As We Go On...
We remember...and then wince and promptly try to forget.
That's how I'll most likely react to a majority of my high school memories, particularly those that will either be made today or tomorrow, depending on the weather. Because I'm graduating.
Last night when I was falling asleep, I thought of at least three compelling things (none of which dealt with graduation; I do remember that much) about which to write today. However, I've completely forgotten all three and therefore will write about the things I've been thinking about most lately: gender and feminism. I've been reading a lot about feminism lately, mostly because I'm trying to learn about it, which will hopefully lead to an ability to articulate why exactly I don't agree with it as a whole, which is something I haven't yet learned how to do. Posting this in various places in hopes of some response:
On the surface, everything about feminism makes sense. I absolutely believe that female-bodied people are just as capable as male-bodied people. I also believe that everyone has the right to gender-identify however they choose, regardless of anatomy. This stems from the idea, with which I also agree, that gender isn't really important. It's a social construct based on the two types of bodies we see most commonly in life on Earth. So basically, you can be whoever you want to be and love whoever you want to love, regardless of the body into which you were born, and you deserve the same level of respect as everyone else. I can totally get behind all of that.
I can also get behind a lot of the political stuff--the abolition of marriage in general, for example (I can go on about this one, particularly from a queer perspective, but I'll save it), as well as the poppy stuff--all of the "don't police other people's bodies" ideas. Slut-shaming, victim-blaming, anti-fat--all of it is unproductive and completely useless in general. I agree with everything so far.
ageism, ableism, racism, sexism, homophobia (for lack of a better term)...all bad, bad, bad. So what is it about "feminism" as it's commonly practiced that makes me want to back away?
For one, the idea of privilege. I haven't sorted out my feelings completely about that one yet. I agree that people who are born into certain situations will have an easier time--white, male, financially stable, etc--but I don't believe that "accusing" someone of having privilege is an effective means of winning an argument. If you're trying to convince someone to take action against injustice, essentially condemning them based on the situation into which they were born isn't going to help you. I know that's not exactly how it works, and I believe that it's important to show how much easier certain aspects of life can be depending on your circumstances, but I also think it's important to note that many social issues are driven primarily by middle- to upper-class people advocating on behalf of those "less fortunate." This makes sense on some level; financially secure people have the luxury of concentrating their time on activities about which they feel strongly, which, in this case, means activism, though it can also mean skiing or hiking or basket-weaving or whatever. The people who choose to make activism their "hobby" are those who can use time which would be otherwise spent making money. Therefore, the whole "privilege" argument is made up of a bunch of people who are in more or less the same boat in terms of race and income (two extremely powerful judging factors in our society) telling each other that they need to somehow validate their position as a privileged person and work to eliminate this innate advantage. Now, I don't think white people, or rich people, or heterosexual people, or cisgendered people, or male-bodied people, or whatever-people should have an easier time acquiring a level of safety and respect which we all should provide for one another as human beings. On the street and in legislation, we should show the utmost care for and attention to the fact that everyone has the right to seek fulfillment in whatever way they choose, so long as they are not impinging on the rights of anyone else to do so as well. I just don't believe that spending time comparing the sizes of our privileges is accomplishing this, or anything, for that matter. Be aware of the power you've been granted, however large or small it may be, and work to improve security and respect for all people, regardless of their situations. That's how I see it. Does that make sense?
Anyhow, besides that, there's another thing that bothers me about feminism, but it's going to be even harder to describe than privilege. It's this...energy that surrounds the movement as a whole. I don't know exactly how to phrase it, but it's an overarching attitude I feel whenever I'm reading a feminist blog or article or book. It's decidedly negative, though perhaps a more specific word would be "accusatory." I'm not saying this isn't warranted, because it is. Everyone can and should be angry about the fact that fucked-up people (and, even scarier, "normal" people) are hateful and harmful on a regular basis, and that this world treats non-straight, non-white, non-male, and/or non-rich people pretty terribly. We absolutely should be angry about that. But again, this is a matter of productivity. I don't know how to get into it more than that, really. As a queer female who agrees with a vast majority of what feminism seems to be about, I don't know if it makes sense for me to feel alienated by the movement at large. I'm not expecting everyone to be nice about it, or happy to oblige me in my completely unknowledgeable and potentially offensive current state. However, I am seventeen, and the movement should be excited for girls like me--ones who are willing to stand up for people who are discarded by "normal" society; ones who display serious interest in both feminism and other, completely unrelated fields; ones who are willing to work hard and prove themselves in the world run by the patriarchy. They should note our naivete, sure, and allow us to figure out for ourselves that the world is unfair and cruel, but they also should seek to make girls like me feel welcome within their global community of activists and thinkers.
I don't know if much of that was logical, but it was probably way more offensive than I intended.
