Might help also to describe what you think feminism is, since it’s one of those terms that is overloaded.

I once had a physical therapist tell me she wasn’t a feminist because she thought women couldn’t be as physically capable as men when serving as soldiers, and seemed to believe feminism requires treating women exactly like men.

I told her I was a feminist because I believe in equal rights for men and women, an idea she did not seem so opposed to.

  • uhdeuidheuidhed@thelemmy.club
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    Nah.

    For one, I don’t like a term that’s supposed to promote equality clearly favoring one side in its name.

    For two, most feminists I’ve met genuinely hate men and think they’re owed superiority, not equality, for the treatment of women in the past.

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        Black Lives Matter is a fine name for what it supports.

        I didn’t study the etymology of feminism, but in practice it has always resulted in fighting for women’s rights while ignoring or paying lip-service to men’s rights.

        There’s no feminist platform that advocates for removing men from the draft or including women in it, for example. I don’t believe that the differences between men and women, especially today, are great enough to give any preference to one sex over the other. Most of us are suffering because we are poor.

        From my experience, feminists will say feminism is about equality to fool people who don’t know any better into supporting a cause that is practically about female superiority. They believe it’s woman’s turn to be the oppressors and to them that is ‘fair.’

        This is exemplified by how it’s socially acceptable (even encouraged) to make disparaging comments about men, but making similar comments about women will get you ostracized. You can’t say you’re for equality of the sexes if you laugh when somebody says “I hate all men” but get angry if someone else says “I hate all women.” Neither is acceptable, but feminists will disagree.

  • 🍉 Albert 🍉@lemmy.world
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    9 days ago

    feminist as in “tear down unjust hierarchies”, and definitely not feminist as in “girlboss yay we need more ladies oppressors”

    • Noobnarski@lemmy.world
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      9 days ago

      Exactly, also this “all men are bad and monsters” has to stop. This is not how you get the good men to help you stop and punish the bad men.

      But yeah, fuck the patriarchy, women should have just as many rights and freedoms as men do, in theory and in practice.

      • 🍉 Albert 🍉@lemmy.world
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        9 days ago

        reversing sexism isn’t a solution to any issue, it’s the irrational hierarchies that are bad, not the fact that it’s not your people on top.

        also, I don’t think I’ve ever heard a feminist talking about “all men are monsters”, but I’ve definitely heard antifeminist men claim they do.

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          9 days ago

          I agree, but sadly I have seen posts claiming that all men are monsters and lots of people agreeing online, and not just once or twice.

          • 🍉 Albert 🍉@lemmy.world
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            the funny thing is that now, me, a cis man, sitting in the loo, claiming to be pro feminist, is about to write “those aren’t real feminists”.

            I’m laughing while writing this.

            don’t take me seriously please.

        • npdean@lemmy.today
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          You have not been on social media during that time period, maybe. It was everywhere which led some men to become antifeminist.

  • nutbutter@discuss.tchncs.de
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    9 days ago

    I am a feminist.

    Feminism means all genders should be treated equal, but that does not mean men should also get paid menstrual leaves at their job. Equal rights, yes. Everyone should be treated fairly.

    • uhdeuidheuidhed@thelemmy.club
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      It’s a really shit word to use if it’s supposed to mean equality.

      Are there any other words we can use to replace feminism that doesn’t show bias towards one side?

      • dandelion (she/her)@lemmy.blahaj.zoneOP
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        isn’t the nature of inequality that one side is privileged while another is marginalized?

        Feminism is about gender equality, which means addressing the inequality that exists. You seem confused about what equality is about …

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          I’ll accept that feminism is about furthering the rights of women.

          It’s not about equality, though, which is why we never hear feminists complaining about men in the draft or a lack of female representation in sanitation services.

          It’s also a terrible word to use if it is about equality because it clearly favors one group over others. If you want to support equality, you should use a different word.

    • neon_nova@lemmy.dbzer0.com
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      Defining it as paid menstrual leave is kind of the problem. Hear me out.

      Women should be able to take paid leaves from work to deal with menstrual problems, but it shouldn’t stop there. All people should be able to take leave from work when they need it.

