Why I'm a feminist

[sqbr]

To save me writing a bunch of longwinded, repetitive replies to everyone on my Are you a feminist? post, I thought I'd go into why I'm a feminist here (and then give shorter, more personalised replies to you all later. Really!)

This isn't meant to convert people, since my reasons are somewhat personal and complex. I just thought you might be interested. Be warned: this is longwinded for me. I start with my childhood.


So, my parents are very left wing liberalish christians, which has had a huge effect on how I view the world. Basically, the core tenets I was brought up on and still believe (to the extent I have trouble seeing how anyone can not believe them) are
-It is every human beings responsibility to do what they can to make the world a better place and fight injustice
-all people are inherently equal, and deserve respect and fairness
-Power corrupts. If a group has power over another they will abuse it. While a certain amount of power imbalance is inevitable, as much as possible we should try to make everyone equal in terms of power (legally and in practice)
-The more power you have the more responsibility you have to use it to help the less powerful
-power structures twist everything, and fighting against them means noticing and denouncing the subtexts in things like movies and the news. What matters is not just making the world fair, but seeing the Truth Behind the Lies.

Now possibly because (as I have later realised) my dad a is a big old sexist (in a subtle, left-wing liberal sort of way) I didn't particularly apply these ideas to gender as a child, though I was relatively feminist in a girl-in-the-80s sort of way (I wanted a career and no kids, and thought boys who underestimated me were dumb. Actually, I thought all boys were dumb :))

I was also devoutly christian (yes this is relevant :P) I kept encountering atheists who would rant about how christianity was dumb becuase only boring old people believed in it, or because of the spanish inquisition, or becuase all christians were conservative and mean, which made me decide all atheists were narrowminded irrationally dogmatic idiots.

Imgaine my dissapointment when, at 14, I realised that while I disagreed with most of the reasons they gave for being an atheist, and really enjoyed being christian, after some deep thought it became clear that I didn't believe in God, and thus was an atheist!

At the same time, I continue the path my parents set me on of digging at the subtext of things, figuring out what ideas people are subconsioously avoiding or priviliging (in a rather nieve, smug, teenage sort of way :)). I seriously consider doing an arts degree at uni but suck at essays at readings so do science instead.

Flash forward to my 20s, and I start going to swancon.I find myself at a few panels by people like cupidsbow and emma_in_oz on feministy things, and find the the analysis really interesting, tying into various half formed ideas and niggling issues I'd been having for years, filling in the gaps of the race and class focussed analysis I was given growing up. However, at the same time, when I go to these panels, something niggles at me, so that I am both attracted and repelled (like a magnet, not in an "Eww" way) from feminism and feminist discourse.

At this point I feel that society is sexist, yes, but that I'm a lot more interested in fighting the (imo) much worse predjudice based on race and sexuality etc. I probably wouldn't quite call myself a feminist, or if I did it would be with lots of qualifiers.

Then, via emma_in_oz, I encounter race based discussion at metafandom. I also encounter a bunch of feminist analysis, and I find both sorts of discussion both really interesting, and educational in a challenging sort of way, but also frustrating. A lot of what people are saying seems wrong in ways I can't articulate.

I decide that while I care a lot more about analysis of race (since I feel I have a strong enough grasp of feminist ideas to get by, and there seem to be plenty of much smarter people doing feminist analysis of the stuff I care about) as a white woman I'm going to offend a lot of people if I try to explore the things that niggle at me with regards to race than if I do it with gender. So I decide to put up with my niggles and dive into feminism properly, figure out what I really think about all this stuff once and for all.

So, I read "The Beauty Myth", and a bunch of feminist bligs like Girls Read Comics, and went to Gynaecon panels.

And I realised
(a) While I still think it's not as bad as the racism and heterosexism, there is a LOT of sexist crap underpinning the very structure of our society, so that all those ideas I was brought up with apply.
(b)...I'm a feminist

I mean I think a lot of feminists are wrong about stuff, but as with atheism, that doesn't change the fact that I'm a feminist. There are stupid people in every group. Also a lot of "stupid" feminist ideas make a lot of sense to me when seen in context. Feminism isn't just about fighting for legal equality, or pointing out the flaws of men, it's about questioning and deconstructing the "Patriarchy", the self perpetuating collection of unjust power structures and attitudes which are supported by and which oppresses everyone of all genders(*). (If that sounds crazy to you, you should talk to my dad about capitalism)

And I'm still figuring out how I feel about the feminist movement, which I'm not really involved with. I don't see myself going to feminist rallies, or donating to feminist causes, since I still care about other issues more. But I don't have a problem with people who do those things (we can't all fight all the injustice all the time), and I find feminist ideas incredibly helpful in helping me understand what's really going on in the world.

I thought about going into the nitty gritty of which feminist ideas I agree with, but the way I see it if you decide you're interested, the information is out there, and I've gone into that stuff before. So, yeah.

(*)Probably a very bad definition which does not match that of any other feminist, or even me, if I think about it properly.

Comments

[flyingblogspot.livejournal.com]

Imgaine my dissapointment when, at 14, I realised that while I disagreed with most of the reasons they gave for being an atheist, and really enjoyed being christian, after some deep thought it became clear that I didn't believe in God, and thus was an atheist!

