So...I was reading this on Feminist Critics, and I feel that it was begging for a blog post! The title of the page is entitled, "What Feminism got Right." Now, many of my MRA readers and some of a particular neutral variety might disagree, but I have for the most part decided that both sides of the gender war thingy mabobber are at least right.
So...to make a stand on where I stand with some issues and feminist ideas:
1. There is a gender system
Males and females are socialized into masculinities and femininities. Masculine and feminine behavior is not simply determined by biology.
Agreed. This has been known to psychologists for at least 30 years, just pick your theory of choice of how it happens(except Freud for the love the gods anything but Freud). Remember kiddies, gender does not equal biological sex.
2. The gender system is damaging
Masculinities and femininities can be damaging and dehumanizing to both males and females.
Agreed. We should let kids decide for themselves who THEY are.
3. Women are oppressed
Women have suffered various types of systematic mistreatment throughout history, and continue to do so in the present. This mistreatment is unjust. If it can be called “oppression,” then women suffer gender oppression.
Disagreed, I might have been open to the idea maybe in ancient times or the Middle Ages, but to make that claim from the Renaissance up is frankly ridiculous.
4. Sexism exists
Sexism—hateful, contemptuous, bigoted, or discriminatory attitudes based on sex—is real. Sexism can be institutionalized socially and politically. The feminist identification and critique of misogyny has mitigated it to a degree, though institutionalized misogyny still exists.
Agreed and disagreed. Misogyny, for the most part, is a reaction to misandry that men face(but I do agree that both of these attitudes could and should be addressed) . I do not think that misogyny is really institutionalized by law. There are much more legal inequalities that men face.
5. Males have unjust advantages
Males have some systematic advantages over females that they do not have a right to.
Even if so, I don't care for this kind of rhetoric.
6. Marginalization of the experience of women
Prior to feminism, the experience of women was marginalized in academic and scientific disciplines, and in public discourse.
Um...what? I have never researched this, I'll devote a blog post to my research on this topic. T_T;
7. Sexuality involves power dynamics
Under the gender system at least, sexuality is intertwined with power dynamics. E.g. male-dominant, female-submissive, and male-active, female-passive. These power dynamics are not limited to heterosexuality. The link between power dynamics and sexuality can be damaging to people.
*sigh* Sort of, I know normal males that are submissive and gender transgressor females that were submissive. Power dynamics in bed or in relationships are right, for the right people. In fact, I don't really think this is a really legitimate issue.
8. There is something wrong with pornography
Pornography can be dehumanizing toward both its users and towards its participants. Even if pornography can be defended on legal grounds, these liberal arguments doesn’t protect it from moral critique.
Disagreed on the first part, agreed on the second part. If there is a moral problem with porn then it should be criticized on that ground. As for me personally, I do not care if people consume porn or participate in it, that's their business. What authority do I have to condemn something I consume?(Funny tidbit: Lady Porn Day[Google it] was on Tuesday.)
9. There is intersectionality of oppression
Gender oppression and oppression based on race, sexual orientation, or class, can combine multiplicatively (and sometime supramultiplicatively) into oppression that is more than the sum of its parts.
Actually, I agree with that. A poor gay black man for example is probably screwed(excuse the pun)
10. Beauty standards can be damaging
Beauty standards and objectification can be damaging to female self-esteem. It would be both practical and moral to change images of beautiful women in the media in certain ways.
This is something I agree with, but I think it works both ways...hm...? What do MRAs think?
Originally posted on:
http://musingsofaprohuman.blogspot.c...-all-have.html