I think this a fundamental problem with any feminist movement.copperhatJune 21 2010, 19:30:39 UTC
Well nobody has commented on this yet, which is kind of unfortunate. It goes to the heart of what is wrong with "feminism" and also to why it is so hard to create and maintain a movement that genuinely cares about equality (including the masculinist movements).
As so we hear that "women earn 80 cents in the dollar" all the time while we don't hear anything like "Starving Ethiopian children earn 80 grains of rice in the dollar". Because the truly impoverished don't have the power to fight for equality.
I feel that equality has become twisted. It has become about people who are greatly over-privileged relative to the vast majority of the human population complaining that they are oppressed, because they are under-privileged relative to someone who is apparently even more over-privileged than themselves.
Contrary to the description of anti-feminists believing in equality, I no longer "believe" in "equality" as a force for good in the world. If feminists (or anti-feminists) truly believed in equality they would give and give to the world least fortunate. Every single time they thought about going to the movies, they would have to ask "Is my right to spend a couple of hours in mindless entertainment really more important than feeding a starving child for a week?".
Back to the real world... those that demand that others "give up their privileges" cling with a firm grasp to their own. I have come to the conclusion that white males really are unwilling to give up their privileges, but then so is every one else. Since no-body is willing to give up there privileges, "equality" has become a distraction from the very real ideals that actually can help the worlds less fortunate. Charity can help. A member of the middle class donating 10% of their income isn't really giving up their privilege, but there are many people who actually *do* do this and so Charity is a very real and moderately effective tool in the prevention of the suffering caused by extreme poverty.
As so we hear that "women earn 80 cents in the dollar" all the time while we don't hear anything like "Starving Ethiopian children earn 80 grains of rice in the dollar". Because the truly impoverished don't have the power to fight for equality.
I feel that equality has become twisted. It has become about people who are greatly over-privileged relative to the vast majority of the human population complaining that they are oppressed, because they are under-privileged relative to someone who is apparently even more over-privileged than themselves.
Contrary to the description of anti-feminists believing in equality, I no longer "believe" in "equality" as a force for good in the world. If feminists (or anti-feminists) truly believed in equality they would give and give to the world least fortunate. Every single time they thought about going to the movies, they would have to ask "Is my right to spend a couple of hours in mindless entertainment really more important than feeding a starving child for a week?".
Back to the real world... those that demand that others "give up their privileges" cling with a firm grasp to their own. I have come to the conclusion that white males really are unwilling to give up their privileges, but then so is every one else. Since no-body is willing to give up there privileges, "equality" has become a distraction from the very real ideals that actually can help the worlds less fortunate. Charity can help. A member of the middle class donating 10% of their income isn't really giving up their privilege, but there are many people who actually *do* do this and so Charity is a very real and moderately effective tool in the prevention of the suffering caused by extreme poverty.
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