A woman who strives to be like a man lacks ambition. Anonymous
Nobody can argue about the rights of women, it's like arguing about earthquakes. Lillian Hellman
Personally and professionally the boys and men in my life have always been dear to me. Very dear. I have a wonderful husband, two treasured sons and two fabulous grandsons. I do well with male clients and want them to thrive in their lives. Ironically by my proclamation as being a feminist, I terrify some men to the point of attack. I then become merely a label, not a person and the butt of a joke. True, I can be outspoken and feisty. For that I thank the girls Catholic high school I attended that allowed me [in the early 60's] to play any sport, raise my hand and ask any question in class, challenge any doofus, male or female, that I realized was being inaccurate or plain stupid. I also must thank my outspoken Mother, grandmother and assorted teachers for learning to be honest and forthright. In short I am one of the women that some men have been warned about. Misogynist beware!
What great harm have I, as a feminist, ever done to the human race? None that I can think of. Yet I constantly have heard the word 'radical' stamped on my admitted feminist label. Isn't it true that women's rights are human rights? Is that so unsettling, odd or radical? Even the Pope is declaring himself a feminist these days, bless him. No one is calling him a radical. Is it harmful to believe that we, as one of the most prosperous countries in the world, have a duty to help out oppressed women and children. We have the ability to do this in our nation and in other countries. This sounds like humanism really, because who is the hope of the world? As my dear mother noted: women.It will be women who'll save the world. Jane M. Ricketts [on a discussion of the world's condition]
Giving the Catholic church as an example of not recognizing feminism in action, remember it's the nuns who have done the preponderance of the scut work with the poor and oppressed. As far as I know these Nuns have committed no crimes against humanity. They have served and waited on the whims of their Church, always the underlings. How have they been rewarded for their devotion and their diligence? They have no pensions and they weren't allowed to pay into Social Security so in essence they are like the lilies of the field, they have nothing and they have been impoverished. Several years ago they were being censured by a particularly ignorant bishop in Seattle as their thanks for all their selfless hard work. I ask you.
By comparison, impoverishment is certainly not true for the priests. They have pensions and places to live until they die. They have Social Security. Interestingly and also by contrast, a few of them have almost bankrupt certain parishes throughout the United States with the lawsuits over their pedophilia. And, I might add, all of this in the past was routinely covered up by the hierarchy of the Church. That's not right and the ones who are addressing this issue most vigorously are the women, the mothers of these child victims.
I am puzzled that my kind of liberal minded, human rights oriented, outspoken, scholarly woman is continually vilified, feared and condemned by some of the nastier religions of the world and some of the hate mongering talk show hosts. Just what have feminists done that provokes such loathing? Could it be the demanding equal pay for equal work? or insisting that any conversation about her body be between her and her doctor? or by being allowed to choose the number of children she brings into the world? or expecting the right to an education? Don't we all want this for all of our children?
The humblest citizen of all the land, when clad in the armor of a righteous cause, is stronger than all the hosts of Error. William Jennings Bryan
Let's do a little exercise. Let's take this whole issue of feminism to the logical extreme of the non or anti feminist. This would, again by definition, be a woman or a man who does not want the social and political rights equal to men. What does that look like? For one the pay for equal work would be abysmal, women would lose the right to vote, lose the right to privacy between them and their doctor, no title IX so no sports subsidized as are the men's, and of course no woman would be in a political office and without the voting power little protection for themselves and their children. Still anti feminist? A quick tour of the world where women have no rights will give you a better glimpse than all of my verbiage.
Take Egypt...please. In Egypt, women have no rights and they are regularly sexually harrassed, are sometimes genitally mutilated, and have no one to turn to if their husband is violent. They still stone women in Egypt as well as in 15 other countries in the Islamic world. One little girl, 13 years old was stoned to death when she reported a rape by three men. Her crime they said was "adultery". Still not convinced? If you find all of this horror acceptable then indeed you are not a feminist. Do you really want to be a host of error?
All of this came about because I had a small discussion with someone who I was sure understood what it means to be anti feminist and yet was clueless. This is my plea. If you are going to state a position like "I don't support feminists" for heaven's sake do your homework and realize what you are supporting. By spouting anti-feminism you are joining the ranks of a very dark and ugly group of haters. Go toward the light and be loving to women.
susansmagicfeather copyright 2015 Susan R. Grout all rights reserved
