Why is feminism such a bad word?

galaxus

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Why don't some women identify as being a feminist? Are there any women here who are like that?

How can feminism be defined as the idea of equal rights and treatment of both sexes but racism, sexism, and all of the other analogous "-ism's" promote hate, oppression, and conflict?
 

dolfette

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blame the feminazis.
the 'all sex is rape' idiots, who gave true feminism a bad name.
i proudly call myself a feminst but i have NOTHING in common with those stupid bitches who rant that you're a gender traitor for sleeping with or being friends with men.

isms are all bad?
like multiculturalism?
 

Phil Ayesho

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Yes- multiculturalism is bad.
The notion that all cultures are equally valuable is as stupid as the idea that all ideas are equal.

Multiculturalism offers no valid argument against Sharia, clitorectomy, or lighting your wife on fire to get rid of her.

In point of fact, if you have immigrated to the US part of the reason is that Your culture made your life back home suck...
When any culture allows the ideas and norms that made it successful to become diluted thru the notion that the ideas from less successful cultures are equal... that culture will dissolve.
Just ask the Romans.

As to feminism... its earned a bad rap because it allowed itself to become an extremist position essentially focused, not on equality of women, but on superiority of women.

To be fair... to win more equal treatment in society... women did have to battle agaisnt entrenched idiocy... and, in general, you don't get the pendulum to swing with gentle pressure... it takes a revolution.

Its too bad... I fully supported the ERA, even though I thought the constitution already gave women equal rights.
I was pro-feminist, and still am pro-women...
But then I had to endure 20 years of male bashing bias that made it truly difficult to raise sons who had any sense of self worth...

Like most 'isms' feminism has become an ideology.
 

dolfette

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Yes- multiculturalism is bad.
The notion that all cultures are equally valuable is as stupid as the idea that all ideas are equal.

Multiculturalism offers no valid argument against Sharia, clitorectomy, or lighting your wife on fire to get rid of her.
yes, acknowledging that many cultures can live together means having no laws and allowing extremism. really.

nit.
 

blacktightfit

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Yes- multiculturalism is bad.
The notion that all cultures are equally valuable is as stupid as the idea that all ideas are equal.

Multiculturalism offers no valid argument against Sharia, clitorectomy, or lighting your wife on fire to get rid of her.

In point of fact, if you have immigrated to the US part of the reason is that Your culture made your life back home suck...
When any culture allows the ideas and norms that made it successful to become diluted thru the notion that the ideas from less successful cultures are equal... that culture will dissolve.
Just ask the Romans.

As to feminism... its earned a bad rap because it allowed itself to become an extremist position essentially focused, not on equality of women, but on superiority of women.

To be fair... to win more equal treatment in society... women did have to battle agaisnt entrenched idiocy... and, in general, you don't get the pendulum to swing with gentle pressure... it takes a revolution.

Its too bad... I fully supported the ERA, even though I thought the constitution already gave women equal rights.
I was pro-feminist, and still am pro-women...
But then I had to endure 20 years of male bashing bias that made it truly difficult to raise sons who had any sense of self worth...

Like most 'isms' feminism has become an ideology.

Multiculturalism is bad? Seriously? No one is talking about folks who commit acts that are illegal in their adopted land. I didn't leave my "home country" (I have never been). My ancestors were bought over involuntarily, and the culture that has been created (please do not use BET or hip hop as an example of culture, that is one of socioeconomics and social class, not race) should be dismissed because it doesn't fit in well with the "mainstream culture"?

Your sons had no self worth here in America because of woman's bashing? Imagine being a woman or a minority in America then.
 

dolfette

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Multiculturalism is bad? Seriously? No one is talking about folks who commit acts that are illegal in their adopted land. I didn't leave my "home country" (I have never been). My ancestors were bought over involuntarily, and the culture that has been created (please do not use BET or hip hop as an example of culture, that is one of socioeconomics and social class, not race) should be dismissed because it doesn't fit in well with the "mainstream culture"?
and we should shut down china town in london.
and my local indian restaurant.
and it's bad that my my friend's kid is bilingual because her mom speaks indonesian at home.
we should all be the same, damnit!

i hope he looks good in a mao suit.
 

javyn

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I don't think he was saying multiculturalism was bad per se, but that all cultures are not equal. For example, female genital mutilation is not illegal in many countries, and is part of their culture. I say cutting off a woman's clitoris so she cannot enjoy sex so she won't be as likely to cheat on you is fucked up and wrong, regardless what culture it's a part of.

