Blog 1- Natasha Doty

Before reading the beginning of Feminism is for Everybody: Passionate Politics, I would say I was pretty ignorant about what feminism really was. I would have assumed it was about a group of radical, politically actioned women fighting for women's rights... I'm glad it's not. With the knowledge of the reading, I would now reshape my definition of feminism to be a movement to not only end sexism, but to live in a society where we no longer experience the tensions of differences between men and women. The sentence in bell hooks's (2000) book that resonated most strongly with me was "Imagine living in a world where there is no domination, where females and males are not alike or even always equal, but where a vision of mutuality is the ethos shaping our interaction" (p. x). I think bell hooks's definition of feminism is much more all-encompassing than the urban dictionary definitions, which seem to focus strongly on "equality." It seems strange to me to try and think of men and women as being "equal," since women and men are different. Better yet, I think it would be best to just take each human being individually on the basis of their intellect (in general terms, not necessarily how "smart" someone is), since it is very narrow just to put men and women into two categories. bell hooks's definition is strong because it remains unbiased towards any gender. Thinking about the idea of feminism and working to end sexism and oppression reminded me of this video:

 

(girleffect, 2008)

I would consider myself as a feminist, based on these definitions. I think that people should be judged on the merit of their character, abilities, etc. rather than whether they are male or female. There should be a mutual respect and understanding between the sexes. When I was in middle and high school I competed in a lot of math competitions, and I have awards for being the "top female." There was no award for the top male. It is almost as if they thought it was a special accomplishments for females to excel in math.

I think there are many examples of patriarchy. Phrases such as "Don't be a sissy," " If a girl can do it, you can do it," etc. perpetuate the idea that it is better for a male to be more "manly" than feminine. The oldest son in a single female household assumes the role of the father for the family. In some countries, females are married off and then expected to serve the male's family. Men are expected to be the person to propose in a marriage. Men (more so in the past) were the ones who controlled the finances of a family. Competitiveness in the workplace by men is looked more positively upon than women who are competitive. One article I read talked about work and sexism, which you can read here: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/06/110620151008.htm. The article ends by saying: "Why should you choose your group? Men don't have to" (ScienceDaily, 2011). I think that these examples are perpetuated and maintained by the male holding or seemingly holding the power. The female and others may feel hopeless to change things, or it may be tradition.

References

girleffect. (2008, May 24). The Girl Effect [Video file]. Retrieved on January 22, 2012 from 

 

     http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WIvmE4_KMNw.

hooks, b. (2000). Feminism is for everybody: Passionate politics.

ScienceDaily. (2011, June 20). The myth of the 'queen bee': Work and sexism. Retrieved from

     http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/06/110620151008.htm