Feminism
Posted on March 27, 2013 by Nanco John
There is a mischievous irony to the movement of feminism, in that it both promotes and ‘harms’ the cause of women’s equality with men. Indeed feminists have, and are accomplishing great progress for women in gender repressed cultures, but in the western world, a diminishing return effect is gradually, inevitably creeping up on their ideals. Examples of these are
plenty in ‘stagnant’ etiquette and social expectations of today.
The fact that feminists are not virulent in campaigns to stop men from open doors, pulling back chairs, hewing wood for camp-fires, and generally protecting women is case in point. It is often acceptable, and even condoned if a woman lashes out in anger to hit a man
But the reverse, no matter how lightly the male hits, is an abomination. To interpret this example in any way as advocating for male violence is a gross misjudgment, because it is raised… Continue reading →
Posted in Activism, Feminism, Pop Culture, Social Commentary |
Tagged Female, Feminism, feminists, Male, men, Women
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Posted on August 24, 2012 by skeptik@l
Fictional portrayals of women in politics are such rare commodities today. Of course, this can only be justified by alluding to the typical portrayals of women on screen; women as helpless damsels attacked or murdered by mad men, women in trouble for partaking in illegal activities, women in the porn industry and women in domestic service. Even though the existence of fictional political figures is scarce in existence, the existing stories depicting this phenomenon seem to embody a similar message: most female politicians are portrayed as unattractive, compulsive and corrupted.
For instance, Charles Herman-Wurmfeld’s Legally Blond II depicts Congresswoman Victoria Rudd (played by Sally Field) presumably as one of the most influential woman in the White House
Unlike Elle Woods (played by Reese Witherspoon), the demure, overtly polite “capital Barbie”, Rudd is painted as headstrong, curt, sturdy and hard-nosed. As expected, Woods’ later finds out that Rudd has been furtively… Continue reading →
Posted in Activism, Feminism, Media, Modern Living, Politics, Pop Culture, Social Commentary, Society |
Tagged Female, Feminism, politics
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Posted on August 17, 2012 by skeptik@l
Imagine chancing upon a society made up entirely of women; an idea proposed by Charlotte Perkins Gilman when she wrote her feminist utopian novel Herland. The idea of the existence of a society just like the one in Herland is not entirely impossible; in fact, it has been around for centuries. Feminists like Gilman believe that the result of such a society could equate to an ideal social order, free of war, conflict and domination. It sounds completely whacked but believe it or not, something of that sort could possibly happen in the near future.
Posted in Feminism, History, Politics, Religion, Society |
Tagged Saudi Arabia, Women
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Posted on June 21, 2012 by skeptik@l
Feminists are almost always associated with bra-burning, stoic and masculine women. That’s the stereotype we are familiar with at least. People don’t usually associate feminism with romanticism, weakness and well, sentimentality. So what kind of mothers do you think feminists will make?
The stoic, independent nature of a feminist would most likely lead us to assume a certain style of parenting these mothers would provide. In fact, it sounds pretty plausible that a feminist mother would most likely prevent from coddling their children or even provide attachment parenting practices so that their babies could grow up to be as strong and independent as they are. That’s where you’re wrong.
A new research done by Miriam Liss and Mindy Erchull of the University of Mary Washington show that feminist mothers “endorse the importance of the time-intensive, hands-on parenting practices associated with attachment parenting — a child-centric parenting technique in which children’s… Continue reading →
Posted in Feminism, Modern Living, Science, Society |
Tagged Feminism, Motherhood
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Posted on June 12, 2012 by skeptik@l
Now, the reason some people can’t appreciate good literary classics is because well, let’s just face it, they’re boring, old-fashioned and well, you can’t really relate to them. This is precisely why school teachers make use of adaptations or movie renditions to try and get their students interested in these classics. I have to be honest, I love classics. So when I find out about remakes or renditions, I get all excited it makes other people around me sick. Here’s the latest rendition of a classic that’s got me in a fix: The Lizzie Bennet Diaries.
If you aren’t familiar with Jane Austen’s plot of Pride and Prejudice, I just might be able to fill you in. The protagonist of the novel, Elizabeth Bennet goes through issues of marriage, propriety, morality, love and education in England during the 19th century
She goes against all odds to reject marriage proposals for… Continue reading →
Posted in Feminism, History, Literature, Media, Technology & Innovation |
Tagged Jane Austen, Lizzie Bennet Diaries
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Posted on March 7, 2012 by skeptik@l
Of all the controversies which exist in our world today, the role of females in the military is one which is still being debated frequently. It is a known fact that generally, women are just not as physically fit as men are. Even though some women prove to be capable of taking on the role of a combat soldier, the idea is still foreign to most. Apart from that, the thought of women being treated condescendingly by their male counterparts exists as a greater issue today.
Recently, there have been reports of 8 former members of the US military being raped and harassed during their time served in the military. These women are now involved in a new federal lawsuit. According to Time,
“Eight current and former members of the U.S. military allege in a new federal lawsuit that they were raped, assaulted or harassed during their service and… Continue reading →
Posted in Cover-up, Feminism, military affairs, Society |
Tagged Feminism, military
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Posted on February 5, 2012 by skeptik@l
Often, it takes a great deal of discipline to stay true to your morals. This is especially the case when you’re seduced by materialistic incentives. If you haven’t heard of Sheryl K Sandberg, shame on you. Sandberg is the chief operating officer of Facebook, since 2008.