Also, saying all cultures are equally valid is wrong too, because that would make the materialistic American corporate culture equally valid also, which I disagree with as well.

Politicians use multiculturalism here as a way to drive wedges between us and balkanize the populace, so we cannot all band together as one to fight those that try to oppress us. Whether it's allowing immigrants to not have to learn English, or state sponsored ebonics education in the inner city, the result is the same. Creating a culture wedge in an attempt to make minorities into a permanent working underclass. No big business is going to hire someone into an executive position who can't speak English, or who can't speak English well. They know this, it is all intentional.

It's not as simple or black and white as "many cultures living together in peaceful utopian harmony'. Yes we should allow anyone to come and live here who follow the correct channels, but we should also make sure they assimilate into the mainstream society so they can at least communicate with others here and better their lives and their chlidrens' lives.

Multiculturalism is bad? Seriously? No one is talking about folks who commit acts that are illegal in their adopted land. I didn't leave my "home country" (I have never been). My ancestors were bought over involuntarily, and the culture that has been created (please do not use BET or hip hop as an example of culture, that is one of socioeconomics and social class, not race) should be dismissed because it doesn't fit in well with the "mainstream culture"?

Your sons had no self worth here in America because of woman's bashing? Imagine being a woman or a minority in America then.
 
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Belly_Dancer

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I, personally, am very hesitant to identify as a feminist. Mostly, the reasons are because of my sexual orientation (submissive masochist).

I love to be dominated by men, and by my husband specifically. I feel very secure and happy in a position of subservience, and even enjoy being ordered to perform acts that I'm pretty sure any feminist would view as horribly degrading.

As John Norman puts it, feminism grants every freedom to women except for the freedom not to be free.

(This is not to say I agree with all of John Norman's ideas; I just happen to agree with the statement above.)

I love having doors opened for me, having my husband/Master walk on the street side of the sidewalk to protect me...that sort of thing. I like being his "slutty little pet."

So you can see why a lot of feminists might have a problem with me, or think I was sick, or something, when in fact I am quite sane and have never been happier.
 

voyeuristic

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many of them are ugly.

So over of this mentality. Self-identified feminists are no more or less ugly than any other women - it's just that more of them feel free to make decisions about their appearance that may not go along with current media standards, which are usually set by men. I don't wear make-up or shave, for instance, and I have short hair. In the eyes of people like yourself, perhaps that makes me "ugly", but I happen to have a different beauty standard.

As for the idea that one can't be a submissive and a feminist, that's ridiculous. I identify as both. Feminism means getting to decide what kind of sex we're into, and anyone worth their salt will know that's no contradiction.
 

blacktightfit

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I don't think he was saying multiculturalism was bad per se, but that all cultures are not equal. For example, female genital mutilation is not illegal in many countries, and is part of their culture. I say cutting off a woman's clitoris so she cannot enjoy sex so she won't be as likely to cheat on you is fucked up and wrong, regardless what culture it's a part of.

Also, saying all cultures are equally valid is wrong too, because that would make the materialistic American corporate culture equally valid also, which I disagree with as well.

Politicians use multiculturalism here as a way to drive wedges between us and balkanize the populace, so we cannot all band together as one to fight those that try to oppress us. Whether it's allowing immigrants to not have to learn English, or state sponsored ebonics education in the inner city, the result is the same. Creating a culture wedge in an attempt to make minorities into a permanent working underclass. No big business is going to hire someone into an executive position who can't speak English, or who can't speak English well. They know this, it is all intentional.

It's not as simple or black and white as "many cultures living together in peaceful utopian harmony'. Yes we should allow anyone to come and live here who follow the correct channels, but we should also make sure they assimilate into the mainstream society so they can at least communicate with others here and better their lives and their chlidrens' lives.

