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Delightful!
Why is there so much support for equality for women and men and so much fear of the word that describes this belief, feminism. Let me try my hand at some explanations and hopefully,in that process, cure this phobia in you all. Here is the faulty thinking that may be causing this cognitive impairment.
1.The mistaken belief that only women can be feminists. Many men identify as feminists and subscribe to the belief of equality. Many men have the strength and concern to want their female partners to be equal to them. This is 2015 after all. Also many men have relationships with partners, mothers and daughters and want them all to be treated with respect and to be offered the same opportunities in life as anyone else.
2. The mistaken belief that feminism is only for White, middle class women. The feminist movement, in all its aspects, has taken up the issue of diversity unequivocally, passionately and internationally. In many ways, feminism is more robust and more respected inyernationally than in the U.S. and Canada currently.
3. The mistaken belief that feminism is only for women who work outside the home. Feminism actually emphasizes women’s right to choose how to live their lives and also to be flexible about these choices at various times of life.
4. The mistaken belief that one must be an activist to be a feminist. Not any more true than thinking one must run for office to be a Democrat or Republican.
5. The mistaken belief that feminists hate men and heterosexuality. The terms “feminazi” and “male bashing” were developed by extreme right wing media pundits who want to stop feminism. Distortion and ridicule, as we know, are two of the most potent ways of doing that. It is dangerous to believe everything that the media tells us.
6.The mistaken belief that feminism is no longer necessary as all its goals have been accomplished. Please look at the statistics on violence, sexual assault on campus and off, trafficking of women and girls, etc., etc.
The mistaken belief that all feminists are lesbians, also perpetrated bythe media. Although there are many lesbians who declare themselves feminists, there are actually more heterosexual women who self-identify as feminists and as activists. Also there are increasingly more alternative self-identifications being offered instead of maintain the traditional binary.
Finally, I would be delighted to hear from my readers on other mistaken beliefs or stereotypes that I have not covered and that are of importance to you. This blog belongs to all of us.
Delightful!
Submitted by jb kjb on September 27, 2015 - 4:10pm
Karen L Smith MSS, LCSW wrote:Delightful!
Delightfully Strawman.
A simple Google search reveals many male bashing articles that are completely independent of any "right wing conspiracy"
No, there are plenty of radical, absurdly angry (nutcase) feminists on college campuses that are spewing man-hate on a regular basis.
Ridiculous. Feminism stopped
Submitted by Todd on September 27, 2015 - 5:08pm
Ridiculous. Feminism stopped being about equality and fairness decades ago. Now it is about misandry, man blaming, man shaming, and hating the very actions of men that make them men - initiating communications between the sexes, initiating physical contact between the sexes, initiating sexual contact between the sexes, stuff that all or nearly all heterosexual women expect men to do.
The double standards today's feminists seek to impose are also ridiculous. Drunkeness undercutting the ability to consent to sex, for instance, but not the ability to have the intent to rape or have non consensual sex.
the devils advocate
Submitted by Adam on September 26, 2015 - 3:44pm
Would feminism have more potency (the view that women and men are equal) if the term was changed to "equalitism"? Would this simple change help spearhead the movement and remove a possible subconscious resistance in males?
What we think
Submitted by Drunicusrex on October 15, 2015 - 3:36pm
I think that you really aren't honestly describing the feminist movement, as most people see it.
Of course the majority of people are in favor of women having equal legal rights as men.
By that definition, nearly everyone would be a feminist. To say otherwise would be like opposing abolition, which is a view virtually no one has.
That's not what feminism is. Feminism today, by the words and deeds of every leading feminist scholar, is a movement devoted to, ironically enough, gender hatred.
Feminism doesn't see inequality as a problem, truly. Feminism sees men and masculinity as the problem. Feminists assume that rape - which virtually all men view as a serious crime - is widespread, and widely excused by men. This is a lie.
Feminism assumes that all men are born with privileges greater than any female. Another lie, and a fairly ridiculous one coming from very well to do ivy league grads, who represent large swaths of feminism.
Feminism hates the nuclear family. Feminism hates individualism. Hates masculinity, both its positive and negative aspects.
Feminism seeks to have men live in fear and suspicion, and to have women be dominating elites - roles in which few women are comfortable.
Feminism is a hate movement nowadays. To say otherwise is to be completely unaware of the statements and actions of leading feminists.
That's what I think, and I believe it to be the majority view amount both genders.
Drunicusrex, I thought this
Submitted by Family_Man on November 11, 2015 - 3:23pm
Drunicusrex, I thought this response was excellent and worthy of applause..
