Feminism is a dinosaur. It had its place and time, but in the modern world it can be simply destructive.
Soraya Chemaly penned an essay about “Why Society Still Needs Feminism”.
According to her About:
Hi I talk & write about gender absurdities in media, politics, religion and pop culture, because I’ve pretty much had as much misogyny as I can take without my head just exploding from the idiocy and inhumanity. Still, whenever possible, would rather laugh than cry while thinking about it.
Watch out, Susan B. Anthony. Step aside, Elizabeth Cady Stanton. This woman has seen REAL misogyny, enough that she could laugh and/or cry about it! Let’s see how this Drake University student handles our dark world:
Why Society Still Needs Feminism
Because to men, a key is a device to open something. For women, it’s a weapon we hold between our fingers when we’re walking alone at night.
I’m pretty sure a key can also be used to open something for women too. And if this isn’t an argument for concealed carry, I don’t know what is.
Because the biggest insult for a guy is to be called a “pussy,” a “little bitch” or a “girl.” From here on out, being called a “pussy” is an effing badge of honor.
Because you’re exhibiting traits that are evident of a softer, more emotional gender. Because women call men and other women “pussy”. Because it’s an insult that gets you to bounce the f*ck back from whining and complaining. Because being named after something that bleeds once a month is only a badge of honor in the woozy mind of a womyn’s studies major.
Because last month, my politics professor asked the class if women should have equal representation in the Supreme Court, and only three out of 42 people raised their hands.
Because you’re hired for qualifications, not just because you’re of a certain gender. Because 3 out of the 7 jurors (Bader Ginsberg, Kagan, Sotomayor) are women. Because if it was 4 out of 7 there would be more women than men, and that’s not equal representation.
Because rape jokes are still a thing.
Because you can literally make a joke about anything if you tell it right. Because rape doesn’t just happen to or by one gender.
Because despite being equally broke college kids, guys are still expected to pay for dates, drinks and flowers.
Because…wait…that’s a benefit to women. Why would a woman buy flowers for a guy? Or drinks? Or for the date? You’ve won, ladies!
Because as a legit student group, Campus Fellowship does not allow women to lead anything involving men. Look, I know Eve was dumb about the whole apple and snake thing, but I think we can agree having a vagina does not directly impact your ability to lead a college organization.
Because there’s no proof of this. Because churches have been led by men for 2000 years. Because that in no way discounts the contributions of heroic women in the Bible: from Ruth to Mary to Judith.
Because it’s assumed that if you are nice to a girl, she owes you sex — therefore, if she turns you down, she’s a bitch who’s put you in the “friend zone.” Sorry, bro, women are not machines you put kindness coins into until sex falls out.
Because this is a stereotype perpetrated by women to bludgeon nice guys over the head. Because many women love to give signals to guys and secretly enjoy turning them down, because it gives them power. Sorry, bra, but men are not machines you use as an ATM to get actual money and favors out of and offer nothing in return but fake gestures.
Because only 29 percent of American women identify as feminist, and in the words of author Caitlin Moran, “What part of ‘liberation for women’ is not for you? Is it freedom to vote? The right not to be owned by the man you marry? The campaign for equal pay? Did all that good shit get on your nerves? Or were you just drunk at the time of the survey?”
Because 71% of American women are too busy with jobs, families, school, and basically being badasses to sit around and collect labels like Pinterest wedding ideas. Because women have the freedom to vote, are free to associate and marry, and have zero barriers to obtaining a job and getting fairly compensated. Because it’s anti-woman to accuse women of being drunk for not calling themselves feminists.
Because when people hear the term feminist, they honestly think of women burning bras. Dude, have you ever bought a bra? No one would burn them because they’re freaking expensive.
Because this attempt at a joke is why there are fewer good female comedians than male comedians. Because women who burned their bras now have saggy boobs.
Because Rush Limbaugh.
Because Rush Limbaugh called out a woman paying for an Ivy League education who went before Congress to ask the government to pay for her birth control. Because I don’t go to Congress to ask them to pay for my Gillette razors.
Because we now have a record number of women in the Senate … which is a measly 20 out of 100. Congrats, USA, we’ve gone up to 78th place for women’s political representation, still below China, Rwanda and Iraq.
