<p>I’m not a big fan a feminism, myself, but more along the lines of the extreme, shrilly shrillness that the feminist I’ve known tend to fall along. I’m all for equality of the sexes, and I do believe there are many places in the world where women are treated deplorably (I really like this video - partially because I agree with the message and partially because it is a really cool typographical video: [The</a> Girl Effect - Home](<a href=“Homepage - girleffect.org”>Homepage - girleffect.org) ), but the whole idea behind womyn and the need to erase the male from everything takes it a little far.</p>
<p>hs, I was (half-)kidding. I’m not of that ultra-feminist men-are-scum mentality, but feminism is an important part of my identity. The extermination of males isn’t the goal of feminism at all; I’m all for equality! I just like playing off the stereotypes to scare people sometimes.</p>
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<p>Too bad that manly men such as myself are immune to such evil powers.</p>
<p>I just think the word feminist has too many negative connotations to it. I consider myself an egalitarian, not a feminist (and this extends to all forms of equality - I am anti-homophobia, sexism, racism, ethnocentrism, ageism, etc, etc.). I strive to erase the idea of gender, something wholly different from sex. You are born with a sex, society brands you with a gender.</p>
<p>I think that some opposition groups try to attach stigmas to the word “feminism,” and some pseudofeminists create a bad name for the group as a whole, but I find nothing inherently wrong with the word itself, and don’t shrink away from it. I’m anti-virtually every discriminatory -ism, but sexism is a special issue for me due to personal reasons.</p>
<p>Gender and sex can be two different things in that sex is determined by chromosomes/ birth/etc. while gender identity can be something people choose for themselves. Not everyone that has male/female sex organs considers him/herself of the sex that he/she is defined by at birth by those reproductive organs. That’s the difference as I see it.</p>
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ironmental - no one is immune to the powers of a vicious feminist! For you to assume that you are is only proof of the early decay of your brain.</p>
<p>I think the word itself has a stigma, especially in the modern era. Feminism seems like it is pushing a female agenda instead of a human one (the root of the word being “feminine” of course). That seems almost threatening. There is really nothing wrong with the concept and the spirit behind it, I am just a bit of a word nut that parses words into their various components in my attempts to find just the right one that fits the every criteria I lay before them. I find feminism (the word) to be polarizing.</p>
<p>hellosail, you took the words “I consider myself an egalitarian” out of my intended post.</p>
<p>Haha. Reading yo’ minds since 1990.</p>
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<p>Thank god… the massive size of that thing was starting to make my skull throb with pain.</p>
<p>Some people may find the word “feminist” antiquated, but I don’t think there is anything wrong with having a specific interest in women’s issues. The word “woman” itself means “wife-man,” doesn’t it? By breaking down the meaning of the word, one could say that is sexist in itself, but sometimes words outgrow their direct component meanings and embody something larger in the context of society. But I agree that a lot of people have negative associations in regard to feminism…I’m no going to let their opinions change my identification. I still think “feminism” serves a useful purpose today, and will continue to be useful until the day that men and women have equal rights. For the record, I always thought that feminists were those that supported equality for both sexes, not promoting women over men.</p>
<p>Yay! I’m so glad we can all be very civil about things like this, except ironmetal of course. It makes me excited to (hopefully) meet some of you at Yale!</p>
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Ouch…you might want to get that checked out. A swollen/painful throbbing brain is a sign of severe brain damage or blunt force trauma to the head.</p>
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<p>Touche.</p>
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<p>You could have just said that earlier.</p>
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<p>Did I ever imply anything else?
Aside from melting your brain?</p>
<p>Oh, I know that feminism is supposed to be about equality for all, but the word itself sort of goes against this ideal. However, the word suffragette means any person (male or female) who supports women’s right to vote. Language is a strange beast. </p>
<p>And I agree that the word “woman” can be construed as sexist. However, the inherent sexism behind the word has been buried behind years of history (like the word maitre’d - short hand for maitre d’hotel which means the master of the hotel) so that what it actually means (old school) and its modern definition are completely divorced. I also believe that the word woman should stay woman (instead of womyn) as a relic of our patriarchal society. It’s a bit of our history preserved in our language. It’s like a marker of our progress. This is how we used to think, but not anymore.</p>
<p>Feminism, on the other hand denotes an old idea. At least for me. It might be relevant in many areas of the world where the value of women is still denigrated, but where we are, not so much. I think egalitarianism is what we should move towards. This is my movement! (Now all I need is a flag and a t-shirt to promote it!) Advertising is a great way to look for stereotypes. Men get just as much flack, if not more, than women nowadays. Women are the capable members of the household while the men are just sloppy, lazy, ill-informed and rather childish. I push for egalitarianism because I don’t think its fair to characterize men like that. In the same vein, I’m not saying all advertising (and stereotypes) paints women positively. The recent elections show exactly how the masses think of women. Apparently they are either power-hungry harpies (Clinton) or dim-witted sex objects (Palin).</p>
<p>I’m not saying women and men are equal in modern society. Clearly men have the upperhand (looking at the Fortune 500, major political appointments/positions, salary, etc.), but I think we have shifted from a society in which we reassess our image of women to one where we are reassessing our image of what it means to be human and how the sex of our birth affects who we are. I think moving from a movement of feminism to a movement of egalitarianism would be a great cornerstone to mark that change.</p>
<p>I guess I just really like how language marks history.</p>
<p>Also, great talk about feminism: <a href=“http://www.ted.com/index.php/talks/isabel_allende_tells_tales_of_passion.html[/url]”>http://www.ted.com/index.php/talks/isabel_allende_tells_tales_of_passion.html</a></p>
<p>I <3 TED.</p>