Who here is a feminist?

[Kiko]

Who is a feminist, and could you give an overview of your beliefs.

[Doubting Thomas]

If you mean that women should be treated equally to men, then yes, I'm a feminist. If you mean the "all sex is rape and all men should be castrated" type of extreme misandry feminist, then count me out.

[TaraJo]

Who is a feminist, and could you give an overview of your beliefs.

Feminist has become an umbrella term. To some people, it just means supporter of gender equality. To others, it includes supporting racial equality and class equality. And others say it supports GLBT rights. And so on and so on. So, before I'm going to answer that question, I need to know what you mean by feminist.

[Kayenneh]

I'm a humanist with my focus on equality, so if that's synonymous to feminist, yeah sure. But no, I'm not only for women, only in acute instances. To me gender should never outrank person, nor do I see that any matter in society is only a problem for either gender, but always for everyone.

[CapnAwesome]

You know, I never really thought of myself as someone with feminist beliefs until I lived in Latin America and encountered the male chauvinism that is rampant in other parts of the world and how disgusting it is. It pushed me towards slightly more feminist viewpoints.

[Kiko]

Who is a feminist, and could you give an overview of your beliefs.

Feminist has become an umbrella term. To some people, it just means supporter of gender equality. To others, it includes supporting racial equality and class equality. And others say it supports GLBT rights. And so on and so on. So, before I'm going to answer that question, I need to know what you mean by feminist.

Well, like you say, it's an umbrella term. When I say feminist I don't mean anything in particular, I'm just asking if anyone identifies as one, and I'm asking for an overview of their views, in order to define what they (ie you) mean.

If feminism wasn't so fragmented, we wouldn't have this problem. The trouble is, all movemnets and isms attract all sorts of people who twist it to mean whatever they want it to mean, and then try to get everyone else to believe that all who identify that way think the same. Or they just argue among themselves.

---

You know, I never really thought of myself as someone with feminist beliefs until I lived in Latin America and encountered the male chauvinism that is rampant in other parts of the world and how disgusting it is. It pushed me towards slightly more feminist viewpoints.

That's their culture. In those parts of the world they do things a certain way, and it works for them. Let's live and let live. The american indians lived a certain way, and then white folks came along and sneered at their lifestyle. Not good.

[TaraJo]

If feminism wasn't so fragmented, we wouldn't have this problem. The trouble is, all movemnets and isms attract all sorts of people who twist it to mean whatever they want it to mean, and then try to get everyone else to believe that all who identify that way think the same. Or they just argue among themselves.

Then I'll say this: I've seen a tremendous amount of bad behavior and downright insanity justified with the word feminism (the term 'social justice' applies, too, thanks to Tumblr), so I, personally, am hesitant to accept that label. But I've also seen some very real misogyny in the world; not the microaggressions that whiney white, upper middle class, college educated girls complain endlessly about, either. I mean my FtM boyfriend was raised to believe that it was his holy duty to 'the heavenly father' to go out, find a good, Mormon husband, spit out a half dozen kids and instead of getting a job, stay home and take care of them. I don't accept that at all. I guess, if you're going to find a label I feel comfortable with, I'll probably go along with Kayenneh and call myself a humanist.

[CapnAwesome]

That's their culture. In those parts of the world they do things a certain way, and it works for them. Let's live and let live. The american indians lived a certain way, and then white folks came along and sneered at their lifestyle. Not good.

Okay, well drugging and raping women in nightclubs is very common in Chile and Argentina and rape is a very difficult crime to get a conviction on. It's all tied up to the disgusting concept of Machismo, Male Chauvinism. Just because something is part of someone's culture doesn't mean it isn't total dogshit.

[Kiko]

If feminism wasn't so fragmented, we wouldn't have this problem. The trouble is, all movemnets and isms attract all sorts of people who twist it to mean whatever they want it to mean, and then try to get everyone else to believe that all who identify that way think the same. Or they just argue among themselves.

Then I'll say this: I've seen a tremendous amount of bad behavior and downright insanity justified with the word feminism (the term 'social justice' applies, too, thanks to Tumblr), so I, personally, am hesitant to accept that label. But I've also seen some very real misogyny in the world; not the microaggressions that whiney white, upper middle class, college educated girls complain endlessly about, either. I mean my FtM boyfriend was raised to believe that it was his holy duty to 'the heavenly father' to go out, find a good, Mormon husband, spit out a half dozen kids and instead of getting a job, stay home and take care of them. I don't accept that at all. I guess, if you're going to find a label I feel comfortable with, I'll probably go along with Kayenneh and call myself a humanist.

What's wrong with taking care of your kids?

[TaraJo]

What's wrong with taking care of your kids?

If you're being told you have to have kids whether you want to or not and that because of your sex you aren't really going to be suitable for anything other than making babies, that's wrong.