Why is it assumed that "ebonics" is taught. I being black literally all my life did not "learn" ebonics. My parents, grandparents, and relatives did not speak ebonics, nor is it something that is embraced by most in black culture. Ebonics is another thing associated with the black underclass, it isn't the norm. Let's take race out of it. Being a Texan and southerner, there are many sayings here that are not known or not familiar to those from other regions. If I speak in a twang in corporate america it is acceptable, but if I speak with a "black dialect" it isn't. Why is that? Why do I have to mainstream in order to "improve my life". Cannot identify with certain aspects of my culture and still be professional? I am creole, does that mean I have to give up my traditional creole culture to be considered "mainstream" even though my culture is as American as the "mainstream"?
 

Enid

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But not all "isms" are bad.

What about idealism, functionalism, minimalism, gnosticism, holism, experientialism and aestheticism?

I don't think feminism is a bad word. Or I personally don't see it that way. I've always been interested in gender roles, sexism, feminism, sexuality and power.
 

javyn

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Because it IS taught. Just because you are old enough to not have experienced it in grade school doesn't mean they aren't teaching it to children these days, which they are.

Also, those who speak in southern 'twangs' aren't very well thought of either.

No one is saying you should give up your culture, but when you place your culture to the forefront and think of yourself that way rather than an American citizen first, well don't be surprised when you miss out on many opportunities culturally and economically.

I also don't think Dr. King's dream was for blacks and whites to be separated due to cultural differences. That's defacto segregation. And integration is impossible when you are balkanized down cultural lines, just like racial lines.

Why is it assumed that "ebonics" is taught. I being black literally all my life did not "learn" ebonics. My parents, grandparents, and relatives did not speak ebonics, nor is it something that is embraced by most in black culture. Ebonics is another thing associated with the black underclass, it isn't the norm. Let's take race out of it. Being a Texan and southerner, there are many sayings here that are not known or not familiar to those from other regions. If I speak in a twang in corporate america it is acceptable, but if I speak with a "black dialect" it isn't. Why is that? Why do I have to mainstream in order to "improve my life". Cannot identify with certain aspects of my culture and still be professional? I am creole, does that mean I have to give up my traditional creole culture to be considered "mainstream" even though my culture is as American as the "mainstream"?
 
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dolfette

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I, personally, am very hesitant to identify as a feminist. Mostly, the reasons are because of my sexual orientation (submissive masochist).
i would argue that feminism gave you the right to choose this, instead of this being thrust upon you.
the right to choose what you are is at the heart of it.
it's those idiot feminazis again, telling women they have to be a certain way.
But not all "isms" are bad.

What about idealism, functionalism, minimalism, gnosticism, holism, experientialism and aestheticism?

I don't think feminism is a bad word. Or I personally don't see it that way. I've always been interested in gender roles, sexism, feminism, sexuality and power.
nice isms!
 

whatireallywant

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blame the feminazis.
the 'all sex is rape' idiots, who gave true feminism a bad name.
i proudly call myself a feminst but i have NOTHING in common with those stupid bitches who rant that you're a gender traitor for sleeping with or being friends with men.

isms are all bad?
like multiculturalism?

I have a problem with the whole term "feminazi" (because of Rush Limbaugh, who really IS sexist!) but I agree with all the rest of this.

I'm also a feminist but very pro-sex! :wink: And I don't hate men but I do hate sexism, whether it is propogated by men or by other women (and the sexism I've encountered by other women has usually not been anti-men, but anti-women! I kid you not!!!)

I've found that some of the, oh I don't know what to call them since I don't like the term "feminazi"... have views on sex that are shockingly similar to the fundamentalist religion that I grew up with! (Although the religion was sexist!) I spent all this time trying to get away from not only the sexism, but also the sexual repression of the religion, and then I encounter this from people I thought were going to be for equal rights? Plus they seemed to buy into the same old "biology is destiny" nonsense. :mad:

So I guess now I call myself an "Equalist" or if I want to use the term, equality feminist.