7 posts tagged “feminism”
These people were part of a culture that didn't attach much value to women in general. Their worth depended solely on the approval of men.
They had to fit themselves into narrow, socially acceptable, roles.
The first few years in North America were brutal. Mortality rates were high. The pilgrim women had to be strong to survive, even if strength was not a part of the "traditional" feminine demeanor. Their hard work kept everyone alive.
Unfortunately, once the colonies were established and everyone felt safe again, it was time for the women to return to their menial tasks. But what if they refused to? It's a paradigm that's been repeated throughout history, most notably after WWII - when women were needed on the workforce while men were scarce, but were forced to relinquish their jobs and go back to housekeeping when their husbands returned from war.
The simplest way to get rid of these women, when they challenged the status quo: accuse them of witchcraft. No one in their right mind would defend a "witch", lest they be accused themselves. The Puritans in power exploited the ignorance and fear of ordinary to people, in order to subdue women who questioned their place in the world. Women who wanted control of their own assets. Women who wanted control of their own bodies. Women who wanted to be recognized as full humans in the eyes of the law.
The Salem Witch Trials did many things, besides killing innocent people
(women and men). It's not often seen as yet another systematic censorship of early feminists.
peace.
Warning: The following post is rated PG-13, and it's pretty flaming angry.
It's wrong. It thrives in fear and humiliation. Hiding it only strengthens the damage it can do, and if everyone were open and refused to tolerate it, like so many other acts of hate or injustice, it would defeated.
It infuriates me. I'm referring to sexual violence.
Sexual violence is predominately a feminist issue because it affects mainly women. Yes, I know that it is possible for a man to be assaulted by a woman (or another man, which is actually more common), and in recent years the number of harassed men is on the rise. But, statistics show that women make up 78% of victims, and 1 in 4 women in the US has been sexually assaulted at one point in her life. Some see the rise in male victims as an "evening of the field" (therefore a good thing), but this is not helping to solve the problem in any way. Don't you think the number of female victims should be going down instead?
Sexual abuse (usually occurring in schools, workplaces, or homes) is rarely reported. The scary statistics say: the most likely place for a woman to be sexually assaulted is in her own home, by someone she knows.
Sexual assault or rape is a violent crime. And it's possibly the least reported crime there is. Only 1 in 5 women ever report being assaulted to the police. The way I see it, sex is too often associated with dominance and violence. Rape, as a crime, has become way too socially acceptable. It should be a crime as unthinkable as cannibalism.
Prevention is more effective than treatment. Even if the attack is reported, and the perpetrator is caught and punished, it still happened. The victim will have to live with it everyday for the rest of her life. Too often she's the subject of remarks like "You should have been more careful..." or even "You were asking for it." Do not blame the victim! No one ever asks to be raped! The guy should never have attacked her in the first place! All over the country - in dojos, health clubs and church basements - we offer self-defense classes where women and girls can learn to fight for their lives. How about some classes to teach men and boys respect for other Human Beings?!
I would never exprobate self defense measures, but I can't help but point out that they are not adressing or solving the true problem of socially acceptable violence.
In closing, I highly recommend the book Speak, by Laurie Halse Anderson, and the movie based on it (which was excellently done). I also recommend openness, respect and zero tolerance toward violence - the only things that can truly solve this problem.
peace.
"We hold these truths to be self-evident,
that all men are created equal..."
That's from the Declaration of Independence. I conjure you to unearth a citizen of the US who does not have those last six words memorized - even if s/he doesn't know where they're from. Here's one from article II of the Constitution:
Section 1. The executive power shall be vested in a President of the United States of America. He shall hold his office during the term of four years..."
The Preamble's great: "We the people...". The Declaration starts off: "When in the course of human events..." good, but it finishes with a few words on "...the opinions of mankind...".
Are you getting uncomfortable yet? Am I being too picky/politically correct? Get used to it, because today's post is on something called inclusive language.
Grammar is Sexist
In the English language, there is no such thing as a neutral singular pronoun. It has to be she or he. More often than not, people will chose the masculine pronoun, especially when they're referring to vocations such as firefighters (firemen), doctors, or anything that has to do with a position of authority. The feminine pronoun is associated with passive or "nurturing" positions such as nurses, teachers (not professors), executive assistants (secretaries). If you're describing a hypothetical person, and you use masculine pronouns, no one cares. If you use feminine pronouns, people assume you're certain that the person is a woman and may even remark on it. Why? Is it too hard to alternate the gender of the pronouns we use?
People Think Sexist
There are many ways for people to think and speak non-inclusively, sometimes without even realizing it. Like by referring to the human race collectively as "mankind" or just "man". What is that supposed to imply? That male humans are the only ones worth recognition? Are female humans merely a marginalized sub-category? How is that possible when we make up 50% of the entire species?
How about all the derogatory remarks - applied to both men and women. "You throw like a girl" to the male baseball player, "You're such a *female dog*" to the tough executive who happens to be a woman. Make a list of some of the most popular insults you can think of (profanity included), you'll find that a lot of them are feminine. The worst thing you can call a guy is - a girl. The worst thing you can call a girl is - a girl.
