Mansplaining

I really liked reading about ecofeminism.  I found the combination of feminist and ecological thinking to be very interesting.  I think having a connection to nature is very important and I can definitely see the parallels between the two thoughts.  I wonder if the combination of the two movements is detrimental to each individually...

While doing some extra reading on Postcolonial Feminism, I came across this quote.  "While a politics of inclusion is driven by an ambition for universal representation (of all women's interests), a politics of partiality does away with that ambition and accepts the principle that feminism can never ever be an encompassing political home for all women, not just because different groups of women have different and sometimes conflicting interests, but, more radically, because for many groups of 'other' women other interests, other identifications are sometimes more important and politically pressing than, or even incompatible with, those related to their being women." - Ien Ang

I think these last 3 chapters were particularly thought provoking and less black and white than the previous chapters.  

I came across a blog discussing the issue of mansplaining.  According to Karen Healey, cited on this blog, "Mansplaining isn’t just the act of explaining while male, of course; many men manage to explain things every day without in the least insulting their listeners.  Mansplaining is when a dude tells you, a woman, how to do something you already know how to do, or how you are wrong about something you are actually right about, or miscellaneous and inaccurate “facts” about something you know a hell of a lot more about than he does."

I found this to be both humorous and true and experience this all the time, but wasn't aware enough to actually label it.  But something else on this blog entry (it's very long) really hit home.  Read below.


"Like most women, I currently live in a society where violence, harassment and scary shit can break out at any moment, just because I told some random asshole “no” without bothering to be nice about it. Doing that is so dangerous that most women don’t dare; after a few scary incidents, they learn to make up excuses, to smile, to be sweet and welcoming, to act as if every single random asshole on the street is a precious new friend that they would just LOVE to stand outside of the Chipotle and chat with FOR HOURS, if only cruel fate had not intervened. That’s what it’s actually like, being a woman: Playing nice with every random asshole, because this random asshole might be the one who hurts you. And then, if he hurts you anyway, they’ll tell you that you led him on."
http://tigerbeatdown.com/2011/08/29/chronicles-of-mansplaining-professor-feminism-and-the-deleted-comments-of-doom/

The rest of the blog is worth reading and I highly recommend it.  I don't know about you but I have experienced this.  And I always feel the pressure to be nice about it, while I have one hand on my pepper spray.  It's always enlightening when someone is able to put a common  and shared experience into language that enables us to see the absurdities of the situation and for what it really is.

Efeminate???

Wow, what a week!  I have really enjoyed the readings.  So far, I find that I most identify with Existential Feminism.  I think Simon de Beauvoir's exploration of man as the self and woman as the other to be fascinating.  Beauvoir argued that women have historically been considered deviant or abnormal. Aspiring toward the male ideal as other feminists have recommended, Mary Wollstonecraft - I'm looking at you, just serves to limit women's success by perpetuating the view that we are lacking in some way. Beauvoir believed that for feminism to move forward, this assumption must be set aside and I am inclined to agree.

Another resonating feature of Existential Feminism, a la Beauvoir, is the capability of choice.  Women have the ability to choose to elevate themselves and choose their own freedom.  I find this to be refreshing after reading in previous chapters which traits I need to adopt and which traits I need to banish forever.  Radical Feminism seems just as oppressive as our current patriarchal society, if not more so.  While I respect the attempted analysis of feminine vs. masculine traits, I disagree with radical-libertarian feminists in their efforts to rid the world of femininity.  Reproduction is our main weakness??  Come on.  I disagree with radical-cultural feminists in their acceptance of only feminine traits.  These both radical and yet opposing views seem to be very polarizing and restrictive.  I think people should have the right to express whatever traits they want and be treated equally regardless of their choice.

In other news, I've been thinking a lot lately about the word "emasculate."

e·mas·cu·late/iˈmaskyəˌlāt/

Verb:

Make (a person, idea, or piece of legislation) weaker or less effective. Deprive (a man) of his male role or identity: "he feels emasculated because he cannot control his sons' behavior"

The word "emasculate" implies that you are taking power away from someone.  For it to be taken away implies that you have held power at some point.  Is there an equal word that signifies the same removal of power for women?   

There is no word in our language for taking power from a woman because she typically doesn't hold any in our society.  

I am interested in hearing your thoughts on this...

One is not born, but rather becomes, a woman.

     - Simone de Beauvoir

With a Capital F

There are only a couple of things that I hate more than writing and writing about myself is one of them.  (Celery and deep water are others and may be discussed in later posts.)  I think I'm getting better at it though and appreciate that I'm being pushed out of my comfort zone, as I believe grad school is supposed to do.  I am currently enrolled in the part-time social work masters program.  I am only in my second semester of the three-year program and I am really enjoying it so far. 

My interest in Feminism (yes, I capitalized the "F" word) is for both professional and personal reasons.  Now that I have completed my first semester in the program and having a bachelor's degree in psychology, I have come to realize that the majority of theories used to assess, analyze and provide therapeutic services are written by a bunch of old white men for the treatment of white men.  I don't think these theories are always particularly useful when working with women and minority populations.  I have come across a couple of paragraphs in my texts discussing feminist social work theories but the coverage is very sparse.  As a social worker, I want to work in residential treatment centers with adolescent girls and think that a formal education in this area could be very beneficial towards reaching my goals and doing my (future) job well.

I think I was born a feminist and I am personally interested in this class as a means to further develop my feminist self.  I have always been called things like mouthy, stubborn, or too independent and have come to be proud of those labels.  I have rarely conformed to the requirements, both implied and spoken, set for girls and women in the local culture in which I was raised.  They neither seemed fair nor appealing to me.  Luckily for me, I was raised in a family where education and independence were valued regardless of sex or gender and was supported unconditionally.  It is important to me that my son be raised in a similar environment and taught to question and challenge the status quo.  While looking at a picture of our past presidents a couple weeks ago, he asked me why there were no women presidents and I knew I was on the right track. :)

I am very much excited about this class and the projects that we will be working on.  Due to my job, I will be unable to attend all of the classes but look forward to reading and learning from my fellow feminist bloggers.