What comes to mind when you hear the word “Feminism”? You’ll probably hear a few people tut or shake their heads. It as if people view Feminism as a dirty word as if Feminism equals something disgraceful as if being a Feminist is something to be ashamed of. How about this, what comes to mind when I tell you that I am a Feminist? Some may say that I am something vile, something scandalous, something that I should hide and not tell. To that I ask yet another set of questions, When did it become wrong for a woman to stand up for her rights? For a woman to say what's on her mind? For a woman to speak out about the injustice she faces? Ladies and Gentlemen, I am here today to speak about an issue, a problem, a severe dilemma that society is facing …show more content…
Some people view feminism as changing the Patriarchy into a Matriarchy, and some women act like every man is trying to rape them and that women are the dominant sex. This, however, is wrong. These people are known as Feminazis. Feminazis are not feminists, they are radical feminists, they are a misrepresentation that has been spoon fed to you. They are a minority that many people stereotype as feminists. That is incorrect for feminists are people who believe that men and women should be treated equally, for they are all humans and deserve the same rights. Almost all feminists fight for one thing which is for women to be treated equally on the grounds of political, economic and social rights. They are asking for little, very very little. They are asking to be recognized as strong. They are asking to be independent. They are asking to be seen as powerful. But every time a woman raises her voice for her rights she is silenced. Every time she talks about being a feminist, she is told to stop, not come off as ‘too strong’. She is told that it is her fault for getting raped and being traumatized for life. She is told not to say anything to men who catcall or say rude and inappropriate comments since it may shatter the man’s fragile …show more content…
And sure, men are also victims of rape. Men are also told to be silent about rape just like women. But it is the same sexism that affects men that also affects women. So shutting it down for women affects men too, it is a real issue that affects us all. Still, women are told to ‘cover themselves’ and ‘not draw attention’. When they get raped they are told that they were ‘asking for it’, they’re told ‘not to report it’. Why? Why are you telling someone who's gotten seriously hurt to hide their pain? How dare you tell someone who's had their body and innocence violated to ‘not report it’? How do you have the audacity to tell a woman, most often a teenager, to suffer in silence? That is why 54% of rapes go unreported, that is why 32,000 babies born in the USA are a result of sexual assault, that is why 97% of rapists are never incarcerated. Women are always being told that they are the issue, that they were asking for it, that they should overlook it. You may have heard the phrase: “men will be men”. That phrase is wrong because men are humans like us, and if women can control themselves men can too. A man cannot use the excuse of ‘raging hormones’ to get out of sexually harassing a woman, it is simply wrong and disgusting. Men need to be held accountable for their actions. Nobody should say that a 14 or 15-year-old girl was ‘asking for it’. They are teenagers who should not have their bodies
In order to understand the present day feminist movement, one must understand how feminism originated and the basic definition of feminism. What comes to mind when you hear the word feminism? For many, phrases like “man-hater” and “feminazi” have become equated with feminism. However, feminism is quite simply defined as “political, economic, and social equality of
What you are about to hear are a few letters to people in this world involving the issue of sexism. I am a young women. No one should grow up in this world thinking they can’t do something due to something as stupid as one’s gender. According to a Boston Globe article by Maria Danilova dated January 27, 2017 which states, “Can women be brilliant? Young girls are not so sure. A study published Thursday in the journal Science suggests that girls as young as 6 can be led to believe men are inherently smarter and more talented than women, making girls less motivated to pursue novel activities or ambitious careers. That such stereotypes exist is hardly a surprise, but the findings show these biases can
Modern feminism means equality for men and women whereas, a century ago, feminism meant that women should have the same rights as men. People are all given the same human rights, yet men and women battle for equality. Genders struggle against each other and also with each other for equality. Women strive for equality in the workplace, and to be heard without being labeled as bossy or aggressive. Women fight in our country to be equal in a position in politics. Some men hide behind society’s norms of what a man should be. Society norms say men should not show their feelings, or in any way have feminine traits or roles. Men feel they need to be aggressive instead of submissive. Some feel if they are not portrayed the "manly type" they are looked at as weak and/or not in control. Feminism is found to be viewed as man-hating, when in fact it is the belief that men and women have the same rights.
Many people like to think that feminism is irrelevant, for society has gotten so far. It’s true that there has been a progression within the past century, but there are still issues that need resolving. One can’t say that misogyny does not exist, neither can they deny that violence against women is a problem. Throughout history, all over the world, women have struggled under the patriarchy.
When thinking about feminism in today’s society we tend to direct our minds and thoughts to a more radical and powerful train of thought. Feminism has been going on for centuries, with two main ideologies at the forefront; liberal and cultural feminism. Someone who identifies as a liberal feminist is someone who believes that women and men are a like and equal in most respects and deserve equal roles and opportunities (Wood & Fixmer-Oraiz, 2017, p. 58). And cultural feminism is someone who identifies as someone who believes that men and women are fundamentally differently; you have different rights, role and opportunities (Wood & Fixmer-Oraiz, 2017, p. 58). The women’s rights movement can be understood and broken down into three “waves”.
