Let’s talk about feminism. Don’t click away just yet, I promise it will get good.
It seems like everyone is always talking about feminism. Whether it be angry all caps articles shaming all men, or articles saying we all need to stop shaving in order to truly support the cause… This is not one of those articles. This is about the culture of feminism and what the movement has created.
In order to understand the culture we need to understand the factor behind it. Feminism is defined as “the advocacy of women’s rights on the grounds of political, social, and economic equality to men.” This whole fight is about becoming equal in places women have previously not been. There are some obvious places where change could happen, such as women having to sign up for the draft, and some where it’s too ingrained deeply to change immediately, such as the term ‘Ladies first.’
Why did this seem to turn into some ugly twisted fight between men and women? It’s not supposed to be an us VS them thing. It was meant to become equal on all grounds, not a chance for us to “get back” for the wrongs that have been done.
I’m going to state the obvious thing here. Men shouldn’t have to fear for the uprising of women due to feminism. That’s not what this cause is about. Sure, some people are using the term to hide behind and validate their own sexist actions, but there are always a few bad apples in the bunch. Take the term Feminazi. It’s dictionary definition is “a radical feminist” but its real world use is mostly to describe the most aggressive feminists. Most would associate these people as the ones who get angry if someone holds the door open for them, or will jump to attack any sign of sexism with their own form. They are the group that could be classified as “men haters.” They are fighting for what they think is right, but instead of doing the right thing, they tend to tear down those against them.
The internet has been a catalyst in this movement. Giving multiple people places to shout their opinion into the deep void of cyberspace, but also creating an opportunity for a hive-mind mentality. We all know about the blog website Tumblr; it’s a place for super artsy people to show off how deep and artsy they are. It’s also a great place for feminazis to reside. While you may think that they are promoting their own ideals about how great women are, they tend to be just as sexist as men.
In one tumblr post someone writes “cats are independent and feminine, which is why you must never trust a man that doesn’t like them.” Alright, this isn’t that bad. It’s just not great to begin with. They claim that long lines in women’s restrooms are sexist. That it’s okay for random women to talk to you but you should always be fearful about men talking to you. And my personal favorite quote, “Hating men isn’t sexism, it’s common sense.”
Any person can realize how far off all these man-hating opinions are. These people don’t even seem to have a clue to what sexism is. Just a reminder: sexism is prejudice, stereotyping, or discrimination, typically against women, on the basis of sex. We as society are pretty comfortable with sexism, because we don’t always realize it’s happening. Want to play a fun game? Replace the term ‘men’ in the previous quote to a type of race and you will see how offensive it is. Bet you won’t feel comfortable saying that sentence out loud.
There have been multiple internet hoaxes created just to entice this group and basically to point out how ridiculous they can get. The website 4chan created “free-bleeding” to mock how far feminazis will go to show that they truly are a feminist. Honestly, there is nothing freeing about free-bleeding. That’s just gross no matter where you stand (or sit). But the feminazis ran with it, screaming how the tampon/pad industry is oppressing women by forcing us to buy their products. They asked what men have that is comparable to periods? While I can’t think of anything that can compare, that shouldn’t matter. Your own problems do not create the guidelines for what other people should have.
To me, the feminazis do not accurately represent the feminist movement. They have also spurred the creation of the Meninist group, which is a group of men who are taking a stand against feminism. This is where I felt as though the whole movement was becoming a joke. A big, fat, laughable joke. There is no way anyone can seriously call themself a “meninist” or a “feminazi” with pride. It’s just becoming too ridiculous and tangled to be a serious social movement.
Let’s get back to the roots of feminism. It is a desire to have the same treatment on all grounds regardless of gender. Not a chance to create a menless society as some fear. If you want to be a feminazi, go ahead and stop shaving, start burning all your bras, stop using feminine hygiene products, I don’t care. But please don’t tear others down simply because of their gender or beliefs. If some guy holds the door open for you, thank them. That’s the polite thing to do. It’s not him oppressing you. And remember you don’t have to be anti-man to be pro-woman.