Feminism

[kaci_beeler]

Maybe times have changed... but change doesn't equal equality.

I don't argue that sexism doesn't still exist.

Neither do I, but there's no point in making yourself sick over it. Resentment, bitterness, anger ... all of those emotions are physically and psychologically harmful to you. Fight the good fight, but don't injure yourself in the process. Roll with the punches, and laugh in spite of them.

When I question the world around me and the life that I live, I am not filled with bitterness, resentment, or anger (for the most part). I don't think those things lead to change. I don't think ignorance or confident self-serving compliance is right for everyone.

I believe in active thinking, about every issue that confronts a person in their life. Some ways of life that seem normal become absurd when you stop and think about them. It's a hard thing to keep up, because it is usually always easier to ignore the issues or tell yourself that it is alright and that other people are taking care of it. But I think it's important to be aware. I make life choices based on my awareness.

One way to continue thinking actively is to have a dialogue with your peers.

There are many different kinds of feminism and feminists, and a lot of assumptions about both out there. Bitch magazine has a good article defining these things:
http://bitchmagazine.org/article/everyt ... t-feminism

Also, here is a piece of "feminist" art from the 1970s:

Detail from Womanhouse, mixed media

[EmilyBee]

I would say I consider myself a humanist more than anything (which, in my mind, means we're all on the same playing field, with a multitude of differences that should enrich rather than divide us [yes, Pollyanna thought]). However, considering the fear that has inspired many societies to put women "in their place" for millenia, to be a humanist, I need to be a feminist (and an anti-racist, and tolerant of all beliefs). Of course, this is after years spent following reading The Mists of Avalon railing against the masculine patriarchy and feeling female superiority. We women can easily be jerks, too, just in different ways.

As far as the "revolution", which needs radical momentum behind it in order to start breaking age-old traditions, I'm not certain whether the 60s and 70s did all of what they needed to do. I question whether we still need the extreme action that we used to need, but I also wonder whether we're slipping into complacency. Maybe a continual goading out of inertia is what we need...

I'm not sure whether it's possible to erase fear in humanity, which seems to be the main source of prejudice, whether it's chauvinism, racism, religious intolerance, etc. It seems to me to be a cyclical journey (and when I'm feeling pessimistic. I think of WB Yeats' Vision about the three cycles of human development, and wonder whether we're nearing the end of the third [which could be The End of Times or Endless Stagnation]).

I'd love to see humanity evolve to the point where we have better ways to deal with our fear than lashing out at the "other". After years spent frustrated and trying to make everyone change, I decided to just try to deal with my own fear and hope that it would spread. I'm still not sure that's the right thing to do in the interests of inching us further from fear, but the beauty of life is I/we can change paths, if we're brave.

And, if we stop over-using parentheses and brackets!

[KathyRose]

I make life choices based on my awareness.

I totally agree with that approach, to which I will add:
“Life is the sum of all your choices.” - Albert Camus