Reply #260: Then I AM feminist [View All]

I always thought so, but I feel kind of weird saying it, possibly because I've seen so many men say "Now - don't get me wrong - I'm a feminist, but" or impart that "some of my best friends are feminists" feeling.

Yes, I can definitely see the bovine egestae component of that man-hating myth. What I experienced was not symptomatic of the larger feminist movement(s), I realize, but just a bunch of overzealous morons. But the point is that they didn't exactly do much to positively raise awareness of women's issues, and if their spiritual kin still rove the landscape (no matter how small the numbers) they're only going to reinforce those false images. It doesn't matter if they're wackos who are 'off-message,' because what matters is the perception that they foster among their audiences, and a vocal minority can have a significant effect.

And I contritely accept my spanking because you are right. If I said that these icky wiymyiyn and their like were solely responsible for the grounding of the feminist cause I was entirely wrong. So what happened, then? Did society become just enlightened enough, as a whole, that the mainstream feminist groups no longer really stood out on the landscape? Did other considerations, such as just 'getting by' as the economic boom tailed off, take precedence? All of the above?

Because it seems to me like the US has been well and truly primed for finishing the job that was started in the '60s (and even before...my great-grandmother was one of the more prominent suffragettes and jailed for her betrayal of her class and society). What's the hold-up? I mean, apart from the fact that I'm sure many corporations just love having available a pool of workers who're at least as skilled and dedicated as their male emplyees but less expensive to employ.

And you're still my bud, too, :D