Add new comment | Psychology Today
Submitted by あの頃＝アフィリエイター山本謙吾＝ on November 2, 2015 - 12:50am
通常アンケートサイトは、簡単＆色々な質問に参加するだけで、楽々お小遣い稼ぎが行えるようになっています。自分自身でお小遣い稼ぎに取り組みやすいので、特別収入を手にしやすいという点が山本謙吾的はお勧めポイントではないでしょうか。遅れましたが、山本謙吾と申します。アフィリエイトやってます。封筒の表書き（宛名書き）とか食品パックなどの検品など、単純仕事の副業案件は、家にいながら子どもの真横でお話しながら仕事を進められる、ＴＶを見つつ取り組めることから、家庭の主婦に大変好評と、山本謙吾も聞いています。ネットを活用して副業を見つけようとしたら、どんな種類の仕事を調べますか？「副業 ランキング」といった検索ワードで検索するというような方も数多くおられるとお見受けします。実のところ、山本謙吾自身もそうなんです。現実的に社会においてのアルバイトのお仕事は、内職関係の副業じゃない限り、家でやるということは困難ですけれども、アフィリエイトは、ネット環境が整っていれば、自分の家で行えるのが山本謙吾のおすすめの点ですね。山本謙吾が思うにだいたいのポイントサイトは、まとまった時間はとれないけれど、収入を得たい人におすすめの時間が自由な副業です。ネットでそれぞれのサイトをクリックしたりアンケートに答えたり、またはCMを見るのみで、ポイントとなるものになります。古くからある、せどりとは、読み終わって不要となった本をセカンド品として、安価で手に入れ、ネット市場仕入れ値よりも高く売ることにより利潤を生みだす副業といえるでしょう。お金が即行で手に入るため山本謙吾のおすすめのビジネスのひとつです。多分インターネットビジネスでしたら、勤務先の仕事に悪影響の出ないレベルで、時間の限られたサラリーマンが副業するのに悪くない各種ビジネスが、割合探し出せるのではないでしょうか。山本謙吾も手伝いますよ！今の時代は単に副業と言っても多様で、在宅という縛りがあっても相当の数があると山本謙吾も思います。小さい子がいる主婦など、家から外出が難しい人にはピッタリですね。例えば普通のビジネスの場合は、二番煎じは不利になるという評価になるケースが少なくないわけで、大半のネット副業だと、後発組であっても困ることなく、山本謙吾のように稼ぐことが可能でしょう。あなたにしかできない新しいイマジネーションを形にして、稼ぎ方を確立することに首尾よく成功できたなら、それを在宅にてネットで稼ぐように意識すれば、十分な利益となって返ってくるでしょう。リアルに考えてサラリーマンが副業できる時間というのは、いかんせん多くはありません。労働・家族サービス・遊び・入浴・睡眠・学習時間を減じたあとの余剰時間。だから、時間調整が大切になります。景気の悪さによる影響により、正規労働者の場合でも段々と給与が過酷になっている今日です。そういう事態ですから、安定収入のあるサラリーマンでも、副業に勤しんでいる事例が増えてきたと、山本謙吾は思います。ネットさえあったら、どんな方でも、料金が全くかからずゼロ円で開始できます入門者に山本謙吾のお勧めの高収入を稼ぐ術を何パターンも沢山取り上げています。空いた時間にＰＣやスマホにて、ノーリスクでお小遣い稼ぎをやってみましょう！言わばブログライターとは、人のブログサイトに委託された内容についての記事を作成し、お金が支払われる仕事。中でも文章を記述することが得意な方に、山本謙吾がおすすめできる副業です。事実電話を使って、心配事や悩み事、文句を聞くことによって、月々20万円位を稼ぐという主婦も多くみられます。副業をスタートして6年位で、大体1日平均4・5時間で、この程度の収入を儲けているそうです。すごいですよね！山本謙吾も負けないように頑張ります＾＾
Feminism is the right term
Submitted by Karen L Smith MSS, LCSW on September 26, 2015 - 9:49pm
So of course it is true Adam that equality is the ultimate goal, and a world where gender doesnt limit any of our options. But just as "all lives matter" only if "black lives matter", we have to turn our attention to the group hindered in their options, as that is the groups whose cause we are trying to elevate.We dont need to be gay to care about gay rights, or black to care about race relations. Men could be proud to declare themselves a fighter for women to obtain equal footing, for their moms, daughters, colleagues and hetero-sexual partners.
Great comment, i wish you
Submitted by Anonymous on September 27, 2015 - 1:57pm
Great comment, i wish you could explain it to the rest of the world!