      So, if it is redefined as paid leave, then it equalizes the field.

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        I think the “when they need it” part is where the feminism becomes relevant - there is a history of women (and men) being denied leave when they need it for sexist / patriarchal reasons (e.g. men are generally not given paternity leave, women might not be allowed to take leave due to menstruation).

        The scope of acceptable reasons to take leave is what is debated and where feminism has pushed for paid leave for reasons previously denied to both men and women.

      • nutbutter@discuss.tchncs.de
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        9 days ago

        I get you. But say, a company has a policy that we give employees 2 paid leaves per month, for example, a woman can take those 2 paid leaves for the same reasons as the men do, but they would also need a day more of paid leaves to deal with the menstrual pain/stress. If that extra day is not defined as “menstrual leaves” men would argue that why are women getting more leaves, and hence the feminism thing will be broken as both are not treated fairly.

        Same in the case of pregnancy. Companies give 2 months of paid leaves for that.

        Or maybe the right thing to do is, just say, if you’re pregnant, you get paid time off, if you’re having periods you get paid time off. Do not include gender in it.

        Idk man.

        • neon_nova@lemmy.dbzer0.com
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          9 days ago

          I get what you’re saying, but if a woman is given more benefits than a man, businesses are disincentivized to hire women.

          • BillyTheKid@lemmy.ca
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            Unless the government subsidizes their wages or reduces tax burdens for companies that have more diverse hiring

            That’s what we do in my country. If you hire only men you generally qualify for fewer government programs. In some cases you cant bid on the job if you don’t have sufficient representation for specific groups.

        • degen@midwest.social
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          But I think the idea is that men should get the same lenience, i.e. just-feeling-wrecked-leave rather than menstrual-leave. The difference in having a baby should be that one needs medical leave too, in my mind.

        • Tacoma@feddit.org
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          And that’s why the amount of paid leave should not be limited by time but by reason. If you can’t work because you’re pregnant or sick or whatever, you get paid leave until you are better. And the employer or coworkers don’t even need to know why you can’t work, that’s for a doctor to decide. And anyone saying it’s not fair if they have to work more because they are not sick as often is obviously just selfish and not interested in equality

    • npdean@lemmy.today
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      9 days ago

      I kind of agree on this. Women cannot expect equal pay for less work.

      • Tacoma@feddit.org
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        But that’s not what they are expecting. They expect to not have to work if they are sick. And that should apply to anyone, shouldn’t it? Which leaves the question, who has to care for the sick? Historically that would be the family, but nowerdays with the focus on individualism, either everyone has to care (e.g. by some health care system) or we just accept that sick people are not cared for in our society and hope that we don’t get sick. I know I prefer the first solution

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          The problem is grey area in what sick means when it comes to periods. Is low mood sick? Is PMS sick? Is pain during periods sick? Is being irritable sick? This makes it seem like an excuse at time.

          Men should also be then allowed to take leaves when they feel like shit or something. Point is equal pay for equal work. Women can’t expect to be CEOs and stuff when they don’t put in equal work. There are women who get to high posts inspite of all these problems and I respect that. I guess it is more of an individual to individual thing about who puts in efforts, who is truthful, etc.

          • Seleni@lemmy.world
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            9 days ago

            I absolutely guarantee you one of those things is not like the others. Period pain can be truly debilitating, especially for a person with endometriosis. It is totally worth time off.

            Also, I find your insinuation that women take time off for ‘low mood’ and ‘being irritable’ frequently—as opposed to men—rather sexist and offensive, not to mention not reflective of reality.

            However, I do like how you inadvertently stumbled into the idea that we should all have more sick days and mental health should be included in the definition of ‘health’. Taking time off for a mental ‘breather’ should be normalized in our society. I also think higher-mental-stress jobs like 911 dispatcher should get more mental health off-time.

            • npdean@lemmy.today
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              If it is a diagnosed disease, then time off is no brainer. However, then they should not expect any promotions over other people without the disease (assuming equal work/hour).

