I received an email today from someone who stopped by my blog and had a few things to say. I decided I would respond to that email, and that I would post both the original email and my response here and leave it open to comments from you. You always have such interesting and often wise things to contribute.Here we go… this is the email I received:
"Philosopher? That's pushing it abit far isn't it? I mean what new ideas are you putting forward, what old ways are you going against? What are you doing to improve humanity? Though you do raise some interesting points, you're a clever girl but I don't approve of your very radical feminist ideas.
Men aren't taught to hate women... I really don't know how to put it any clearer sweetie but women don't get it any worse than men. Male and female are meant to be different halves of the species, the species evolved to endear them to each other, hence the evolution of the female orgasm.
I'm a heterosexual male, I don't have a thing against gays or other races and I do see women as equals. But the two don't have the same jobs to do in the grand scheme of things. Gays are happy being who they are that's understandable.
Feminism doesn't help it only hurts everyone including yourself. Are you unhappy or a little depressed sometimes? I can sort of tell that from what you've written, but I could easily be wrong. But I think you're hurting yourself, if not you're probably a lesbian, in which case live your life but don't spread hate.
Feminism has the potential to do alot of damage, almost to the extent of other ideals which turn people into zealots like religious ones. If you're not a lesbian then one day a man will sweep you off your feet and you'll change your views.
You're probably angry at me right now and very reluctant to take anything I've said seriously... and I guess I didn't have time to word this ft to your sensitive nature... so I guess this is an excercise in wasting time and you'll send an angry email back at me. I hope I'm wrong."
This is what I wrote back:
“Well, let me respond to the email you took the time to write me. I figure something I wrote must have struck a nerve for you to actually sit down and take the time to send me an email about it, critical or not. Here goes:
First and foremost, yes, I am a philosopher. A FEMINIST philosopher. And a very proud one. A philosophy professor told me about twelve years ago that there is no such thing as a “new” idea in philosophy, there is only reworking, refining, defending, responding to and deconstructing arguments and that true innovation in philosophy is nearly impossible. In all the philosophy I have studied since that time, I can tell you it is the truth. Philosophy is like one stream of consciousness that builds on the ideas that come before. I am proud and happy to contribute what I do to philosophy as a general body of work. My professors continually give me A grades on my work and encourage me to go further, push harder, question more. I choose to write from a feminist perspective because it makes sense to me, it speaks to my personal experience as a woman, and because feminism is very useful in other fields of study. The theories represented in feminist thought can be applied to critical race theory, anti-poverty theory, anti-globalization theory, the environment, political science, and disability theory. That is what I am contributing to humanity. Give me a few years, and I’ll be fighting for the human rights of oppressed people worldwide. I’m only one step along in my journey. To answer to your question about what old ideas I am challenging, I would have to respond that patriarchy is a very old idea, and I am certainly doing my best to challenge that. Also, the theories I present pose a major challenge to liberalism.
As far as my ideas go, I am happy and comfortable being called a radical feminist. Radicals want to see changes to the existing oppressive system, and I certainly do want to see that. The best way I know how to make that happen is to present my views as best I can, to live my life as much outside of patriarchy as possible while still being true to myself and to show others that there is an alternative to simply going along with the status quo. Other than that, my ideas really aren’t that radical. My ideas represent freedom for all people to be able to truly choose whatever life they want to lead without interference and coercion from anyone else and in particular from societal structures. How radical is that? I guess it depends on where each person is positioned in regards to those societal structures. If those structures serve and benefit you personally, my guess is that you are not comfortable having those structures challenged. If those structures only serve to keep you down and present you with obstacles, my guess is that a lot of what I say makes a good deal of sense. That’s my position. I don’t much care whether you approve of it or not.
Don’t call me sweetie.
