I believe in gender equality. This makes me a feminist. Here's what I don't like about that word, though:
It makes gender equality something that is only wanted for by women. But gender equality to me means a lot more than equal pay for women and men, it is more about the way society regards both genders. I believe in the abolishment of the regard of women and sexual objects and men as sexual consumers. This on the one hand relieves women from being objectified and on the other relieves men from being regarded as some kind of animal, not able to control their urges ("she was asking for it", "her dress was to short" - These statements of victim-blaming also suggest that men are basic creatures whose instincts take over when they see a women dressed a certain way. I don't think that is true.) This shows that sexism affects us all, no matter what gender, therefore the movement against sexism should be called something that all, no matter what gender, should be able to relate to. My English teacher once told me, that his wife was a feminist, he however was a feminist-supporter. This division seems stupid to me. If they both believe in the same ideas, shouldn't they both be feminist? I don't like the word feminism, because it is a word exclusive to women, when its fundamental idea is that both sexes are equal. I'd rather the word for feminism was a word without an obvious gender assigned to it, and a word linguistically similar to equality. (Just did a quick google-search of Equalitarian; turns out such a word exists. Equalitarian, or Egalitarian.)
e•gal•i•tar•i•an (ɪˌgæl ɪˈtɛər i ən)
adj.
(Source)
The gay rights movement and the feminist movement are linked and overlap in many ways in my opinion, because both question the traditional roles assigned to genders by society. The argument for marriage equality states that both genders are equally capable of taking care of a child and earning money. (Why do these roles even have to be split?) Marriage equality will also help society rethink the roles assigned to genders in relationships, like "the man has to ask the woman out", "the woman is given away by her father at the altar". Once society sees that a relationship can also function when it is same-sex or gender-queer, I hope it will soon abolish the dating and relationship stereotypes.
These are just some thoughts I typed up rather quickly, I'm sorry if it seems a bit jumbled up at times. I know its very short, I just really wanted to post this today and get started with this blog. I'm all for discussion, so if you have anything to say to me after reading this, please post it in the comments.
Charlie Crxsh
It makes gender equality something that is only wanted for by women. But gender equality to me means a lot more than equal pay for women and men, it is more about the way society regards both genders. I believe in the abolishment of the regard of women and sexual objects and men as sexual consumers. This on the one hand relieves women from being objectified and on the other relieves men from being regarded as some kind of animal, not able to control their urges ("she was asking for it", "her dress was to short" - These statements of victim-blaming also suggest that men are basic creatures whose instincts take over when they see a women dressed a certain way. I don't think that is true.) This shows that sexism affects us all, no matter what gender, therefore the movement against sexism should be called something that all, no matter what gender, should be able to relate to. My English teacher once told me, that his wife was a feminist, he however was a feminist-supporter. This division seems stupid to me. If they both believe in the same ideas, shouldn't they both be feminist? I don't like the word feminism, because it is a word exclusive to women, when its fundamental idea is that both sexes are equal. I'd rather the word for feminism was a word without an obvious gender assigned to it, and a word linguistically similar to equality. (Just did a quick google-search of Equalitarian; turns out such a word exists. Equalitarian, or Egalitarian.)
e•gal•i•tar•i•an (ɪˌgæl ɪˈtɛər i ən)
adj.
1. asserting, resulting from, or characterized by belief in the equality of all people, esp. in political, economic, or social life.
n.
2. one who adheres to egalitarian beliefs.
(Source)
The gay rights movement and the feminist movement are linked and overlap in many ways in my opinion, because both question the traditional roles assigned to genders by society. The argument for marriage equality states that both genders are equally capable of taking care of a child and earning money. (Why do these roles even have to be split?) Marriage equality will also help society rethink the roles assigned to genders in relationships, like "the man has to ask the woman out", "the woman is given away by her father at the altar". Once society sees that a relationship can also function when it is same-sex or gender-queer, I hope it will soon abolish the dating and relationship stereotypes.
These are just some thoughts I typed up rather quickly, I'm sorry if it seems a bit jumbled up at times. I know its very short, I just really wanted to post this today and get started with this blog. I'm all for discussion, so if you have anything to say to me after reading this, please post it in the comments.
Charlie Crxsh
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