these are awesome. This one's my favorite, along with the first one.
I've never heard of a gossip-free campaign. That's pretty ambitious. It sounds like your management is pretty disconnected from reality...wierd how people like that somehow end up in positions of authority.
crap. I just wrote a long response to your query L-Blizzo. Then, poof! All gone. I'm tempted to just close this and say g'night, but I'll give you my synopsis:
Feminism = struggle for human rights, for equity, for the fulfillment of human potential; struggle to take down culturally imposed barriers that dishonour men and women both.
In the west we stress equality, and so we may see feminism as "dead". Personally, I think striving for equality is misguided. Men and women are not the same. So why should we attempt to fashion a society based on this premise? I think feminism is about equity. About celebrating the differences, and about respecting the differences.
AND...I like to use the word freely simply to combat the popular perception that you, El-Blizziardo, have picked up on. That it means nothing. In a sense, although it's only a word, deflating feminism of its meaning is a swipe at the movement itself. I think that kind of thing is internalized, to the point where it's only a hop, skip, and a jump away to thinking, "seeing as feminism means nothing, feminism is dead."
That's wrong on so many levels, that I can't even begin to list the ways. Suffice it to say that feminism is not a distinct entity in itself. Women constitute half of the world population. End of story.
(well, you wanted some writing? You got some writing :)
I agree that feminism is ultimately a descriptive word. So do you. So do lots of people. What I'm getting at, which your initial comment inspired, is that many people who reject the word's relevance also reject the movement's relevance. I think many of us agree that the movement is relevant, and that's why I say we should take it back. It's a word that has been attacked out of fear or spite. I say we assert our dominion over the word and give it back its meaning. I see it akin to how the UofW LGBT association holds its annual "homo hop" dance party for example.
Homo, Indian, Feminist- these are meaningful words that have been purposely degraded by those who feel threatened by their use. Call me a pain in the neck, but I think that when that happens, they're more than signifiers, and that they become powerful levers in the battle for popular support. Taking away a word that a group identifies with will often divide its members. Thus serving the interests of the status quo.
Nonetheless, I do see what you mean, and I recognize that many individuals choose not to use the word even though they identify with the women's movement. Their reasons are valid. I guess I just can't stand by and look the other way while someone tries to subvert my power.
You're right about the end of story. It's never the end of story, only time to go to bed.
oh blizzo...i don't want you to concede. Did you think I was shooting you down?
Oh no, not at all. You were absolutely right when you said that fem means nothing. I just wanted to add to that by saying that it means nothing and everything at the same time. And that I hope it's rep will eventually lose connotations of the former.
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8 comments:
these are awesome. This one's my favorite, along with the first one.
I've never heard of a gossip-free campaign. That's pretty ambitious. It sounds like your management is pretty disconnected from reality...wierd how people like that somehow end up in positions of authority.
ha! Really? How so?
This reminds me of one of my fathers photos. It isn't is it?
crap. I just wrote a long response to your query L-Blizzo. Then, poof! All gone. I'm tempted to just close this and say g'night, but I'll give you my synopsis:
Feminism = struggle for human rights, for equity, for the fulfillment of human potential; struggle to take down culturally imposed barriers that dishonour men and women both.
In the west we stress equality, and so we may see feminism as "dead". Personally, I think striving for equality is misguided. Men and women are not the same. So why should we attempt to fashion a society based on this premise? I think feminism is about equity. About celebrating the differences, and about respecting the differences.
AND...I like to use the word freely simply to combat the popular perception that you, El-Blizziardo, have picked up on. That it means nothing. In a sense, although it's only a word, deflating feminism of its meaning is a swipe at the movement itself. I think that kind of thing is internalized, to the point where it's only a hop, skip, and a jump away to thinking, "seeing as feminism means nothing, feminism is dead."
That's wrong on so many levels, that I can't even begin to list the ways. Suffice it to say that feminism is not a distinct entity in itself. Women constitute half of the world population. End of story.
(well, you wanted some writing? You got some writing :)
That is a copyrighted image, I will be reporting you to the authorities.
=)
I agree that feminism is ultimately a descriptive word. So do you. So do lots of people. What I'm getting at, which your initial comment inspired, is that many people who reject the word's relevance also reject the movement's relevance. I think many of us agree that the movement is relevant, and that's why I say we should take it back. It's a word that has been attacked out of fear or spite. I say we assert our dominion over the word and give it back its meaning. I see it akin to how the UofW LGBT association holds its annual "homo hop" dance party for example.
Homo, Indian, Feminist- these are meaningful words that have been purposely degraded by those who feel threatened by their use. Call me a pain in the neck, but I think that when that happens, they're more than signifiers, and that they become powerful levers in the battle for popular support. Taking away a word that a group identifies with will often divide its members. Thus serving the interests of the status quo.
Nonetheless, I do see what you mean, and I recognize that many individuals choose not to use the word even though they identify with the women's movement. Their reasons are valid. I guess I just can't stand by and look the other way while someone tries to subvert my power.
You're right about the end of story. It's never the end of story, only time to go to bed.
oh blizzo...i don't want you to concede. Did you think I was shooting you down?
Oh no, not at all. You were absolutely right when you said that fem means nothing. I just wanted to add to that by saying that it means nothing and everything at the same time. And that I hope it's rep will eventually lose connotations of the former.
ps: language is awesome.
"allowing you too lead"
the cycle is, words are great, and shitty, eh? It all is and isn't, everything and nothing, sigh.
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