Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!rpi!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!wuarchive!uunet!ora!ambar
From: gazit@cs.duke.edu (Hillel Gazit)
Newsgroups: soc.feminism
Subject: Re: Why I Am Not a Feminist
Message-ID: <672147838@lear.cs.duke.edu>
Date: 23 Apr 91 18:31:04 GMT
References: <2805efd1.34d0@petunia.CalPoly.EDU> <9104141120.6798@mydog.UUCP>
Sender: ambar@ora.com (Jean Marie Diaz)
Organization: The Piranha Club
Lines: 43
Approved: ambar@ora.com

In article <9104141120.6798@mydog.UUCP> gcf@mydog.UUCP (Gordon Fitch) writes:

>However, I'm unclear as to what "not a feminist" means just as
>I'm unclear as to what "feminist" means.  

It means that I may support some specific common goal, but I would not
support a feminist-only leadership to achieve that goal, and I'll
double check what they do with my support.

In other words, I'm willing to make deals with them but on "cash-only"
basis, I don't give them any credit.

>This isn't new, nor is it a conspiracy; it's a natural 
>class reaction to a change in the balances of privilege and power.

The most vocal class in its objection is the non-Old-Boys.  Quite a
few of the privilege ones support feminism because it does not
threaten their privileges...

>Some feminists _do_ denounce Brownmiller and Dworkin; if someone
>wants to define me as a feminist, I'll give a demonstration.  

Tell me Mr. "natural class reaction", do you denounce the ideas in the
following paragraph?

Becky Thompson, a sociology and women's studies professor, in a
teaching manual distributed by the American Sociological Association
writes: "I begin my course with the basic principle that in a racist,
classist and sexist society we have all swallowed oppressive ways of
being, whether intentionally or not.  Specifically, this means that it
is not open to debate whether a white student is racist or a male
student is sexist.  He/she simply is."  -- From the April issue of
"Forbes"

Do you know why no feminist has denounced it, even though I posted it
several times?

[Posted it where?  I don't recall seeing it on soc.feminism before -- AMBAR]

Hillel                                    gazit@cs.duke.edu

"Were we the ones who called the shots, there would
be no institutional discrimination against us."  --  Clay Bond