Who here is a feminist?

[c172]

I just don't know, anymore. I watch women's sports more (and more knowledgably) than men's sports. I like female politicians in our midst. I like female musicians. I'm adamantly pro-choice.

I met a guy in the humanist group I used to attend, and he said he was a feminist, and I found that peculiar. I guess I just thought feminism meant you felt that the female gender was superior. I don't, at least overall. I think men and women bring something to the table. And I think there are individuals within those genders. Masculine women and feminine men, both wonderful.

I'm not any sort of 'ist. But I do think minorities of all contexts to bring something to the table.

[Kiko]

But how did the patriarchy start? That's what I'm asking. Talk me through it. What are its origins? How did it develop? If you don't know the answer to that, is there anyone here who does and who could explain it?

Have you read anything, anyone has posted since you started off on this misogynistic tangent of yours?

The best guess is, men put themselves in power a few thousand years ago, back when sheer muscle was enough to put/keep yourself in power. They also instituted religious dogma that justified their positions of power by saying it was gods will. Those traditions were carried on, from one generation to the next, never really being questioned. Now that people are questioning them, we're finding that they aren't really important anymore.

Ok, so you "guess" that men decided one day to just put themselves in power. I see. What led you to this epiphany? Feminism is based on the concept of there being a nasty, evil patriarchy, and yet all you can do is guess. Ok, fair enough, I suppose a guess is as good as knowing. I guess E=MC2, I guess the earth revolves around the sun.

So, tell me more. How did the patriarchy develop? In which part of the world did it start? Or was it everywhere? Did it all happen at the same time, or over a period of time? Was it planned or did it just happen spontaneously, like a surprise party? Was there initial resistance to this coup? Please, expand on your guess. Was there a meeting? Or did all the men involved just instinctively know what to do? Were any women involved at all, or was it strictly a men's club? Did women not at least make the tea at meetings? Were there any female honorary members?

Another thing I'd like to know, if you don't mind. Why did women never try something similar? Did they not ever think to reclaim power in some sort of sneaky, underhanded way? Did it never occur to any women to do this?

I'm really interested to learn as much about the patriarchy as possible from you, since you seem to have a pretty good guess. Tell me everything you know.

Any other feminists, please feel free to weigh in.

[TaraJo]

Ok, so you "guess" that men decided one day to just put themselves in power. I see. What led you to this epiphany? Feminism is based on the concept of there being a nasty, evil patriarchy, and yet all you can do is guess. Ok, fair enough, I suppose a guess is as good as knowing. I guess E=MC2, I guess the earth revolves around the sun.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5hfYJsQAhl0

Yes, it's an educated guess. Truth is, when you go back that far, you're forced to make a lot of guess work. And I'm not even especially well studied on this idea. You want someone who can answer your question with certainty? Good luck; you ain't gonna find it.

So, tell me more. How did the patriarchy develop? In which part of the world did it start? Or was it everywhere? Did it all happen at the same time, or over a period of time? Was it planned or did it just happen spontaneously, like a surprise party? Was there initial resistance to this coup? Please, expand on your guess. Was there a meeting? Or did all the men involved just instinctively know what to do? Were any women involved at all, or was it strictly a men's club? Did women not at least make the tea at meetings? Were there any female honorary members?

I'll answer your question when you answer mine: when did other primates, especially the one humans evolved from, develop patriarchial social standards? Because the answer for both is probably the same: those were just behavioral patterns we carried over from our primate ancestors.

[The Valkyrie]

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

I'm a feminist when it comes to wanting equal rights, equal pay, etc, for women. But, like many I go the full step of wanting equal rights for all people

[kılıç_mehmet]

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

I'm not, and I don't think that feminism is actually relevant or a solution to anything.

[EgoRaptor]

"Women’s Liberation is just a lot of foolishness. It’s the men who are discriminated against. They can’t bear children. And no one’s likely to do anything about that." -Golda Meir

"Those nuts that burn their bras and walk around all disheveled and hate men? They’re crazy. Crazy." -Golda Meir

[Rev. Rye]

I would consider myself as a feminist, since, I believe that men and women should have equal rights. Of course, partly because feminism is so misunderstood by both proponents and antagonists of feminism, I don't often use the word, as I consider it part of a larger ideology called: Basic Human Fucking Decency.

[TaraJo]

I would consider myself as a feminist, since, I believe that men and women should have equal rights. Of course, partly because feminism is so misunderstood by both proponents and antagonists of feminism, I don't often use the word, as I consider it part of a larger ideology called: Basic Human Fucking Decency.

Yeah, same boat here. But when feminism steps outside the bounds of "Basic Human Fucking Decency," I usually try to disassociate myself from the title. And, unfortunately, that happens a lot online. Go look through tumblr or reddit sometime if you want examples.

[Lemonvariable72]

Dude, Dude cool it, no one saying patriarchy but you. All said that was that there was a primitive time when mens muscle were important for leader and this was codified into the culture namely through the bible.

[Medi]

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

Feminism means a lot of things.

In the 'genders should have the same rights' department, I'm all for gender equality. But a lot of feminism is really misandry. I'm not for the whole 'genders are identical' philosophy that some feminists adhere to, cause we aren't.

---

Ok, so you "guess" that men decided one day to just put themselves in power. I see. What led you to this epiphany? Feminism is based on the concept of there being a nasty, evil patriarchy, and yet all you can do is guess. Ok, fair enough, I suppose a guess is as good as knowing. I guess E=MC2, I guess the earth revolves around the sun.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5hfYJsQAhl0

Yes, it's an educated guess. Truth is, when you go back that far, you're forced to make a lot of guess work. And I'm not even especially well studied on this idea. You want someone who can answer your question with certainty? Good luck; you ain't gonna find it.

So, tell me more. How did the patriarchy develop? In which part of the world did it start? Or was it everywhere? Did it all happen at the same time, or over a period of time? Was it planned or did it just happen spontaneously, like a surprise party? Was there initial resistance to this coup? Please, expand on your guess. Was there a meeting? Or did all the men involved just instinctively know what to do? Were any women involved at all, or was it strictly a men's club? Did women not at least make the tea at meetings? Were there any female honorary members?

I'll answer your question when you answer mine: when did other primates, especially the one humans evolved from, develop patriarchial social standards? Because the answer for both is probably the same: those were just behavioral patterns we carried over from our primate ancestors.

Compared to humans, the ape-brain leaves little room for neocortical thought and higher brain function, though they have complex emotional brains like us. The amygdala is the root of instinct, and instinctually, in a less stable social environment, where clans exist and the concepts of law and socially acceptable behavior are practically non-existent, the strongest become leaders and the physically weaker organisms in the species will look for protection. The more dominant males will protect while the less dominant females will reproduce to further the clan. It's coexistence at its simplest form. Rudimentary primate societies are usually just like that; males protect and find food for the young while the females give birth and nurture the young.

Humans have the same instincts, when all's said and done. Should there ever come a time where law in society breaks down or where society becomes more loosely restrained, that's what we'll revert to in all probability.

You mightn't like it, but the same instincts are wired into you, on a powerful level. The stay at home mum and working dad might seem a cliche, but instincutally, it's actually the way humans are most comfortable. Cortical function just lets us pretend for a moment that we aren't that way, and we make up elaborate ways not to be. Which is our right, of course. But get rid of stigma and our current social constructs and at our roots, that's still what we are.