Because once again, your gender does not preclude how good you are at a job. Because woman’s representation in China, Rwanda, and Iraq have led to…what reforms exactly? Because window-dressing by simply forcing more of a certain gender into a legislative lobby doesn’t do shit.
Because recently I had a discussion with a couple of well-meaning Drake University guys, and they literally could not fathom how catcalling a woman walking down University Avenue is creepy and sexist.
Because these guys aren’t here to defend themselves.
Could. Not. Fathom.
This. Point. Is. Ridiculous.
Because on average, the tenured male professors at Drake make more than the tenured female professors.
Because they likely work more in the hard sciences, which make higher salaries than liberal arts than womyn’s studies.
Because more people on campus complain about chalked statistics regarding sexual assault than complain about the existence of sexual assault. Priorities? Have them.
Because phony statistics are embarrassing and are consistently more inflated than actual statistics of sexual assault. Honesty? Have it.
Because 138 House Republicans voted against the Violence Against Women Act. All 138 felt it shouldn’t provide support for Native women, LGBT people or immigrant women. I’m kind of confused by this, because I thought LGBT people and women of color were also human beings.
Because the Violence Against Women Act does nothing and has done nothing to protect women from violence. Because the act said a woman assaulted on tribal land isn’t subject to US law, but to tribal law. Because the law already prevents violence against women, regardless of LGBT status. Because the law gives women amnesty in this country due to allegations of abuse, a sinister amendment which has nothing to do with violence and everything to do with increasing illegal immigration. Because the law says nothing about people being human beings and is a monstrous bastardization of the political process (they voted AGAINST Violence Against Women? CLEARLY they’re for violence against women!)
Weird, right?
Because I’m out of options and just want to make this sound conversational, just like two girls talking over martinis, to sound like I have a point when I really don’t. Weird, right?
Because a girl was roofied last semester at a local campus bar, and I heard someone say they think she should have been more careful. Being drugged is her fault, not the fault of the person who put drugs in her drink?
Because you should always be careful with your drink, regardless of gender. Because overhearing something someone else says totally means that the entire campus blamed the girl for getting roofied. Because whomever was “overheard” did not exonerate the asshole who roofied the girl.
Because Chris Brown beat Rihanna so badly she was hospitalized, yet he still has fans and bestselling songs and a tattoo of an abused woman on his neck.
Because Rihanna got back with him and it’s a public, fucked up relationship. Because his fans are still, by and large, female. Because the tattoo is not of an abused woman, but a MAC cosmetics ad.
Because out of 7 billion people on the planet, more than 1 billion women will be raped or beaten in their lifetimes. Women and girls have their clitorises cut out, acid thrown on them and broken bottles shoved up them as an act of war. Every second of every day. Every corner of the Earth.
Because this has nothing to do with feminism in America. Because the world is full of barbarians and feminism will do nothing to solve it. Because the blame is not being put on ideologies, like radical Islam, which repress women around the world.
Because the other day, another friend of mine told me she was raped, and I can no longer count on both my hands the number of friends who have told me they’ve been sexually assaulted. Words can’t express how scared I am that I’m getting used to this.
Because feminism will not stop sexual assault, but a warm gun will.
Because a brief survey of reality will tell you that we do not live in a world that values all people equally and that sucks in real, very scary ways.
Because, yes, the world is fucked up and an essay that bitches and moans doesn’t do a damn thing to fix it.
Because you know we live in a sexist world when an awesome thing with the name “feminism” has a weird connotation.
Because “feminism” in its current definition means “becoming like men”, a huge blow to its aims of empowering women.
Because if I have kids someday, I want my son to be able to have emotions and play dress up, and I want my daughter to climb trees and care more about what’s in her head than what’s on it.
Because feminism in this definition gives boys emotions (which they have) enables them to play dress up (like girls) allows girls to climb trees (which apparently they weren’t able to do since 1970, pioneer women and girls be damned) and makes women smart (Abigail Adams cared more about what was in her head than on it, centuries before feminism).
Because I don’t want her to carry keys between her fingers at night to protect herself.
Because you’d better teach her how to shoot a gun instead, then.
Because feminism is for everybody, and this is your official invitation.
Because this is the most droll party full of logical fallacies I’ve ever been to and makes me realize why the leading opponents of feminism are women who owe nothing to it and are tired of being bludgeoned over the head that they do.
