Feminism
What a topic, eh? I was just about to write about something else, when I happened upon more Internet idiocy. Couple this with some philosophical ideas of mine, and you've got the runner up ideas for this post.
So, feminism. Perhaps one of the more progressive forces today: but generally getting a lot of crap from various people. One thing I have come to believe is to never, ever judge a conclusion without hearing the premises. As we talk within a theory that is not accepted by the mainstream; that's to say; that isn't the paradigm of the masses or a paradigm that we have embraced we must always, -always- make an attempt to hear the premises before judging the conclusion - or it will seem absurd. People aren't stupid on the whole, be they conservatives or feminists.
But what about feminism now. Whenever it's discussed we always begin talking about radical feminists who say one or another crazy thing about men. I don't think we can really judge this as one heap. Feminist critics come in very different varieties and they hold different ideas about what femininity is and how it should be handled. I think people are looking for excuses to write off feminism more or less. Why? Are people scared of feminism? In some ways I think they are. Feminism aims to change society at it's core: that scares people.
I'm a feminist - of a marxist variety. I believe there are some biological differences between people and that not -everything- is conditioned. However, I can see in myself and almost everyone else some things that are just ample proof of women's subordination. The way philosophy students treat men and women different, for example. I rarely see male students engaging female ones in debates over theories the way they do other men. I don't do it either. That is a major problem.
Perhaps culture functions like this: a pattern emerges out of sheer chance. Powerful individuals and groups typically create deeper patterns on their subordinates. Sometimes these patterns appear because of a power relation (or almost always, perhaps) and then; a reflexive mental action comes to justify the pattern in favour of the powerful. That's to say: people invent a myth. God is handy here, but philosophy is as well. After the pattern has been grounded, anyone who diverges from it will be considered "weird" or "inappropriate". They will be punished by their status in the community dropping. Just watch how in some contexts it is very inappropriate to do a specific action. Like laughing in Church, I suppose.
So what happens now, then? I think we can all begin by stating this fact: women are treated as lower standing than men in general. Conservatives generally want to occlude this fact: but it is impossible to do so. It's evident every day, and in every statistic over men and women. It is a vital axiom, and to ignore it is just silly - and more importantly; it reveals the true interests of the individual who says it.
Now, with these two things at our hands - what can we say? One, people who break a pattern are considered difficult in a social context, and two, women are considered to be lower standing than men. And who break the social pattern? Feminists! The people who want to make deep change in society, just like other radicals! Does this explain why everyone is so scared of feminists? I think it does.
Now, as I stated above, I'm a marxist feminist who believe certain things about men and women and think I have a pretty good factual basis for it. I don't think, for example, that liberal feminism will solve any problems in the long run. I think class and sex goes hand in hand, because every oppressed group should seek allies in other groups. Perhaps it's male bias to think that the working class should utilize hegemony over the anti-racist and feminist movements, as well as anyone else, but I think that it is the most basic, most important thing: practical control over the means of production, and that the working class cause can include and promote all the other groups under it's wings in a more effective, deep way than they themselves could alone or if they had hegemony over such an alliance.
So, feminism. Perhaps one of the more progressive forces today: but generally getting a lot of crap from various people. One thing I have come to believe is to never, ever judge a conclusion without hearing the premises. As we talk within a theory that is not accepted by the mainstream; that's to say; that isn't the paradigm of the masses or a paradigm that we have embraced we must always, -always- make an attempt to hear the premises before judging the conclusion - or it will seem absurd. People aren't stupid on the whole, be they conservatives or feminists.
But what about feminism now. Whenever it's discussed we always begin talking about radical feminists who say one or another crazy thing about men. I don't think we can really judge this as one heap. Feminist critics come in very different varieties and they hold different ideas about what femininity is and how it should be handled. I think people are looking for excuses to write off feminism more or less. Why? Are people scared of feminism? In some ways I think they are. Feminism aims to change society at it's core: that scares people.
I'm a feminist - of a marxist variety. I believe there are some biological differences between people and that not -everything- is conditioned. However, I can see in myself and almost everyone else some things that are just ample proof of women's subordination. The way philosophy students treat men and women different, for example. I rarely see male students engaging female ones in debates over theories the way they do other men. I don't do it either. That is a major problem.
Perhaps culture functions like this: a pattern emerges out of sheer chance. Powerful individuals and groups typically create deeper patterns on their subordinates. Sometimes these patterns appear because of a power relation (or almost always, perhaps) and then; a reflexive mental action comes to justify the pattern in favour of the powerful. That's to say: people invent a myth. God is handy here, but philosophy is as well. After the pattern has been grounded, anyone who diverges from it will be considered "weird" or "inappropriate". They will be punished by their status in the community dropping. Just watch how in some contexts it is very inappropriate to do a specific action. Like laughing in Church, I suppose.
So what happens now, then? I think we can all begin by stating this fact: women are treated as lower standing than men in general. Conservatives generally want to occlude this fact: but it is impossible to do so. It's evident every day, and in every statistic over men and women. It is a vital axiom, and to ignore it is just silly - and more importantly; it reveals the true interests of the individual who says it.
Now, with these two things at our hands - what can we say? One, people who break a pattern are considered difficult in a social context, and two, women are considered to be lower standing than men. And who break the social pattern? Feminists! The people who want to make deep change in society, just like other radicals! Does this explain why everyone is so scared of feminists? I think it does.
Now, as I stated above, I'm a marxist feminist who believe certain things about men and women and think I have a pretty good factual basis for it. I don't think, for example, that liberal feminism will solve any problems in the long run. I think class and sex goes hand in hand, because every oppressed group should seek allies in other groups. Perhaps it's male bias to think that the working class should utilize hegemony over the anti-racist and feminist movements, as well as anyone else, but I think that it is the most basic, most important thing: practical control over the means of production, and that the working class cause can include and promote all the other groups under it's wings in a more effective, deep way than they themselves could alone or if they had hegemony over such an alliance.
posted by Björn at 4:31 PM
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