I need feminism because all people are fundamentally equal, and society should reflect that.
I need feminism because we grow up in a society where we are taught from a young age that there is complete equality in gender and race, in sexual orientation and social class. That no one is different and everyone matters and has the same opportunities in life. Then comes a time when we realize that that is not the case, that on the surface maybe, just maybe, if you squint and turn your head to the side there may be the appearance of equality. This is only because this notion is so stitched into society, so worked into the woodwork that it becomes interchangeable with “normal”. It is at that time that we have a choice, either we can ignore this realization and continue on, denying what is in front of us and accepting this “normal” way of life, or we can speak out, we can train ourselves to recognize it and actively fight against it. This isn’t something that can just happen overnight, and it isn’t something that washes away all of the things we have done or will do as human beings to contribute to that frame of mind. And all too often people pick the former.
Feminism
- Finally, A Feminism 101 Blog - Frequently Answered Questions
- Feminist Literature (Tumblr)
- Feminist texts written by women of color (Tumblr)
- fuckyeahfeminists (Tumblr)
- grrrlpower (Tumblr)
Racism, Race, & Culture
Here’s an interesting video about white privilege.
Submitted by: thisiswhatilookliketoday
This is extremely powerful.
A few snapshots: Race, Culture, & Disney
for additional original commentary/information accompanying many of these images, go here.
-You cannot be sexist toward men. Sexism is based on a system of oppression. You CAN be discriminatory, rude, inconsiderate, and/or prejudiced against men but you CANNOT be sexist toward them.
-You cannot be racist towards white people. Racism is based on a system of oppression. You CAN be discriminatory, rude, inconsiderate, and/or prejudiced against white people but you CANNOT be racist toward them.
This is not difficult.
“Well,” said Milo, pushing his glasses up with a huff, “Your entire civilization forgot its system of writing even though, at the very least, you and your father were both alive before the flood that apparently destroyed your knowledge. Why blame me for a massive plot hole that seemingly only exists to propel the ‘Mighty Whitey’ trope?”
(read the full feminist review of Atlantis here)
“I realized something today when reading someone’s ask about always finding racism, strong gender roles, etc. in Disney films that Disney never actually meant to put in. In my science, technology, and society class this semester, we learned about how all technology is infused with values whether or not it was intentional.
For example, when cameras were first invented, they were designed to make white skin look good on film but not dark colored skin. This was just because most performers at the time had white skin, so they figured cameras would be best if they worked well with white skin. But then when darker skinned people began acting, they had a million problems with keeping the darker person from looking like a blob and the white person from looking super washed out. The designers of the camera didn’t mean for this to happen, but the very nature of the technology was that cameras were originally racist.
Something similar happened with women pilots: When airplane cockpits were first invented, they were designed with the assumption that all pilots would have male dimensions just because women didn’t do that kind of thing at the time. When women wanted to become pilots, they weren’t even able to go through training because they couldn’t reach the controls, were too light weight for ejection, and a whole mess of other problems. The designers of the cockpit didn’t mean to prevent women from flying; it just didn’t cross their mind that this might be an issue later. Nonetheless, cockpits were still discriminating against women.
I can see Disney movies in a similar light: Movies from several decades ago featured mainly white characters with strong male leads and submissive females because that was just the way things were at the time, but that doesn’t mean it’s okay. Sorry for the super long message, but I had to write an essay about this for my final today, so I had a lot on my mind. Just thought I’d throw in a more technological perspective on the issue! “
When you discuss the wage gap, here are a few things to keep in mind:
- Only white women make $0.77 to a man’s dollar.
- Black women make about $0.68 to a man’s dollar.
- Latina women make about $0.58 to a man’s dollar.
Intersectionality matters.
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