Feminists today are viewed as raging, man-hating bitches, but feminism in its true sense simply advocates women’s rights. While there are extremes on either side of the scale, most feminists fight
On September 5, 1995 in Beijing, China, first lady Hillary Clinton delivered a speech on women’s rights at the United Nations Fourth World Conference of Women. As Clinton stood in front of an audience of thousands she proudly stated “If there is one message that echoes forth from this conference, let it be that human rights are women’s rights and women’s rights are human rights once and for all.” The target of the conference was to inform the audience of government officials, leaders of organizations and the public on the problems women throughout the world face. Clinton’s speech argued how women were not treated equally and that women’s rights should be equal to human rights. Throughout her speech, Clinton provided harsh examples of the abuse, rape, death and discrimination women face, to evoke sympathy from the audience. Her overarching goal was to get action among government officials and motivate women across the world to take control of their lives and not suffer from these circumstances. Clinton uses a mix of pathos, ethos, logos, and anaphora to deliver a definition argument on why women’s rights are human rights.
Most people don’t understand the basics of the idea, and the practice of feminism. Feminism is historically a multicultural cause. Today's feminist activists are women and men of all walks of life who seek to combat racism, sexism, classism, etc. Feminism doesn't just liberate women; it also liberates men by breaking down the standards which society has put in place for both women and men. Women are very much still behind men in multiple ways. Furthermore, Feminists not only believe in equality between men and women, but also in equality between every gender, class, race, and sexual
Feminism began way back in the early 1800’s with a realization that gender roles limited the sexes. From the very start, there have been many male feminists, even if they are not spoken of often. In the 1830’s, William Lloyd Garrison emerged as one of the first men to openly believe in women participating in the abolition movement and other political issues. During that time, it took mounds of courage for a male to stand up and say that women could do something just as well as men. Fast forward over many years of history, and even in modern day America, men are still looked at strangely when they say they are feminists. One male feminist shared on CNN.com in 2013, “My feminism is a simple belief in equality. I’m a feminist because I believe that men and women are and should be equal, but we’re not treated equally right now” (Brougher 1). He shared his ideas of all the reasons women need to be given equal rights, but
It 's unfortunate that when some people hear the term feminism, they automatically place that as a negative word and it becomes something they don 't want to be associated with. It is unfortunate that people will try to avoid it however, people will still embrace the feminist politics. As feminist scholar Susan A. Mann (2012) describes, when people refuse to identify as a feminist they create the "I 'm-not-a feminist-but" syndrome. This refers to when people understand the importance of struggles with gender issues, such that include the wage gap or domestic violence, but they will still reject the notion that it may actually mean they are a feminist if they are fighting for that cause. Feminism has a simple definition, it means that women seek gender equality through political, social, and economic gain.
The Cambridge Dictionary defines feminism as, “An organized effort to give women the same economic,social, and political rights as men” (“Definition of ‘Feminism’ - English Dictionary”). However, from the time the term was coined in the seventeenth century to its modern-day use, feminism has connoted different meanings depending on the location and the situation. Every person has their own definition of feminism, which constitutes their actions within the feminist movement. According to Azhariah Rachman, there are three different kinds of feminists: liberal feminists, radical feminists, and socialist feminists. Liberal feminists believe they are halted from pursuing their interests in the same way as men by discriminatory ideology, while radical feminists believe that men are the problem, not the principles that are being taught throughout
Sadly, the use of the word feminist had tended to bring a bitter taste in the mouth and mind in the past, however, our modern-day culture has managed to bring the true meaning of feminism to light, and
I never knew much about feminism until a year ago it came up in a class and I sat down and did my research. It’s sad how much women are looked down upon simply because we are women. We deserve to be more equal to men, some women can do the same job as a man, maybe even better. I consider myself a feminist because as a woman I want to be valued and have the same opportunity as a man. I came across a picture that stated “I don’t need feminism because ours sons are not inherent rapist and out daughters are not perpetual victims” (Bodenner), all feminist don’t consider men as rapist; especially me.
“If there is one message that echoes forth from this conference, let it be that human rights are women’s rights and women’s rights are human rights once and for all.” On September 5, 1995, 180 countries came together in Beijing China to hear first lady Hillary Clinton 's speech about women 's rights. This speech was the United Nations Fourth World Conference of Women. The target audience for this speech is governments and other organizations that can help meet the goal of making women 's rights human rights. She addressed problems that every single country faced concerning the liberties of women, and why it was important that they receive these freedoms. The speech was courageous and considered path breaking too many in its demand for action. “The great challenge of this conference is to give voice to women everywhere whose experiences go unnoticed, whose words go unheard.” Hillary Clinton has become famous for the statement: “Women’s rights are human rights.” She is known as one of the greatest women of our time, combining intelligence, compassion and bravery. First I am going to explain how she strategically used ethos, pathos and logos then I will analyze the speech through Burke’s Dramatism pentad.
simple goal in mind: equal rights for women. Since the earliest forms of feminism in the eighteenth century, women have overcome seemingly insurmountable odds and made leaps and bounds in the direction of that goal. Today, women are in a better position than they ever have been in American history, or the history of the world, but the goal has still not yet been met. Freedom fighters advocating for the equality of both genders are still very much a part of everyday life, and will continue to be until equality is realized. However, over the past few decades, certain portions of these freedom fighters have arisen to be a separate movement altogether under the guise of feminism. These “radicals” seem to have an ulterior motive, however consciously, inconsistent with the overall aim of true feminism: female superiority. Under the modern definition of feminism, most of the general population would be considered feminists. It is the radical groups that undermine the efforts of those who desire equality, and it is each individual 's responsibility to bring to light the extent of the damage these separatists inflict upon the underlying cause.