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Get Back To Your Grassroots!
There's been a lot of yammering recently about the death of feminism, how feminists are all old upper-middle class white women, and how women have achieved equality and need to stop whining about sexism because it's a personal problem.
So why, then, do I identify as a feminist, and why should you? Why be a feminist at all?
First of all, sexism is far from over. Women continue to face sexual and physical violence, pay and hiring discrimination, objectification, higher healthcare costs, restrictions on our reproductive liberty and any number of other oppressions. These are not oppressions that individual women bring on themselves -- they are systemic.
And that garbage about the feminist movement being exclusively run by privileged old white women? The media could probably help clear this up if they actually spoke with young women and women of color who identify as feminists rather than making sweeping generalizations. (Hint: we are not hard to find. I am available for discussion anytime.)
I am a young feminist. This is an identity that found me rather than me finding it -- it found me in street harassment and sexual assault, in being patronized and discounted by men in authority, in the media bludgeoning telling me everyday that I am, at best, decorative. I am a feminist because I don't enjoy the gendered injustices that I face and because I believe that every woman deserves equal treatment rather than degradation. I am a feminist because everyone deserves to be treated with dignity and respect.
NOW's mission statement perfectly describes my understanding of the feminist movement:
"The purpose of NOW is to take action to bring women into full participation in the mainstream of American society now, exercising all privileges and responsibilities thereof in truly equal partnership with men."
If you trust women, if you believe that every woman's body is her sovereign territory, if you yearn for equality, then you are a feminist. Openly identifying as a feminist is a radical act -- and one of solidarity. Identifying as a feminist allows you to contribute to a collective voice and to share in a collective identity organized against oppression.
That's all well and good, you say, but then, why engage in feminist activism?
If you experience oppression or witness the oppression of others and don't like it, then do something about it! Civil rights activists have been known to use the metaphor of a moving sidewalk in the fight against racist oppression, and I would apply the same metaphor to the fight against sexism: That is, we can either remain passive and be swept along, implicated and oppressed by sexist social institutions, or actively challenge them and regain some ground by moving against the status quo.
Engaging in activism gives you personal satisfaction and strength, helps build empowering and supportive communities for women and gives voice to the concerns of all who are affected by sexism and other intersectional oppressions.
Activist engagement also enables you to contribute to an evolving feminist dialogue and to shape the direction of the movement to come. Whatever issue inspires you -- reproductive rights, economic justice, fighting racism, LGBT rights, women's health, ending violence against women, disability, ageism, promoting body positivity or something else -- you can organize with feminists who are passionate about it and will build coalitions on a variety of issues affecting women and other communities.
Find your niche, and work it! Use your abilities, your networks and your resources to rally for women and for all who are affected by oppression. There's any number of things you can do! Organize fundraisers and protests, petition your lawmakers, create discussion and action groups, write blog posts or use online social networks to publicize feminist issues, plan events that affirm women's dignity or get involved in your local NOW chapter.
Anyone can get involved in feminist activism and join the grassroots. What's stopping you?
This is the first of a series on engaging in feminist activism, so stay tuned for future posts on gaining awareness of feminist issues, local NOW chapter activism, and more!
I understand that this is the "National Organization of Women," but frankly, aren't we shunting aside our boys and men? There is no similar organization to NOW available for men, especially in comparison to the size and political sway of NOW. Fathers and Families might come the closest.
I have to take issue with this remark:
"Women continue to face sexual and physical violence, pay and hiring discrimination, objectification, higher healthcare costs, restrictions on our reproductive liberty...."
In many cases, men who commit acts of violence are victims of emotional and mental abuse, and are provoked. Does that make it right, or okay? Absolutely not. But the root causes must be addressed. I once heard that abused boys become abusers and abused women become victims, which is hullabaloo. It could be said that my parents are both victims of abusive parents, and my mother turned out to be far more emotionally abusive to her children than did my father (though he also has his moments).
Pay discrimination is not accurately represented in 90% of cases. Most pay disparities can be explained by individual choices about work. Notwithstanding, men are more likely to die on the job than are women - because of their choices to work such jobs. Working lower paying jobs, or working less hours, or taking more time off, is not systemic discrimination. I'd be interested to read studies on hiring discrimination.
And as for "higher healthcare costs," our boys and men face automatically higher car insurance rates. These are almost perfectly parallel. It's a higher risk for a company to insure women for health, and a higher risk for them to insure men for driving. Neither are right, in my opinion, but if we are TRULY interested in equality here, we'd be talking about both.
The major strides of Feminism are accomplished. Suffrage, etc....these have been done. We've come a long way. We have further to go, but I think it's about time we embraced a more dualistic aspect in embracing Feminism, and acknowledge the stratification both genders face. Let's unite under a NEW movement, one that is not based in the Feminine, but one that is simply Humanist, in favor of equality for both sexes.
(For the record, women are not equal when it comes to registering for the draft, either. Men face a $250,000 penalty and student loan ineligibility if they do not comply, whereas few women do register for the draft and are never penalized. We want equality? We have to admit that both parties must give up certain social privileges. If you are not willing to give up your own privileges, male or female, or you are not willing to balance the scale somehow, you are not interested in equality.)
