Another "feminist" who wants to join ranks with the MRA's

[boston bean]

Instead of fighting for gender equality, let’s forget gender altogether

Writing about feminism always seems to leave me stuck between a rock and a hard place. When I write about the need for a greater awareness about sexual harassment and to challenge some men’s inappropriate behaviour, it is interpreted as my hatred for the entire male half of the species. On the other hand, when I write criticising the way some women approach modern issues like marriage and family, I am a self-loathing misogynist.

The feminist debate has become so bitter and divisive that every positive or negative statement about men or women is viewed as a battle cry. The inequalities between men and women in the UK speak for themselves but the endless competition and bickering between the champions of women’s and men’s rights hinders progress towards equality because they distract attention from the bigger picture.

There are barely any women in the UK that would try to claim that the life of the average Western women is as bad as the lives of some women in the developing world. War, rape, female genital mutilation and forced marriage are just a few of the vicious injustices faced all over the world that most British women have escaped.

But this circumstance this is due to the efforts of successive waves of feminism over the past century and the improvements feminists in the developed world have achieved. We had the enfranchisement revolution after the First World War, then the social and sexual revolution in the ’60s — but now these battles are won, it’s time for an identity revolution.

http://blogs.independent.co.uk/2012/06/06/instead-of-fighting-for-gender-equality-let%E2%80%99s-forget-gender-altogether/

Just look at the in the comments who agree with this drivel..... That will prove the subject line of the OP.

Just because men make you feel like it's a losing battle (or you're between a rock and a hard place), doesn't mean you give up! Doesn't mean one stops demanding equality for women. And certainly doesn't men taking up every banner for every wrong in the world. Feminism is for equality between the sexes. There are many struggles that don't focus on womens equality. Secondly, it's not so easy to forget about "gender" when your locked up in it. Gender is your shackles......

If there wasn't an inequality between men and women, there would be no need for feminism. It's not equal rights for all. Some already have more rights, you don't see them wanting to give some of them up. And the fact is, Feminists don't want to take rights away others, they want equal rights. They don't want to go dragging down others to their ranking by taking away rights. Equal rights for women will lift all. All equality struggles in one way or another lift us all.

No one is arguing for dominance over another, women are dominated already. We are looking to remove the dominance and move forward, Ms. Mortimer.

Nothing wrong with doing that, I say. Nothing wrong...... I don't care how many MRA's think feminists are out to get them. No we are out to have the same rights as you. Nothing more, nothing less. If men want to stay home and take care of the children, feminists are your friends, we want the gender roles busted up too. That's what's so freakin crazy about all this.

[seabeyond]

1. "how droll" what a way to argue, lol. how droll. i never read comments on the net

it is truly amazing the ugly from men in the comments. makes me wonder what has happened to men. but then, regardless of the many comments, i do not see these men in rl. so they are all mouth on the net, or they are not in my circle of friends and family. cnn taught me not to miss with the comment section. they are ugly.

[boston bean]

2. I can't stand it when feminists equate this struggle as a "battle between the sexes"

It is just so untrue, and gives credence to those who are against equal rights for women. You might as well call yourself an MRA.

It's a battle and someone will be losing.

Well, if you give into the hype of that ridiculous framing, you have lost.

[seabeyond]

3. i just cannot do things any other way than, win win win

win for me, win for them, win for us.....

that is the new age in me,

whether people want to recognize it is there. and the people unwilling to recognize are those that are trying to have a win/lose

[redqueen]

4. Let's see, we have here the 'women have it worse elsewhere' canard,

but she also seems to be genuinely trying to address the idiocy and falseness of the concept of gender.

Badly written blog, really. Kinda all over the place.

[sufrommich]

5. It's a distraction really. It's the same form of distraction

one hears when white people complain about minority entrance into universities, the argument is that asking for equality equals asking for preferential treatment. Or that granting equal treatment will have a negative effect on another group (you see homophobes make this argument a lot). The complaint is always that your equality effects me in a negative way, it's a senseless argument.

[BlueIris]

6. Yes, exactly.

"Your equality hurts my situation," is a tired rationalization for bigotry that I am really tired of.

How can people think that?

[boston bean]

7. Or worse, give into it.

Which is basically what the author of the blog piece has done.

And to call it a battle of the sexes. That is not a feminist framing, because it's just not true.

[laconicsax]

8. I totally thought this was going to be a call-out thread.

Sometimes I forget that DU is a bit of a microcosm.