Indeed words are powerful, as well as context
Submitted by Adam on September 28, 2015 - 5:08am
I have a few thoughts.
As you said Miss Smith: "We dont need to be gay to care about gay rights, or black to care about race relations. Men could be proud to declare themselves a fighter for women to obtain equal footing, for their moms, daughters, colleagues and hetero-sexual partners." And yet that took 41 words to explain. "Equaltism"or "Humanism", I would argue, states all of that in 1 word, without the risk of misinterpretation. I would argue it is much more powerful with less effort. It's More efficient.
I believe there is also a generational disconnect with Millennials and "Feminism". They followed ideals, advice, and rules of their elders and in an unfortunate way equality has been achieved as a result. Many of them have been equally screwed, are equally in debt, equally struggling, and equally angry.
This has lead to possible explanations for what, I have observed, is a "backlash" against the term feminism a morphed idea of what feminism is.
1: Along with statistically being told that millennials are told they are going to do worse (and feeling it with the fact that many of their degrees are worthless and don't produce the income they used to) Competition for jobs is stronger than it's ever been. How can someone care about workplace equality, if you can't get into the workplace?
2: as a result, the credibility of the the previous generation is shot, regardless of what they stood for. This includes Feminism.
3: the mating game has changed. women hold the keys, and along with their increase in status over the years(thanks to feminism) there has been an increase in the avg. of standards in mates. this is nether good or bad, it just is. Many males, I would argue, are psychologically suffering from their inability to find a heterosexual partner, compounded with the economical problems, results in a massive push back from feminism. It's not fair to them from their point of view. it is not equal in their eyes.
I'm sure their are many more possible reasons for push back and discard. I am not a psychologist but as an observer who has much invested in equality of women I must ask: "Is eqaulistism a better term than feminism"? and I would have to say yes, it is.
thoughtful comment
Submitted by Karen L Smith MSS, LCSW on September 28, 2015 - 8:55am
Hey Adam, I am digging your thoughtful comment, as per food for thought.
"Men could be proud to
Submitted by Todd on December 11, 2015 - 10:48am
"Men could be proud to declare themselves a fighter for women to obtain equal footing, for their moms, daughters, colleagues and hetero-sexual partners."
Oh come on, women in our society have it easy, easier than men.
When your son has his career ruined because some woman claims she felt harassed by him because she thought he was looking at her for a few seconds too long, or is passed over for a job because he isn't a woman, you might come to understand that for the sake of your sons, colleagues, husbands and heterosexual partners, you should be working for true equality, not belonging to a movement predicated on misandry and discrimination against male humans.
Other beliefs about feminists
Submitted by Hai-Nam on September 26, 2015 - 4:49pm
Other beliefs about feminists and why they're not so popular: The idea that feminists are censorious, that they use entirely false statistics like the 77 cents to a dollar wage gap or the 1 in 5 women on campus will be raped numbers, their upholding of double standards concerning sexualisation and violence, their tendency to be offended by just about anything, their policing of language on college campuses and general hatred of free-expression if what is being said either offends them or contradicts their beliefs, for them to be just as if not more puritanical than the far right religious nuts. That's just a few.
Thank you; well said. Throw
Submitted by Family_Man on September 27, 2015 - 12:16pm
Thank you; well said. Throw in a misandrist bent and the draconian perscpective of "family" court..
This author is attempting to
Submitted by Zool on September 27, 2015 - 4:15pm
This author is attempting to employ the tired old ploy of questioning the rationality of anyone who disagrees.
Someone is not on board -- well, obviously they have major mental problems.
The writer was telling it
Submitted by Todd on September 27, 2015 - 5:12pm
The writer was telling it like it is. Having nothing to rebut what he or she was saying, because you know it to be true, you have to resort to a strawperson attack.
MANGINA ALERT!
Submitted by lnjknefkjn on November 11, 2015 - 2:39pm
Todd wrote:The writer was telling it like it is. Having nothing to rebut what he or she was saying, because you know it to be true, you have to resort to a strawperson attack.
Thanks for your ingratiating mangina input Todd.
Who you calling mangina, mangina
Submitted by Todd on December 11, 2015 - 12:54am
I was supporting the comment of Hai Nan, not the Ellyn.
Etymology
Submitted by Etymology on September 26, 2015 - 9:11pm
Why is so reluctant of feminists to accept Egalitarianism?
Precisely because the word entitles superiority.
You truly do not accept homologation.
Simply put, women girls should have priority in every aspect of life they can do anything wrong.
