Karen on Feminism

One of the first assumptions made of me by a coworker was summarized in this one question that he asked me on the first day we met: "Karen, are you a feminist????"

So I will have to hope that Brett will not mistaken me for some sort of anti-feminist, because I am far from being one. I appologize if my last post had seemed to be bashing feminists; that was entirely not my intention.

I realize fully, as many women should, that if it were not for feminists, I would not be able to work, go to school, walk around in pants (as opposed to skirts, which I don't particularly find comfortable), read, write, or even participate in society. I also feel that a woman ought to be able to take care of herself, even down to the simple act of walking down the street without her boyfriend carrying her napsack for her.

There are several types of feminists, the titles of which I am ignorant. I do know, however, that just as people are liberal or conservative or religious on different levels, there are people who are feminists on different levels. There are those who hope that one day women will have the same rights as men. Equity. An individual gets what he or she deserves. Then there are those who feel that women and men should have their gender roles shared; c'est-à-dire, there ought not to be gender differences at all. There are also the ones who feel they are fighting for equity, but do not realize that equity does not mean a woman can walk around without a shirt on the way men can. And then there are the male-bashing ones who seem to think that women are superior and thus should have MORE rights than men.

The only one that isn't just a thorn in our thighs is the first one: the feminist fighting for equity. This feminist takes pride in women who use their heads and not just their bodies to get where they want to be. This feminist refuses to be seen as less valuable than a man just because she is female. This feminist fought for a woman's right to vote, a woman's right to education, a woman's right to own property, because she felt that women and men can be equally good at what they do.

I don't have much comment for the second one, which is the feminist who wishes to have all gender roles combined to make one huge social responsibility. The only thing I have to say is something a little more on the immature and playful side: WHAT FUN WOULD THAT BE IF GIRLS CAN'T BE GIRLS, AND GUYS CAN'T BE GUYS? (Girls just wanna have fun. That's right.)

The third feminist is the one who fought to pass that law allowing women to walk around the city streets topless. Oh my.. talk about not considering social consequences. Really, something like that is just inappropriate and a waste of time. Instead of helping a female become Prime Minister of Canada, these feminists have gone and tried to bring back the Garden of Eden. Seriously. Give me a break.

One example of a name that sums it all up: Christina Aguilera. Her concerts feature men in handcuffs with her dancers holding whips, portraying the idea that women dominate over men. And that God-damned song of hers, "Can't Hold Us Down", is crying for a woman's right to be a whore, just because guys have that right. What? So.. just because guys get praised for sleeping around and you don't, you're going to get angry? How about.. just don't sleep around? How about promoting the idea that guys don't have to sleep around to be seen as manly?

Finally, the last and most extreme feminist is the one who believes that women ought to dominate over men, because women are entirely more superior. I have no comment for that except that I don't agree, which is obvious enough.

Now, just a reply about the burkas. Firstly, let me make it -clear- that I am well aware that there are hate crimes and senseless violence towards women in coutries outside of our rainbow and sunshine North America. In fact, even within our borders, there is domestic violece (and not only towards women.. but that's another story to tell). I am not ignorant of such things. I am not oblivious to the fact that India has something that political scientists call "missing women" because there is oddly a lower percentage of women than men in that country, which should not be the case. Only a few select countries have this strange phenomenon occurring, all of which are notorious for violence against women, or even simply valuing women less than men. For example, in India, girls have a higher death rate than boys possibly because, when they fall ill, they are not as quick to be taken to the doctor, nor do they have priority when the family has a shortage of food. There is even the suspicion that baby girls are often abandonned because the family considers them useless to the family. It is all very disturbing and all very disgusting, to put it mildly, and it should just plain out not happen.

Now. Have any of you ever approached a woman and asked her why she wore a burka? Have you ever heard a woman, during a demonstration at an undergraduate building, speak proudly of her culture and speak proudly of wearing a burka as a mark of who she is? I have. And the ones I've spoken to aren't lying through their teeth out of fear, believe me. I admit that I was mistaken to say that "the majority" of women are proud to wear a burka, because I cannot be sure of that. I can, however, speak for a lot of the frustration that these women have about the misinterpretation of -why- they wear a burka. Like I said, it's not meant to be an oppression. It's a symbol of their culture, and a symbol of who they are. When fighting for their rights, we must not forget this. We mustn't use the burka as a weapon against oppression. I read an article about a girl speaking out about this exact same topic a few months ago. I only wish I still had the link to it so I could show you guys. It was quite remarkable.

And finally, David, thank you for presenting some male-specific roles in society. Up until only a few months ago, the idea of such a pressure did not occur to me either, and when it did, I wish there were people fighting for the equity of men too. I've got another one to add to David's point on masculinity and that would be the expectation of men to be the bread-winner of the family; that is to say, the one producing the largest income in the family. That, to me, is completely unfair. And what would you think if you guys caught your dad knitting? Would he even pick up some wool and needles to knit? Why not? Would YOU pick up needles and start knitting by the fireplace?

I could go on and on, but I won't. I'll leave it to you guys to come up with more ideas.