Extreme Feminism.

Disclaimer before I rant.
I DO NOT hate women. I DO believe in equal rights for Females. I am concerned about women rights world wide (or lack there of) and I am most definitely a female.

That being said, I feel I can no longer call myself a feminist in public, as I fear that I will be grouped together with the extreme few (or many) that have taken the feminist movement to a whole new (stupid) level. Certain trends I've seen emerging, more so online from women I would label as 'Tumblr Feminists' are very alarming to me.

Women who claim that using a tampon is Oppressing and 'self rape'. And in protest take part in what seems like an unhygienic practice of "free bleeding'
I personally (and I can say this for a lot of women) am glad that tampons were invented. I do not care if a male or a female invented these little treasures. I DO NOT understand how using these means I'm being oppressed, or how I can possibly rape myself...
By the same logic is a toilet oppressing our human rights? Perhaps we should just # right in the street.
For those of you thinking "Ivy this cant be a thing", I'm sad to inform you that it really is. I saw a few articles claiming it was fake and a hoax, but there are much more from legitimate sources that show this really is believed by some very extreme (misguided) feminists.

Along the same lines, Feminists who claim everything is rape and use the word FAR too lightly.
Using this word so lightly takes away from the very real act of rape. Which is already a hard thing to deal with and have taken seriously especially if you so choose to go to the police. A guy looking at you on the street while annoying and possibly inappropriate, is not rape.
Often I've seen similar talk that a male cant be raped or even sexually harassed . urg. Dont even get me started on that.

While media does put pressure on us as females (it also puts pressure on males) to be a certain way, look a certain way. The way females are shown in advertising and all forms of media is not always a healthy one.
But by the same token extreme feminists put the same pressures on females, to behave a certain way. To feel a certain way. That we are letting down our own by not agreeing with the very extreme and often very far left view of how things are

It seems my opinion on things is some how less relevant because I might really want to be a housewife and raise children full time some day. Or that I like cooking (in the kitchen where I belong) and find that in relationships I like gender roles. I like falling into those, and they work for me. They make me happy. I do not think that all females should be in kitchens barefoot and pregnant. But I also do not think that I should have to pretend I dont want this for myself.

The main reason all of this annoys me is that some of the issues being focused on seem almost petty when we consider REAL ABUSES of human rights that go on against women all over the world. Child Brides. Sex Slavery. The culling of female babies. The fact that in some countries women are still not allowed to vote, drive, be in public, be seen. be heard.

All of these things are REAL ISSUES that should be the main focus.

I'm Triggered.
I could say so much more on this topic but I've gone on long enough.

Very well done rant. I would love to get behind the feminist movement, why do they make it so impossible by being so unrealistic.

a reply to: OccamsRazor04

I feel like they are almost embarrassing those feminists who really did fight for things like the right to vote.
I mean I would call myself a humanist instead of a feminist. But that also sounds ridiculous

Don't let the extremists redefine you or the word! Instead of letting them pervert the word, make sure to speak up about what you believe feminism really stands for. Otherwise it'll be just like other words that have been repeatedly mocked & demonized such as "environmentalist", "liberal", "socialist", "vegetarian", "Muslim", etc.

A lot of times, there are paid actors who are sent to intentionally pervert a specific movement. You'll know them by their actions, as they are usually so extreme they push moderates and casual observers away from the movement. And that's exactly what they intend to do. So instead of letting them co-opt the movement and push people away from it, we need rational & positive people to let others know what the movement is supposed to be about.

Sincerely,
A proud Muslim, socialist, vegetarian, tree hugging libtard.

a reply to: IvyNeptune

Well done, Ivy I agree with you 100% however be prepared for the onslaught, cheers sweetheart

a reply to: enlightenedservant

haha thats true but i feel like people now typecast anyone who says they are a feminist. If I say i am one then Ill need to immediately explain myself. But you are right.

"An atheist, a vegan, and a CrossFitter walk into a bar. I only know because they told everyone within two minutes"

a reply to: IvyNeptune

My favorite is that men should sit down to pee so we don't exercise our male privilege....

