How much research did you do before deciding you were a feminist or anti-feminist?

Question

Or was it just gut instinct, rebelliousness, etc? :-)

Answer 1

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I am neither feminist or anti-feminist.

I just support male and female equality, but i also think that feminism has things that are unnecessary, useless or inexistent.

I think women should be equal to men, but things have gone over the edge, there are now more laws that protect men and don't consider false rape accusation fopr example.

Or complaining about things that...that's just the way life is.

Like men staring at women, or macho men getting hot women, or men liking skinny women, or men liking younger women, or sayng that there is no reason for women to be alone at night and then complaining because of rape, beatings....breast exams/surgeries  that are for men too...

Anyone can get raped or beaten....people just need to take care of them selves.

Also men are not pigs, or aggressive or whatsoever SOME are not them all.

I am...pro-human.

Answer 2

None whatsoever.  I don't need to be able to think to know a bad thing (feminism) when I see it.

Answer 3

None at all. When I decided that I didn't wanted to be treated like a doormat or a princess, I by default became a feminist.

Answer 4

Actually research and reaction from others to ideas about  equality made me drop the term equalist and adopt feminist instead.  Equalists don't really seem to want women to act equal.  I'm sure you've been paying attention.  Anyway, I've read about twenty books regarding feminism, 6 regarding the nature of masculinity, read articles by so-called equalists, read scathingly critical questions on feminism by YA resident equalist and came to the conclusion that the only way to promote equality is through pure feminism.  All  other idealogies seem too fixated on underminding women by taking away their autonomy and choices.

Answer 5

I ain't a feminist because I'm a man of course but i whole heatedly support some points of it,The first wave yes.Pure Equality,Second wave No,More about hypocritical Feminists trying to assert superiority over men with such mental deficients such as Valerie Solanas and her SCUM manifesto plus the fact that she pretty much destroyed Andy Warhol and his life.

Answer 6

guns fan expose feminism. The rest of the anti feminist got educated.

Answer 7

I'm not a feminist but i am pro-feminism, since coming to this section, ive never realized how sexist some people really are, many anti-feminist are very ignorant about feminism.

I cant believe the amount of whining men here, the type of guys that want slaves for their wives, its so sad that there's so many insecure men out there.

In fact the more i come to this section the more i want to become a feminist.

Answer 8

1- a sense of justice. i was interested in racism and sexism even as a teen

2-being discriminated against in life - harassment - verbally and physically, violence, having males get promoted over me

3-i've read, gone to conferences, see films, etc. - seeing all the problems in the world that has resulted as a consequence of patriarchy - it has made me advocate equality and to raise the status of women to that of human being

Answer 9

Life and being discriminated against because I was a woman made me a feminist.

Answer 10

I know about feminism, but I choose to be an "anti-feminist" because it's effects on my generation have been very different than its stated cause.  Women of my generation are treated as superior to men.  Teachers focus on girls needs in a classroom setting.  All throughout school, I saw girls/women who were less intelligent than me get praise for what I was expected to do.  When it came to college, I was there on my academic acheivements.  However, there were women there getting larger scholarships just for being "the most superior FEMALE student."  I hear all of the time about a wage gap, but I work in a profession (Marketing/Public Relations) that is dominated by women.  All of my bosses and most of my co-workers are women.  The only way I keep my job is that I am among the more talented people who work there.  Obviously these "enlightened" women would prefer that no men were allowed.  I've actually been told this by a co-worker.  Throw on top of this the general societal acceptance of insulting and poking fun at men. Basically, I chose my position from personal experience.  Feminism is a great philisophical concept.  However, the way that it has been practiced has damaged the men of my generation on many more levels than I could list here.  Therefore, I feel it is my duty to fight back.

Answer 11

I guess it was closer to gut instinct than anything.  I'm not completely anti-feminist, but I definitely had issues with feminism since high school.  Studying it more in college and also finding info on the Internet by accident once doing research for college confirmed my opinion.

Answer 12

I respected it one day but the way they try to convey it turned me off.

Answer 13

I found out about feminism in the 60's and thought that women deserve equality. Then I met a few feminists and found out that they were man hating psychos with very evil personality problems which they displaced onto men.

I reasoned that they used equality as a crutch for manipulating women into believing them and to hide the truth about the hate in their hearts. Far too full of themselves and nastily dismissive of any other viewpoint that even mildly criticised them.

Answer 14

Research? When men feel they are disempowered, disenfranchised or their basic human rights are eroded  have they ever felt they had to justify their call for fair treatment by coming up with an all embracing sociological theory based purely on the needs of their gender, not class, or race? No, they have systems which ensure their rights are enshrined in the institutions which make societies rules.

So, as a woman, if things are so equal and fair why are we ridiculed, reviled and villified for attempting to make sense of our subordination and liberating ourselves from it, striving for basic human rights?

Feminism is not an option for me it is a raison d'etre!

Answer 15

Life taught me how feminists act. The internet taught me what feminists say. Research and my own experiences (reading, watching the news etc.) taught me how much they lie and how much they hate.

My own sense of morals and decency proved that I was and still am against feminism.

Answer 16

Not a whole lot. I always knew I was a feminist. Research just confirmed it.

