High School really is a Microcosm
This isn't really insightful or relevant at all but I was reading through a few posts on Extremist Feminism that I linked to through ginmar's journal and it made me think about how people my age think about feminism.
I'm interested in feminism and I think I call myself a feminist although I haven't read nearly enough. Darn Beauvoir. ( So excited about Sluts, a book I saw at Coles and may get for X-mas!) So I can't claim I have any intellectual feminist creds, at all.
So while I call myself a feminist, at the same time, during a lot of debates at school, I can see girls backpedaling to avoid that label. They will get upset about injustice, and they'll start arguing about sexism and women's rights but at the same time they (myself included, so I guess I should be saying we) sometimes stop and start making excuses. There's this huge pressure not to appear too...insane, or rabid or whatever.
They can get upset at inequality but being equated as a feminist really is considered...weird, by a lot of people.
That I can sort of deal with, that there are people who have a problem with being labeled a 'feminist'. I don't really understand what their issue is, but as long as they acknowledge and fight the problems women still deal with, I don't really care what they call themselves.
On the other hand, there are girls who really frighten me. I'll use one girl in particular, just as an example. (oh god, how do you spell example in english?) We'll call her Girl.
Girl is smart and very athletic. She's nice, out going, slightly self centered like every single teenager in the history of time, myself included, but generally a successful, well balanced young woman.
But she doesn't believe in sexism. She doesn't believe she's ever encountered it, she thinks if you talk about double standards, in the justice system or social systems, you're exaggerating. That stuff doesn't happen anymore. We fixed it. And feminists? They've served their purpose, and women don't need them anymore.
Girl is self sufficient, and she hasn't ever had problems (that I know of) in her sports (cross country, gymnastics, swimming). I don't think she's ever had anybody tell her she can't run at a track meet 'cause she's female. And if it hasn't happened to her, it hasn't happened to anyone else. And if it did happen, they should be able to handle it, because Girl would be able to handle it.
Now, I'm assuming a lot, just from debates that have taken place in class. But during debates about women's rights, her consistent argument is that we've fixed the problem. Inequality exists, sure, but only on a small scale and feminists are irrational and unnecessary because the rest of us aren't victims and can help ourselves.
Anyway, it bothers me. It also bothers me that a lot of the time, I wouldn't argue with her after a while because it's impossible to change her mind. It sounds like we're arguing on the same side, and then Girl says something about 'it's not a problem anymore' and I suffer massive head trauma from slamming my forehead into my desk.
It bothers me.
That was waaaay too long. And I still haven't talked about joan or even properly introduced myself. And the O.C. is on tomorrow too. ('Cause there's a feminist show. Oh well, at least it's not Roswell. Liz: Save me Maaaax!)
What did other people think of Joan? I'll have to search for some reviews or something. But not tonight.