first off, it's great that despite your hard work, you recognize the faults of the system and of yourself. i don't think we can ever to stop learning.
i don't necessarily think feminism around you is doing anything wrong. i think it's ultimately dealing with the realities. feminism and critical thought are something that is mostly accessible to those with privilege. i mean those who are able to go to university. i don't mean that all people at the university are well off. i understand that student loans exist but the university does not offer that many practical and quick careers that tend to be a necessity for our young immigrant population. i would love a community full of woc. i consider moving for those exact reasons but again, our population consisting of people of colour is quite young. my family has been here for 15 years and we still haven't had any one of our members attend university.
i think the question to ask is: how do we reach people outside the sphere of the university? how do provide information to the population outside of the campus? is it done through zines or posters or aligning yourself with student groups at places like norquest or nait? i'm not exactly sure but it's really promising that there are people like you thinking about it.
FCan
· 1 year ago
Great post!
First of all, I don't personally think that a man such as yourself taking a stand within feminism- or identifying as feminist- is problematic in and of itself. Sure, it may cause some issues among individual feminists, and I can sympathize with and understand such views, but ultimately I think they are a bit misguided. If you believe that you know what are the best steps to take within the movement, I would urge you to stand up and express yourself. As I believe you've stated before, it's important to listen to the opinions of others, of course, and take care not to come across as arrogant, but if you remain convinced you are in the right, there is absolutely nothing wrong with stepping up and saying as much, even if you go against the entire feminist doctrine. This is something I have found is applicable to almost everything in life.
Secondly, I agree with Karen on most of what she has said. It all comes back to social status and education. Like it or not, feminism remains mostly a high theory, only really pursued by upper-middle class, often suburban, women (most of whom are white). This isn't a problem that only affects feminism- it's a well-documented pervasive problem throughout the Western world.
Is feminism flawed? Yes, IMO, and in more ways than simply being somewhat exclusive. I personally am not very involved in feminism due to reasons I won't get into here, but I respect and have no problem with those who do choose to go into the field.
miteypen
· 1 year ago
First of all, feminism isn't a "field." If anything it is an ideology. If you agree with the ideology you can consider yourself a feminist. It's as simple as that.
Now if you're talking about being apart of a feminist movement, that's where things can get problematic. No one movement is going to meet the needs of all people. Not only that, but there are many different organizations, etc., that fall under the feminist umbrella. Perhaps you just haven't found your niche.
The feminist "movement" is largely a media perception and creation. When the media always cite the same persons and refer to the same organizations, it's easy to see feminism as a mainly white, middle class ideology. But if you really examine feminism, you'll see that feminists are against the white, male, middle-to-upper-class monopoly in this country.
I really appreciate the honesty of your post. Your site is really good.
Hey there. I'm pretty new to writing about feminism and being active in my feminist beliefs. However, in a pretty short time I have run across many women who claim that men can't be feminists for the reason you mention...it takes "our cause" out of our hands and puts it in the hands of you evil men.
Umm...f*** that!! Maybe I'm just more of a humanist, but I don't think all men are bad and incapable of empathizing with women's problems and issues! So, while it's probably easier to just call yourself "pro-feminist" on this blog so you don't get a bunch of people calling you out on referring to yourself as a feminist, in my opinion you are...a feminist. You are thoughtful and concious of women's issues and that is something that more men (and women) should do.
Keep doing what you're doing. I also agree that feminism should address WoC. Very good point.
monika
· 1 year ago
I am less concerned about whether men call themselves feminist than I am that they act in feminist ways.
All Comments
i don't necessarily think feminism around you is doing anything wrong. i think it's ultimately dealing with the realities. feminism and critical thought are something that is mostly accessible to those with privilege. i mean those who are able to go to university. i don't mean that all people at the university are well off. i understand that student loans exist but the university does not offer that many practical and quick careers that tend to be a necessity for our young immigrant population. i would love a community full of woc. i consider moving for those exact reasons but again, our population consisting of people of colour is quite young. my family has been here for 15 years and we still haven't had any one of our members attend university.
i think the question to ask is: how do we reach people outside the sphere of the university?
how do provide information to the population outside of the campus? is it done through zines or posters or aligning yourself with student groups at places like norquest or nait?
i'm not exactly sure but it's really promising that there are people like you thinking about it.
First of all, I don't personally think that a man such as yourself taking a stand within feminism- or identifying as feminist- is problematic in and of itself. Sure, it may cause some issues among individual feminists, and I can sympathize with and understand such views, but ultimately I think they are a bit misguided. If you believe that you know what are the best steps to take within the movement, I would urge you to stand up and express yourself. As I believe you've stated before, it's important to listen to the opinions of others, of course, and take care not to come across as arrogant, but if you remain convinced you are in the right, there is absolutely nothing wrong with stepping up and saying as much, even if you go against the entire feminist doctrine. This is something I have found is applicable to almost everything in life.
Secondly, I agree with Karen on most of what she has said. It all comes back to social status and education. Like it or not, feminism remains mostly a high theory, only really pursued by upper-middle class, often suburban, women (most of whom are white). This isn't a problem that only affects feminism- it's a well-documented pervasive problem throughout the Western world.
Is feminism flawed? Yes, IMO, and in more ways than simply being somewhat exclusive. I personally am not very involved in feminism due to reasons I won't get into here, but I respect and have no problem with those who do choose to go into the field.
Now if you're talking about being apart of a feminist movement, that's where things can get problematic. No one movement is going to meet the needs of all people. Not only that, but there are many different organizations, etc., that fall under the feminist umbrella. Perhaps you just haven't found your niche.
The feminist "movement" is largely a media perception and creation. When the media always cite the same persons and refer to the same organizations, it's easy to see feminism as a mainly white, middle class ideology. But if you really examine feminism, you'll see that feminists are against the white, male, middle-to-upper-class monopoly in this country.
I really appreciate the honesty of your post. Your site is really good.
If you'd like, check out my blog at www.femagination.blogspot.com.
Ellen Keim
Umm...f*** that!! Maybe I'm just more of a humanist, but I don't think all men are bad and incapable of empathizing with women's problems and issues! So, while it's probably easier to just call yourself "pro-feminist" on this blog so you don't get a bunch of people calling you out on referring to yourself as a feminist, in my opinion you are...a feminist. You are thoughtful and concious of women's issues and that is something that more men (and women) should do.
Keep doing what you're doing. I also agree that feminism should address WoC. Very good point.