Pro or anti feminism?

Question

In this question I am discussing reform feminism, the distinction of which is:

Reform feminism: The movement towards the full equality of men and women should on most issues be gradual and incremental. The current patriarchal structures are not so terrible that a complete break with them is immediately required. Indeed, there are non patriarchal aspects of the past and current culture that can be retrieved and used by contemporary feminists. Note: Reform feminists tend to have somewhat more sympathy for difference feminism than do radical feminists, though there is no inherent contradiction between reform feminism and equality feminism.

(taken from http://minerva.stkate.edu/Academic/trw.nsf/41d7d41e8bac2e1c862567d00071e5c0/847b6cb80d71e09586256eaf0059ca05?OpenDocument )

My question is: based on THIS particular type of feminism; are you pro or anti and what reasoning do you use to support your stance.

reform feminism is NOT anti male.

Answer 1

I agree with Super... the very name "Feminist" depicts representing one gender over another... thus creating (imo) or adding to the problems of segregation between the sexes. I feel that the laws we pass as American citizens are representing equality for the most part... it will just take time for society to catch up. Pointing fingers and attributing blame accomplishes little in my opinion, and that seems to be the pressing agenda of feminism today.

I feel more comfortable backing an Equalist or Humanitarian movement over Feminism, and I also feel that a person looking to represent the voice of both genders, and all cultures would likely do the same.

all IMO

Answer 2

Anti and I truly care less about this whining and weeping about for something I do not believe in.  The way I look at it we are not always going to be 50/50, because from time to time the natural order of things dictates it can't always be like that. So, when a situation just so happens to be a 30/70 scenario with the 70 in my end.  It would be much wiser for me to get down and busy; instead, of harping all over the place. My way of thinking does not mean I am treated like dirt or any such thing as that, thought I would add that in for good measure.

Answer 3

Pro i am all for the full equality of men and women,

My husband is a feminist! and i love telling people, cause at first they laugh and then i explain the definition and they are like "well so am i"

i do love my husband alot and how he thinks alot about what he believes in.

Answer 4

Sounds great, as long as by equality you mean equality. That's the problem I and many others have with traditional feminism--they say they want equality but in reality they just want the perks instead of the whole package.

Answer 5

By this definition, I am VERY pro-feminist.

Answer 6

Anti-feminism

Answer 7

Qualify the movement any way you wish - but I will never support any movement which is all about fighting for the rights of one gender over another.  The day we develop a movement where people are fighting for equality in rights and treatments for ALL people, regardless of gender, perhaps I will listen.  But as it stands now - reform or otherwise - I see it as an elitist and exclusionary movement.

Answer 8

I am still anti feminism. I am not against feminism in general as an idea but what's printed in literature and what is actually practiced is not the same thing so this distinction is meaningless, and will remain so until the "reform feminist" start to speak louder. I am not a person who doesn't understand why women's groups need to organize themselves, but the current feminist agenda is detrimental.

Answer 9

You've certainly gotten some intellectual responses-NOT!

I'm a feminist but based on the definitions you've provided, I move between believing what a difference and equality feminist does, as I've met so many men and women who don't neatly fit into the roles assigned to them by society. I'd hate to limit men and women who could "compete" equally with each other..But I"m definitely more of a reform feminist now than in the past. In the 1970's when women had few economic or political or social rights, I was more of a radical feminist, since the work and school environments were so sexist and oppressive to deal with and there was no where to go that wasn't almost exactly the same way. But I'm not a socialist, I still believe in the need for capitalism, but pure capitalism is soulless, so I like how the EU has worked towards a mixture of socialism and capitalism.

Even though most Americans would say they despise socialism, they refuse to acknowledge how much they depend on the same type of government intervention and regulation that socialist societies do: think about what unbridled capitalism would do to our water supplies, our heating and cooling public entities (can you imagine if they were run like the oil companies?), our car industries, our transportation industries (look how many times we've propped up the airlines and trains). But if you ask people if they think men and women should have the same opportunities in school and work, most agree which is what the definition of feminism is..

Answer 10

Reform feminists have to prove first that they are not anti-male.

This can be done easily by rejecting openly any men-hating feminist literature, like Solanas' Manifesto, or by rejecting anti-family remarks by Hirshman and others, about that feminists should abandon their families or about quotes that any married woman might be slightly mentally ill, or that mothers with boys are the traitor of the own gender etc. etc... Plenty of hateful quotes by feminists.

