Poll: Are you a feminist?

[sqbr]

So, I've always had a certain amount of interest in women's rights, but always felt a bit put off by feminism for reasons I couldn't articulate. I eventually decided to dig a bit and either get over it or figure out what the problem was. In the process I've become convinced of two things:
(a) I am a feminist, and feminism still has a lot of important work left to do
(b) There are a bunch of things I don't really like about the feminist movement as it actually works

And I got curious about you guys experiences and identities.


If you're not sure what the definition of "feminist" is, well... afaict there isn't a completely agreed upon one, but here's a bunch, afaict the consensus is along the lines of "Thinking society deals with gender in a way that, on balance, harms women, and that this should be corrected".

[Poll #1169959]

I'm especially interested in women who don't identify as feminist: do you have an issue with feminism, or do you think it's ok but just don't see any particular need to identify yourself that way? Other people's povs (including mens!) are also welcome, though.

And yes, vegetus, this does give you leave to rant a bit :) Though I would remind everyone to be civil, openminded, and tolerant. Keep in mind that we have some very different POVs here, any one of which will probably strike at least one person as Wrong And Dumb. Please take any narky arguments outside and try not to start any!

As for myself, well, you can see my (mixed) opinions on this lj. ithiliana's post Racism Imbroglios, White Feminist Bloggers, RWOC, and deja vu inspired me to make this poll, I particularly liked the line:

Within feminist discourse sisterhood became simultaneously an unquestioned assumption, an unexamined bond, and a mode of controlling behavior and containing difference.

Comments

[infamyanonymous.livejournal.com]

Sleep wear, so very none of the above.

I don't so much have a problem with feminism, but I've just felt fairly neutral about all that sort of thing. When asked about economic inequality, or anything like that, the best I can manage is "It's a bad thing". I'm just fairly politically neutral, like Sweden.

'Feminist' has lots of overtones to it- women are better (than men), women have special creative and communicative skills, women are oppressed, womean are angry blah blah blah. Women a great, men are great. Yeah, in the past there was obvious inequality, and it's not all magically fixed now (especially in particular cultures) and that's the only bit I get annoyed at. Otherwise I'd just like all the world's power and wealth and resources to be put in a metaphorical blender and redistributed over the world. That, however, isn't going to happen because of Fact C- people are jerks of all shapes and varieties.

(I've also met proponents from each end of the spectrum, and it's the do little more than amuse me and discourage me from tipping either side of the grey.)

[alias_sqbr]

I used to feel that way, but kept encountering individual bits of feminist ideas that made me go "Huh. Wait..guh! Now I'm angry!" until eventually I decided to check it out a bit more (if only to prove to myself that they were mostly complaining about nothing) and slowly became more and more aware of the overarching society wide inequality and messed up power structures and attitudes built into the fabric of of everything. Also I realised a lot (but not all!) of my negative ideas about feminism were just propaganda by men who don't like having their power threatened.

By which I mean to say: THERE IS NO ESCAPE, YOU WILL BE ASSIMILATED INTO THE FEMINIST HIVEMIND

[vegetus.livejournal.com]

"Fact C- people are jerks of all shapes and varieties."

Indeed. If only there was a movement against jerks.