I thought I was a feminist until someone showed me this forum.

[debucnik]

As in the title I was brought up to believe that feminism is about equality and choice but having recently been introduced to this forum it would appear that that is not the case. The forum gives the impression that feminism is not a choice but compliance to a set of rules.

When did feminism change to fight anyone who doesn't conform to what feminists want, instead of embracing the fact that women are equal with men and its our choice to do what we want?

*Feminism isn't about embracing "the fact that women are equal with men" - feminism is about recognising that women should be equal with men and are not currently. And that is not to be embraced but to be fought against.

So I'm guessing you weren't a feminist to start with.*

...which is exactly why some people do shy away from this board. Women ARE equal to men. They are just as clever, just as able, just as driven, just as lazy, just as human. It is societal inequality which we should all be getting together to fight, and yet people who fundamentally agree with each other, and fundamentally agree with what the poster meant are nitpicking terminology. Meanwhile the inequality in perception and treatment continues because we make ourselves look ridiculous and are therefore perceived by the misogynists as a bunch of belligerent harpies, so we can be conveniently pigeon holed and ignored, rather than actually getting on and chipping away at the real problems.

So if this board, or at least some of the posts, are discouraging those of us with an interest in feminism from participating, how are feminists perceived by those whom we are trying to change?

When feminists talk about equality, we mean "the inequality in perception and treatment" that disadvantages women. We take it as read that women and men have equal worth as human beings.

It's ridiculous to suppose we mean women are inferior beings, and nobody on this earth thinks feminists believe that.

You've put up a straw man (or woman, heh.)

I'm going to re-phrase a bit of my post, as some twat will quote half a sentence back at me on some other thread:

It's ridiculous to suppose feminism implies any inherent inequality of value between the sexes.

BUUUFFFFFYYY, where are you?

If anyone has any info on the apparent disappearance of Buffy, our FWR backbone, please report to the pub! I wouldn't mind knowing where Still is either.

Well I think this forum has helped me a lot with unconscious behaviors and language that I had used, and has helped me change it. I hope to pass on those behaviors to my son and we will have a proper talk about consent and relationships.

I find now I get really annoyed by the irate strawman posts people write about feminists.

I would also add when I was younger was one of those who thought 'we have had a female prime minister, the Equality Act whats the big deal"