Medicine and psychology is just falling behind in just the recognition that medications do not act equally in men or women. Unless a woman proposes it.
Feminism is exactly the attack to describe any notion that homologation is not as equivalent.
Rights should be the same, society should respect any gender the same. That is exactly what feminism is opposed to.
Very simply, every human being should have the right for education; does feminism accepts that curve of learning and method of teachings in great percentage varies across genders and age?
So to ask someone to be a feminist is the same as to ask someone to be a Nazi and there is people that accept it.
Feminism lacks humanism, it is well know that ISIS took girls, but the same feminism does not care about if boys are killed for watching soccer. That is the reality of propagandistic feminism.
Let's start another example, nursing: we receive the publicity that male nurses earn more, does your notion of feminism recognizes that until some decades ago male were not accepted in nursing schools, does your notion of feminism also states that male nurses mostly go for anesthesiology at a higher ranking paying job? What is the proportion of female nurses and male nurses?
Let us go to teaching in America; 70% of teachers are female, as male teachers are just sexual predators.
Let's start with the notion that males are not good households, and statistics of household duties do not include fixing the car, lawn mower, removing snow, fixing the plumbing and helping in kids homework, etc. Only that we buy pizza if left alone in the kitchen, while my wife has never cooked in her life before I marry her and I had to teach her. That is feminism and the jokes about how men are useless.
Feminism is about publication in Time magazine that men are obsolete, and of course, where one goes the other ones follow, feminism is not about to go back and state how rude and out of place that is, actually it is applaud and cheer by your group.
NO MAM with all due respect, feminism is not about equal. Feminism is far. Even women that recognize other priorities, because out there are very smart women; feminism reminds them that they are out of place.
A group that just looks for increase in jail space has no respect.
Let's start talking about symmetry, let us propose laws that in a separation men keep the children, and you will start seeing that symmetry. Violence for loosing someone that you love and see if you remain in your sanity.
Feminism had a good point that women were being left out, that cognition in society has a great merit, but feminism is opposed to the notion that there is already equal rights and worst that the pendulum had gone all the other way. It is all about superiority. Otherwise, the word would of change form to include all society and recognize when women are just plain sexists.
I am a woman, an atheist and
Submitted by Rachael on September 26, 2015 - 10:15pm
I am a woman, an atheist and think that abortion is murder of unborn babies. I feel increasingly estranged from feminism that thinks the new age is great and fetuses are the same as teddy bears. I like men and having sex with them too. I feel their is increasingly male hating rubbish that is being spewed out by feminism and a lack of accountability for the choices women make for themselves in the west.
There not their . Damn you
Submitted by Rachael on September 26, 2015 - 10:18pm
There not their . Damn you auto correct
Another reply
Submitted by Ellyn on September 26, 2015 - 11:14pm
I am interested to see that virtually all the above objections to feminism are completely based on misconceptions often promoted by rogue sources for questionable motives. As an educator, I can only hope that you will educate yourselves about your misconceptions before you imbue them with outrage. Thank you.
For real?
Submitted by James on September 27, 2015 - 9:20am
If by "rogue sources" you mean people who actually give a damn about scientific integrity, then yes you are correct. I will always side with the angle of debate which uses not emotive, credible and verifiable arguments.
I have seen none of that from you. Even on this very website you can find sources which discredit what you say. Sources which are actually peer reviewed, successfully replicated and politically non-biased in their language.
If feminism wants to be taken seriously it had better begin to look outside it's own echo chamber for sources. There is a reason 85% of the population, UK and US, don't take feminism seriously, despite being pro equality.
Sincerely, an educator.
Feminism in Finland
Submitted by Einsten on September 27, 2015 - 11:43am
In finland feminism works like this: first you choose any phenomenon in society which involves men and women. After that you calculate the percentage of women in that area. If the percentage is below fifty for women, you have a discrimination problem. Women is being "discriminated" because of the percentage. You don't need to analyze what is the real reason behind the numbers. You just look out the percentage. Always. Next step is to start demanding the transfer of resources to eliminate the "problem". No matter the cost or the reasons, percentages need to be even between men and women.
And what if percentages are against men? You do nothing.
Keep fighting the good fight Ellyn
Submitted by Karen L Smith MSS, LCSW on September 27, 2015 - 8:37pm
Ellyn, I am new to the blogging world, at least to the comments section. I have heard about how negative the comment world can get, but feel shocked at the attacking meanness. Just wanted to send you my virtual support for talking about feminism in a world where hate and rage can be shared so casually. I am going to right a blog on my site about why we have to accept the rigid anger that is characteristic of awakening to your own oppression. It is true that young feminist are rage filled, and rigid, and argumentative, and it births a thoughtful, self-aware woman, prepared to honor her strengths and help create a world for all our children to grow and achieve in. I will send it your way and credit you with my inspiration when I put it together!