              Also, I find your insinuation that women take time off for ‘low mood’ and ‘being irritable’ frequently—as opposed to men—rather sexist and offensive, not to mention not reflective of reality.

              I don’t have data, it is based on my observations of people and opinions. I’d be happy to be proved wrong.

              inadvertently stumbled into the idea

              Because anyone other than “feminists” does not have a brain to come up with ideas intentionally. This statement is the perfect example why feminism is being promoted in an extremely stupid way. You attack the very people who are willing to engage in constructive discussions by calling them stupid. Then, you are surprised when they fight back and call them sexist pigs. No wonder men hate feminism as a movement.

              • Seleni@lemmy.world
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                And where in my previous post did I call you stupid?

                You speak of mental health days in a derogatory way, as if you find the very idea that people should take care of their mental as well as physical health offensive, for reasons I don’t understand.

                I’m saying that your mocking statement about taking days off for such things should in fact be something we do, and something we should find acceptable to do.

              • Pandantic [they/them]@midwest.social
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                then they should not expect any promotions over other people without the disease (assuming equal work/hour).

                Are you saying if they work the same hours, but take off more of their sick days because of a disease, they shouldn’t get a promotion?

          • Tacoma@feddit.org
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            I agree that there is a big grey area on what is too sick to work, but with my proposal at least we are a big step further and instead of the employer deciding for you (who wants you to work for them) or you deciding on your own (who might not want to come to work after a night partying), there is now an (hopefully) independant entity, the doctor who decides.

            But I have to admit that of course the doctor can only listen to the patient and decide based on that, because there is just no way to measure pain/sickness objectively. So in the end we have to trust people to decide on their own if they are sick.

            With your proposed solution of x sick days, I guess that many people that are actually too sick for work have to work just because they don’t have enough days, while some that don’t get sick might use their sick days anyway, because they have them. And even with my solution, realistically there will be a lot of people going to work when they should rest, while there will also be people that use the system to rest after celebrating. I don’t think a perfectly fair system is possible, but I prefer the system where people are not exploited and supressed.

            Coming back to your argument on periods, like I said, there is no way to measure someones pain besides asking them, and ignoring their answer is not the solution, so yes women should be able to take leaves for period pain. And yes, men should be able to take leaves if they feel like crap, even if that might mean taking of a day off that they might have been able to work. In the end the grey area is not perfectly convertable to able to work/not able to work.

  • Cowbee [he/they]@lemmy.ml
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    Yes.

    Down with the liars who are talking of freedom and equality for all, while there is an oppressed sex, while there are oppressor classes, while there is private ownership of capital, of shares, while there are the well-fed with their surplus of bread who keep the hungry in bondage. Not freedom for all, not equality for all, but a fight against the oppressors and exploiters!

    – Vladimir Lenin, Soviet Power and the Status of Women

    • Random Dent@lemmy.ml
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      Comrades, there is no true social revolution without the liberation of women. May my eyes never see and my feet never take me to a society where half the people are held in silence. I hear the roar of women’s silence. I sense the rumble of their storm and feel the fury of their revolt.

      • Thomas Sankara
  • Diva (she/her)@lemmy.ml
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    I’m a feminist, opposed to any unjust hierarchy really. One of the things that set me off at a young age was how the US never passed the equal rights amendment.

    Also in my home country the women’s liberation movement was tied up with the communist movement which also is why I have a lot of the politics that I do

  • QueenHawlSera@sh.itjust.works
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    I consider myself egalitarian

    I feel like the term Feminist gives too much of an impression that I tolerate or encourage misandry, which I certainly do not. That and if you look at feminist groups throughout history TERFs have been the norm, not the exception.

    Egalitarian, because sexism cannot be tolerated no matter which direction it’s facing.

  • monovergent 🛠️@lemmy.ml
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    There are various schools of feminism, some of which have conflicting opinions. But the common feminist standpoints, like equal rights, seem to be just common sense for me, especially in this day and age. I’m not sure where the requirement for equal physical ability fits into the equation.