Answer 17

I supported Second Wave Feminism. As I have three Sisters and two daughters. And was for the Equality of Opportunity and expanding the Gender Roles either Gender could do. The problem is that Feminism has become a very different creature and movement from what it was. Around 1980s it became vengeful and promoted hatred of Men. It turned society against Decent Men who were not abusers. Who loved and supported the aspirations of Women for equality.

What catalyzed my activism was 911. When Gender Feminists bemoaned that there were not more Women killed rescuing folks in the Twin Towers. The growing misandry toward Men is impossible to ignore. My Divorce in 1995 and treatment by Child Support officials also showed me that the Government views Men as walking ATM Machines. Who exist to serve women. We have no rights. The growing Nanny Government being promoted by Feminists.

Tammy Bruce a former NOW LA President's two books opened my eyes to what is truly going on. Myrna Blyth's book "The Spin Sisters" also opened my eyes to the sales job being done on American Women to indoctrinate them into how horrible their lives are.

I have lived outside the US. And have seen how Foreign Women treat men. I have seen decent Men discarded on a Whim. With no say in their Divorce. And Women including some former relatives engage in serial Adultery with no shame or conscience.

I have seen my Sister turn decidedly Anti Male, and write and post the most vicious insults of Men. After taking Women's Studies courses. She is married to my Brother in law. I correspond with men who have left the US due to its Anti Male culture. And are happier overseas than here.

I have watched as a Relative fought in Fallujah while his Feminist Aunt sent money to Al-Queda who he was fighting. That and a host of other things. I watched a Woman on a Sunday Murder her Husband in Cold blood before going to Church. She served less than a year and got Therapy for killing her Husband. I still love Women. I just don't love how our Women treat men or deny our humanity.

I have watched Women who use to be Men's Partners become our competitors and watched them become Masculine in their thinking. And lose their femininity. Who must act Sexually aggressive to compensate for their loss of Feminine appeal to Men. Frankly many US Women are just repulsive to straight Men.

And there is a growing problem of Men losing their Sexual interest in their Wives and Partners. I believe it is due to how they are treated. Yesterday my ex Wife referred to her Husband as "Stupid".  He is a good Man who stands by her and shoulders the burdens of a large Step Family. I am appalled at her callous treatment of this man. Who was years ago a Friend of mine. She is an idiot.

Answer 18

It's probably best to become a feminist through experience, opposing core issues and fighting injustice.

Too much research into deliberate 'theory' exposes people to the clowns who write diabolical culture books full of opinion and conjecture. The people who care about their academic reputation more than anything.

Answer 19

I read up on it extensively, I read most of the books by popular feminist authors, I observed the impact feminism had on the government and the media...

And I didn't agree with any of it. Before that I couldn't rightly disagree with something I knew nothing about.

Answer 20

Feminism actually means believing the social, economic and political equality of both genders.

However, it seems that the word itself has come to be thought of as radical, and has been most definitely lost in translation. Using terms like "feminatzi" generally represent an ignorance on the subject, or can lead to ignorance.

So I am a feminist because I believe in equality between people.

Answer 21

Personal experience and research.

The more I learn about feminism, the more i dislike it.

Answer 22

surely feminism is about the equality of women to men, how can anyone be opposed to it in the 21st century...?

Answer 23

Some of the classes that I took in my last year of high school and first couple years of university convinced me that society still needs feminism  (English, psychology, and women's studies.)  A lot has been accomplished to reduce sexism, but I think that people make a lot of judgements based on gender without even realizing it, and somebody still needs to point them out and question them.  

One thing that I found striking was a study where strangers were asked to describe a baby.  It was the same baby every time, but half the time they were told the baby was a girl and half the time they were told it was a boy.  When the baby was a girl, she was pretty and delicate and sweet, and when the baby was a boy, he was active and strong.  (Or something along those lines.  It was many years ago.)  It really drove home the point about how much people project onto otheres based on a schema in their head.  If people see what they are expecting to see, then I think it would be good for society, and particularly for people who may not fit the stereotypes, to try to expand people's range of expectations and ask them to question their assumptions.  That way when we meet our fellow humans, we can see them for who they are, not who we expect them to be.

Answer 24

Gut instinct and my research has proved me right.

Answer 25

I'm not either.  To me it is common sense to support both sexes.

Answer 26

Men do not understand feminism they think they are a bunch of bra burning, men hating lesbians. However some feminists go to far harping on and on about men’s faults.

In a nutshell a feminist is a woman who believes in women’s right, such as the right to equal pay and conditions, the right to choose what happens with their own bodies (such as abortion), the right to contraception, the right to protection against domestic violence and sexual abuse. I agree with that feminism.

3rd Wave Feminism which is radical feminism is to taking it too far and pushes it too far, instead of standing up for women’s rights they belittle men which is doing what men did 50 years ago. I believe in women’s rights, I'm a Chartered Engineer working in a mans world, I believe I can do the job as well as a man so I should be paid the same as one. However I still like a man to hold a door open for me and I have no problem cooking the dinner for my hubby, thank you.

It’s not them against us, it’s just the two sexes getting along because women are not the new men.

Edited to say - I have read a lot about the subject, can I suggest reading the 1st wave of feminism material from the 1960, 70s, 80. After that a lot is written by men hating women.

Answer 27

No research.  I was born with a v****a, so NOT being a feminist would be self hatred, which is unhealthy.

Answer 28

Research in this area is ever ongoing, but so far......

NO, NA. feminist have nothing

equalist, and liberationists is a different thing, full support in every way