The biological approach you present is a really common one. Quite simply, it’s bullshit. Men and women are socialized to behave in specific ways. Biology gives us an idea of why the species has evolved the way it has: survival. It has no explanation for the continual degradation and oppression of one member of the species by the other. And if you think that men dominate because they are physically different or better than women, then you really have a long way to go in understanding the human condition. And you really don’t think of women in the egalitarian way you claim. Men and women have different roles in society because society has made it so. Who controls society, and has for the last several thousand years? Men. Why? It’s hard to tell. I don’t think it’s entirely because men are physically stronger than women.
I’ll tell you what. Try being a woman. You’ll find out quickly enough that men do indeed have it easier than women. I have known it my entire life. Men who are ignorant to this fact are so because men are the ones who benefit from the way society operates. Plain and simple. Men have been taught from birth that they are stronger, smarter, more rational, more moral, more powerful, independent, etc. Girls are taught that they are emotional, caring, dependent, weak, immoral, powerless, and dumb. Even when girls are raised in a home where they are praised and encouraged, when they step out their front door and into the world, it’s a different story. Your arrogance in making the claim that women don’t have it any harder than men is absolutely disgusting. How the hell would you know? Women are the majority of the victims of sexual abuse and assault. Women make 2/3 of what men make for the same work. Women are the large majority of those who live in poverty worldwide. Women undergo oppressive social practices like sexual slavery to a huge statistical majority, and are the exclusive victims of practices like female genital cutting. Perhaps if a society existed in which half of all men’s penises are cut off without anesthesia, maybe then we would be equal.
I assume from your letter that you are white. That means you have a good deal of privilege in this world, being a white heterosexual western male. Maybe it would do you some good to acknowledge that some people have it worse off than you do. All you have to do is open your eyes and read the newspaper, walk down the street in the “bad” part of your town, and try your best to understand that not everyone has the full spectrum of choices available to them that you enjoy, and think for a moment that attitudes like yours are the very things keeping those oppressive societal structures going strong.
I disagree very strenuously that feminism “hurts everybody, including [my]self.” Feminism challenges patriarchy. Maybe that hurts men who benefit from patriarchy. It hardly hurts women. It hardly hurts me. Feminism does not hurt me. Why would you think that it does? What hurts me – and causes me to be sad – is injustice and inequality in the world. Feminism gives me, and many others, a voice, a vocabulary to use in expressing intolerance for the oppressive social systems that keep all kinds of people from achieving equality and freedom. Perhaps you think I should just shut up and give up and go along with the status quo, since I will never be able to change sexism and patriarchy? Do you think forgetting about the oppression I and so many others have and continue to experience would make me happy? Do you think I could forget, when I am faced with the truth of injustice on a daily basis? In order for gender equality to be achieved, men will have to give up some of the privileges they now enjoy. Some men are actually WILLING to see that happen in order to support equality and freedom for all people. You are clearly not one of those people. I’m sure the current social system suits you just fine. It doesn’t suit me, or millions of other people around the world, just fine. It doesn’t suit us at all. So I will continue to rant, rave, scream, cry, rage, reason, write, and speak out against injustice in the world through the megaphone of feminism. And yeah, I hope that feminism does have the potential to “do a lot of damage” – that’s the whole idea. And quite to the contrary of your assumption, being able to do all that I can to further equality in the world gives me a great deal of satisfaction and joy.
I have never in my life spread hate. How dare you accuse me of that? I encourage nothing but tolerance, open-mindedness, acceptance, equality, and justice. I have never said I hate men, or any other group. My dearest hope is that the world will one day be united in common understanding and gentleness of spirit towards one another, no matter our differences.
My private, personal sexual preferences are none of your business. It’s interesting that you jumped straight to the assumption that I am a lesbian, just because I’m a feminist. Feminists come in all shapes, colours, sizes, religions, ethnicities, and sexualities. I certainly will not give up my feminist views for any reason, much less because a man comes along and sweeps me off my feet. I won’t even dignify those completely inappropriate comments with one more word.
