I read the posts there as well as some of the other blogs that had "jumped" in with their own two cents worth. So here's mine.
I used to visit Feministe almost daily, comment there from time to time and have had some very good discussions there in the past. The site was one of the first ones on my blogroll and still remains there today.
Do we need feminism in America any more
No.
This supposed "war against the boys" needs to stop. It should have stopped years ago. Even Lauren and Jill's blog design aludes to this being a war. A cute little young blondhaired girl carrying a rifle frolics on the front webpage graphic.
What we need is humanism. For both men and women and people of all races, creeds and religion to stop for just moment, pause and think of the word "equality". If I demand more than I am not advocating equality. If I feel my rights in certain situations has more importance than another's, I am not demanding equality. I am demanding special consideration. A demand that states "I am a woman therefore I should be given this opportunity" is different than "I am the best person for this, give me the opportunity".
It's the same principle as Affirmative Action, "please don't judge me on my merits alone, I need extra points for this, this, and this".
There was a time when this was felt was the way to help make changes. That time has long passed. Our children will grow up equal, they will have equal access and they will have equal opportunity. The only thing stopping them is us. We aren't allowing them to do that. I haven't raised my son any different than my daughters when it came to work ethics or values. My children are not limited by their gender, they are only limited by what their dreams are and how hard they want to see those dreams come true. As long as we just get out of their way and let them do it.
Then of course the abortion issue. One of the primary things that comes up in any discussion about why Feminism is important. The never ending one issue fear that is promoted that if "We" give these men power they will take away our right to have an abortion. This is an area where to be perfectly frank, women will always hold that "special consideration" status. Given it is our bodies, no matter what the man involved in the pregnancy feels, we will always have the final decision. Should we then not have the ultimate responsibility to prevent births we do not want?
Abortion will become illegal again and "We" will lose the right to make a decision concerning our own uterus! Oh, bullshit, I am so tired of this being used as a scare tactic/argument. First of all even if Roe V Wade is overturned it will not make abortion illegal. Secondly, for abortion to become illegal in every state in this country it will only happen if women allow it to. We do have the right to vote. There are more women than men in the US. There are more women who are registered to vote. Need the stats? The excel format from the Census Department.
The problem is the never ending ways to divide us. "YOU" are not feminist enough, so therefore you are an "Anti-feminist". "YOU" are not religious enough, so therefore you are "Anti-religion". "YOU" are not supportive enough of Civil Rights, so therefore you are "Racist". "YOU" are not supportive enough of gay rights, therefore you are a "Homophobe". (And on and on and on)
I'm sick of all of the "YOU" . How about the way to end this and really make the United States then the world a better place is for "WE" to concentrate on the human race rather than ethnic or gender. That should be the goal, it's also a goal that will take both sides.
So, no, we don't need feminism anymore....Let's try humanism for a while....
Sharing my moment of idealism at:
Bloggin' Outloud, The Land of Oz, Pirates! Man your Woman, Conservative Cat who has this on sharing.....and last but never least...Third World County
16 comments:
“Our children will grow up equal, they will have equal access and they will have equal opportunity”??? What a naïve statement. Children’s education and opportunities are not even close to the same. Go visit a low income area, rural area or a school in predominately black public elementary school. There aren’t computers in the classrooms with high speed internet access, orchestra classes and intramural chess clubs after school. They have padlocked doors, dingy lighting and outdated textbooks. Yes, *our* children will have access to gym classes, music classes, dance lessons, and private tutors. But for poor children (who are disproportionably children of color) this will not be their experience. They will move many times in the duration of their childhood which not only disrupts friendships but also their education. By the time someone of color is even up for consideration for the same job as an affluent white male/female, they’ve beaten the odds. While racism exists, AA is a necessity.
Where are the parents in all of this? AA has not solved the inner city school problems nor will it. All it does is keep creating the same endless situation.
I'd also state your advice as to where I should go? I've been there and managed to get beyond that.
You made quite a few assumptions, most of which are wrong. Primary one is to my or my children's level of affluency. Poor and white is not much different than poor and black or poor and hispanic.
What you call being naive I call realizing reality. You can wait for people to help you or you can get off your behind and do something.
Why should a poor black child have more opportunity than a poor white child? If it is going to be based on need then it should be an equal basis of need. Race should not be a factor.
I would suggest that poor and white is a heck of a lot worse (in terms of opportunities) than poor and black. After all, what AA programs are out there for the former group?
Lisa, thank you. Just thank you. I agree with every word you've written.
janxknits, race isn't the problem, poverty is. There are black kids in "our" schools, and white kids in "theirs". It's an economic problem, not a racial one.
Tom and Pablo,
Thank you, that to me is one of my biggest problems with this whole concept of "equality". While I realize some people like to quote percentages the numbers are still there.
There are more poor White non-Hispanic children (4.2 million) than poor Black children (3.9 million) or poor Hispanic children (4.1 million), even though the proportion of Black and Hispanic children who are poor is far higher. More poor children live in suburban and rural areas than in central cities. Poor families have only 2.2 children on average.
