I don't think that I'm a feminist and I'm not going to stand for your sexist bullshit is any stronger than I'm not going to stand for your sexist bullshit - indeed people who've swallowed the Daily Mail idea of feminism might dismiss the former statement as the words of an extremist, while paying attention to the latter statement.
But I'd say that "feminism" is the word that describes the majority of work that people do against sexism. And it's useful to be able to group that stuff together, to see the trends, to understand the backlash. I don't think that someone has to wear a t-shirt or believe a certain thing or even think themself a feminist to contribute to that good work.
A person saying "I am not a feminist but I believe in equal rights" isn't a bad person, or anti-feminist, or "not-with-us-therefore-against-us". Maybe I'd say that it's sad that they've accepted the idea that feminism is anything other than a broad grouping term for people who fight this kind of oppression, and try to change their mind on that; but then, who am I to judge them on that? "Womanism" as a movement comes out of feminism's history of sidelining the concerns of women of colour, and I'm sure that the feminisms I'm part of fail in even more spectacular ways.
They're eveywhere, of course, but in the current political climate they're going to be assumed to be not-one-of-those-weird-extremists unless don a t-shirt wearing the label, however conforming you may think that makes them. (I don't own one either.)
no subject
But I'd say that "feminism" is the word that describes the majority of work that people do against sexism. And it's useful to be able to group that stuff together, to see the trends, to understand the backlash. I don't think that someone has to wear a t-shirt or believe a certain thing or even think themself a feminist to contribute to that good work.
A person saying "I am not a feminist but I believe in equal rights" isn't a bad person, or anti-feminist, or "not-with-us-therefore-against-us". Maybe I'd say that it's sad that they've accepted the idea that feminism is anything other than a broad grouping term for people who fight this kind of oppression, and try to change their mind on that; but then, who am I to judge them on that? "Womanism" as a movement comes out of feminism's history of sidelining the concerns of women of colour, and I'm sure that the feminisms I'm part of fail in even more spectacular ways.
Where are the feminists wearing suits and ties, the feminists wearing actual uniforms, the feminists in spacesuits, the feminists in Laura Ashley dresses, the feminists wearing tracksuits, the feminists wearing silk negligées, the feminists wearing nothing at all, the feminists who are not even looking at the camera?
They're eveywhere, of course, but in the current political climate they're going to be assumed to be not-one-of-those-weird-extremists unless don a t-shirt wearing the label, however conforming you may think that makes them. (I don't own one either.)