I certainly don’t expect to change your opinion about feminism, or about me. Like I said, I really don’t care what you think of me or my views. I don’t need anything resembling your approval to live my life in the best way possible for me, and that means doing what I can to further equality, acceptance, freedom, and social justice. You are certainly not the first man to try to shut down a feminist through any of the methods you have chosen. I only respond to your letter in order to do what I think is right in defending feminism from baseless attacks such as yours. Any time someone attacks feminism, I will stand up and respond. Education is the only way to spread the truth about patriarchy, and dialogue and debate with those who support patriarchy is a great way to do it. Something I wrote clearly made you write to me in the first place. Hopefully something I have said here makes sense to you. I don’t need your approval, but I do hope for your understanding. At the very least, I am glad that I have made you think.
Peace.
Jennifer”
Okay, your turn…
I found the letter to you very interesting (and disturbing)in how this man seems to believe that he knows and understands you based upon reading some of what you have written seemingly far better than you understand yourself.
I believe that I know a single sliver of you – through what I’ve read of your writings. To presume that this means anything more than this is absurd.
Where what you may say might upset or disturb me, if that were to happen would reflect much more on me and my touchy areas of being.
We all may disagree and that is ok!
I would add to this man that you may be “oppressed” in a sense of the word because being “male” is a part of your being – your race, class, age and other things may at times make your gender as a male less important.
In large part we as men are hurt by other men in large numbers often and obviously we may be hurt at times by individual women in our lives.
“Sweetie” – is little different from “Boy” (to a Man of Color) or “Little Girl” (to an Adult Woman) – My Sweetheart is my “Sweetie”, perhaps your waitress at times calling you (male) “Sweetie” is certainly no putdown – but Wake Up – Man!
Wake Up – in saying – “I don’t discriminate” – in your words. Your “understanding” of lesbians vs. Het Women – and similar shows – that you clearly discriminate in your looking at all of us! I can’t understand where your prejudices may be beyond obviously feeling some sort of superiority over others, particularly women (in this case).
Thinking Girl – you are at least trying your Best – to be what you want to be. You are a philosopher – and you think a lot – not because or related to your class grades and professor evaluations – but simply because your thoughts and words and heart reflect – who you are.
Good Luck – and Thanks for being She Who You Are!
Jenn, your reply to him is something like Einstein trying to explain relativity to a 2-year-old. In other words, not worth the time. Congratulations on your first Internet troll! 🙂
I’m always of two minds when faced with this kind of message; part of takes the point of view of matthew: that person seems too oblivious to accept any counter argument. On the other hand, replying to him (esp. in a public way) helps affine and strenghten your point. I’m glad you chose the second option.
I like how he asks “Are you unhappy or a little depressed sometimes?” as if that was a sign that you’re doing something bad. If someone is never unhappy or a little depressed, isn’t that a good indication that they are oblivious to what’s going on in the world (unless, of course, we are talking about someone who has attained the Buddhist state of contentment).
Gosh, thinking girl. He doesn’t “approve of your very radical feminist ideas.” Time to shut the blog down, go find a man and pop out some babies. Sheesh.
Seriously, if he’s not just trolling, is he from the 50’s or something? You post very interesting and quality feminist discussion, but in the large scheme of things, the things you post are hardly the most radical feminist tracts one can find on the Internet (no offense ;-). See Twisty’s discussion about blowjobs as tool of the patriarchy, for instance. I bet this guy would just shrivel up and die at the notion that not everything with a mouth wouldn’t want to slob his sorry excuse for a knob.
Hey y’all
first of all, an update. This is the response I received back from the anonymous troll:
“You’ve obviously got very strong opinions. I’ve no idea why I sent this
email to you, I just don’t like feminism. I’m sorry for calling you sweetie, I meant it as a term of endearment. Despite your strong personality I quite like you.
Still I hope things get better for you if they really are that bad. Though
at the same time you might be fighting a lost cause, people aren’t so worried about changing the world anymore, I guess somewhere along the line we realized we can’t do anything… but try your best. Get too far and I’ll
be among those fighting against you, I don’t forsee your ideal future being
good for me.”
