Do you say you're a feminist/ radfem in RL, and what reactions do you get?

[JeanneDeMontbaston]

Curious about this, on the back of the 'schools of thought' in feminism thread, but not wanting to give oxygen to it.

I tend to say I'm a radfem, which I am aware would make some real radfems smoke from the ears, but which feels accurate enough to me. Most people, obviously, are polite and don't show much reaction one way or another. A few look obviously shocked/uncomfortable and start sizing me up to see if this means I'm a seething factory of hatred. A very, very few (in RL, not on here) say they are too. Interestingly (or I think it is, given the NUS campaign), my students seem so far to take it entirely in their stride and do not appear to think it's an kind of unusual position to hold. Though they may just be being very polite.

I wondered how other people identify, and what reactions you get? I've heard people in RL identify as intersectional feminists, eco feminists, queer feminists, etc.

I'm personally ok with feminism being dirty. Of course a lot of that is simply backlash and propaganda. But I can't get on board with all the pink and cuddly, choose-your-choicey feminism-lite that seems to be the popular definition of what liberal feminism should be (I know it doesn't have to be like that, but that is the popular version). There is obviously a time and place for big tent "women are people" feminism, but we shouldn't lose sight of the fact that feminism is threatening to many people because it actually is a threat. And that is precisely what it should be.

Koalafications wrote - When did the idea of feminism become so 'dirty'?
My guess is: probably as soon as feminism started.

Yes, actually you are right. Depressing.

almondcakes Its a fairly fundamental difference. Marxist Feminists believe that class is the first form of oppression and the subjugation of women occurs because of the move to: Archaic states, and development of private property relations. Although I find myself nodding along with the rads on many issues particularly porn and prostitution.

I rarely post anything feminist of FB, I do post a lot about politics in general and I belong to a couple of feminist groups.

I am surrounded by young 20 somethings, they have some very weird ideas about what feminism is. They will say things like "I am a feminist but I don't like those women who are misandrists" I have had to take up the issue a lot recently. I probably come over as being a bit tetchy.

I call myself a radical feminist because I don't believe that tinkering around the edges and improving some things for women will actually result in women living freely as we choose. Society needs a complete overhaul, all of the institutions and assumptions we have have to change.

I don't think anyone is terribly surprised when I say it - most people think I'm a bit overly femisnisty.

Mini, I agree that there is a fundamental difference between the two, but if there was a diagram of all the possible forms of feminism, Marxist and radical feminism would be sat right next to each other in a Left wing materialist corner, with various other forms of feminism a long way off in different directions.

People irl figure out I'm a feminist pretty quickly .

I never used to identify as a radical feminist and I think when I was younger and hadn't really thought about anything that much I probably even said I was a 'sex-positive feminist' cringe but tbh I think that was just so I could say I was a feminist but make it clear that didn't mean I wasn't up for a shag double cringe
Now that I'm older and less gauche I would describe myself as a radical feminist as that's the closest to my views as an old, angry woman who has had enough of this shit and also to make it clear that I distance myself from the shite spouted by the choosy-choice 'fun' feminists of today (see almost everything from nus women's conference today)

Almond, yes definitely. I find I have the least in common with liberal feminism. I had never thought of this before but someone pointed this out to me, you can have political revolutions without great social change, but you can never have a social revolution without massive political change. So, it seems to me that tinkering around the edges, demanding one hard won right at a time, expecting that liberal democracy will after some 250 plus years eventually deliver, is very wrong headed.

Liberalism is about having the right to live with the minimal interference of others, incl the state. What liberalism therefore can't do is change the culture, it disregards the private sphere, but at the level of the social/economic it is very interested in the private sphere. ie managing women's production/reproduction/consumption. The law only intervenes in these respects because by doing so it is representing the interests of those that benefit economically from liberalism's marriage to its evil twin.

The other issue I have with liberalism is the idea that all choices are equal. If all choices are equal there is simply no politics what-so-ever.

I am not sure if I've ever called myself a feminist. I might have done at school and possibly I discussed feminism at university although I don't recall it playing a significant part.

It's never occurred to me to think I am worth less than a man or that being a woman would hold me back. And for that I am sure I have my maternal grandfather to thank.

Feminism is not a subject my friends discuss.

This forum is interesting but I don't agree with a lot that is said or, I suppose taking a narrow view, recognise it as being real life for me , my friends or colleagues.

I haven't read any feminist theory beyond the odd Guardian article.

Politically I used to be moderate left. Now I am still a Labour voter but probably in reality now moderate right of centre. I suspect I'm actually a Blairite.

The NUS conference seems a unifying force ! Seemed utter nonsense to me.

Mini I would have described myself as a (political) liberal a number of years ago. But now I find myself increasingly disengaged from that for many of the reasons you mention. The idea of choice as a goal without examining how options are made available to people just continues to privilege those who already had the most options in the first place.

I just say 'feminist', but yy like a few here I'm definitely identifying much more with radical feminism. In fact I've just done that test again and top two are 30% rad fem and 30% lib fem.

I suspect age (44) and bitter experience has a lot to do with it. When I was 22 I knew everything.

I probably even said I was a 'sex-positive feminist'

Well, that's logical It's among the myriad ridiculous terms whose sociological meaning bear little relation to the facts of life as she is lived.

I am deffo not a sex-negative feminist

Takver wrote - "I see a lot of crossover between what I believe and radfems, but couldn't align myself with what seems to be the 'standard line' IYKWIM on trans issues."

I think radical feminism would have been an easier path for many feminists to take, say 20 or more years ago, when biology was still regarded by everyone as innate and unchangeable, and when trans meant transsexual. The rise of transgenderism's belief that biology is both changeable and irrelevant, seems to have made radical feminism much less popular.

I wouldn't have said I was a sex-positive feminist when I was an undergrad, but largely because I didn't know the term. I was pretty isolated from reality.

YY gallic. Like pro-life. Whorephobic.

Whorephobic? That's a new one to me!

Oooh, I faint whenever I see a whore! Just looking at the word written down brings me out in hives!

I'm going to have to look it up now, aren't I.

uglyswan Yes, I completely agree.

I just think that she was a bit embarrassed that I had pulled her up on what she had said. I don't actually think she has any idea why what she was talking about was offensive. I think sexism is just so ingrained in some people they don't even recognise it, even when they say it.

Whorephobic is the new buzz word for people like Rachel Moran, who are survivors of prostitution and who have strong feelings on whether or not it should be legalized.

It makes me more furious than I can properly say.

Sex positive- aka the sort of feminists men like.

Quite.

I understand it to mean, if you support any kind of reduction in prostitution, it must be because you are phobic about prostitutes and sex and all the jolly fun stuff (see also: prude, sex negative)

That's awful, Jeanne. Having googled an actual definition, I came back thinking well, yes, there are people who literally hate sex workers. But what you've described is one of those linguistic double-twists that are so often used to reflect patriarchal nastiness back on to women who dare to have voices.

You're also committing violence towards prostitutes by your stance, yonic.

^^Makes me want to weep too. And labelling it 'radical' seems illogical - it's just bloody common sense.