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thetammyjo -> RE: Is Elise Sutton right? (3/24/2006 8:14:33 AM)
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quote:
ORIGINAL: NeedToUseYou
I'm curious what do you think feminism is and what are it's current goals. I've read through this whole thing and no one defending feminism has specified exactly what the modern feminists are doing. I'm guessing you might know such specifics since you seem to be the only one defending it.
Like what current feminist related legislation are they pushing.
or anything real beyond these generalities. I appreciate the example earlier about the draft that showed how men were refused the right to not participate in war. But that would be males lacking rights not women. So, what laws are feminists trying to change. Or is it like I suggested earlier, just a group that wants to change perceptions of women/mens roles in society. And if its the former it doesn't appear to be working well anymore.
I'm just curious because you've seemed pretty rational when I read your other posts on the board. And the whole feminism issue seems like a movement without a defined purpose beyond a catch phrase(equality). So, maybe if we had some specifics of what feminism is actually doing today(not back in the fifties), then we could more clearly get a picture of the movements goals. Like specific policies they are lobbying to get changed that specificly relates to unequal treatment of women. I'm willing to concede the only feminists I've ever met were lesbians(not saying all lesbians are feminists), and/or militants. So, if there is another universe of feminists I'd like to be informed of what they are working on.
It doesn't mean I'll agree with it, but at the very least it probably won't be as bad as the ones I've been exposed to or for that matter what others have been exposed to.
Thanks
Which particular type of feminism do you wish to know about? Which organization(s)?
I can't speak for most of them because I'm a member of a feminism organization any more -- I left NOW after fighting one statement from them that bashed SM. Yes, it was voted on and most members at the time of the vote sided with anti-SM viewpoints. After fighting it for a few years I decided it was better to focus on BDSM education than to try and change the minds of an organization which seems primarily focused on reproductive issues for the past decade.
It also depends on who puts the label of "feminist" on an organization or an individual; that's the same for any label such as a religious or political label. Those who are opposed to whatever they call feminism will use it negatively, those who support it will use it positively.
Put most simply, I'd say that feminism is about trying to correct inequality based on sex. How that plays out varies from person to person and group to group.
There an article in the new "Bitch" magazine (the 10th edition) that does a good job of defining several branches of feminism though the variety I've encountered both in the rhetoric and in people is much much much greater. Just a warning that "Bitch" itself has an agenda as many magazines do but I was surprised at how even-handed they seemed to be with their facts for the different branches though I had questions about a few points.
Your question is huge, NeedToUseYou, and frankly it would take multiple semesters of study of a variety of fields to really get a good grasp on things. You can ask me anything you want but let me focus on one branch.
In terms of feminist organizations the ones that get the most media attention are "liberal" ones. "Liberal" here is a term created by those who study social movements -- political scienticists, sociologists, historians, speach/communication studies, etc. Here it means that the focus on using the political and legal system to pursue their goals. So when you see commericals against laws or for laws, supporting political candidates, rallying at the White House, or raising money for legal cases, those would be "liberal feminism". In terms of organizations these would be your NOW, NARAL, FeministMajority, League of Women Voters, etc.
Now the tricky part is that these group, of course, don't call themselves "liberal feminism" but instead just "feminists" as they attempt to universalize their approach and widen their base. This claim would be what RealOne said made his mother angry. Those people opposed to legal or political changes (or the idea of equality perhaps) might also just say "feminists" as a way to attack the basic ideas OR they might coin other terms like feminazis or call them "radical' or "extreme" or "lesbians". Both sides use rhetorical devices to either create or resist change.
Within each side though are individual with their own personal agendas. So you may have several members of group that see issues differently and who want to pursue different venues -- one might want to run for office, another to give money to a male candidate, another who tackles an issue in the courts, and another who gathers up a people to march on Washington.
In short, when you ask what are feminsts trying to do the only honest and realistic answer I can give you is to either go into teacher mode (as I have) or ask for more specific questions.
(just a side note that in most of the fields of study which coin the terms I'm using "liberal" refers to the idea that people should be involved in the legal and political structure. In that sense then a "conservative" movement which funded candidates, tried to get larger numbers involved, and pushed for legal changes would be following a "liberal" approach to their problems)
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