The Problem with Feminism


“One of the indictments of civilizations is that happiness and intelligence are so rarely found in the same person. “
William Feather (1908 - 1976)

Oh yes, I’m sure someone saw that title and is already writing an entire dissertation in my comment section. For the rest of you who actually read what follows thanks for using your internet hate machine for the love. Mind you my only beef with feminism is I hate all of the -isms and -ists. Environmentalists, Feminists, Africanists and so forth. I think when we get caught up on one issue or how anything relates to that one isse we collectively fail. Who really gives a shit about saving trees and whales when people don’t care enough to save each other…hell, plenty of people aren’t even trying to save themselves. So every person who runs around chanting and protesting in reference to one issue is losing. Everything is connected and if you aren’t trying to help everyone evolve then you’re just scooping buckets of water from a hell-bound boat.
To the topic at hand:

Feminisim is before it’s time and outdated. Yes that’s a paradox. Society may be ready for certain ideas…but it isn’t always ready for the of the fallout from those ideas. In some ways society moves forward, but certain things that have been with us for a centuries can’t be shaken off in a few decades. It doesn’t work like that. Additionally, people who call themselves feminists need to really examine all the sub-groups that fall under that title and what the general goal actually is…Equality. What comes with equality is not entirely welcome by many who have received it. In the framework of equality comes a lot of hardship and struggle. In addition it means taking on new problems that are more difficult to navigate due to simple unfamiliarity. One of the biggest things that comes to mind is marriage. Why would that be difficult? I’ll start from something very simple and work my way up. The average age of marriage differs by about 3 - 5 years between men and women. Women have always tended to marry younger then men. Traditionally at a certain age, unmarried women were looked at as heading towards old maidship (I don’t care if it’s not a word). Lately, I’ve seen a lot of women freaking out about their prospects for marriage (especially black women). The reasons for such a dim perspective aren’t hard to grasp for me anyway. It’s partially old thinking in a new world combined with new thinking in an old system. Consider that at one time the average age for a woman to be married was 24. The average ages for men to be married are normally 3 -4 years older then women. So if now instead of a woman just looking for a suitable husband, she goes to college, graduate school and starts a career, it’s kind of easy to imagine the average age of marriage increasing. The issue here is a lot of women aren’t thinking along these lines. I hear a lot of women who aren’t even 24 discussing their bleak outlook for marriage. In addition to this…the average woman is looking for a man of equal or higher education and income to settle down with. So this also pushes the average age for men up. The real problem here is one thing changed a lot faster then the other and people weren’t ready for it. Ramifications. Not to mention that the whole country shifted from manufacturing so now more people need to go to school in order to earn a decent wage.

I start thinking of it like the immigration issue. People are complaining about Mexicans taking jobs and so forth, but has anyone really considered what would happen if we could deport those here and prevent any others from coming it? What would really happen with a lot of the jobs that they have? I’d imagine alot wouldn’t be filled, food prices would go up and other things would happen I’m not even considering. Same thing with PETA, what would happen if people did all of the things they wanted? What business would be affected, would a nation of vegans be overrun with wild cattle?

Really, I think my main issue is the same one I have with feminist lobbyists over certain issues…like the military. Lobbyists may push for a certain change…but they aren’t in alignment with women who are actually in the military. I’m already wary of of people who lobby in general. Like the NRA…they seem to lobby against anything that they percieve as any change (that they haven’t pushed for) in gun laws. Like here they don’t want the city to make it mandatory that you report a stolen gun within 48 hours. Hard for me to understand.

Anyway I think these ramifications are things society in general is feeling, but hasn’t really acknowledged all of the causes. Something that was the social norm for a long time has changed in a much shorter period and there are severe growing pains that go along with it. The real issue is that it has been made a singular issue. Nothing exists in a void in this world. It’s important to consider that everything will affect something else. Scientists learn this when their discoveries are applied in violent ways that they hadn’t intended. What also intrigues me is that the place in which we now stand is actually more favorable to radical feminists. Those who would be willing to do away with men can find more traction in current environment to live close to their vision unlike those who simply want equality and don’t view men as an adversary or threat. The problem with feminism is that it has moved very fast and, not even mentioning men, women as a whole haven’t had time to adjust. What would those mothers of decades ago who dreamed that their daughters would be able to pursue a career that was out of their own reach say now to young women who have fulfilled an education and career, but question how and if they will be able to pursue the creation of a family?

Just wondering.