Blog 1 - Brett Kuxhausen

1.) How do you define feminism?

• In terms of the definitions of feminism, how do you respond to bell hooks? 
• How does this definition compare/contrast to those offered by urbandictionary.com?

2.) Based on these definitions, do you consider yourself to be a feminist? 

• Why or why not?

3.) Revolutionary feminist consciousness-raising emphasizes the role of patriarchy as an institutionalized system of domination perpetuated by men as well as women. 

• Can you name some examples of patriarchy?
• How are these examples perpetuated and maintained?

*Hint: Think about how you can incorporate the bell hooks reading and possibly additional sources when you formulate your response. Show what you know!

1.) I define feminism as political and social action taken to try to bring equal rights, treatment, and status to women in response to societal subordination of the feminine sex. 

I think Bell Hooks' definition of feminism is great because she addresses the concept with clarity that even a layperson could understand. Her definition definitely differs from those offered at urbandictionary.com in which all of those state that feminism is a belief or a theory. She states that it is an active movement that was bred from theory. But, I think she would approve of the definitions. It shows that we are culturally evolving to  point where feminism is no longer looked at with negativity and obscurity.

2.) Based off of these definitions, I think I could kind of consider myself a feminist. I absolutely believe in the ideology and politics behind the movement saying that women should be treated as equals. Yet I really don't do anything to actively change the perception of women, so in that way I am really not a feminist.

3.) I think a key example of patriarchy is of the varying views of sexual promiscuity between sexes such as what was mentioned in the James Bond video posted. The more partners men have, the more socially accepted they seem to be. But, if women have a large number of partners they are seen as very promiscuous and almost on the same level as a whore. Another example would be of politics. This is a realm in which women are definitely becoming a larger part of it, but politics is still dominated by males. Women have yet to make it into the presidency but tides seem to be turning, especially seen in the 2008 election with the successful campaign of Hilary Clinton. I think media is the largest contributor to maintaining these perceptions. Just like the commercials we saw in class, women are still being subjected by the media on an international level and as long as we see and hear these things, the longer the public will believe patriarchy.