Who comes up with this stuff?

a reply to: TechniXcality

QUICK PASS ME YOUR AMERICAN FLAG! I NEED TO HIDE BEHIND IT

originally posted by: IvyNeptune
a reply to: OccamsRazor04

I feel like they are almost embarrassing those feminists who really did fight for things like the right to vote.
I mean I would call myself a humanist instead of a feminist. But that also sounds ridiculous

What's your take on jobs where women get a free pass on requirements men have to complete .. like firefighters?

a reply to: IvyNeptune

Don't worry about the stereotypes and the such. If you change your behavior because of someone else's ignorance or stereotypes, you're giving them power over you.

And when/if you feel like you have to explain yourself, just treat it as an opportunity to dispel the lies people say and the misconceptions they may have. Because a lot of times, they've never heard directly from actual members of that group. So if they mention feminism & you then feel like you have to distance yourself publicly from it, that will only reinforce the extreme crap they've heard.

a reply to: IvyNeptune

The main reason all of this annoys me is that some of the issues being focused on seem almost petty when we consider REAL ABUSES of human rights that go on against women all over the world. Child Brides. Sex Slavery. The culling of female babies. The fact that in some countries women are still not allowed to vote, drive, be in public, be seen. be heard.

Now that you bring that up, I have yet to see these extreme tumblr feminists protest their extreme views on female oppression in places like Saudi Arabia...That would be something to see. Two extreme ideologies clashing on the subject of women's rights.

a reply to: OccamsRazor04

I think it probably depends on what those requirements are, as I'm not aware of this happening its hard for me to say.

If the requirement is that ' you must have a penis' then i understand. Im sure that they just send the girls to jobs like rescuing kittens. hahahaha


i kid but in all seriousness i do not know the requirements in order to form a proper opinion.

Id hope that what ever those requirements are, are not impacting the safety of the people you know... just casually burning to death in a fire.

originally posted by: IvyNeptune
I think it probably depends on what those requirements are, as I'm not aware of this happening its hard for me to say.

For instance if the job requires you to be able to lift and carry a 160lb person, and the female can't do it.

a reply to: OccamsRazor04

I feel like for a job like that everyone should have to meet the requirements whether they are female or male.
Im sure a male who cant lift that amount wouldn't be accepted. it seems biased.

Obviously I understand "special treatment" in certain areas, such as maternity leave. things of that nature.
but a physical requirement like lifting a certain amount seems very important to a job like that. its not a job we should be messing around with just for the sake of being politically correct.

and seeing as they have already done this.. I would hope that they would have some kind of system in place to make sure that the fact she didnt pass this requirement, doesn't impact their ability to fight a fire as a whole

a reply to: NateTheAnimator

The thing is, there are actual Islamic feminism groups in Muslim countries. So it would definitely make sense for other feminist groups to work with them. This is one reason I suspect the real purpose of the extremists is to actually push people away from feminism, as opposed to bolstering it.

a reply to: IvyNeptune

I think it is very necessary that women who feel as you do, speak out and speak up against the concerning direction, in which the movement known as feminism seems to be moving. One of the most difficult things, as you rightly state, about the situation as it stands, is that some of the twaddle that has been spouted by the extreme end of the feminist spectrum, is so harmful to the cause itself, removing all legitimacy in the eyes of those without a nuanced perspective (that is, most human beings).

Those with a nuanced perspective are already more than aware that just as there are Christians who do their faith a diservice, just as there are Muslims who do the same, just as there are right and left wingers who make their factions seem unreasonable, those feminists who go beyond reason and sense in every way, are not representative of ALL feminism as a concept. But those without a nuanced view, tend to go with the limited view, that of the most vocal individual or most reported upon element within an ideology. They will hold to the worst that a group, movement, or other demographic, are accused of and seen as, because otherwise their world view becomes too granular for them to cope with. It is as if their perspective has to be filtered to a monochromatic scale, where only black and white exist, and even shadow is a distant and confusing thing to contemplate, let alone colour, hue, shade, and so on.

This is entirely stupid of course, but it is also a common approach to working out where one stands on matters, which may be why the world is such a bloody strange place to live. In any case, it means that the message of equality and respect for women is being lost amongst some stupendously idiotic noise, such as to drown the real message entirely.

