Are feminists marginalizing themselves? (need it for philosophy class) thanks!?

Question

by the way, this is my professors question, not mine.. hehe.. so i come in peace!:)

Answer 1

I do believe the entire intent and goal of the feminism movement is for women to NOT be marginalized. I think you're missing the point completely.  

Answer 2

There isn't really ONE feminism.  There are at least three or four major branches of feminist thought, and a lot of narrow fringe groups.  This does become a problem for ALL feminists, however, because most people do not make that distinction.

So when individuals say "To call a man an animal is to flatter him; he's a machine, a walking d***o" (Valerie Solanas), or "The institution of sexual intercourse is anti-feminist" (Ti-Grace Atkinson), or "The proportion of men must be reduced to and maintained at approximately 10% of the human race" (Sally Miller Gearhart) and then proudly label themselves as feminists, it makes almost everyone conclude that feminists are whack-jobs.  Even when statements such as these do not represent the vast majority of feminists.

Nor are feminists ignorant of this problem either.  Some of them have tried to re-brand themselves so as to lessen confusion, some have tried to oust the more virulent rabblerousers, and others have just tried to explain the distinctions above.  So far, at least, they haven't really managed to make too much progress with the general public as far as I can tell.  The movement makes strides slowly and behind the scenes, but large-scale attention to them tends not to be too kind.

My opinion, for what it's worth.

Answer 3

Should all men and women be equal?  

Seems to me men and women both are guilty of living in Margeritaville when it's their own d**n fault for doing and accepting it.

Move beyond and stop the sterro type or be a dummy.

Answer 4

By definition no, as feminism is simply the avocation of having equal rights regardless of gender.

We can find examples of members of said class being marginalized in expectations about as to what constitutes a state of being in equality.

But in some since it would be justified to be marginalized if there exists clear examples of disparity.

After all theoretically equal rights should be a given in practice and thus there should not even exist and issue to be marginal about.

This brings us to the question are there disparities present and if so why should it not be marginal?

Answer 5

I was taking a psychology class which had a guest speaker who was a feminist.  After she spoke about the need for a whole new category of laws, she took questions, so I asked why they didn't just use the existing laws to get what they wanted.  I was called a homophobe, a misogynist, and worse, but my question was never answered.  What do you think, assuming I am representative of the average American?  I should tell you that some of the class members were upset by the reaction, including some members of the g*y/L*****n community who also wondered.  Yes, I think that until feminists start acting like the rest of us, they will marginalize themselves whether that is their intent or not.