So technically, Sandberg is Mark Zuckerberg’s Number 2. More importantly, she will soon be known as the $1.6 billion woman. Recently, Facebook has “filed to go public in a deal that, in all likelihood, will instantly make it one of the most valuable corporations on the planet.”
Even though Sandberg bears the grand title she will soon hold, she still holds strong to her feminist ideals. She sees herself as a role model for women everywhere. According to The New York Times,
“Given that Ms
Sandberg is Facebook’s chief operating officer, and that all of Wall Street was hanging on last week’s news,… Continue reading →
Posted in Fascinating Characters, Feminism, Great Leaders, Modern Living, Society |
Tagged Facebook, Feminism, Sheryl Sandberg
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Posted on January 19, 2012 by skeptik@l
Who would have thought that in the patriarchal world we live in today, there would be a reversal of roles in terms of gender discrimination? Matriarchy exists too, albeit a smaller scale. Imagine a world where the male gender is discriminated upon, a world where family names are passed down by mothers instead of fathers. Imagine a world where wealth is passed down from mother to daughter as opposed to father to son. It sounds pretty farfetched does it not? I assure you, this is not some utopian society conjured by feminists like Charlotte Perkins Gilman with regards to Herland. This is in fact happening in male dominated world today.
Let me introduce to you the Indian state of Meghalaya where society is dictated by the matrilineal system. In this little Indian state, the men form their own men’s rights movement. As absurd (or comical) as it sounds, the men… Continue reading →
Posted in Feminism, History, Modern Living, Society |
Tagged Feminism, Matriarchy
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Posted on January 7, 2012 by skeptik@l
With the 2012 United States presidential elections drawing to an exciting peak, cries from numerous feminists all over the country were heard after Michele Bachmann withdrew from the presidential race. With the disappointing results after the Iowa caucuses, Bachmann decided to withdraw from the running of president. It turned out that this was attributed to the single digit sixth-place loss in her home state of Iowa.
So there goes Michele Bachmann’s hope of becoming the next president of the United States. Let’s not forget the failed prospects of the United States electing its first female president for at least another four years now. So what’s the deal with having a female leader to lead the country? Although the idea may seem unconventional in nature, it is certainly not foreign
Many modern Western nations have had their share of female leaders in history. Margaret Thatcher is a name which needs… Continue reading →
Posted in Feminism, Government, Great Leaders, History, Modern Living, Society |
Tagged Female Leaders, Feminism
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Posted on July 12, 2011 by skeptik@l
Many recognize Mary Wollstonecraft as the instigator of feminism since the publication of her feminist philosophical book, “A vindication of the rights of women” in 1792. In her book, Wollstonecraft pointed out that the only reason for the inferiority of women to men is the apparent lack of education for the former. Wollstonecraft’s writings, however, did not take precedence until the rise of feminist movements in the late nineteenth century. Today, we recognize Wollstonecraft’s ideas as a contribution to the female kind. Whenever someone argues for the equality between the sexes or criticizes the archetype femininity, Wollstonecraft is often acknowledged. However so, how far has feminism progressed and if Wollstonecraft were alive today, would she be proud of the achievements of the rest of her female comrades?
It might seem that feminism may appear to be obsolete; irrelevant perhaps, because let’s face it, why the need for the advocacy of… Continue reading →
Posted in Feminism, History, Modern Living |
Tagged Feminism, Mary Wollstonecraft
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Fictional portrayals of women in politics are such rare commodities today. Of course, this can only be justified by alluding to the typical portrayals of women on screen; women as helpless damsels attacked or murdered by mad men, women in trouble for partaking in illegal activities, women in the porn industry and women in domestic service. Even though the existence of fictional political figures is scarce in existence, the existing stories depicting this phenomenon seem to embody a similar message: most female politicians are portrayed as unattractive, compulsive and corrupted.
Feminism: Winning The Battle And Losing The War
Posted on March 27, 2013 by Nanco John
There is a mischievous irony to the movement of feminism, in that it both promotes and ‘harms’ the cause of women’s equality with men. Indeed feminists have, and are accomplishing great progress for women in gender repressed cultures, but in the western world, a diminishing return effect is gradually, inevitably creeping up on their ideals. Examples of these are
plenty in ‘stagnant’ etiquette and social expectations of today.
The fact that feminists are not virulent in campaigns to stop men from open doors, pulling back chairs, hewing wood for camp-fires, and generally protecting women is case in point. It is often acceptable, and even condoned if a woman lashes out in anger to hit a man
But the reverse, no matter how lightly the male hits, is an abomination. To interpret this example in any way as advocating for male violence is a gross misjudgment, because it is raised… Continue reading →
Posted in Activism, Feminism, Pop Culture, Social Commentary | Tagged Female, Feminism, feminists, Male, men, Women | Leave a comment