That's how I'll most likely react to a majority of my high school memories, particularly those that will either be made today or tomorrow, depending on the weather. Because I'm graduating.
Last night when I was falling asleep, I thought of at least three compelling things (none of which dealt with graduation; I do remember that much) about which to write today. However, I've completely forgotten all three and therefore will write about the things I've been thinking about most lately: gender and feminism. I've been reading a lot about feminism lately, mostly because I'm trying to learn about it, which will hopefully lead to an ability to articulate why exactly I don't agree with it as a whole, which is something I haven't yet learned how to do. Posting this in various places in hopes of some response:
On the surface, everything about feminism makes sense. I absolutely believe that female-bodied people are just as capable as male-bodied people. I also believe that everyone has the right to gender-identify however they choose, regardless of anatomy. This stems from the idea, with which I also agree, that gender isn't really important. It's a social construct based on the two types of bodies we see most commonly in life on Earth. So basically, you can be whoever you want to be and love whoever you want to love, regardless of the body into which you were born, and you deserve the same level of respect as everyone else. I can totally get behind all of that.
I can also get behind a lot of the political stuff--the abolition of marriage in general, for example (I can go on about this one, particularly from a queer perspective, but I'll save it), as well as the poppy stuff--all of the "don't police other people's bodies" ideas. Slut-shaming, victim-blaming, anti-fat--all of it is unproductive and completely useless in general. I agree with everything so far.
ageism, ableism, racism, sexism, homophobia (for lack of a better term)...all bad, bad, bad. So what is it about "feminism" as it's commonly practiced that makes me want to back away?
For one, the idea of privilege. I haven't sorted out my feelings completely about that one yet. I agree that people who are born into certain situations will have an easier time--white, male, financially stable, etc--but I don't believe that "accusing" someone of having privilege is an effective means of winning an argument. If you're trying to convince someone to take action against injustice, essentially condemning them based on the situation into which they were born isn't going to help you. I know that's not exactly how it works, and I believe that it's important to show how much easier certain aspects of life can be depending on your circumstances, but I also think it's important to note that many social issues are driven primarily by middle- to upper-class people advocating on behalf of those "less fortunate." This makes sense on some level; financially secure people have the luxury of concentrating their time on activities about which they feel strongly, which, in this case, means activism, though it can also mean skiing or hiking or basket-weaving or whatever. The people who choose to make activism their "hobby" are those who can use time which would be otherwise spent making money. Therefore, the whole "privilege" argument is made up of a bunch of people who are in more or less the same boat in terms of race and income (two extremely powerful judging factors in our society) telling each other that they need to somehow validate their position as a privileged person and work to eliminate this innate advantage. Now, I don't think white people, or rich people, or heterosexual people, or cisgendered people, or male-bodied people, or whatever-people should have an easier time acquiring a level of safety and respect which we all should provide for one another as human beings. On the street and in legislation, we should show the utmost care for and attention to the fact that everyone has the right to seek fulfillment in whatever way they choose, so long as they are not impinging on the rights of anyone else to do so as well. I just don't believe that spending time comparing the sizes of our privileges is accomplishing this, or anything, for that matter. Be aware of the power you've been granted, however large or small it may be, and work to improve security and respect for all people, regardless of their situations. That's how I see it. Does that make sense?
Anyhow, besides that, there's another thing that bothers me about feminism, but it's going to be even harder to describe than privilege. It's this...energy that surrounds the movement as a whole. I don't know exactly how to phrase it, but it's an overarching attitude I feel whenever I'm reading a feminist blog or article or book. It's decidedly negative, though perhaps a more specific word would be "accusatory." I'm not saying this isn't warranted, because it is. Everyone can and should be angry about the fact that fucked-up people (and, even scarier, "normal" people) are hateful and harmful on a regular basis, and that this world treats non-straight, non-white, non-male, and/or non-rich people pretty terribly. We absolutely should be angry about that. But again, this is a matter of productivity. I don't know how to get into it more than that, really. As a queer female who agrees with a vast majority of what feminism seems to be about, I don't know if it makes sense for me to feel alienated by the movement at large. I'm not expecting everyone to be nice about it, or happy to oblige me in my completely unknowledgeable and potentially offensive current state. However, I am seventeen, and the movement should be excited for girls like me--ones who are willing to stand up for people who are discarded by "normal" society; ones who display serious interest in both feminism and other, completely unrelated fields; ones who are willing to work hard and prove themselves in the world run by the patriarchy. They should note our naivete, sure, and allow us to figure out for ourselves that the world is unfair and cruel, but they also should seek to make girls like me feel welcome within their global community of activists and thinkers.
I don't know if much of that was logical, but it was probably way more offensive than I intended.