Life's Not a Race
Yes, we've come a long way in regards to the racism of the past, but there are still issues for us to deal with, particularly when it comes to language. Which are correct: Black and White, or African American and Caucasian? No one can agree on the terms we use just to describe the color of people's skin. What if "race" is merely a social construct invented by humans, and genetically speaking there's no detectable difference between us? Sometimes the words used to describe groups of people aren't even accurate. Which is correct: Indians, Native Americans or American Indians? The only reason for this confusion is the fact that over six hundred years ago, some explorer named Christopher Columbus didn't know that the continent of North America existed!
Today the term "politically correct" is used almost exclusively in a pejorative sense. Some say it even infringes on freedom of speech. In her book Reviving Ophelia, Dr. Mary Pipher called the first amendment (of the Constitution) "the last refuge of scoundrels". Now, no one in their right (democratically thinking) mind would oppose freedom of speech, but remember that it can be exercised by people with hateful opinions just as easily as those working for positive change. Political correctness is not about censorship, it's about being aware of how the things you say will be percieved by the people listening to you. If you use non-inclusive language and terms, people will judge you accordingly. The things you say, and the way you say them, reflect on you as a person.
Too many people equate political correctness with whining. Some see it as being hypersensitive, and urge people to "get over it" or just ignore cases of exclusive language. Ignoring something will NOT make it go away. The only way to effect change is to speak out or to vocally complain about the issue. Your silence will only be taken as agreement.
peace.
Then, in 1962, she wrote the book credited with launching the current environmentalist movement.
Her research and arguments were questioned, criticized and disregarded. She was called a "hysterical woman", and because she was attractive yet unmarried she was "probably a communist". The biochemist Robert White-Stevens said, "If man were to follow the teachings of Miss Carson, we would return to the Dark Ages, and the insects and diseases and vermin would once again inherit the earth."
Despite the closed-mindedness of her pesticide-happy time, Carson's work endured. The hushed-up facts about the consequences of irresponsible spraying she revealed in Silent Spring persisted, and eventually lead to the banning of DDT in 1971.
Silent Spring is considered one of the greatest scientific books of the twentieth century. Even though it was written decades ago, it has never gone out of print and is still a widely known source of information on environmentalism. After reading this book, I became curious about what legal restrictions for pesticide use had been enacted since it was written.
Common Pesticides In Use Today:
Chlorine Dioxide - Kills microorganisms.
Ethylene Oxide - Industrial chemical used to produce other chemicals, especially household detergents.
Methyl Bromide - Broad spectrum pesticide used to kill insects, weeds and rodents.
Paraformaldehyde - Disinfectant similar to formaldehyde.
The use of pesticides is much more restricted than it was years ago, and there is more information available to the public on safety guidelines and proper disposal. Once entire forests were sprayed to eradicate a single species of insect, fungus, or disease. Chemicals seeped into every living organism and were carried for miles through the water table, wreaking havoc on the surrounding ecosystem and killing the local wildlife. Now a more thorough legal process is involved for permission to use chemicals, but overuse is still a problem. Humans need to concentrate more effort toward developing sustainable organic farming practices and biological pest control, such as companion planting and augmentation, to curb pollution and stop permanent environmental harm.
peace.
Is it just me, or do girls have it tough when it comes to sports? In fact, it's not just athletics. It's anything even slightly competitive, from certain careers to certain music. It's working against preconceptions, stereotypes and double-standards. If a guy is bad at something, it's his own fault. He's judged as an individual. If a girl isn't any good, it because she's a girl. Her ineptitude reflects on the entire sex! It seems to me that any woman in an "untraditional" professional position has to work twice as hard. She doesn't even have the luxury of mediocrity. If she's not outstanding, it's because she's female. The ethos of sexism have existed for thousands of years. By comparison, we've made good progress in the past hundred years. But not good enough. Demeaning gender-roles are still firmly rooted in society. And "frustration" is a relatively mild word to describe how I feel about that.
Anyway, I'm compiling a list of good "Girl Power" movies. So far all the ones I have are related to sports in some way, so I need to find more that have to do with other things; like business, or even just stories featuring strong female characters. If you have any to add, let me know!
peace.
Hey, just surfing lately, I've got some great links to share! (Take a guess at the theme.)
Plus some old classics.
I also found a picture of this REALLY COOL GUY, but I couldn't get it past vox.
So here you go: www.feministplanet.com, www.finallyfeminism101.blogspot.com, www.allgirlarmy.org.
peace.
Although, technically, women's suffrage and the civil rights movement only happened within the last century.
And, I myself can't help feeling especially pleased upon seeing a person subject to discrimination in a professional position hitherto withheld from them. (Yes, I'm pretty excited about the upcoming presidential election.)
It really shouldn't be that way. Maybe someday everybody will just realize that people are people.
peace.