So, I’m not responding back. I decided I said all that I had to say to this person.
It’s a shame that there are still people out there who are content with the state of the world and think that it either doesn’t need fixing, or adopt a nihilistic attitude about the work that needs to be done. That’s the only comment I have about this response.
Ya know, when I first read this email, I thought I wouldn’t bother to answer it. Like Matthew said, not worth the bother. But, I thought that no matter what HE thought about my response, that I would feel better knowing I had responded in the best way I could. And I knew right away that if I was going to respond, I had better post it here. I’m not interested in hiding who I am (beyond general precautions regarding safety, I suppose…), and I feel that while this is MY blog, my role is more than just spewing opinions. I feel like a bit of a facilitator at times, and the interactive nature of the discussions we have here together is important to me. So, I felt like I wouldn’t be honest if I didn’t tell you about what was going on here. This blog is for discussion, and while our anonymous troll emailed me privately, he was responding to my public blog, which all of you are also part of. So, thanks for your comments, your participation, and your support.
“people aren’t so worried about changing the world anymore”
That’s why there’s no protest, demonstration, political documentaries, etc. anymore.
yeah, I know, right? Sheesh. How much more can he put his head in the sand in order to avoid seeing what is all around him? I guess people only see what they want to see.
Hello,
First: well said TG. It was a great read. But I agree with Matthew in way. As I read your response – and certainly as I read his sloppy, lazy, pointless, points – I wondered what percent of your response he was understanding? And, damn how much he understands, really because he would never let you be his teacher anyway, even if he could absorb your words. Anyhoo, my point being 1] nice one 2] people like him frighten the crap out of me because they are soooooooo cosy in their blinding power 3] language: in order for feminism to speak, I think it needs to be as multilingual as possible. That geezer had NO CLUE of what you were on about. But you know, if you were to ask him to define Patriarchy, I bet he can’t. Define feminism? No. He simply doesn’t. So a sentence with both words in it … nudda.
I’ve only read this post of yours and look forward to more.
Keep up the thinking (until of course, you don’t need to any more because a man will SAVE you from your thoughts, and the world, and change entirely WHO you are; your hero!) Shit.
Hey Daniela,
thanks for popping by!
Yah, I agree, I’m sure he probably didn’t understand much of what I was, or have been, yammering on about. I kind of feel like I should write a basic primer in feminist theory at some point, in case people just don’t seem to understand where I’m coming from. But, I always figure, if someone is confused by what I am saying, they will either ask me about it or look it up on Wiki.
but whatever. I wasn’t really hoping to win him over. I just wanted to take a stance and more than anything, demonstrate to readers here exactly the kind of bullshit feminists come up against in the world, in case they didn’t know. Like Marc Andre said, it drive my pointhome a bit further.
Yes, please do come back again and read more, and feel free to comment whenever you like! Discussion is always encouraged!
you know what?: I think that the average person is more likely to use a telephone than a book. And I think that referencing and searching is not part of most people’s lives. So, my thought being that, you know: maybe you should “write a basic primer in feminist theory “. I really think it would be great because a lot of peeps THINK that they know what feminism is, and sheeez…they don’t, especially women. Golly, this is big stuff isn’t it?
Anyhoo. Maybe I should write a basic primer of feminist theory. (chuckle) Now that would be interesting because these days I live in a very old institution: marriage and motherhood. Golly, again THIS is a huge one. Watching patriarchy fucntion as a lone independent woman is erksome but motivating, somehow. But watching it from inside the insitiution of family, as the matriarch, oi: I’m still processing it. It’s a tough one. Really tough. I have had to utterly redefine it all.
But: the loving. To love and be loved.
Hmm.
alright, daniela, I’m considering this your request for Feminism Friday: a feminist primer.
