Open Letter to "Feminists"
Dear "Feminists,"
Just because I'm a woman, doesn't mean I have to support every woman's idea of how the world ought to be. I was recently criticised for not supporting a feminist cause; here is what the woman said to me:
So maybe this issue doesn’t matter to you, but it SHOULD matter that it means something to another women [. . .] Don’t they deserve your support as another women? Can’t we all stick together??????? [. . .] Your support could simply be to show [another woman] a christ like love and charity by not belittling or dismissing her feelings because you don't share them.I have three general responses to these kinds of comments:
- Being agreeable is not the same thing as showing Christ-like love and charity, and disagreeing with someone is not equivalent to belittling or dismissing.
- Just because I disagree with a cause does not mean I haven't thought about it and made a conscious decision to oppose it.
- Do I not also deserve respect for my opinions and beliefs? A woman not supporting me for not supporting her is not only hypocritical, it's sexist. I'll leave it to CNN's Erin Burnett to illustrate. (Pay attention to 1:10–13.)
Sincerely,
Sara
posted by Sara @ 3:21 PM
4 Comments:
I wasn't sure where that was going when I first started watching it, but I enjoyed that clip with all of my face.
BAM! I absolutely agree. And I think you used a superb example. Perhaps it's unfair, but I couldn't ever really like Taylor Swift after that. I mean that wasn't even a mean joke. As Tina Fey pointed out, the James Cameron one was far more brutal. And we're talking Tina Fey and Amy Poehler, who have done far more for women than little Miss Swift. I think women like Taylor Swift hide behind the curtain of what they term "feminism" to hide insecurities or to somehow get easy praise and acceptance from fellow women. Either way it's a crutch.
Haha -- I'm glad you liked it, Sara. When are you going to start blogging again???
Rachel -- Thanks. :) I think feminism is often confused with femininity. Many women think that feminism is about being proud to be a woman and therefore, anything she does is to be praised. In other words, it's a woman's prerogative to do whatever she wants simply because she's a woman.
Feminism, though, is really about establishing political, economic, and social rights for women. In my mind, feminist movements would work to eliminate sex trafficking in the world, establish equal opportunities in education and employment, and encourage women to take part in government and STEM fields. Clearly, I have a different understanding of feminism than Taylor Swift and others. :/
I loved this. and totally agree with SarawithoutanH.
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