13 October 2003 ~ "What is feminism to YOU?"

Today, I worked all day in the Writing Center. But I did take an hour-long lunch break, during which I happened to notice a poster on the wall asking for contributions to the Women's Center (on campus) magazine. It suggested sending in poetry, artwork, photography, essays, fiction, or whatever else you could think of...

It also gave two suggested topics for written pieces:

1.) How have your feminist beliefs been compromised in relationships?

2.) What is feminism to you?

A note at the bottom says: "feel free to deviate from suggested themes."

I became very, very angry. The anger was almost inexplicable, but not entirely. I don't like "feminists." I like women, and I like strong women, and I like women who are strong and bitchy enough to declare their rights as humans. I like women who can talk without shame about their private parts (as men so often talk about theirs). I like women who don't really whine. I like women who realize the utter uselessness of whining, in most situations. Women are pretty damned cool. The female spirit is badass, and, I think, damned near unbreakable.

I still hate feminists.

Feminists have converted the beauty of women into an ISM. Into something ugly and institutionalized. Not necessarily into man-hating, although I tend to think that viewing all men as rapists tends to come into play FAR too often in "feminism."

A little analogy... Once upon a time, there was some sad, sad coal-miner someplace, who worked 23 hours a day, and breathed in lots of bad things, and died at the age of 19. So, his buddies decided to form a union and demand a few rights.

So, then some teachers, in Marysville, Washington (north of here, I think???), decided to have a union of their own. They decided to strike, until they got a 7.5% raise. FORTY-ONE days, these teachers were on strike, and kids all over the district were out of school. It should be noted that these teachers are the second-highest paid of any district in the state. Not that this means a LOT, since teachers still make diddly squat. That's not really the point. The point is, to work at that school, you HAVE TO join the union. It's required, or you don't get a job. You HAVE TO strike when the union tells you to strike, regardless of what YOU want to do.

...And this, I think, is what feminism is. In order to be a nice, respectable, liberal-minded female in this world (and especially at places where people think they're liberal, like The Evergreen State College), you HAVE TO call yourself a feminist. Otherwise, people give you shit. And feminism takes away your voice. Takes away your right to think for yourself without wondering. Takes away the beauty and intelligence and imagination and creativity, and instinct, and sexuality, and RIGHTS or women; it usurps all of these things, and turns them into UGLY things, like LAWS. We don't fucking needs LAWS (i.e., the MAN! Hello!!!) protecting our bodies, minds, and spirits! We need to know that we CAN do just that, for ourselves. That we don't need a fucking organization to speak FOR us. That destroys people's abilities to speak for themselves. And, guess what -- now that you've tried to empower women with an ISM, you've now TAKEN their power from them, and GIVEN it to the ISM.

You take away a person's freedom to speak for herself -- how fucking LIBERAL! Yeah, right. I thought "liberal" was supposed to mean somebody who was out to "FREE" people, to "liberate" them. Well, I'm not down with being freed by somebody else when it's obvious I've already done it for myself.

I consider myself a very unfortunate victim of feminism. I consider myself luckier than most, however, who have no fucking clue how insidious "feminism" can really be.

Here's the deal...

"A PERSON SHOULD NOT BELIEVE IN AN ISM. SHE SHOULD BELIEVE IN HERSELF."
--lousy paraphrase from "Ferris Bueller's Day Off."

I can't say it any better than that. Although I'm going to try very hard. I tore down three of those Women's Center posters, and I'm going to type up my article using their own ugly posters.

FEMINISM IS AN ABUSER AND A RAPIST.

~Helena*

PS -- Of course, I'm talking about feminism in the 21st century. I'm talking about the feminism that I've experienced in my lifetime. I'm talking about the well-intentioned women who victimize themselves, and, in the process, me, and everybody freaking else. In no way is this to be construed as a rant about historical feminism... I wasn't there for that, and I have no business talking about it.