    At least for me, going out and saying that you are feminist carries a sort of special connotation, and since I haven’t participated in any explicitly activist events related to feminism, I wouldn’t readily emblazon myself with the feminist label even though I stand by those ideas.

    • dandelion (she/her)@lemmy.blahaj.zoneOP
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      the physical therapist had a misconception of what feminism is, probably due to conservative misinformation that presents egalitarian movements like feminism as forcing men and women to be treated the same, and in this case the PT thought this meant soldiers were being forced to have women on their units that would slow them down or make them less effective because they weren’t allowed to vary the tasks based on strength because of “feminism”. I’m not even sure her story was based in reality, tbh - I’m not sure whether the military integrates women soldiers that way, but either way she has internalized some griping from her husband about this.

      Either way, it’s interesting to me you wouldn’t identify as a feminist even if you agree with feminism - I wonder what connotations it has, and how those connotations will change if people who are feminists don’t own that … That was part of why I owned being a feminist in my interaction with the PT - she clearly had a misunderstanding of what feminism is, so I clarified why I see myself as a feminist. Otherwise she might not ever be challenged in her views, and “feminism” just becomes the absurd strawman she rejects.

      • monovergent 🛠️@lemmy.ml
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        If, say, I hear that “Bob is a feminist”, I reflexively think that Bob is somehow renowned or outspoken in contrast to the general public for supporting feminist causes, perhaps as an educator, figurehead, or activist. I’m not sure what other specific situations I would emphasize myself as feminist, but I’d do the same if put in your situation as a way of standing up.

        • dandelion (she/her)@lemmy.blahaj.zoneOP
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          oh interesting, the idea is that being a feminist is more than just about beliefs, it implies something more, like being an activist …

          I tend to think identifying as a feminist is a lower bar, it just signifies you are in favor of equal rights among genders. I would have no problem identifying as a feminist just broadly - like on a bio, or in conversation.

          I have to think about your meaning more, though - I feel like I have some sense of that, it’s maybe a bit like being “vegan” - it implies not just a belief, but maybe also actions you take. Perhaps being a feminist implies something like that in your world, that you are actively engaged in the feminist movement - whether organizing, theorizing, etc.

          Either way, thanks for expanding my mind!

          • hakase@lemmy.zip
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            it just signifies you are in favor of equal rights among genders

            It doesn’t “just signify that” though, as much as feminists act like it does. The term “feminist” does signify a person who, at least ostensibly, is in favor of equal rights among genders, but using that term also, necessarily, implies belief in the harmful dogma that is inseparable from the term itself (patriarchy theory, etc.). This creates a false dichotomy that makes people feel that in order to support equal rights they must also buy into feminist dogma, and that’s not at all the case.

            Luckily, though, feminism doesn’t have a monopoly on gender equality, and it’s important to let people know that fact, both because of how incredibly misleading “feminism just means gender equality” is and because there are plenty of other more useful, more egalitarian frameworks through which to view the push for equality.

        • degen@midwest.social
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          I think the reflex naturally makes sense, but from the people I personally know to be outspoken and definitionally feminist, it’s more like calling yourself a feminist says you explicitly side with the feminist cause. Sort of like saying you’re anti-racist rather than identifying as someone lacking racism, which is actually a farce when we’re all biased.

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    9 days ago

    I don’t believe in an -ism. I believe in equal rights. I think the name feminism does more harm than good.

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      Why does the name do harm? If it was “anti-sexism” instead would it be more appealing, or are all “-ism” labels bad in your mind? (Might I ask why the -ism is problematic? Would you have the same view of anti-racism, for example?)

        • Cowbee [he/they]@lemmy.ml
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          That just erases that, currently, women are far more oppressed than men. Men are negatively impacted by patriarchal society as well, we all stand to gain from its abolition, but erasing that it is women that are most subjugated makes room for opportunists to coopt the movement and shut down women.

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            9 days ago

            This is the kind of thinking that pushes men away from feminism. When there is a clear intention to favor one sex over the other, the other will obviously be much less inclined to help.

