Feminism: is it about gender equality or the female gender lording over the male gender?

Can I start a third group of feminists, whose goal is to encourage people to stop being so afraid of feminism that they think feminists are trying to bring men down?

Look, bigots are bigots and zealots are zealots. Women who want to keep men down are no better than men who want to keep women down. But that represents such a small and radical faction that it’s not really representative of feminism as a whole. Just like suicide bombers aren’t representative of muslims and creationists aren’t representative of Christians.

What’s the term for we females that want equal pay for equal work, but still want you men to help us reach that thing way up there, and open our pickle jars for us?

@Seek_Kolinahr – Now that IS called equality. :-)

We get you ladies the pickle jar, you ladies kiss our booboo and make us feel better. :-)

@Seek_Kolinahr Reasonable. That’s the term I’d go with.

@Spinel There is always the anomaly mixed in with the group of sensible people. Sometimes the anomalies get together and perpetuate an extreme.

Just like with a lot of things, you have the moderates and the fundamentalists or extremists. the extremists are called ‘Femi-nazis’ lol.

Seek Kolinahr is very reasonable. Well, for a girl (kidding! No kill I!)

She is quite right that most women – and men for that matter – just want fair and equal. Not all of us agree where fair and equal are as some jobs are more muscular than others (very few anymore though). While such jobs shouldn’t be closed to females neither should the standards for entry into them be altered in favor of gender equity unless the original strength standards were dishonest in the first place.

And then there’s combat. Which I don’t wanna get into (either the subject or actual combat).

The ‘movement’ of Feminism has official spokespersons who tend to say very provocative things while Feminism as a field of academia has some professors who tend to write ludicrous things.

That’s standard fare for a lot of movements (see also; Conservatism) and newer academic fields.

I might add that what Seek Kolinahr is talking about is equal and friendly which is the only way to run a society.

Men aren’t the enemy; men are the ally. – Margaret Atwood

I have not seen a large group of women “who work for the domination of female gender”.

I don’t know what faction people are referring to.

I think @Factotum says it very well. My personal goal would be gender neutrality. At work, I don’t want to be seen as a “lady doctor.” I just want to be seen as a doctor. (Or “Doc”, as everyone insists on calling me. :) ) And I’d like to be compensated according to my length of training and level of performance.

I haven’t really met people from the latter group. I think that is mainly a false image that people have of feminism because they’re scared of it, so they exaggerate and act paranoid. As far as I’m considered, someone who wants dominion over the other gender is just a chauvinist/misogynist/misandrist.

Most people are just for equality.

I’m a humanist.

Given that we live in a world of imperfect beings who sometimes have nasty thoughts, misguided opinions and malevolent feelings about others unlike themselves, I say let’s aim for equality, then. All people who are capable of doing what they want to do should be able to give things a go, unimpeded by whatever sexual organs they’ve got.

Another humanist here. @Spinel it would be easier to know how to respond to your original question if I had a few examples of women you would put in your second group of those who work for the domination of female gender. Real ones please, who you have either personally encountered or who have enough of a google presence that we can get an in depth look.

[Feminism is] a socialist, anti-family, political movement that encourages women to leave their husbands, kill their children, practice witchcraft, destroy capitalism and become lesbians. – Pat Robertson doing what he does best

@MagsRags

A manager at the local McDonald’s complained to the owners of the male workers. She proclaimed women to be more capable, so the owners, in her opinion, would do well to start hiring more female workers and to reject applications from the male side of the populous.

This manager’s niece became upset when she found out that her “rightful” place in her highschool’s driving class had been taken by another student – a male student. Last semester, when she lucked out, she was ok with her spot being taken by a female student.

Both are acquaintances of my family, and both are members of a local feminist group

On campus, there is a group of female students who play pranks on the new, male, freshmen

My experience with feminists is limited. To learn more is one reason behind the question.

Ooh. The McDonald’s manager and her niece don’t sound like feminists, they sound like bigots.

And the pranks on male students? How sad that the female students don’t see that they’re perpetuating the idea that it’s OK for one group to harass another group based on gender.

Here are some fun quotes from feminists with at least some power and influence, either political or educational. Note that in no way am I saying that this is what feminists or feminism is about. But it is what some feminists and some feminism is about:

“We are, as a sex, infinitely superior to men.” – Elizabeth Cady Stanton (November 12, 1815 – October 26, 1902) was an American social activist, abolitionist, and leading figure of the early woman’s movement. Her Declaration of Sentiments, presented at the first women’s rights convention held in 1848 in Seneca Falls, New York, is often credited with initiating the first organized woman’s rights and woman’s suffrage movements in the United States. [Wikipedia]

“Men who are unjustly accused of rape can sometimes gain from the experience.” – Catherine Comins, assistant dean of student life at Vassar

“Since marriage constitutes slavery for women, it is clear that the women’s movement must concentrate on attacking this institution. Freedom for women cannot be won without the abolition of marriage.” – Sheila Cronin, the leader of the feminist organization NOW

“I believe that women have a capacity for understanding and compassion which man structurally does not have, does not have it because he cannot have it. He’s just incapable of it.” – Barbara Jordan; Former Congresswoman.

Growing up in CA, I’ve been exposed to some radical feminists that believe women are superior to men. I think this is borne out of anger due to the long suppression that women have experienced under patriarchies. In a way, I can understand this view because, well, I think women are awesome and frankly, I prefer women to men.

However, the reality is the world has both men and women, so I make it work and try to avoid being sucked into extremist belief systems. I do have male friends. :P

I would say that most feminists strive solely for the respect and equality of women and the extremists give the movement a bad rap.

Men rule the world they are stronger , the only reason women have equal rights is because men allow it .

@germanmannn Surely you jest…..

Women had no rights for thousands of years , why didn’t they get them until the 60’s? @blackberry,Face it if there was a war against men and women who do you think would still be free and who would be there slaves again?

@germanmannn Social Darwinism isn’t a generally accepted theory anymore. Sorry, bud.

With your logic, poor people should stay poor, everyone should stay in the socioeconomic status they were born in, and no one should attempt to move up the ladder at all because it was established long ago by primitive and ignorant ideology that all lives are predetermined before they are born.

Lol @ blackberry yeah your right tell that to women in all the 3rd world country’s that have no rights at all and I mean 0 none hmmmmmm why don’t they take over the men you no just kick there ass why I ask you

@blackberry Most people do stay in the socioeconomic status they were born into. Just because we have the ability to “move up the ladder” in the united states doesn’t mean it’s the same everywhere in the world.

hmmmmm no reply ?

@cheebdragon I’m aware.

@germanmannn Physical strength is not a sole deciding factor.