to think the 'F' word is one we should be proud of......

[PosieComeHereMyPreciousParker]

Thanks to MN, especially dittany, Lenin, BoF and Anyfucker, I have been made aware of my casual attitude to misogyny. This short journey in my reclaiming my old values recently lead me to the London Feminist Network Conference on Saturday. And Oh my God it is one of the most inspirational things I've ever done.

Having money and being relatively attractive in my younger days I was mislead into thinking that being a feminist was irrelevant, after all we had a female PM and then 'girl power' where we were fooled into thinking with the right body shape and a little wit the world was our oyster (farm).

My husband's and friends' response to my recent activities have ranged from being mystified to mockery, from resentment to full on stereotypical prejudice. I am alarmed that barely any of my friends think feminism is relevant.

Am I being unreasonable to reclaim the word feminist to mean a person that wants to rid the world of gender prejudiced?

theres feminism and anti man feminism and the latter is what most people think of when they here the F word.

like what Nordic?

What is anti man feminism?

Oh and YANBU :)

Well if that is the case then 'most people' need to think a little harder about it then

Why aren't more women feminists? Is it because they don't notice the unfairness all around?

Now I thought you meant an altogether different F word

Re feminism, I dunno. It just makes me think of people who believe that only women matter, or that of all 'groups', having a vagina means you suffer and you suffer more. And I just don't think that's true.

Some women suffer.
some men suffer
some black people suffer
some asian people suffer
some disabled people suffer
some gay people suffer
poor people suffer more than rich people
people in poor countries suffer more than those in rich countries
and so on (and on and on and on!)

I think it's more important to say that all people are deserving of equal treatment and to fight discrimination whoever it is aimed at. I include women who are suffering oppression and discrimination, but to me being a feminist means this is the most important issue, this is the focus, and I simply cannot agree with that.

I've always liked this essay on feminism.

Ah Hecate....there's the thing! Feminism means equality, but because it's women that are subjected to femicide, lower pay, sexual abuse and so on it is named feminism. When you say some, you really mean all... because if a woman has a lower paid job because she's a woman, we all suffer, if a black man doesn't get a job because he's black then all black people suffer.

Women are less likely to earn as much as men and we seem to accept that, we all suffer.

YANBU!

Let's all Reclaim the F-Word!

"People call me a feminist whenever I express sentiments that differentiate me from a doormat or a prostitute" [Rebecca West]

I am sure lots and lots of MNers are feminists without knowing it.

You don't have to be a radical feminist - you could be a liberal one. (see wiki for definitions if interested).

Feminism doesn't need re-branding it needs re-activating.

Example of a feminist campaign to protect children from harmful images.

Feminist Organisation campaigning against the disproportionate effect the cuts will have on women.

YANBU

Hecate - assuming that you are not a black/asian/gay/disabled - then why not fight for woman's rights.

What you will actually find is that feminism is brilliantly inclusive of all the above groups and that fighting for equality for women has knock on impacts for other oppressed groups.

I used to wonder about that a bit too Hecate. Then I read a brilliant thing that pointed out a couple of points:

1. Of all the other groups you mention (black, asian, disabled, gay etc) presumably half of those people are women, so feminism is not incompatible with e.g. anti-racism, in fact it needs to work alongside it.

2. Women are the bottom of almost every heap - so in any group it's likely that women are suffering twice over. E.g. disabled women are paid less because they're disabled, they're also paid less because they're women.

well, I am disabled and my husband is a black immigrant and our children are mixed race. And I don't see how being discriminated against as a woman is more important than discrimination generally.

Which is why I am anti discrimination but not a feminist as it seems to me, restricting yourself. If you are opposed to discrimination in all its forms, why be a feminist specifically?

got to go out now, but am very interested to learn. Not intending to be confrontational in any way.

Hecate just going on the balance of probabilities there with my question.

I am opposed to discrimination in all forms but I don't have the time at the moment to be actively invoved in those fights for equality and I fear that without a feminism movement then within the other equality groups things would improve only for the men in those groups.

These might be of interest:

Why Feminism and not just Humanism.

Why are you concenrating on X when Y is much more important.

Uk Feminista has details of events near you!!

bump

YANBU.

I'm proud to be a feminist - as is my DH. It's got nowt to do with being anti-man, it's pro-human.

DH is a better feminist than me - he's a journalist and was out with some PR people and city wankers brokers the other week. The brokers were going on about strip clubs etc, so DH stood up, announced 'I'm off to the bar; when I get back if you're still talking about women like that, I'm off. No hard feelings, but I won't listen to shit like that'.

They duly shut up.

I love DH.

TOC....nice, something massively masculine and attractive about a bloke like your DH.

I think a lot of us are feminists without actually realising it. I wouldn't necessarily say "I am a feminist" but I work in a profession which still has a lot of old-school mysoginists at the top end. I don't make an issue about the fact that I am a woman in this profession, but if anyone says anything inappropriate then they will hear all about it.

I have discovered that a quite effective way of dealing with the real sexist old duffers is a blank look and a "why is that funny?" or "I don't understand your point". Funnily enough they never want to actually explain their comment/joke....

Hey Kungfupanda, why won't you necessarily say 'I'm a feminist'? You should be proud of it (just like you should be proud of the way you deal with the sexist old duffers in your job - nice one )

(and it doesn't mean you have to go around saying it all the time to everyone )

Why do you think feminism would restrict you Hecate?

You can be a feminist and anti racist, anti homophobic etc.

In fact, most feminists are anti all the other evils. I don't know one feminist who is in favour of racism, for example.

Cheers, Posie. I agree! DH stands up for what he believes in, which sometimes my British reserve finds a bit embarrassing. But really I'm proud as heck.

Agree kungfupannda - many of us are feminists without realising it. It's sad that some see it as such a derogatory term and use it to denote humourlessness etc.