Something I’ve been considering for some time is the seeming conflict between feminism and heterosexuality. What does it mean for a feminist to be involved with, in love with, a man? What does it mean for a feminist to be participating in one of the oldest and most oppressive expressions of patriarchy: marriage? What does it mean to me? Will I do it one day? I’ve always wanted to get married (but not to have children, don’t care for them enough to want one of my own). But WHY? WHY have I wanted to get married? And does it makes sense to want to “get married” when one hasn’t met the person that would fill the role of husband/wife? I can see wanting to get married to the person you’re with as an expression of your love for him/her, but to go into every new relationship knowing that marriage must be an option??? it seems a bit silly. I mean, why must marriage be the ultimate goal? These are questions I ponder. Some have obvious answers, some do not. I must reflect further… another FF post perhaps?
well, i have no idea what to make of this email…
it is certainly his right to disagree with what you believe/write, but he is very vague in his objections to feminism…perhaps he is objecting to what he perceives feminism to be moreso than any of your specific views…and of course, the personal comments are unwarranted…
for the most part though, the email isn’t as abusive as i’ve heard other bloggers describe some of the emails they’ve received…in other words, he seems to be sincere and not just trying to be nasty… i would be curious to hear what he considers feminism to be and why he feels feminism can be damaging…that might be interesting
come to think of it – i’d be curious to see your feminist primer…what the word means to you…surely, even among “feminists” there must be some disagreement about what the word means, and perhaps even the goals of feminism and the proper means to achieve those goals – at least, i hope there is disagreement – too much agreement within a group isn’t a good thing, imho….
p.s…
this has lead me to thinking – you ought to post (or repost, as i’m guessing you’ve already discussed the topic) about your view on nature vs. nurture with regards to gender roles…
my own thoughts: anytime this debate comes up, people that support one view to the exclusion of the other are missing the boat… for many, many things, it is both and moreover, the complex interplay between biology and environment that determines characteristics…
also, humans, given their brains, are able to transcend their “natural” biological predisposition…as a vegetarian, people tell me all the time that it is “natural” to eat meat… i always find this argument weak, as what do humans do that is natural – live in houses, sit in front of the computer – so people can be very selective in defining what is “natural”…
lastly, general sweeping statements discount individual differences…
as i’ve said many times the world and life in general are too complicated to narrow to easy theories…
quoting TG: Something I’ve been considering for some time is the seeming conflict between feminism and heterosexuality. What does it mean for a feminist to be involved with, in love with, a man? What does it mean for a feminist to be participating in one of the oldest and most oppressive expressions of patriarchy: marriage?
I’m so incredibly perplexed by the answers to these questions and, more so, really happy to have found them here on this site. Thankyou for opening the door. This stuff is huge for me because marriage and hetro ralationship is everything it always was to me before I entered it, meaning that having chose to ‘buy’ it, doesn’t mean that I trust it any more than I did as a single independent feminist. I suppose I trust myself more than I trust patriarchy and this is the strength that I went into it with. So, all the challenges are still there and all the power plays are still there … and it’s under my skin, more than ever before because I’m living in it, closer tighter harder.
Happily, after 3 years of this love and 2 years of parenting, I can report that feminism and hetro love and motherhood can co-reside. BUT it is complex and I have had to break lots of rules, in order to reconstruct them.
Anyway, like you said in your Proust questionnaire: to love and be loved. Marriage is a very political minefield, though to me it is a matter of the spirit. I see feminism as a custodian of my spirit and marriage/family as the place where my spirit resides (and periodically my spirit packs its bags and moves camps from one to the other, not out of protest but out of necessity … !)
I look forward to reading more. Thank you for your energy.
Is there a clear strategy to gain wider understanding and acceptance of the the feminist viewpoint? And (assuming there is) what is it?
Obviously the questions of marriage whether to a woman or a man – for a woman or a man – is really a personal decision out of who we are as individuals.
While feminism certainly influences you (and many of us), the insights we have should reflect How we want to do What we want to do not necessarily (at least in this situation) what we want to do.