"Let's be fair" seems to be unaware that the so-called "Draft Exemption" is men's idea and is routinely used as a pretext for denying women's right to equal protection of the law - which all American men receive as a 14th Amendment constitutional birthright whether or not they ever serve in the military, much less in combat - as well as denying women's entitlement to full citizenship and adult status in the society.
The writer may also be unaware that thousands of American women are now serving in the military, many in combat, and are still not given equal status and benefits with men as members and veterans of military service.
It's time to stop blaming women for not doing what men won't let them do!
The writer also needs to check the facts before citing auto insurance pricing as the Great Score Evener that excuses higher charges to women for health insurance that routinely attends to men's needs - including "needs" like Viagra - while excluding or surcharging women for reproductive health cost - much of it attributable to men's uncontrolled reproductive activity.
Back in 1983, NOW read the rate books and reported that auto insurers charge a lower youth surcharge for young women, citing their lower accident involvement, as a dad-pleasing marketing ploy that played into stereotypes of timid daughters and hell-raising sons. NOW also published the fact that adult prices covering 80% of auto insurance are unisex, despite the consistent disparity between men's and women's average per-year accident rates throughout their driving lifetimes. NOW also published the fact that boys and men averaged twice as many miles driven per year as girls and women and for that reason alone averaged twice as many accidents.
Never mind the hard statistical evidence - all available at the NOW Insurance Project web site www.centspermilenow.org - some men still cling to the biological myth and its masculinist twin, the Draft Exemption, to divert attention from the prevailing reality that systemic sex discrimination pays off for men at women's expense. And what's more, it's not unconstitutional! So much for "fairness." I'll take genuine equality, thanks.
07/16/10 @ 11:12
"It's time to stop blaming women for not doing what men won't let them do!"
Are we going to play that game? It's not an issue of blame. I'm not blaming women for not registering for the draft. I am blaming people for not campaigning to level this inequality.
I can't really wrap my head around the idea that Draft Exemption somehow denies personhood status. It's not exactly something that is common knowledge among people, or thought of frequently. But in any case, did you read what I wrote? Are you saying that punitive measures taken exclusively against men are just? Frankly, I believe the draft is unjust in all dimensions. However, you and I seem to be on the same page about conscription. We both think it should be all people regardless of gender asked to register! (Actually, I would say no one should be forced to register, but I don't think that will change since Congress has the power to levy an army.) What do we take to be full citizenship? Women still are able to register for the draft, but THEY ARE NOT FORCED TO COMPLY. In this case, women have a choice. Men do not. It is very clear to me - but go ahead and use your slide-rule powers to argue that a women's ability to choose whether or not to register for the draft is oppressive to the Feminine.
You bring up good points, and very valid ones, about women's service to the military. I wonder, though, whether certain services are granted or denied on the basis of gender, or whether the correlation strongly disfavors women because of the fact that biologically, women have a disadvantage in terms of physicality. That does not deny that physical diversity exists among women, but in a merit system, in any sort of controlled environment where gender is a nonfactor, women and men will generally perform certain tasks differently.
And if we're playing the blame game:
"...much of it attributable to men's uncontrolled reproductive activity."
I'm not sure but it sounded as if you just blamed men for biology. In any case, you most certainly blamed both men and women, because the two are consenting to sex (since most use of birth control medication, Viagra, etc. occurs in consensual partnerships). Who are you to barge into someone's bedroom and demand that they use a condom instead of a pill because of health care injustices? That's no worse than a court outlawing contraception. Why blame men for what women allow them to do? Still, you missed my basic thesis that it is wrong for Health Insurance Companies to discriminate on the basis of gender.
And who ever said that "auto insurance pricing" was a "Great Score Evener"? But they are fair parallels. And frankly, 1983 was almost 30 years ago. If you want to talk, let's talk current. Lots have changed in 27 years. I know the boys of my family are charged a higher rate for auto-insurance. Never mind that 2/3 have never had accidents, are very highly precautionary drivers, and regularly avoid accidents that other drivers would have caused.
But in any case, I think you're insinuating that I am male, in which case I would say that you are wrong. I may be lying. In fact, I am very strongly opposed to you knowing my gender identity at all, because then you make presumptions. It seems to me that you and I agree upon the solution to most issues, but not the causes. "Genuine equality" doesn't really exist. There are some things that cannot be equal anatomically, chemically, biologically, etc. Believe it or not, the brain chemistry between men and women is naturally different. And again, women and men are equally diverse. If you want something, you can do it. I don't buy into the nonsense that women are incapable of x, y, z, or that men are incapable of a, b, c.
One thing you fail to acknowledge is that gender discrimination against one group is similarly gender discrimination against another, since there really are only 2 (or 3, 4 if you include transgender both directions, or 5 at max if you include hermaphroditism) gender identities. The point is that gender identity is not an unlimited thing in Western society. So an inequality against women is an inequality against men, and an inequality against men is an inequality against women. Like I say so often, it's impossible to say who has it worse in today's world, because no matter who you say, the other side can always say "Well that affects us more than it affects you!" In the end, what both sides want is the same thing: equality. But the reasons for wanting said equality are different, and frankly, I think it is silly to say that one person's reasons for wanting equality are more or less valid, as long as they are fair. Hence my username, because come on. Let's be fair.