Reform-feminists, if their intentions should be considered seriously by  men, have to reject such men-hating publications and speeches, otherwise they are nothing better but all these other 'ordinary feminists'.

A true and sincere reform of feminism would split the feminist movement, I do not think feminists will do that and speak out against their own hateful leaders' writings and comments.

Therefore, a feminist will remain a feminist, basically the same, only the name is different....radical, reform...it's all the same basically.

Feminism will remain a hateful movement I guess...

Answer 11

I'm pro equality feminism, which means 100% of the time, men and women have equal responsibilities and are treated equally.   He gets drafted, she gets drafted.  He carries a 100 lb backpack, she carries a 100 lb backpack.  He opens his doors, she opens hers.  He buys his, she buys hers.

No excuses or exceptions.  That's the only feminism I'm for.  The rest is anti-male.

Answer 12

Patriarchy is a relatively new thing and was started after the Hebrews exodus from  Egypt and based on Mosaic law. Prior to that time many cultures were Matriarchal/Matrilinial. There is a good book by Merlin Stone "When God Was a Woman" that explains that. Equality means that each is equal. Many Native American Tribes practiced it long before the western Europeans came here. Ant they proved they were the Savages not the Native peoples. Radicals of ant stripe usually are wrong but Femminists had to stand up to the status quo to open peoples eyes to the inequality that was being perpetrated on women.

Answer 13

Pro the Sarah Palin brand of feminism.  The rest are anti-male.

Answer 14

When will the feminists get into their pretty heads that men and women are not equal in physical nor mental atributes? Any woman who feels that she should be treated as if she were a man is denying her natural talent to be different and to behave accordingly.

A woman who seeks equality in earnings with a man should be capable of doing a man's work to the same degree of intensity and without a greater degree of emotion or intuition. In general these things are not possible, although there are exceptions. But when you meet one of these kinds of women, you wonder where the real woman exists within.

No I'm not a feminist without being equally a malelist, both of the sexes should and deserve to play their rightfull (unequal) role in our society.

Answer 15

I am pro if and only if "equality" means for women to loose the excess rights that they have.  If feminists today are out to compete with men, then they should compete with men on equal ground (and please don't just try to be more promiscuous than men.  Not all men are promiscuous).  It is my understanding that even women are not all equal.  So why don't those "feminists" who are casting rocks at men catch up with other women before they shout another abusive word at men?

The women who have been hurt by men in the past should realize that what's in the past cannot be undone, and hating all men will not get them any justice in the real sense.  They should just cut their loses and move on with their lives.

question:  what's imo?

kub2, I do agree with you that we should eventually banish the word "Feminism".  But doing so right now is to let the true feminists off the hook too easy.  Their job is not done yet.  It is now time for them to educate other women on how to exercise their rights effectively and responsibly.

Answer 16

I don't hate men; I don't hate anyone. I do want everyone to work together in our differences and sameness, to better our future. I wish people could stop this inane bickering of the “boys NO girls better” mentality.

This mental habit of understanding events in an “us vs. them” perception rather than an “us and them” insight are creating devastating mental, emotional and moral separateness in our minds.

If the human race cannot learn to get along with itself, it will soon exterminate itself.

“Intelligence, guided by kindness, is the highest wisdom.” Robert Ingersoll

Edit: R. Gaspari please don't put me in the same grouping as Greer. This is a woman who talks about sperm so much you know she has p***s envy, she is a meida hog, pseudo intellectual, embarrassment. I don't want to be lumped into her category.

Answer 17

Anti- modern Feminism by any other qualifier for only one reason.

Feminism by any other obscure name does NOTHING to alienate utter, transparent misandrists as are so often seen on this board.

So long as any brand of feminism embraces radical/extremist/man-hating Feminists, I don't see it is constructive in any way.

If the goal for this movement is for equality, then it should have a distinct name (separate from Feminism).

In 2008 AD there are much more important issues and matters than trying to find ways to disguise misandry.  So far, I've seen nothing that's led me to conclude that there's much of a difference between "nice" feminists and "really nice" n***s.  Both are divisive, hate-driven groups (I refer to modern Feminism in this context).

Modern Feminism couldn't be further removed from the notion of "equality," it's supremacy.  Until this hate-driven philosophy that is so deeply embedded into Western Society is done away with, I find nothing positive about any form of Feminism nor Nazism nor White Supremacy (using any qualifier one wishes).

It only takes one rotten apple to spoil the bunch.