Just like how I agree with many of Richard Dawkins' statements, but still want to stab myself the ear when he goes off on a particularly patronising rant? :) I came to atheism in a similar way, although it took all the tact and wonder and awe of Carl Sagan to get me there at a slightly older age. Old Catholicism dies hard.

And I'm still figuring out how I feel about the feminist movement, which I'm not really involved with.

Pfft, writing about women's issues and feminist politics in a public blog is totally being part of a movement! As is they way you choose to live your life in line with your personal values and as are the opinions you voice to others. Don't underrate yourself; just because you're not out there waving a banner doesn't mean you're not contributing.

[alias_sqbr]

I came to atheism in a similar way, although it took all the tact and wonder and awe of Carl Sagan to get me there at a slightly older age. Old Catholicism dies hard.

I have to thank my parents for being particularly pluralistic, open minded christians, which has made the transition to non-christianity easier for all us kids (not what they intended of course :))

Don't underrate yourself; just because you're not out there waving a banner doesn't mean you're not contributing.

Aww. Thanks :) Though another reason I feel wierd associating myself with "the feminist movement" is the sense that it stands for specific things which I may or may not agree with. But I guess that's silly: there are multiple feminist movements with specific agendas, but the overall movement is sufficiently broad to include lots of POVs, including mine.

[callistra.livejournal.com]

I mean I think a lot of feminists are wrong about stuff, but as with atheism, that doesn't change the fact that I'm a feminist. There are stupid people in every group. Also a lot of "stupid" feminist ideas make a lot of sense to me when seen in context. Feminism isn't just about fighting for legal equality, or pointing out the flaws of men, it's about questioning and deconstructing the "Patriarchy", the self perpetuating collection of unjust power structures and attitudes which are supported by and which oppresses everyone of all genders(*). (If that sounds crazy to you, you should talk to my dad about capitalism).(*)Probably a very bad definition which does not match that of any other feminist, or even me, if I think about it properly.

No, I think you pretty much covered feminism here. It has "fem" in it, but it looks at other genders too. Once you see the way paradigms and power works, you can see the same practices occurring everywhere.

OH, and I agree with everything flyingblogspot said too.

[alias_sqbr]

Oh good. I suck at definitions, you see, I always over generalise and forget something, drove my Phd supervisor crazy :)

[hulzie.livejournal.com]

Is a fembotanist a feminist who looks after plants or someone who studies fembots?

[i-palimpsest.livejournal.com]

Or is it someone who looks after female plants?

[hulzie.livejournal.com]

Ooh, maybe.

[i-palimpsest.livejournal.com]

which made me decide all atheists were narrowminded irrationally dogmatic idiots.

I think a lot of Athiests have trouble explaing to people I don't belive in God cause it just doens't make any sense to me. (or whatever their reason it) Religious people sometimes have trouble understanding that - so it's easier try and get out of relition, I don't think it works because it's just as easy to belive in God but not religion. )

[alias_sqbr]

Mmm, I think religious belief is one of those things which transcends logic: either you have it or you don't, and either way the alternative seems inconcievable.

[greyreviews.livejournal.com]

[vegetus.livejournal.com]

I think the best reason why I shouldn't be considered a feminist is that I laughed at this picture (though I think it can be improved by adding bad spelling and some "z"s)

[greyreviews.livejournal.com]

That doesnt preclude you being a feminist, it just shows you have a sense of humour.

Of course you may find my LJ icon for this post less funny, considering your AR inclination.

or...

You could know that it comes from a manual on cat care and its a picture of the prescribed best way to save a cat from drowning.

Yay for context!

[alias_sqbr]

That's a trick question: like me you're automatically sexist because you were brought up in a sexist society.

Posting crap like that just means you'll be one of the first for the firing squad when the Femynyst revolution comes :P

[emma-in-oz.livejournal.com]

Feminism isn't just about fighting for legal equality, or pointing out the flaws of men, it's about questioning and deconstructing the "Patriarchy", the self perpetuating collection of unjust power structures and attitudes which are supported by and which oppresses everyone of all genders


This is outstanding. If only it would reduce quickly to an icon or T shirt front.

[alias_sqbr]

Thanks *blush*

It would fit on either in a sufficiently small font :)

[emma-in-oz.livejournal.com]

Sexism is often so subtle, threading its insidious way through many aspects of our existence, that anyone who talks about it risks sounding like an overzealous lunatic at worst—scrutinizing every interaction for gender-specific offenses, dichotomizing the world into victim and oppressor—or trivial at best.


http://nymag.com/news/features/46011/

[alias_sqbr]

Agreed. Though I felt that article somewhat glossed over racial issues: they do work differently to gender ones, but they're not any less of an issue. I've come across a bunch of african american women online who are very annoyed at being told they're traitors to their gender for not voting for Hillary (I'm sure there's others who are similarly annoyed at being expected to vote for Obama, or republican ones who are doubly annoyed at being called racist and sexist, but I haven't encountered any)

Sill, the basic gist is valid, and I do find the undercurrent of misogyny that flares up whenever a woman "doesn't know her place" pretty fricking scary.