I agree that the Patriarchy hurts everyone, to some extent-- women, most obviously, as well as men who are expected to be unemotional, violent, macho providers. But it's important to recognize that men also overwhelmingly benefit from the status quo that is the Patriarchy, from social structures that in some ways oppress them-- and that necessarily exploit, devalue, or otherwise harm women. This does not mean that men are evil oppressors; I like to think that only a very small portion of men actively work to preserve their privilege at the expense of women, and that most only passively and without malice benefit from patriarchal structures. (For example, I benefit from these structures, too, by virtue of my whiteness. Doesn't mean I like it.)
NOW works for equality through a pro-woman platform because context matters. History matters, and historically (and currently!) women face devaluation and oppression. Saying, "But what about the men?" shows a refusal to engage in the discussion at hand and reinforces the idea that men and their problems should always be at the forefront of the discussion, even in a space that is specifically designed to let women voice their concerns. Men face some gendered injustices, and that's wrong-- society could use more conversation that deconstructs masculinity-- but activism on behalf of the privileged is not the kind of activism that I am willing to prioritize.
I am furious that companies are ALLOWING sexual harassment towards women in the workplace. I am a victim of sexual harassment and am tired of hearing that because of what you look like, conduct yourself as, dress like and do not say anything that it is okay and not a problem. Well, I for one, as a victim of such indescribable, horrific behavior, am going to take a stand. I do NOT care how a woman looks, dresses or behaves that it gives ANYONE the right to touch me or comment on my looks. And shame on you, COMPANY, for not doing anything about it when it was reported to you and described to you through tears that I was uncomfortable for fear of retaliation. SHAME on you for firing me because I had a voice. What cowards you must be because I told the truth.......... I am hoping that someone reads this and feels comfort (so to speak) in knowing that others have experienced this shame. But why should I or anyone else feel shame for what was involuntarily done to them? I will tell you why we feel that way even though it is wrong, it is because EMPLOYERS, do not always do what is right and take action. They don't want the lawsuit that it may involve, nor do they want the media involved, so they just get rid of the "problem." Well, I choose to take a STAND! Please stand with me.
Umm is this like the all men are potential rapist thing? In reality, we have always heard about the health care gap in favor of men. There never was a gap in favor of men. When the NIH retracted that statement (February 21, 2001) we did not hear a word about it. Breast cancer gets many times the funding that prostate cancer gets and much more is spent on women's health even though men die from all but 2 of the top 15 deadly diseases more often and at an earlier age. I heard more about breast cancer during prostate cancer awareness week than I did about prostate cancer and although heart disease still kills a much larger number of men at an earlier age, we only hear about RED for women's heart disease now. Men can go to the back of the bus once again, or better yet, let's throw men UNDER the bus!
As to the draft, I do not hear NOW or any other feminist organization screaming to draft women too and to give equally risky assignments in the military. Yes, women make up about a third of those in our two wars BUT they account for less then 1% of those coming home in body bags.
Speaking of which, what is NOW's position on "women first" when it comes time to rescue people from dangerous places. The Oxygen Network had a billboard in Chicago bragging about women getting into the life boats first yet I have heard many feminist tell us that wealthy men were saved more often than women in other classes. In reality, the number one reason someone died on that day is that they were MALE. Those in charge worked hard at keeping men out of the life boats and often keep boys over 12 out of them too. They were expected to die just like the men. The sad fact is that many of the life boats were only half full but many refused to pick up men who were freezing to death in the waters. Had they not been too busy keeping men out and had everyone had a chance ALL the females could have been saved along with about two hundred more of the men who died needlessly
Yet today in our age of demanding equality, the feminist screams of equality are unheard when it still is women first from a jet that landed in the Hudson to a hostage crisis where the police as a first request is to let the women go, knowing that when all the females are safe, it is much more likely that an armed assault will be done and hostages will be killed but that is OK...they will be MALE.
Another area the silence of feminist equality is deafening is in "choice". Feminist demand women's choice but there is no such demand for choice except if a woman wants a child, he can pay up (and often never get to see the child he is paying for) or he can go to jail. I know of at least two 12 year old boys who were ordered to pay child support to adult women who had sex with them. No charges...just pay your child support!
When I hear NOW come out that men should have a choice to walk away from all of their responsibility much as any woman can today with no questions asked as she can terminate the pregnancy or she can give it up for adoption or turn the baby over to a safe haven location and walk away from ALL her responsibility no questions ask...Men do not have that option and often may be forced to pay child support for a child that the mother knows is not even his even when he can prove it. Paternity fraud is one of the few crimes the criminal not only gets away with, but is rewarded for the next 18 years. Sort of like having someone steal your brand new car and then find out the judge says the thief can keep the car but you have to keep making the payments and pay for the insurance and gas.
When NOW starts demanding equality in these areas....then and only then will I believe they want equality. Until then, I will only believe you want Power and Control!
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