(from the Children's Defense Fund)
Here
It's also obvious that what we have tried so far has not worked when it comes to dealing with poverty and children. It's going to take more than just throwing money at this issue to solve it.
Thanks LBF, I thought we'd agree given we share that life aspect. Not to mention the whole personal responsibility issue...but that's another topic.
Sorry to hear about the power outage, we had that the other day here, thankfully with the weather being so cold it didn't last long.
:-)
"please don't judge me on my merits alone, I need extra points for this, this, and this"
This never was and never will be the way to promote a just society. Always, whenever offered "just a drop of poison" for your drink, refuse it.
janxknits: Affirmative action is just another way to encourage people to avoid black doctors, lawyers, etc. Ask yourself: do you _really_ want open heart surgery performed by a guy who couldn't qualify for med school were it not for extra points awarded for his skin color? How can you tell that the
doctor you have didn't get "extra points" for his race? Go with the student who had to compete -against_ those with race points.
No, students DON'T make up huge deficits once they get into college or whatever based on race points (or whatever "disadvantage" points system one applies). The actual record shows that affirmative action is successful only in one thing: erradicating advancement by achievement, by merit.
Level the playing field. That's not only just, it also assures better work from workers and better products, better service for ALL.
And yes *sigh* it is a plain cold hard fact that "g" (abstract thinking processes necessary for good practice in some professions) is found at higher levels in white and lower levels in blacks. Of course, noting that discrimination by nature, one also needs to note the disadvantage in abstract thought suffered by whites as against Asians and... Azkhenazi Jews, both classes that score one or two standard deviations--as a class--above whites on instruments designed to measure 'g".
Read Harrison Bergeron again. It's a short read, and one of the better rebuttals to Affirmative Action, IMO.
http://instruct.westvalley.edu/lafave/hb.html
" But for poor children (who are disproportionably children of color)..."
And what is the primary reason for this? A disporportionate number of "children of color" born with no damned family structure whatsoever.
"The steady expansion of welfare programs can be taken as a measure of the steady disintegration of the Negro family structure over the past generation in the United States." –Daniel Patrick Moynihan
Gee. No one listens to the real liberals any more...
Try:
http://www.children.smartlibrary.org/NewInterface/segment.cfm?segment=1804
As Chief Justice Oliver Wendell Holmes infamously said in a case that appears unrelated on its face,
"Three generations of idiots are enough..."
Well, enough to convince Holmes of the propriety of a 1920s eugenics law. But three (or four or five) generations of welfare failure aren't enough to convince those whose identities, politics or living are dependent on maintaining a welfare class.
Lisa,
An excellent post!
Your arguments were flawless!!
Bravo!!!
Not to make light of such an outstanding post, but, did you maybe forget about the ladies over at Caesar's perchance?
Certainly more feminism is needed there...
;-)
lmao HT, maybe some help from Brendas for them....
:-)
Lisa: For some reason, I recalled this comment by G.K Chesterton this a.m. and thought of your post.
If I set the sun beside the moon,
And if I set the land beside the sea,
And if I set the town beside the country,
And if I set the man beside the woman,
I suppose some fool would talk about one being better.
I like quite a few of Chesterson's quotes. He was a very honest yet blunt man even when it came to being Catholic.
I agree, feminism is not necessary any more and hasn't been for my entire life. I've read some of the Feminist Manifesto (an on-line version that has since been deleted) and to be honest, it scares the crap out of me. Anything that promotes the subjugation of other human beings, is IMO, wrong; and most of the staunch feminists I've encounter have rallied for exactly that.
As for humanism, my typical definition being a movement that is a counter to religion that puts human beings in the seat of the divine, I don't think that's the answer. Humanism, as the belief that all human beings are inherently equal and should be judged by their own merit, that just seems like "common sense," but that's just me.
:-)
janxknits,
"Children's education and opportunities are not even close to the same....But for poor children (who are disproportionably children of color) this will not be their experience."
I'm poor. My children are poor. Many of their fellow students are poor. Yet, they have a great school. It's not the most up-to-date school. Nor does it have all the fancy gadgets that the schools in richer areas have. The tax dollars that my area generates simply can't afford those. Yet, they do recruit great teachers and put forth quite a bit of effort in ensuring the kids get a great education, as per contemporary American standards.
How, you might ask? It's because the parents in my area are very involved in ensuring it happens. People need to learn responsibility. If kids have a bad school, and parents do nothing, who's fault is it?
lisa renee,
"It's going to take more than just throwing money at this issue to solve it."
My suggestion would be parental involvement, but I know I'm "preaching" to the choir here.
My children are doing great, and they have had more difficult obstacles than poverty to overcome. It's still an in-progress thing, but a poor autistic child in need of additional help is not a racial thing.
Porkopolis, thank you for the compliment both on this thread and the other one on Congressional Bills. I share the same dream of the day that you do when it comes to men and women's roles in society.
I've enjoyed your blog as well, not to mention your flying pig has me envious to see if I can get a hamster to do that...lol
Your post on retirement is something I'm concerned about as well.
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