feminism

Like many working class men of my generation, I reached adulthood as a fully formed sexist bigot. Looking back my attitude to women was appalling, which was hardly surprising if one takes into account the values of the society I was brought up in. We workers were exploited by just about all those who had an opportunity to do so, so  many of us not knowing any better, behaved likewise to those whom we did not consider to be our equals. There is absolutely no doubt the feminist movement which emerged in the 1960s, despite its weaknesses and class base, played an enormous role ... Read Full Story

Barack Obama is everywhere--- from tacky collector plates advertised late at night on cable TV to Spiderman . That's cool, after eight years of yuck we need and deserve it. And it is exciting that the parents let us bring the hippest exotic kid in school home for dinner—and are even, for the most part, being nice about it. But a lot of feminists have their collective panties in a knot over the recent Ms. Magazine cover where, with the assistance of Photoshop , Obama was made into a Feminist Superhero (and if you subscribe now you can get a 18” X 24” commemorative ... Read Full Story

I'm back from a hectic class trip, & initially I figured I wouldn't blog today as I'm just too tired. So I sat to read other people's blogs, leave comments, & also reply to comments on my own blog. Then I decided to inspect the many labels on my blog. And realized, to my absolute shock & horror, that there's no post labeled 'feminism.' That meant I haven't blogged much about the feminist side of me. Shocked? Don't be. I've been a staunch feminist since well over two years. I tried going bra-less (though that was a necessity at that particular time, it was also uplifting & ... Read Full Story

When we look at labels to describe activism by women we commonly use the term womanist, or feminist.  Words mean something despite how casually we toss them around.  They are how we order and understand our world.  In an effort to be inclusive when we write about activism many will often write feminists/womanists.  This acknowledges that some WOC have to some degree separated themselves and have taken on the label of womanists because of the history of racism within the feminist movement. The problem with using these labels is that they often appear in a certain order.  Most will write feminists/womanists rather than womanists/feminists.  ... Read Full Story

It is common to hear many women today say I am not a feminist or anything but...I think that we are suffering from a form of collective amnesia about what the world before feminism was like.  Pay close attention colluders.  Every time you say I am not a feminist, you are denying things like battered womens shelters, the right to vote, rape counselling, and equal pay for equal work. Which one of these benefits do you want to give back?  It may not be "cool" these days to say that you are feminist, but it is even less cool to embrace a world where ... Read Full Story