I want to make this perfectly clear before I go on:
I do NOT think that women are below men and I do NOT side with the patriarchy, in fact, I abhor it completely. Women are equal to men for we are all humans regardless of race, creed, sexuality, or gender.
Feminism, in essence, is a collection of movements and ideologies aimed at defining, establishing, and defending equal political, economic, and social rights for women. (Source Wikipedia)
In the past, I see this as a necessary movement along with labor unions, etc. However now, I'm starting to think Feminism is... starting to deteriorate from what it once stood for.
Instead of pushing for equal rights, all I see now is the plea for special treatment.
Believe it or not, there are many pressing issues that men in this day and age face as well.
My definition for modern day neo-Feminists: Modern Feminists try to find a solution for gender EQUALITY by focusing solely on the issues of WOMEN only.
I am posting this in debates because I want to see more input. I am open minded and am willing to change my disposition on MODERN Feminism if there is criticism to how I'm thinking.
Please tell me what you think? This is for discussion, not flaming.
The 19th amendment was a great success for women and their way toward equality. Men and women should be equal, why would one human being have more value over another? People should be judged by their character and actions; not their color of skin or gender.
I am however against the idea of "bra-burning", men would only take advantage of that, and I believe that would harm woman's idea of self-worth.
Men and women are different, in appearance and in behaviour. They often have different needs and desires. As such, I don't think that it is always necessarily good to unequivocally promote 'equality of sexes'.
Of course, being human, both men and women are entitled to fundamental rights as set out by The Universal Declaration of Human Rights - for example the right to life, liberty, privacy, and fair judgement before a court. This should also include rights that historically were not given to women, such as the right to an education and to equal pay at work.
It's hard to think of a good example where discriminating (I hesitate to use that word with such negative connotations) between genders is positive, but suffice to say that I don't think I'd necessarily treat a woman the same way as a man. With respect certainly, but not exactly the same way.
My point is that gender equality can be dangerous. Mutual respect is important, but we must also respect our differences.
As for feminism, I think it's often taken to the extreme these days - you can't even comment of the attractiveness of a woman for fear of being labelled sexist. It's a similar story to that of racism - 'political correctness' actually holds back social development.
Neo feminism is on the move and support equality for all. I think there should be fair opportunity for all as well, and as long as men and women are portrayed differently in the media, I think there should be a strong focus on that. It's estimated that the average teen consumes about 7 hours of media a day, ranging from tv to magazines, and a vast majority of media depicts a skewed version of reality. Women are sexual, emotional objects in need of rescuing or controlling, while men are violent, in charge and emotionless. Neither depiction is correct so people are growing up on the belief that these images are true, and as adults act as such. I think the first step towards social change and equality is changing the way the media depicts us, teaching children to filter the ideas they get from the media, and educating people who still have skewed perceptions do the sexes.
Missrepresentation.org
#notbuyingit
Additionally, I think men and women have anatomical and physiological make ups that include hormonal difference which affect thought and behavior. I think despite these differences, the same opportunities should be afforded both men and women. Anything or anyone that prevents that equal opportunity should be challenged.
My biggest concern is violence against women and children, especially sexual violence, and though it happens to men, too - statistically men are the perpetrators. They are not entirely to blame, of course, it takes a "villiage" or society to raise a boy, and our society finds it acceptable to think of women as sexual objects. I mean look at Miley's performance at the VMAs. Based on her clothes and behavior, the audience she was trying to performing for were men. How did she learn this behavior? At the same time, she's dancing to Robin Thicke's "Blurred Lines" which is about women saying "no" but since they really want to "get fucked" deep down, it's okay to do it. In a nut shell, their performance sums up exactly why we have so much sexual violence against women. At least in America. All the studies I've seen have been based on statistics in the US.
It is a very sad day when one of the reasons I don't want more children, and that I'm 100% grateful that Tyler is a boy, is because I'm terrified of how to raise a girl. Girls need a special education and special protection because they are portrayed as the ultimate victims. Children absorb these images and rarely have the proper education to filter them before these unequal ideals fossilize in their character. They grow up to pass these values on in the lives of their own children, the people they are around, and the work they produce.
