"Honestly… I see a woman distancing herself from feminism, can't help but wish her a lifetime of glass ceilings and a misogynistic husband" - Black Twitter
Recently, there has been an annoying on-surge of self-proclaimed feminists, demanding their stake in today's society, lamenting on the horrors we, as women, must face on a daily basis, and avenging those of our ancestors who are martyrs to the cause.
My retort; "-____-"
Why is feminism still relevant? Before answering this, what is feminism? What are you all fighting for?
To begin, I feel compelled to quote a wise man whose profound words aptly describes the topic at hand;
"It's levels to this shit"
Level 1; The True Nature of the Term
In the past few weeks I've taken to social media in vociferous pursuit of the meaning of "Feminism".
I've been posing the question over and over, "What is Feminism?" to nothing more than the proverbial stirring of crickets. I was forced to appeal to the Wiki-gods.
At the most basic level, Feminism is the defense of equal social, political, and economic rights for women. It's a school of thought, an ideology, as is something like Marxism or Socialism.
And with this let me disclaim; Every person is entitled to their own school of thought. [I'm not saying Feminism is as staunch an ideology as Marxism or Socialism -_-]
Pre Women's suffrage, in an antebellum age, the plight of feminists would ring loud and clear. That society was one which reinforced the dominance of a man as the main breadwinner and head-thinker; a society that held the ideology that a woman is far too emotional to make pertinent decisions such as choosing local, state, and federal representatives.
Perceived as the weaker sex, in this era, women were subject to jobs that were menial in nature, required little analytical skills, and required little more than a High School education. As such, we were paid marginally less than our male counterparts
Today, however, there is a vast difference [vas deferens, *chuckles*] in how things operate. Those of our predecessors who have fought hard, marched and produced legislation saw that times were indeed, a-changing. They paved the way for the 78 women who now sit in Congress, for the progressive nations who now have a woman as their head of state, Jamaica not included, and for all the women who hold executive positions in fortune 500 companies across the globe.
Pre Women's suffrage, in an antebellum age, the plight of feminists would ring loud and clear. That society was one which reinforced the dominance of a man as the main breadwinner and head-thinker; a society that held the ideology that a woman is far too emotional to make pertinent decisions such as choosing local, state, and federal representatives.
Perceived as the weaker sex, in this era, women were subject to jobs that were menial in nature, required little analytical skills, and required little more than a High School education. As such, we were paid marginally less than our male counterparts
Today, however, there is a vast difference [vas deferens, *chuckles*] in how things operate. Those of our predecessors who have fought hard, marched and produced legislation saw that times were indeed, a-changing. They paved the way for the 78 women who now sit in Congress, for the progressive nations who now have a woman as their head of state, Jamaica not included, and for all the women who hold executive positions in fortune 500 companies across the globe.
All this being said, is the movement still necessary in the United States, particularly?
Level 2; Loose Ends to the movement. Alas, it's still "A man's World"
Despite the picture painted above, I don't disagree that there are disadvantages to being a woman in today's world. Women in many nations suffer still, and are subject to torture merely because they lack basic human rights. Is feminism a necessity to women in these nations? Absolutely.Meanwhile in the Western Hemisphere, the main complaints are
1. Unequal Salaries
2. Double Standards.
Allow me to nip this in the bud right now.
1. I am sick to my stomach of this erroneous statistic being paraded around [THANKS, OBAMA], that women make $.77 to a man's $1.00. The statistic is based on general summation. A man and a woman with the same job title rarely get paid differently, and if they do, it's due to measurable factors like past experience, formal qualifications and certifications, and most importantly, negotiation.
2. "Why is it ok for a man to sleep with 100 women and be ok, but for a woman to be deemed a whore if she does the same thing?" - American Feminists on the "Double Standard"
This reads to me that your basic issue is your internal battle with guilt based on the number of men you sleep with. Sounds like a personal problem. #Bye
Level 3; "Women Ought to Automatically identify as feminists. And those of us who don't, are idiotic, primitive beings." - Self-Righteous Asses
My biggest Qualm….
I feel attacked whenever I state that I'm not a feminist, or even when I describe my befuddlement at the relevance of the movement. Unlike racism and other pertinent issues plaguing us as Americans today, to a greater extent, the problem has already been solved. Granted, there's a long road to trod when considering the overall treatment of women; rape, domestic violence, sexism in the workplace are all left to be addressed. Racism and civil rights, however, also remain unaddressed. If nothing, the past few years the United States justice system has been shown us the lack of fucks they give about the welfare of minorities [read: African Americans]. Today is not the day, however, to venture down the rabbit hole of prison statistics, privatized prisons, and the prison industry that the justice system is directly funding.
That I don't identify with the urgency of your Feminism renders me neither stupid, primitive, or any other adjective used to describe women like myself
Level 4; I blame Beyonce
Like a thief in the night, undetectable and untraceable, Mrs Knowles-Carter, King Bey, descended upon us with a vengeance as she released her untimely, self titled album. Per her drone of followers, Le Bey Hive, and Stans, she managed to snatch the hearts, minds, and wigs of women across the globe with heavy beats and piercingly sexual lyrics.
So I guess we must discard our natural Effeminacy in favor of Feminism.
"Flawless", one of the notable tracks from the album, includes an excerpt from Chimamanda Adichie, my personal Shero, which explains the need for feminism on a social level today, not before, of course, Beyonce commands her flock of sheep to "Bow Down, Bitches".
Subsequently, there has been much media frenzy trying to determine whether or not the King can be deemed a "Feminist". Militant feminists have been expressing their no-tolerance policy with her newfound, leotard clad, pelvic thrusting sexuality. They think it reads as submissive and goes against everything they have fought and "died" for.
Subsequently, there has been much media frenzy trying to determine whether or not the King can be deemed a "Feminist". Militant feminists have been expressing their no-tolerance policy with her newfound, leotard clad, pelvic thrusting sexuality. They think it reads as submissive and goes against everything they have fought and "died" for.
Though I personally don't see how Beyonce has exhibited any behavior that defines her as a feminist, might I remind you all that it is a school of thought, one with which she expressly stands behind.
So then, to the Femies, who are you to deem her as under-qualified to subscribe to your school of thought?
Because she's opts against donning the feminist uniform of a high-wasted, baggy pant, tight ponytail, stern face and switch in hand, she deserves to be shunned from the movement? Perhaps because she chooses to embrace her femininity, she doesn't qualify for the team.
So then, to the Femies, who are you to deem her as under-qualified to subscribe to your school of thought?
Because she's opts against donning the feminist uniform of a high-wasted, baggy pant, tight ponytail, stern face and switch in hand, she deserves to be shunned from the movement? Perhaps because she chooses to embrace her femininity, she doesn't qualify for the team.
So I guess we must discard our natural Effeminacy in favor of Feminism.
In ending, I urge you all to ask yourselves, what do we hope to achieve in conceiving any sociological school of thought? And when such achievement comes to fruition, do we lay said movement to rest?
Take your feminism to the East, where it's needed, and leave us good people alone.
Take your feminism to the East, where it's needed, and leave us good people alone.
