I so wish I had said this
But Shakespeare's Sister said it first.
Implicit, then, in feminism is not only the belief, but the expectation, that men are not infantile—nor stupid, useless, inept, emotionally retarded, or any other negative stereotype feminists have been accused of promoting—but instead our equals just as much as we are theirs, capable not only of understanding feminism (and feminists), but of actively and rigorously engaging challenges to their socialization, too. Feminists, of course, have the terrible reputation, but it isn't we who consider all men babies, dopes, dogs, and potential rapists. The holders of those views, I think you'll find, are the women and men who root for the patriarchy—which itself, after all, takes a rather unpleasantly dim view of most people.
Thank you Shakespeare's Sister .
I think that is the best explanation I've seen about what feminism is and is not.
Comments
hi--
i followed a link to this post and i thought it was terrific. i wanted to tell you that i love the idea of this site. however, it is actually very hard on the eyes. the fonts and colors and all the white space make it difficult to read for any length of time. still, keep up the good work!
Posted by: lisa | January 19, 2007 03:40 PM
Hi Lisa
You are right. Linking the whole quote made it difficult to read. I've fixed it and won't make that mistake again.
Thanks for letting me know.
Posted by: Pat | January 19, 2007 04:10 PM