            • Cowbee [he/they]@lemmy.ml
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              There is no intention to “favor one sex over the other.” The present system is explicitly cismale-supremacist. Any attempt to erase that weakens the movement and serves to perpetuate sexism against women and non-binary folk. This is similar to the “All Lives Matter” movement as a way to disrupt the “Black Lives Matter” movement.

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                It might not be the intention but modern day feminism has become so much about what women can and cannot do and how men are pigs.

                • Cowbee [he/they]@lemmy.ml
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                  No, it hasn’t. This is the way conservatives frame the feminist movement, but the actual reality of feminism is far more grounded. When you cede the narrative and legitimize the conservative viewpoint, you weaken the movement.

      • rbn@sopuli.xyz
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        I’m not OP, but many people associate feminism with strengthening women specifically. If you look up the definition it actually does focus gender equality, no matter what gender you have. So from my perspective the term isn’t really intuitive.

        Another thing I don’t like about the definition (at least the one on Wikipedia) is…

        Feminism holds the position that modern societies are patriarchal—they prioritize the male point of view—and that women are treated unjustly in these societies.

        While I sure get what they mean, I personally don’t like to classify one’s point of view as ‘male’. I agree that there are far more toxic men that seek more and more power. But i don’t dislike such people because they are men. I’d dislike their behavior just as much if they were women, non-binaries or any other gender. Classifying a character trait male IMHO is similar to calling a skirt or dress ‘women clothes’.

        So yes, to me personally, anti-sexism / anti-discrimination or even better pro-equality are more appealing.

        • dandelion (she/her)@lemmy.blahaj.zoneOP
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          9 days ago

          Do you think women face more inequality than men? What gender inequality is there to address, i.e. why does feminism as a movement of gender equality exist?

          • rbn@sopuli.xyz
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            Yes, I think women face more inquality than men. And queer people face even more discrimination than women. But also cis-men that don’t fit well into the traditional gender roles, can face discrimation. I do not object the ideology behind femism. I just don’t like the term.

          • DavidDoesLemmy@aussie.zone
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            I think women do experience more gender based adversities, but I worry framing it like that creates an “us and them” situation between genders. We should fight inequality wherever it exists.

            It also misses intersectionality. Not all men are advantaged over all women. A man born in poverty, violence, with a disability, or of a marginalised race, isn’t automatically better off than a rich white women born to a good supportive family.

          • agamemnonymous@sh.itjust.works
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            9 days ago

            Women face different inequality than men. Where women are treated as valuable property, men are treated as disposable tools or dangerous threats. Feminism has done much to elevate women above valuable property, but men are still treated as disposable or dangerous.

      • DavidDoesLemmy@aussie.zone
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        9 days ago

        Labels that start off as descriptive become prescriptive. People who associate strongly with a label are less likely to have nuance to their views or change their minds. It becomes us and them.

        You can become a prisoner of your labels.

        • dandelion (she/her)@lemmy.blahaj.zoneOP
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          9 days ago

          isn’t feminism prescriptive / normative to begin with? It’s not a neutral description of injustice, it’s a call to action, a movement … no?

          I hear you on the strong connection to a label, the way us-them dynamics can be dangerous - but the extreme opposite doesn’t seem to work either, so I don’t see this as a full justification of rejecting labels. If you are invested in a movement towards equal rights, sometimes having a banner to organize under and communicate by is useful … it might be helpful to think of a time before the feminist movement existed, and the motivations that exist for the movement.

          • DavidDoesLemmy@aussie.zone
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            The fact that there are so many definitions of what feminism is, shows that the label is not super useful. If you say you’re a feminist, you then have to explain which version you’re taking about.

            It could be anything from “people should be given equal opportunity” to the extreme “all sex between a man and a women is rape”

      • uhdeuidheuidhed@thelemmy.club
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        No it’s not. It clearly favors one side, but then people are saying it’s about equality.

        If whatever feminism is trying to describe is truly about equality, then we should use a term that isn’t biased.

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          3 days ago

          This is the same as saying the “All Lives Matter” crowd were correct in fighting Black Lives Matter. Women are more oppressed than men, even if everyone is oppressed by the patriarchy.