I could go on and on, but I won't.
Edited by za heystarface on 08/29/2013 09:04:03
I have to agree with ninja on his thoughts of gender equality. Now I also do agree with Timii, that feminists are pushing for special treatment, even though they have all the basic rights that everyone should have, they want more. Why should someone get special treatment over another just because of there gender? Is that fair?
*DISCLAIMER* I still have the utmost respect for women, because they are in every respect, still a human being.
�RG� (Renegade Gamers) Senior Admin [C�R] Veteren
Aside from a few biological differences that should be taken into consideration, I think women should be treated the same as men and that there's nothing a man should do that woman shouldn't be allowed to do, and vice versa.
I think violence of any kind (man to woman, woman to man) is wrong, unless in self defense.
Some women may take feminism too far, and are too extreme (hating men just for being male, or claiming all men are rapists, pigs, ect...), but there are still many issues women deal with less than men that should be resolved. For example: women are often treated as sex objects in our society (which is demeaning to them IMO), women are sexually harassed more than men, women still often get paid less than men for doing the same job, and there are jobs and fields were it is more difficult to find a job/get taken seriously if you're a woman.
I like owls. Do you like owls? (@v@)
For the most part, everything Ninja said was exactly what I was trying to convey, but he did it much better
It's interesting when people bring up the subject of media, I kind of find it to be somewhat of a unfair argument. What I mean by this is media is typically blamed 99% of the time when it comes to serious topics such as this, homosexuality, gun control, violent crimes, the list could go on and on. The main reason why women are so sexualized is because sex appeal to men is a sure fire way to convince men to do something. I am not saying that this isn't a shitty thing to do, but it's what makes viewers and revenue for corporations etc. And when people portray violence or sexual themes, one must know to separate what is fantasy and what is reality. Sure, you can want someone like your favorite T.V. Idol, but it isn't a defining factor that makes one attracted or respectful to the other. Just because certain groups of people are racist, sexist, or homophobic as a direct result of media, does not mean everyone else will. Media is a form of entertainment and should not be ruined because of outlying quantities of people. But of course, this is not me trying to say that you should show young impressionable girls and boys this stuff now, just that it's a form of entertainment for all.
Many feminists that I've come to know are all liberal or democratic. I am hard pressed to find a single republican conservative feminists. Liberal free thinkers and people who want artistic freedom/expression created the stance of how media is today. Do you know why films from the 1920's through the Early 1960's had no cussing, limited (almost menial) amounts of blood, and no sexuality? Because of the Haye's Code in all forms of media. But it was liberals and free thinkers that finally got the Haye's Code abolished and introduced sexuality and violence that slowly shifted into the media we have today. So when I hear feminists say that the media is at fault and are still liberal, I kind of find it to be a bit of an oxymoron.
This debate is mainly addressing the hypocrisy that some (keep in mind, some not all) modern neo-feminists hold. Many of the arguments I've seen many aggressive feminists make shame men for simply having a penis, which they dub is the "ultimate tool for rape".
In short, I don't hate feminists, I dislike radical feminists that take their message to the extreme. Similarly, I don't dislike Muslims, but I dislike the Taliban or radical Muslims. I don't dislike Christians, I dislike radical Christians. The trend here is apparent.
A re-statement, regardless of race, gender, creed, or physical/mental strength, I will dislike something should I find it hypocritical or illogical in my sense. Feminism is not illogical, but radical feminists are.
Star, I agree with everything that you stand for, but there are some feminists out there that I simply can't agree with. Even though not all feminists are like that, the actions of the few can speak for the many. Like, for example, in correlation a feminist can see a male rapist and think that all men are evil. Now it's obvious that all men aren't evil, but like stated above, the actions of the few can speak for the many.
i do not believe im equal to eva mendes or mila kunis and few others they are deff superior to me. And I AM 100% perfectly fine with that.
Edited by RazNinjaMike on 08/31/2013 09:33:25
