| Kenneth G. Wilson (1923–). The Columbia Guide to Standard American English. 1993. |
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| feminism (n.), feminist (adj., n.) |
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| The literal meaning of feminism is “a theoretical concept urging the social, economic, and political equality of the sexes,” and feminist is both the related adjective and an agentive noun, meaning “a holder or supporter of such views.” Used in that sense, these words are nearly neutral in semantic overtones, but their specialized uses assume that such equality does not in some ways yet exist and that therefore equality of the sexes inevitably involves struggle—whether to achieve it, to prevent it, or to make women “more equal than men” (to paraphrase George Orwell). Even though the majority of Standard users appear to believe in the desirability of equality of the sexes, by no means all who support the position agree on what it may entail or are willing to be called feminists. So widely varied are the programs proposed under the banner of feminism, so intemperate some of their champions and adversaries, that both terms have pejorated to a point where they are no longer useful in most rational discussion. | 1 |
| In this guide we observe occasionally that “some feminists” agree or disagree on a given usage’s fairness or utility, but such uses almost invariably bring editorial objection from one or another editor. No one, clearly, dares define what anyone else means by feminism, which is not surprising, given the intensity of the emotions the issue currently attracts. Best advice: because these terms are unusable in many contexts, including some Edited English, either find euphemistic substitutes for them or use circumlocution. The oft-heard “I favor the equality of the sexes on all issues, but I’m no feminist” makes clear the precarious usage items feminism and feminist are today. Compare SEXISM. | 2 |
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| | | The Columbia Guide to Standard American English. Copyright © 1993 Columbia University Press. |
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