I was once asked by a professor if I was a feminist. Now as a male in American society, I must admit, I was somewhat taken aback. After all, we--as men in America that is--are encouraged to have somewhat of a stolid, indifferent outlook on things; that is, we are encouraged to be strong, tough, quiet men that do work and put food on the table. With that being said, I was unsure, in this framework of the alpha male, if one could be a male and a feminist at the same time?--there seems to be some conflicting viewpoints here.
After initially hearing the question, however, I began more to think about the idea of a male feminist and came to the conclusion that, yes, I am indeed a male feminist--please do not castigate me for this men! My reason for being a male feminist is that just because one supports females and their rights, it does not necessarily follow that one is a female with feminine attributes. For example, if I were to support the idea of giving money to poor, abject individual's in third world countries it does not necessarily follow I am a poor, abject person. The fact of the matter is this, namely, if one supports a group it does not follow they are a part of the group or possess any of the characteristics (undesirable characteristics at least) of the group.
At the end of the day, I think it is important to remember we are all human beings who desire happiness and do not desire unhappiness or suffering. Every one deserves help, whether your black, brown, yellow, pink, male, female, etc., and no one is any better than any one else. Keeping all this in mind, let me reiterate my initial statement: By all means, yes, I am a feminist! In fact, as much as it sounds like "an after school special," I am a supporter of all peoples!
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I agree with everything you're saying and I don't think a man should be ashamed of believing that all people, whether man or woman, should have equal rights. Were all human beings and deserved to be treated equal. Times have changed immensely over the past couple decades and I think its time for men to stop trying to always be the alpha male and accept that women are equal
ReplyDeleteSimply supporting a group, idea, or cause does not imply that you yourself are a member of that movement. Women's studies teaches that feminists are not strictly only females. Anyone who supports equal rights for the sexes can be considered a feminist. Also, the notion that one would be castigated by peers for subscribing to feminist ideals is a result of gender socialization that is inherent in our society. Conditioning teaches males to be masculine and not to act otherwise for fear of consequences of non-conformity.
ReplyDeleteI fail to see how someone that said men only talk to women to bang them can called himself a feminist.
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ReplyDeleteLorne:
ReplyDeleteNegative, one sided statements like that have kept masculine feminists like myself in the shadows of chauvinism for hundreds of years.
I agree that all people should be entitled to preaching their beliefs regarding equal rights. I feel that males who are assertive about their views regarding equality between men and women should be commended due to the fact that in our society, men rarely support feminism.
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