Oh, bad things happen when free time and Wikipedia are involved. So, while at Pineapple Express, I saw a preview for Michael Cera's new movie which looks adorable, which I want to go see. The lead girl kinda looks like Regina Spektor and I love Michael Cera and think he's adorable, so that's pretty much settled. Oh, but Wikipedia doesn't drop anything, and my curiosity pwns Pandora's by like a million so I clicked on this thing called antifeminism. OH, WHY DID I DO THAT.
Some of this stuff is just amazing. In a bad way. Like this blurb from some kind of published author? See, when these things crop up in PRINT, this is generally what leads to a lecture from my 11th grade English teacher for two hours about crazy feminists during a free period (and it's happened). I HATED BEING SINGLED OUT FOR MY BELIEFS. Mainly because I'm a student and can't really say anything back without being disciplined for it. But the paragraph:
There is no solid satisfaction in any career for a woman like myself. There is no home, no true freedom, no hope, no joy, no expectation for tomorrow, no contentment. I would rather cook a meal for a man and bring him his slippers and feel myself in the protection of his arms than have all the citations and awards and honors I have received worldwide, including the Ribbon of Legion of Honor and my property and my bank accounts. They mean nothing to me. And I am only one among the millions of sad women like myself.
Or, this gem:
A special measure of honor is given to a lady, “the weaker vessel,” by a gentleman. Interestingly, this is unique to the Christian lifestyle. Heathen cultures do not honor or value women – and even their version of “protecting” women has more to do with selfishness and possessiveness (kind of like protecting your livestock) than it does truly protecting or valuing them.
As a minority, I am kind of offended. Mainly because I have no idea how they define heathen (though it's probably one who is not Christian), but also because jeez, what an enormous generalization to make. A lot of cultures don't have the same ideas about equality for women, but that doesn't mean that other cultures don't honor or value them AT ALL.
And my personal favorite example of miscommunication:
I am also not a feminist, for the same reason you aren't. But I have another reason also - I don't want to be associated with the "pro-choice" (what a misnomer - it should be pro-death), man-hating, down-with-motherhood mentality that so pervades modern feminist women. That attitude goes against all that God has told me to be, and it is the last thing I want to be associated with. I am not a feminist...I am a Christian, a lady, a wife, a mother, and that is good enough for me even if the world sneers at it.
I'm really glad now that I took a feminist course while at New School because they're CHOCK-FULL of radical feminists. And my professor was just an amazing woman. And one of the things she said about abortion really stuck with me. She said, "Why is it that people who are against abortion get to say pro-life? That's a horrible position to take. It makes pro-choice equal to pro-death. But that's not true. What about the mother's health?" And it's not just about if her life is endangered, but like her health in general. Maybe I'm over-generalizing. But that paragraph, that sentence really sums up a lot of the misinformation about feminism. I don't hate men. And I certainly don't rail against motherhood. But maybe it's not for everyone (just like having children might not be everyone), and having that pushed on someone certainly isn't a good choice either.
Rant over.
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