tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13848504.post115887722877728215..comments2023-09-09T04:03:00.560-05:00Comments on The Fortress of Soliloquy: This-ism, that-ism, -ism -ism -ismUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger5125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13848504.post-1160290296874619392006-10-08T01:51:00.000-05:002006-10-08T01:51:00.000-05:00I am an egalitarian, I suppose. Although I don't t...I am an egalitarian, I suppose. Although I don't think feminism entails a notion of elevation; I think it entails a recognition of the fact that women have farther to go to achieve that equality.Tom Fosshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13796424725228769265noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13848504.post-1159379305787852252006-09-27T12:48:00.000-05:002006-09-27T12:48:00.000-05:00It sounds, Tom, that more than a feminist, you're ...It sounds, Tom, that more than a feminist, you're just straight-up egalitarian - which is, I think, better than feminist. It carries less a notion of elevation than it does equality - and really, that's what we're striving for, right?Seth T. Hahnehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13235549726332018442noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13848504.post-1159337810854350722006-09-27T01:16:00.000-05:002006-09-27T01:16:00.000-05:00wait, so if Tom's allowed to be a feminist (or a p...wait, so if Tom's allowed to be a feminist (or a pro-feminist etc) even though he's a white mddle class straight guy, that means I'm allowed (straight white middle-class woman) too, right?<BR/><BR/>I'm only being partially facetious. I was just planning on writing about this same issue about 6 hours ago, about how, being who I am, it's inappropriate for me to have opinions on, well, anything, because - as I've been told - my very existence is oppressive. How dare some white chick have feelings about racism, for example, even if it's that it's bad and we should stop it? <BR/><BR/>I don't have the right to have an opinion. Hell, I barely have the right to have an opinion on feminist issues because my race, class, and orientation (and I'm sure many other things) outweigh my femaleness. I've always assumed that whatever it is, I'm a bad person and not worthy, and realizing all the privelege I have just makes it worse - I haven't actually done anything wrong, but I exist, and since I'm a member of priveleged classes, that's enough, or so I'm told.<BR/><BR/>But if Tom is allowed to have an opinion without being considered a priveleged asshole, then I guess I get to as well.<BR/><BR/>Point being, Tom, quit stealing my thoughts.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13848504.post-1159236117050212702006-09-25T21:01:00.000-05:002006-09-25T21:01:00.000-05:00I think I already mentioned this, but if you find ...I think I already mentioned this, but if you find "feminist" to be presumptuous (and I can see why; there are plenty of people -- women and men alike -- who are uncomfortable with men taking up the title), you could call yourself "pro-feminist" or a "feminist ally". Both mean the same thing as feminist, but are designed to specifically not come across as appropriating a movement that needs to be spearheaded by women.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13848504.post-1159117369927458962006-09-24T12:02:00.000-05:002006-09-24T12:02:00.000-05:00Hi Tom,You've said a few things I'd like to commen...Hi Tom,<BR/>You've said a few things I'd like to comment on, so here goes.<BR/><BR/>You said, <I>(and yes, I credit cartoons and comic books with a significant part of building a strong moral fiber). </I><BR/><BR/>And I completely agree. It's the flip side of the "oh no video games and rock music are corrupting the children's souls!" argument, no? I watched Wonder Woman as a young girl, and I wanted to be her, fighting for truth and justice (just not in satin pants). I read Crime and Punishment at a young age, too, but it didn't make me want to kill anyone. Rather, it expanded my rather closed thoughts about poverty (and for the upper-middle-class white girl that I was growing up, that's saying a lot!).<BR/><BR/>Then you said, <I>Maybe I'm way off-base, here, and I wouldn't mind being told so. But it seems to me that calling myself a feminist would be the height of presumptuousness.</I> <BR/>even after you said this:<BR/><I>Yes, I believe women are people. I believe homosexuals ought to have the same rights as heterosexuals. I believe that everyone should be treated equally regardless of gender, skin color, religious affiliation, or sexual preference.</I><BR/><BR/>And here's where I might be playing Devil's Advocate myself, but what do labels matter? If you believe that everyone should have access to equal rights, regardless of gender, sex, race, sexual orientation, preference for oranges or apples, then do you need to compartmentalize yourself?<BR/><BR/>I've started to think about this as I've seen myself and others begin to suffer from over-specialization, particularly in the field of literary criticism (i.e. the continuing "are you a new historicist deconstructionist Marxist feminist? or are you perhaps an eco-feminist autobiographical cultural critic?" debate). The names and tags begin to get in the way of the fight, in my opinion. I call myself a feminist because I fight for women's rights, and because it's easier to say "I am a feminist" than to sit someone down and explain exactly what that means, for me. But then, am I doing myself a disservice by *not* explaining what feminism means, to me, as you so eloquently do in this post? Am I perpetuating a negative stereotype that most people seem to have of feminists instead of trying to explain to people that yes, the media/their fathers/the whatever is wrong about its image of x, y, or z, and here's what I think, as you so eloquently do in this post?<BR/><BR/>All of this to say, if you actively are working to make the world a better place, does it really matter if I/you/Joe Blogger label you a certain way?<BR/>Thanks for a well-said and thoughtful post. Something great to chew on on a rainy Sunday afternoon.<BR/>Ciao,<BR/>AmyAmy Readshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02571924705714110971noreply@blogger.com