This board is the most frightening .

[fangbanger]

Apparently.

I am a little saddened that a forum mostly used by women, has decided that the feminist boards are the most frightening of the forum.

Why do we feel that is? What can be done to prevent people from feeling so intimidated that they are too scared t post?

You only have to read the comments here to see what so many people think. I know it's a comment board, but even so...

Youllskimmer
Put it this way, not having 50-50 representation on boards or in government has been disastrous for humanity over the millenia.
Look at all the wars, all the atrocities commited by dick-swinging men. Look at the way the courts today exonerate rapists and murderers who say "they didn't mean it".
it's ridiculous.
WOmen having 50% of the power is the only way to stop men's silly games.

The women of Iceland say that once you have 30% representation of women in parliament a shift takes place. 30% is critical mass. Women no longer have to conform so much to how men want them to behave (like THatcher), and things move forward.

Those who are saying that they're not feminists because feminism sn't needed anymore-are you saying that you don't believe in equal rights and opportunities for women?

You may not think feminism is 'needed' but you can still believe that women deserve to be treated equally to men.

It's like declaring that you're anti-racist because racism isn't needed anymore. To quote someone above, I choose not to use the label 'anti-racist' because I don't believe there is racism anymore.

You can believe that people of all colours are equal even if you think racism has disappeared. It could easily come back in some parts of the world. To declare that you don't support equal rights and opportunities for women because you don't believe sexism exists anymore seems a bit ridiculous to me.

Even if you don't think sexism is the reason why women are still worse off all around the world, you could still be a feminist because all that that means is that you believe women should be accorded the same rights as men.

I cannot understand how anyone can not want to sign up to that even if they don't believe it's a problem (though cultures are in an ever shifting state and attitudes come and go so it doesn't mean that sexism won't come back-not that I think it has been eradicated, by any means.).

I agree Proles. I think they would say 'we've already got equal rights.'

Yes, but that's my point, which I probably didn't articulate very well when I'd just woken up and was typing on my iphone!

Even if you don't think it's a problem anymore, being a feminist doesn't have to be an active state. You can be a feminist and believe in the tenets of feminism but not necessarily be active or feel that anyone needs to be an active feminist anymore.

Hence the analogy I drew with racism. You can believe that racism is wrong without actually being an active anti-racist (not sure what the relevant term here is).

I believe that racism is wrong even though I don't actively campaign against it. I think it is still a problem in this country at least (you just need to listen to the abuse hurled at some footballers during matches to know that it's still a problem).

So, in the same vein, one can still class themselves as a feminist - someone who believes in equal rights and opportunities for women - even if they are not active or don't believe there's a need for active feminist campaigning anymore.

It's a belief system and an active state.

I do get a little frustrated with people who say 'I'm not a feminist....(but)...'

Fine if they don't think there is a problem anymore and therefore that active campaigning isn't necessary. But to actively declare that you aren't a feminist is - to me - saying that you don't believe in equal rights for women.

In my simple little world, when I come across someone saying, 'I'm not a feminist' I think one or all of the following must apply to that person:

1. You don't believe that women are equal to men.
2. You you don't believe that women should have equal rights/opportunities to men.
3. You believe that men are somehow innately superior to women in some way.
4. You do actually believe in equal rights/opportunities for women but think feminism is about getting an advantage over men?
5. You do believe in equal rights/opportunities for women but think that feminism is about having hairy legs, being a lesbian, being ugly and jealous of page 3 girls, and whatever other stereotypes someone might have in their head?

When someone like Custardo states that she's not a feminist, but believes that oppression is caused by other factors, I do wonder what she thinks feminism is. We have asked a few times now why she wouldn't class herself as a feminist and we get the explanation of oppression being caused by capitalism/wealth distribution etc.

But even so....I cannot understand why someone would not class themselves as wanting equal rights for women even if they think that has been largely been achieved.

jess i want equal rights for everyone

So why is it so hard to say that you're a feminist?

I'm not trying to be difficult - I honestly don't understand why it's so unpalatable to you to use that term when you do believe in equal rights for women?

Even if you think that feminism is no longer needed, presumably you do accept that there was a point in time when it was needed - women getting the vote for example. Women were regarded as second class citizens wrt property, the vote, marriage until fairly recently.

Same with racism. Presumably you believe that being a racist is bad, even if you think that racism has been eradicated.

I don't understand why it's so bad to say that one isn't a feminist when all that does is recognise that at one time (at least) women were oppressed as a group and that one does believe in equal rights for women.

Would you say that you are not anti-racist (or whatever the term is) if you thought that racism had been stamped out? I wouldn't!

you seem to be implying that i think that inequality doesn't exist. i do.

that last post was for jess

yes Proles nicely put. im option 3 i think

Or a socialist feminist
Or a feminist socialist

or a femisoc

no that sounds like a contraceptive implant

well its like this [raises red flag]

by fracturing into splinter groups each looking out for it's own cause we can never come together as a united proletariat and fight the owners of the means of production and have equality for all

[looks left t'ward statue of Freddy]

I don't think it matters how Custy self-defines. What matters far more to me is that I enjoy your contributions on the other boards Custy and I particularly applaud the posts you make, advising betrayed women to remind their faithless partners that women can and will enjoy sex with someone else. I think that goes right to the heart of some men's sense of entitlement that they can screw around, but they won't confer the same rights to the women in their lives.

I'm more concerned with whether women lead their lives according to feminist principles, than the labels we give ourselves. Hence, I'd like to see Custardo post on this board, because on the basis of the posts I've seen from her, they embody a feminine spirit that I applaud.

My problem with that, is all the socialist men I've ever met are quite happy to declare that there won't be equality between men and women after the revolution, that will have to be worked on.

As if half of humanity is an afterthought, not that important really.

all the lesbians i've met hate Glee

it doesn't mean that all lesbians hate Glee!