Tuesday, October 28, 2008

Feminist or Feminist?

<http://stanford.library.usyd.edu.au/entries/feminism-topics/>
The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy defines feminism as both an intellectual commitment and a political movement that seeks justice for women and the end of sexism in all forms.

By the former portion of this definition I guess that I would fall into the classification of a "feminist". I'm far from a sexist, I disagree with any beliefs of the sort, and I'm all for the fair and just treatment and rights of women as a whole. BUT the latter portion as it regards feminism as a political movement throws me out of the loop. I'm not part of any feminist movement- political or not. Sure I agree with their beliefs and purposes, but for me to call myself a feminist would be dishonest in that I'm not active in pursuing the goals in which true feminists have set out to acheive.

Most people upon hearing the term feminism automatically draw the idea of feminist activism or something to that effect; this is the idealogy of feminism as a political movement. Now knowing that and guaging by people's perceptions of the terms feminist and feminism, anyone who merely believes that women should be granted equal rights but makes no attempts to facilitate the ambition isn't even half a feminist. Actions speak much louder than words and in following this mentality, one could easily deduct that the only true feminists are the activists themselves- the picketeers and protesters, the authors, the public speakers and so on. Basically, you have to do a lot more than just think or feel to be a feminist.

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