I don’t hear you saying you want to get married unless you found a Man you wanted to marry. You might determine that you wanted to become a professor at The University of Toronto or Harvard University. Such a hope might be “unrealistic”, but that needn’t mean that you don’t want it. I would hope that the potential for future marriage might be much greater than the example I just gave.
Clearly, if you should choose to marry in the future one would hope and expect that you could live your ideals in a variety of ways, not simply things related to feminism.
IF you were to believe that We Men are “The Enemy” then wanting to marry might be similar to the conflicts you face in your employment as you’ve described them.
I would trust that If you are in a relationship in the future where marriage might be an option, you would weigh Why you wanted to didn’t want to marry the individual person.
As one who has failed in one marriage and now is relatively happy in his second marriage (the first marriage lasted almost as long as you’ve been alive, I can see pro’s and con’s of marriage.
Most important is what it means to both people in the relationship. For my partner, it was significant in both positive and negative ways in part because her prior long-term “marriage” wasn’t recognized by the State, because her partner was a Woman.
For you – Choose what is best as life moves along and most likely you’ll be happy and fine. Contrary to what your – “flamer” – wrote, I don’t hear you being unhappy in life. That is most important in the long run.
Good Luck!
Mike:
thanks for your comments. I agree, the emailer was not overly nasty and was being sincere. This is what concerned me most. His dislike of feminism is very sincere, and I’m not sure he understands what feminism is, and in particular, that there are multiple viewpoints. I think a lot of people who do not understand feminism see it as a theory that in general advocates replacing male power with female power. As you know, as does most anyone who reads this blog, that is not at all what I believe. I think in general a lot of people see feminism as a threat to the social structures that give their life meaning: capitalism, marriage, family, religion, etc. For me, feminism is about gender equality.
Okay, I’ll post about nature vs. nurture. Good idea. I do have some ideas about that, and I bet we could have a good discussion on the subject.
Daniela:
I really like your comment about marriage and motherhood. It’s wonderful to hear that although it can be difficult, and traditional ideas of these institutions must be examined and reconstructed, that a feminist can happily become a wife and mother. I think that MORE feminists should participate in motherhood – what an intimate and perhaps effective way to raise a new generation of people sensitive to gender issues! I realize of course that children often reject the teachings of their parents – I am a good example of that – but yet many people do successfully raise children who adhere to their parents’ philosophies.
I think it is important if you’re contemplating marriage to someone – not in general – as a feminist it is important to discuss what marriage means to you, why marriage has been an oppressive institution, and what your expectations of marriage are, with your partner. This may seem obvious, but maybe it isn’t. For myself, any man I become involved with will know that I am a feminist, and will know exactly where I stand on certain issues. I assume this will be something some men are not able to deal with, and my god – what a great tool for weeding out the duds! But seriously, if marriage is going to work for a feminist, there has to be a lot of discussion and a willingness on the part of both to not fall into traditional gender roles in the relationship, and if that does happen, not to allow it to define either the individual or the relationship. For example, I love to cook and bake, which is something traditionally associated with women. But, it brings me a lot of joy, and I am concerned about what I eat (Mike – I made the move to vegetarianism!), so it is something that I could see myself doing within a relationship as part of household duties on a regular basis. Does that undermine my feminist status? I don’t think so, unless my partner sees it as something I *should* be doing for him as part of our relationship out of a traditional idea of what wives do. Anyway, I think it is a really interesting area to examine, for both men and women.
Mister P: I’m going to have to think about your question. As usual!
Geo: “While feminism certainly influences you (and many of us), the insights we have should reflect How we want to do What we want to do not necessarily (at least in this situation) what we want to do.” This is a little piece of brilliance. Exactly.
and you’re right – I am a pretty happy person!
Mister P wrote: “Is there a clear strategy to gain wider understanding and acceptance of the the feminist viewpoint? And (assuming there is) what is it?”