A fair world where men can be
Submitted by Todd on September 28, 2015 - 8:23am
A fair world where men can be criminalized for rape because they had sex when drunk with a woman who had sex when drunk and seemed to be consenting.
A fair world where ex-boyfriends can be criminalized for harassment for trying to get back together with you, and doing the exact same things they did to get together with you in the first place.
A fair world where men on campus, already a minority, are denigrated and attacked for doing the things men do and that heterosexual women expect them to do.
A fair world where unemployment rates for young men are much higher than they are for young women.
A fair world where men are much more likely to suicide, and have a life expectancy a few years shorter than than of women.
That is the kind of world feminists are fighting for?
Ellyn, I am new to the
Submitted by Melonaze on September 28, 2015 - 2:13pm
Karen L Smith MSS, LCSW wrote:Ellyn, I am new to the blogging world, at least to the comments section. I have heard about how negative the comment world can get, but feel shocked at the attacking meanness. Just wanted to send you my virtual support for talking about feminism in a world where hate and rage can be shared so casually. I am going to right a blog on my site about why we have to accept the rigid anger that is characteristic of awakening to your own oppression. It is true that young feminist are rage filled, and rigid, and argumentative, and it births a thoughtful, self-aware woman, prepared to honor her strengths and help create a world for all our children to grow and achieve in. I will send it your way and credit you with my inspiration when I put it together!
My observation of negative, "mean" comments on PT articles, is that they only appear when the author is:
1) promoting junk science
2) Citing dubious "studies" and statistics
3) Uses percentages without actual numbers.
4) Is obviously biased.
5) Panders
Wow. What a large group of
Submitted by Anonymous on September 28, 2015 - 8:07pm
Wow. What a large group of people that A. Completely missed the point of the article and B. are trolls. Can't say I'm surprised. I am a feminist. I love men, I love women, I love everyone. I just believe in equality. Look up Feminism in the dictionary. Just because there are some women who rant about hating men on college campuses and call themselves feminists, does not mean that encompasses all of feminism or even that the ranter really understood feminism herself. To assume so means you probably just saw the rant of a misguided person or misunderstood a rant that was not about hating men and then didn't do research, just assumed and wrote an angry rant on the internet. Being a feminist myself, I am used to the word feminism attracting trolls and people who don't understand the true meaning of the word feminism.
I am a man and I am also a
Submitted by Anonymous on September 29, 2015 - 11:07am
I am a man and I am also a feminist. I want to emotionally support the women in my life. I also know that most women, including my family and friends are ducking crazy, emotional divas. They keep it in check when they can, but get to know them too well and bam!... The crazy comes out. Wether they admit it or not, most women in this country have a little inner princess waiting to come out and throw a temper tantrum every time something is not to their liking.
No true Scots(wo)men
Submitted by Drunicusrex on October 15, 2015 - 3:51pm
You seem to be saying that just because a large group of young (and often old) women in women's studies departments/academia, in law, in the media, and in the government spew man hating vitriol and call themselves "feminists," well, that hardly means feminism is a hate movement.
Do you see the problem with that line of reasoning?
If an animal walks like a duck, flies like a duck, paddles around in marshes, and quacks, then ma'am - you are almost certainly observing a duck.
If most feminists call us rapists, oppressors, abusers, idiots, thugs, creeps, or losers - well, ma'am - most feminists then are in all likelihood man haters, the female versions of misogynists.
Perhaps you could explain to us, if all that feminism is is a "movement for equality," then why do so many people of both genders feel that it's mostly about man hating?
My answer would be that it has nothing at all to do with "the right wing media," which is a tiny slice of the media, most of them are leftists - and everything to do with the actions of prominent feminists.
ERA
Submitted by B.Kevorkian on October 26, 2018 - 12:28am
The failure of the ERA marked the end of feminism being about legal equality.
Equality is dead. It's all dueling privileges and competing special interest, now.
.
Submitted by Arina on November 28, 2019 - 2:42pm
I truly agree many people misunderstand the term of feminism as they do not go deeper into the reasons why this term appeared. Of course, feminism is not only for women who work outside house, as many people who work at home or are unable to work for specific reasons as those women also fight for their rights. Furthermore, there is no logic in the statement black women cannot be feminists. Moreover, they can be even more feminists than other women as in many places, still, blacks' rights are violated.
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