There are a lot of phrases that can piss me off.
"Name calling is no big deal." (Nah, it's just a form of bullying and we all know that's not a problem today.)
"Sarah Palin says. . . ." (She's IGNORANT. And a hypocrite who actually does get state support and health care for a kid and a grandkid.)
"She was asking for it." (Unless she said, "Will you have sex with me?" she wasn't asking for it.)
"Teaching kids about birth control will make them have sex." (Well, a lot of them already are having sex, so why not let them be safe? And do you really think the ones who have chosen not to for moral reasons are going to jump right into it because they can do it without getting pregnant or AIDS?)
"Well, the Bible tells us that homosexuality is wrong." (It also says lying, drunkenness and premarital sex are equally wrong - care to condemn those with the same brush?)
And today's personal favorite, "I'm not a feminist, but . . ."
Usually the "but" is followed by some feminist tenet like equal pay for equal work or praise for a gutsy woman like Kathryn Bigelow. It makes me want to scream. Unless you are one of those uber-Christians who take the Bible literally in EVERY aspect (not just the aspects you like) Quiverfull people or a Taliban member, you have no reason not to call yourself a feminist.
A feminist is a person who supports feminism, which Merriam-Webster defines as:
1 : the theory of the political, economic, and social equality of the sexes
2 : organized activity on behalf of women's rights and interests
— fem·i·nist \-nist\ noun or adjective
— fem·i·nis·tic \ˌfe-mə-ˈnis-tik\ adjective
What part of that scares people? It doesn't say you have to hate men, be pro-choice, be a lesbian, work outside the home, skip make-up, hate sex or whatever other stereotypes are out there. You just have to believe that women are equal to men - that your daughters deserve the same educational opportunities as your sons, that your boss can't grab your ass and laugh about it, that your vote counts just as much as anyone else's, that you should earn the same pay for doing the same job and that you are equal partners in your relationship.
Is there anyone reading my blog who doesn't believe that?
Well, then, welcome feminists! Who wants a margarita?
4 comments:
You ROCK. Am re-tweeting and Facebooking even as we speak. I just love this post.
Soccermom - You are welcome!
AMEN!! I have been trying to get my friends and family and anyone else that uses the word "feminist" negatively to realize that it is not a negative word at all. Thank you for your post. We all need to do our part to get rid of the stigma that is associated with this word.
Jen - Thank you - and thank you for trying to "take back the word!"
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