I’ve been thinking about this. When feminism was starting its second wave, radical feminists conducted consciousness-raising sessions, which included men and women from all social backgrounds. It was a wonderful tool to increase awareness about gender oppression. I think we should be moving back to a similar model. Young women and men today think that women’s equality has been achieved. This couldn’t be further from the truth. It seems like academia is trying to fill in the holes left by these groups, but this doesn’t exactly reach a wide cross-section of the population, as university is very much a privileged place.
I guess the most definite strategy to increase awareness of women’s issues is through human rights discourse more generally. By including women’s rights as human rights, there is a bit of awareness-raising about the spcefic concerns of women. But, this is not enough, in my opinion, as the human rights of men and more importantly children often take precedence over those of women.
There is a great blogging and internet community for feminist issues. However, these generally tend to attract two types of people: those who already agree with the general principles of feminism, and those who very strenuously disagree and are anti-feminists who like to stir the pot of shit up every now and then.
What would be a good strategy to increase awareness of feminism? Both women and men need to be illuminated as to what feminism means and why it is relevant and important political work. For me, the way I choose to raise awareness is through discussion, both here on my blog and in my personal life. I try my best to remain always as calm and rational as possible (sometimes it doesn’t happen that way!), but I never let a sexist comment slide. I never let a sexist image to go unnoticed when with friends and family. I discuss what I am studying, the course material I work with, etc. When something has really upset me, as was the case when I began Feminism Friday with the viewing of the documentary Not A Love Story, I talk about it with people. I try to remain open about my feminist position, and mostly it’s fairly well-received, maybe just b/c of political correctness. But I am not what you would call an angry feminist. I am not militant, I don’t want to replace male power with female power, and I do believe in equality and justice, which is how I frame discussions I have about feminism with people who don’t know much about it.
I’m not sure how else to go about it. I think it would be great if feminists could agree on how to go about raising awareness and to what degree. The initial targets are usually women, but this is not always the best approach. Men are the ones in social power, so it is important not to leave men out of awareness raising.
Anyway, I don’t know if this has answered your question, but these were the thoughts I had about your comment. Thanks for making me think about it.
It seems to me your response does answer the question as it was asked. It certainly answers the immediate question. Even so, it seems to me that this is a question feminists might want to keep asking themselves.
In fact, as I see it, this may be one of the most important questions for the future of feminist theory. The long term answer would have to encompass several other questions: how feminists are currently organized; how they communicate; how collective directions are chosen; and how they potentially could organize, communicate and choose directions. In addition, there is the matter of deciding who the target audience is and should be, and how the message itself will be shaped by the effort to propagate it.
For example, you mention angry feminism. Today many people, even feminists, would not look upon angry feminism as a positive thing. But in the past, tapping into collective anger had the effect of creating a pressurized conduit in which the message could be propagated. That said, the strategy of tapping into anger also shapes and constrains the message–not all feminist truths can come to the fore simultaneously. The tone of the message also affects which audiences are likely to be affected, and what perceptions future generations of feminists will have to contend with.
I am not advocating angry feminism, but I don’t overlook the value it played, and still does play, in spreading the message. Rather I am saying that (from my limited perspective) it seems as if feminism needs strategy, and it needs to mull over the implications of any strategy it might undertake.
yes, actually, that is a point that I meant to make but got kind of wound up in what I was trying to say. I didn’t feel overly eloquent last night when I posted this comment. I think you are absolutely right in that militantism/radicalism does have a place. And I do get angry sometimes about things that I care very much about. I think the mistake is to dichotomize emotionality and rationality; one does not preclude the other. But yes, the anger is a wonderful resource to be tapped into. Without the people who really get angry and do something, the attention of the general public is not captured. Without the feminists who organized rallies, marches, protests, etc. we would not have made some of the important strides towards equality. But this can of course be taken to an extreme and used not to further a positive end but a negative one. A sad example of this kind of thing gone wrong is 9/11.
I think you are right. There is not enough organization and activism around feminism anymore. There is a complacency among young women today, there is no fire about doing something to further the feminist cause. I would like to see better organization, even amongst various feminist groups who may adhere to different schools of thought.
good points to bring up mister p.