Feminist Coven

Naturally, this is a group for feminists. ^_^ Discussion welcome, obviously no flaming though.

And yes, males are welcome. :P

Yay for feminism!

edited 21st Feb '13 7:02:42 AM by CassidyTheDevil

Male supporters of equal rights are welcome too? ^^

My President is Funny Valentine.

TV Tropes Fora's most infamous feminist, checking in!

Stuff what I do.

How is this coven defining feminism, or is that on a per-person basis? I think of it as the idea that men and women and others are equal; that no gender is inherantly better or worse than another. However, a number of people think it is the idea that women are better than men, or that it ignores problems men may face.

edited 21st Feb '13 8:10:08 AM by Telcontar

That was the amazing part. Things just keep going.

Yet another male feminist chiming in!

WOOF!

OK, on the topic of feminism, I have to share this because I am laughing just too hard: as you perhaps heard, this Sunday in Italy there will be the new Parliament will be elected (and, consequently, the new Prime Minister will be chosen).

One of the contenders is Berlusconi's PDL (Freedom Party), whose leader is somewhat controversial and has been known, among other things, for making extremely sexist comments about journalists and female opponents. Recently, Bersani (the leader of the main centre-left party) mentioned this, saying that Berlusconi treats women "as if they were blow-up dolls"; and Berlusconi's party replied with a manifesto (link), in which some women claim that they support Berlusconi and denounce "self-proclaimed paladins of women".

Except that, it has now been found out (here's an article about this, but sadly it is in Italian and I could not find an English one), the photos of the manifesto are not of PDL supporters, but have been simply downloaded from an online image-selling website.

But they seem to know where they are going, the ones who walk away from Omelas.

I think some people under the radfem label think women are better than men. Mainstream feminists, though? Nah. We're all people. And the more I'm involved in feminism, the more I see signs that society at large really doesn't get that women are people, at least not on the same level that men are accepted as people.

As for ignoring problems that men face...well, yes and no. It depends on how you're defining "ignore." Feminism doesn't specifically address men's issues any more than the American Cancer Association specifically addresses HIV. But that doesn't mean feminists don't care about men's issues or support men's welfare.

Stuff what I do.

Can a woman choose to not be a feminist?

I'm not trying to stir the pot—I'm asking genuinely. I prefer not to be associated with radfem types, but the idea of a woman that isn't a feminist seems to have been received with some confusion by people close to me. How could I not be a feminist? I'm a woman!

Clearly, such people are unaware that "female chauvinist pigs" ARE a thing...

This isn't to say I don't support equal rights for both sexes, as that's something I believe in quite strongly. But my views on equal rights are more or less implicit in my views on the nature of gender itself—i.e. it's not as important as conventional wisdom believes it to be.

edited 21st Feb '13 1:28:05 PM by Alma

You need an adult.

Well, I think you can decide for yourself whether you're a feminist. Though personally, I don't see much point calling yourself that if you support traditional gender roles. >_>

Obviously, you don't have to be a feminist just because you're a woman. Lots of women don't believe in gender equality, for religious or other reasons.

You can also agree with gender equality but not identify as a feminist for various reasons.

Stuff what I do.

Hi, I qualify as a Feminist, I wish I had something more to say.

I think that some care is necessary here.

There is nothing contradictory, in itself, with a feminist deciding that she would like to be a housewife and have seven children. That's a perfectly legitimate choice; and if that makes her happy, good for her!

On the other hand, if someone — male or female — claims that women are supposed to be housewives and have as many children as possible, well, that person is quite obviously not a feminist in the least.

edited 22nd Feb '13 11:26:04 AM by Carciofus

But they seem to know where they are going, the ones who walk away from Omelas.

Few things irritate me more on a visceral level than women with high-profile careers who use those careers to tell other women that they should not have careers, especially high-profile ones. Exhibit A: Phyllis Schlafly. Exhibit B: Ann Coulter.

Stuff what I do.

Irony defined.

You need an adult.

Yeah I know its confusing, I mean if they don't believe women should have careers, why would they be an exception?

How many people here read Feministing?

WOOF!

I used to, I haven't read them regularly since like 2009. I didn't really like their track record on race-related posts.

I'm not really involved in any feminist group or anything. But I'm definitely a feminist.

People are mirrors. If you smile, a smile will be reflected.

@Murky Muse Pretty much the same here, oh no wait I volunteer at the College Women's Centre so I kind of am.

I just got a reminder of why I usually avoid discussions about feminism. How can someone acknowledge men face certain problems, yet completely brush aside the problems women face as irrelevant or no longer an issue?

I'm going to go repeatedly hit my head against a brick wall in frustration now.

People are mirrors. If you smile, a smile will be reflected.

@Murky Muse Oh that's always hard to deal with

~Gives you a hug and some hot chocolate/tea depending on which you prefer~

I've heard that it's appropriative for men to call themselves feminists, but I'm a feminist supporter.

I'm a huge Angela Carter fan, does that count?

I've never agreed with thinking that men can't be feminists... then again, there are so many definitions of feminism that it's hard to say. I'm probably not a feminist either by some people's standards.

Be not afraid...

I only have a problem with guys calling themselves feminists when they make a big deal out of it. Like they deserve a pat on the back for thinking I'm a person.

Male chauvinism turns me on, and so does treating men like pets, to a certain extent. So if I'm a feminist I'm a pretty shitty one.

A True Lady's Quest - A Jojo is You!