This makes things harder than ever for males as well. If I hold a door open these days, it is possible I will be verbally abused, or looked down upon by a female walking through it, presumably because they assume that I am not a gentleman, but some sort of creep, using a pretence like holding a door open, as some kind of "in" with them. Meanwhile, I am just trying to live like I was taught to, with respect for myself, and therefore respect for others. Do not get me wrong, there are horrible people out there, but it seems to me that extreme feminists tend toward allowing horrible people to win, to have the last laugh, because those who subscribe to blanket man hating do so because they have been made to fear.

Simply put, that is weak. Fearing evil men so much that one would place decent ones before the same firing squad does no one any favours.

a reply to: IvyNeptune

It's less a problem of feminism, and more a problem with hte "bubble culture" that one so often finds on hte internet. Back in the day the internet was lauded as a medium through which you could communicate with everyone. Well, turns out that's absolutely not true.

People don't like to be challenged. Confrontation is stressful, makes sense. So we naturally gravitate towards like-minded peer groups. Now, offline, we simply can't avoid interacting with people with whom we disagree. They're family, co-workers, personalities in traditional media, lawmakers, the whole gamut of people we interact with on some level, even if only cursory.

Online though? Online we can segregate ourselves away from all dissent and opposition. We can form groups of people all back-slapping and liking and agreeing with everything. Seems cozy, if a little myopic, right? and if you just want to spend an evening conversing with people, it's fine, 'cause you've got to get up in the morning and deal with all those other dunderheads in your life. No harm done.

But then we get into the realm of people who not only rely on these segregated online communities for the bulk of their social interaction, but who also engage for more than casual chit-chat. Much like the coffehouses of old, communities form that discuss ideas and philosophy. Unlike the coffehouses though, if you don't like what someone has to say, you can totally censor them out of your life forever. Oh, you say one thing I don't want to deal with, poof, you're gone forever.

Even this wouldn't cause the problem you describe though. This would just lead to stale conversations and bored people. Nah, to get the full "bubble effect" you have to figure in another bit of human psychology - peer competition. When among our peers, we're always jockeying for status - or if you prefer, popularity.

So what happens is you get these self-segregated communities, who only talk to each other, only about certain things.,.. but each and every one of them is trying to be the "best one" in that group. Since new ideas and competing ideas are forbidden, all that's left to jockey with in these intellectual spaces is increasingly-extreme versions of what is already deemed acceptable. If these more extreme examples are challenged, one of two things happens - either the extreme idea catches on and dissenters are "banished" from the community, or the extremists themselves are banished - and summarily form their own community which will proceed as normal.

You'll find this system everywhere. Feminism sure - shaking your fist about "extreme feminism" is a good way to get clicks to your post. But the discussion could just as easily be about Game of Thrones fan theories or soft drink brands and you'd find people every bit as passionate and extreme, gated communities just as hostile to dissent, and the perpetual philosophical death spiral of everyone in those communities trying to out-do each other.

And when these groups "cross streams" - like say your "tampon is rape!" feminists meet up with "Consent lessens masculinity!" MRA-types... does anything intelligent come out? Lots of heat, no light, and both groups actually go back to their respective gaves and come up with even more extreme crap as a way of "getting back at them."

It's not a feminism thing. it's a "tribal primates with advanced communication technology"thing.

originally posted by: TrueBrit
a reply to: IvyNeptune


This makes things harder than ever for males as well. If I hold a door open these days, it is possible I will be verbally abused, or looked down upon by a female walking through it, presumably because they assume that I am not a gentleman, but some sort of creep, using a pretence like holding a door open, as some kind of "in" with them. Meanwhile, I am just trying to live like I was taught to, with respect for myself, and therefore respect for others. Do not get me wrong, there are horrible people out there, but it seems to me that extreme feminists tend toward allowing horrible people to win, to have the last laugh, because those who subscribe to blanket man hating do so because they have been made to fear.
.

I miss chivalry. In fact Im not sure a lot of it was ever around once I was born.
I do understand why they say 'chivalry is dead. and women killed it'

a reply to: enlightenedservant

The thing is, there are actual Islamic feminism groups in Muslim countries. So it would definitely make sense for other feminist groups to work with them.

Don't get me wrong I'm aware such groups exist in these countries, I've just never seen these particular tumblr feminists groups protesting in quite the same manners as say this women

"feminist" - Beyonce, is a bad role model for young girls.
"extreme feminist" - Beyonce, is a powerful woman expressing her sexuality.