"They don't like femininity. Instead, they covet masculinity. Strange. Very strange."
This is from the Te of Piglet. There was an assertion that stuck in my mind about feminists.
I should preface that the book also espouses the need for the feminine. That women shouldn't be portrayed in media in demeaning ways. That women should be paid more, but that feminists aren't helping, because they are approaching it in a masculine way.
So, the book suggests that feminists try to advance feminism with masculine methods. Also, that they are oriented towards success, power, and masculine terms. That feminists are imitating masculinity.
Some want to eliminate "masculine" words that are demeaning to women. Instead replacing them with words that are demeaning to everyone. Giving the example of chairman becoming chairperson. The author concludes that this was not only longer to write, it's also silly.
The chairman becomes the chairperson. Then it became awkward and was just changed to chair. So now the person becomes a chair.
"They break up Men's Clubs, which, they say, mean discrimination. Then they establish Women's Clubs, in which no men are allowed. They accuse men of being Sexists. Then they behave like Sexists. They say they want Sensitive Men. When they encounter such men, they shove them about. To put it plainly, their New Woman wants to be like the Old Man."
I'd never thought about it this way. So, I'm curious, thoughts?
the te of piglet,and the tao of pooh,are two of my favourite books,i must confess,i love taoism in general,have you read the tao te ching?
@silvereyes i don't have a hard copy at the moment,i keep passing them on to people,but i agree,a true philosophical/spiritual masterpiece
I know feminists who dress and act in ways that society still considers "typically masculine" and other who dress and act in ways society still considers "typically feminine". One of the most central points of feminism, I think, is that women should be free to dress and act however they choose, rather than risk being considered odd or even degenerate if they don't wish to be "typically feminine".
I was in elementary school in the fifties where I learned that if the gender was not specified the male gender was presumed such as "he" instead of "she". I see it as every other group trying to make its mark in society, ie. there are extremists and moderates. Yes, there are extremists on both sides of the gender fence.
No but some of them are put in a position of behaving masculine just to their needs and thoughts taken into account.
I think there's more nuance in people than this allows for, but I sort of understand the point. Some people tend to conflate equality with sameness. I just think everyone can be who they are, whatever their personality, without having to conform to some notion of what a feminist should be, or what a woman should be, or what a man should be, or what a trans woman should be, and on and on. But it does seem that some people think feminist women need to take on masculine roles and traits — not just those they naturally possess as individuals. You'll occasionally hear some feminists deride women for choosing to be homemakers, as though there's shame in it, dictating that a woman must be active in the workforce. But isn't that the point? She has the choice, the option to be a career woman or to stay at home to care for her children, or to do one and then the other, or to overlap such endeavors and responsibilities. It seems that self-determination is the core of feminism and, while there's a real benefit to being in the workforce (e.g., long-term financial security), ultimately that underlying option to be self-determined is what allows for equality. /2¢