Path: utzoo!attcan!uunet!jarthur!elroy.jpl.nasa.gov!aero!peregrine.Eng.Sun.COM
From: falk@peregrine.Eng.Sun.COM (Ed Falk)
Newsgroups: soc.feminism
Subject: Re: Is there a definition of Feminism?
Message-ID: <926@exodus.Eng.Sun.COM>
Date: 25 Sep 90 04:48:48 GMT
References: <9009181556.aa17125@ICS.UCI.EDU>
Sender: nadel@aerospace.aero.org
Organization: Sun Microsystems, Mt. View, Ca.
Lines: 54
Approved: nadel@aerospace.aero.org
Status: R



In article <17365@oolong.la.locus.com>, Judy Leedom Tyrer writes:

> feminism (n) - the belief that women and men should be allowed equal
> 	opportunities within society and that these opportunities should
> 	not be based on social prejudices based upon sexual stereotypes.


And in article <9009181556.aa17125@ICS.UCI.EDU> Cindy Tittle writes:

>Hm, let me take my stab at it.  I would include the above, ALONG with:
>
>The recognition that gender roles have been stereotyped to the point
>where masculine traits are idealized and feminine traits are
>considered second-rate, and that there is a need to recognize the
>shortcomings of masculine traits and the strengths of the feminine
>traits.  Furthermore, that there is no need to restrict
>masculine/feminine traits to people of the "matching" sex.
>

I think you can see where this leads.  The definition of feminism varies
from person to person and from time to time.  I used to have a running
argument with a rad-fem friend of mine that went roughly like this:

  She:  I can't see why you don't consider yourself a feminist.

  Me:   Well, what's a "feminist"?

  She:  A feminist is someone who believes men and women should be equal.

  Me:   Well I certainly believe that; I guess that makes me a feminist.

  She:  Well, if you're a feminist, then you must believe that the
	world is messed up because men run it, that patriarchal society
	is inherently evil, that monogamy and traditional marriage are
	bad, that it's sexist not to be bisexual, that you should be a
	vegetarian, that all heterosexual sex is rape, that a
	transsexual can't be a feminist, and that socialism is the only
	right kind of economy.

  Me:   Ummm, well I don't necessarily believe all those things.

  She:  Then I don't see how you can call yourself a feminist!

  Me:   I guess I'm not a feminist then.

		[go back to beginning]


The rad-fem subculture I hung out with had developed such a complicated
set of rules of behavior, known as "politically correct", that I got
sick of the whole scene and refuse to be labeled feminist any more.

		-ed falk, sun microsystems
		 sun!falk, falk@sun.com
		 card-carrying ACLU member.