages are perfectly intact.So yes, feminism, or in other words, the empowerment of woman to tell these men to fuck off is raping these marriages apart. And I have no idea why is this seen as a problem!

What simple things can men do for feminism?

I believe that one of the most powerful things cisgender men can do for feminism is also, if the behaviour of the feminist men in my life is any indicator, the single hardest thing for men to do.Talk to other men.And I don’t mean just talking to other men about treatment of women, calling out misogynistic language, inappropriate behaviour, rape jokes, etc.—although that’s certainly an important part of it.I mean providing to other men, and turning to other men for, the kinds of support you usually expect from women.Understand that if you are a man who dates women, the women in your life are almost certainly doing a huge amount of labour for you or on your behalf. Listening to you. Validating you. Processing with you about your life, relationships, job frustrations, etc. Planning parties and other social events. And if you are a feminist who cares about how you treat women, you almost certainly have women in your life who put effort into patiently and gently educating you on the effects of your behaviour and how to do better.People who are raised as girls are taught to do this, to take care of men, from a very young age. It’s so normal most of us don’t even notice it. We also do it for each other. This is one reason why women often handle divorce better, emotionally speaking, than men do: we have wide social networks, largely of other women. Straight cis men tend to rely on their female partner(s) as their sole source of emotional support. We may be expected to be not just lovers and partners, but therapists, coaches, teachers, cheerleaders.Think about how much work that is.Think about what the women in the world could accomplish if they weren't doing all that work for men.So men, if you really want to help us dismantle the patriarchy, start showing up for other men the way women have been showing up for you. Authentically. Vulnerably. Ask for their support. Ask them to help hold you accountable, and do the same for them. Learn (together) what toxic masculinity is, and work (together) on building a new way to be in the world.(ETA: There are a lot of men saying things in the comments. Almost all of them are talking to me, and not to each other. If you're a cis man who likes this post, you might start by thinking about why that is. And then maybe doing something about it.)(ETA2: So Michelle Obama agrees with me, and I don't think I've ever loved her more than right now: Michelle Obama Has Some Stern Words for Men, Barack Included)

What event in your life made you decide to become a feminist?

I have always had the utmost respect for women, especially those in my life, but when I came across a tweet from a faculty member at my school, I became a full-blown feminist.I want to establish the definition of a feminist before I continue because, unfortunately, many of my classmates still confuse being a feminist with being homosexual, which is not the case at all. The Merriam-Webster dictionary defines a feminism as the theory of the political, economic, and social equality of the sexes. A feminist is one who supports this theory Now, let’s return to my story.During the 2016 presidential campaign, many individuals were unafraid to state their views. One of the football coaches at my school decided to join in, and he tweeted that women belonged in the kitchen. The school quickly requested that he immediately delete the tweet, and he did; however, I was completely speechless at the tweet and then became utterly furious.Where would our world be if the following women stayed quiet in the kitchen, listened dutifully to men’s orders, and never stood up for change?CleopatraJane AustenSojourner TruthFlorence NightingaleSusan B. AnthonyElizabeth BlackwellHelen KellerEleanor RooseveltRosa ParksOprah WinfreyMalala YousafzaiSociety as we know it today would not exist.In addition to these women, millions and millions more have helped make strides to where we are today. Although we still have a way to go, it is always beneficial to see how far we have come.Conclusively, I am a feminist, and I hope I have encouraged you to join in the feminist movement, too.—KH

What moment or event can you look back on that defined feminism for you and your part in it?

Gamergate.The reaction of gamergaters to “Ethics of Game Journalism”, basically demonstrated for me how shitty misogynists can be.Either way you look at it: 1. They’re using Game Journalism as a vent for anti-woman hatred.Or worse.2. They’re not. The level of anti-woman hatred on display is just normal/expected for this group.Apart from that, I live in the Middle East, and watching the identical justifications of Men here and in the West for why women “have enough rights now” is revolting.Finally, jigsaw-wise, the piece that fits most succinctly with many of these misogynists who talk about the Middle East, isn’t that they’re upset about women’s rights.Watch the context more closely next time: They view women as a resource, and are jealous Men in the Middle East seem to in their view have more access to that resource. That’s why the same people justifying rapists on facebook one week will be outraged about “Muslim Rape” and “Swedistan” the next.Mainly though, I actively started calling myself a feminist after gamergate and started to read/understand more about feminism and get more involved.

Do feminists actually believe that Serena Williams would stand a chance against Novak Djokovic?

Some of them do seem to believe that. For example, here is a quote from olympic swimmer and nine time medalist Leisel Jones: “Females are just as good at sport as men are - if not better.“We can go back to Serena Williams. If you put Novak Djokovic next to her, I think Serena Williams would flog him every single day over.”This quote amazes me coming from an athlete of this caliber. It seems her ability to reason has been clouded by her passion for physical equality between men and women. I agree wholeheartedly with life equality, but that's not the question. The question is, are men physically dominant? Specifically, in sports, are the men at the top of their game, better than the women at the top of their game?Does Leisel Jones think she can beat Michael Phelps at any event or distance in swimming? All she has to do is compare her times with his, and it is obvious that she cannot. The question cannot arise with any intelligence in sports such as weightlifting, 100 yard dash, running marathons, or any sport with measured time or weight.It would be a much better question in bowling, darts, auto racing, archery, skeet shooting, chess, poker, golf, and even ultra distance swimming. Tennis, however, does not fall into this category.I understand why some people ask the question if they do not closely follow tennis. Strategy, belief and mental fortitude play significant roles in tennis. But only when and if strength, endurance and power are fairly close.Novak vs. Serena is a complete and total mismatch. Novak is equivalent to Roger Federer and Rafa Nadal, and the three of them dominate the rest of the men's field. Please understand, it is just a simple fact that Serena Williams has zero chance of beating any of those three players unless they had a major injury. Yes, you heard correctly…Zero. It would never be close on any day or on any surface. It would be complete and total dominance. Even Serena knows this. When being interviewed for an exhibition match against Andy Murray, she said she would do well if she won a single game.The men serve faster, hit ground strokes much harder, move much faster and dominate in court coverage.On an off day for Novak and Serena's best day… she has no chance.