          • uhdeuidheuidhed@thelemmy.club
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            3 days ago

            Not really.

            Black Lives Matter is a movement specifically to shed light on how cops abuse their power towards people of color and frequently go unpunished for it. Black Lives Matter is not about addressing how white people may suffer at the hands of police brutality and if you’re trying to argue that it is, then you’re either disingenuous or ignorant.

            You do have a point though, where both feminism and Black Lives Matter focus on one group over people over others.

            • Cowbee [he/they]@lemmy.ml
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              3 days ago

              Feminism as a movement specifically sheds light on the systemic violence against women and gender-diverse individuals under patriarchy. That doesn’t mean men don’t also benefit, but it does shed light on the primary issue.

  • ℕ𝕖𝕞𝕠@slrpnk.net
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    9 days ago

    Yes, my whole life. It’s how I was raised, but now that I’m an adult, it’s also what I choose for myself and how I’m raising my own children.

    Feminism is the radical idea that a person’s worth, dignity, rights, and social status are not and ought not to be determined by their genitals.

  • SorteKanin@feddit.dk
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    9 days ago

    I prefer the term egalitarian or something to that effect. I definitely fall under the definition of a feminist, but I think it’s sort of ironic that a term for equality has an inherent bias for women in the word itself, even if it is not the intended meaning.

    I think the word itself has actually harmed the movement significantly. Turns out the words we use matter a lot. So again, I prefer a more neutral sounding term, like egalitarianism or equal rights.

    • yermaw@sh.itjust.works
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      9 days ago

      I think its one of those things that doesnt translate so well outside of its time/place. Here in the UK we had people scoffing at “black lives matter” because “surely all lives matter are white people not as important…”. We’re not feeling systemic racism nearly to the same extent America is and the movement loses a lot of its power based just on the name. I think feminism has caught the same thing being out of its time.

      There’s surely some issues still to work on with gender equality, but the main big ones have been pretty much solved as best we can. Women can vote, drive, work etc. On the surface the works already been done.

      • SorteKanin@feddit.dk
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        9 days ago

        I think you might be on to something there. I’m in Denmark and Scandinavia have been forerunners when it comes to equality and LGBT+-rights and such, so perhaps the use of the “fem” in the term feels undue for my cultural background.

        There’s surely some issues still to work on with gender equality, but the main big ones have been pretty much solved as best we can.

        I think this very much depends on where you live. I’d say that even in Denmark, which is very well ahead of most of the rest of the world, there are still lots of gender equality issues. We’ve only “solved” them in the sense that the laws are fairly equal (not equal to the extent I would like it, but almost), but the culture is still somewhat unequal. Women still take much more parental leave than men do, for instance.

    • npdean@lemmy.today
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      9 days ago

      100% agree with this. A lot of people associate feminism with oppression of men.

  • MrsDoyle@sh.itjust.works
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    8 days ago

    I like the Rebecca West quote: “I myself have never been able to find out precisely what feminism is: I only know that people call me a feminist whenever I express sentiments that differentiate me from a doormat.”

  • hactar42@lemmy.ml
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    9 days ago

    As a CIS male I consider myself a feminist because I recognize that women continue to face systemic challenges that demand more than just abstract ideals of equality. To me, feminism goes beyond egalitarianism. It’s not just about treating everyone the same, it’s about recognizing the different challenges people face and working to change the systems that create and sustain those imbalances.

    I was raised by my mom and 3 sisters, and that gave me a front-row seat to the everyday injustices women face. Everything from subtle slights to overt discrimination to being victim of abuse. It wasn’t theory for me, it was lived experience, just one degree removed. I’ve seen the strength and resilience of the women in my life, and I’ve also seen what they’ve had to push through simply because of their gender.

    Now, as a father with a daughter, I feel an even deeper responsibility to be part of the shift. I don’t just want her to grow up in a world that pays lip service to “equality”. I want her to live in one where she’s safe, respected, and empowered. That means doing more than being “not sexist.” It means actively pushing back against the structures and behaviors (the patriarchy) that holds women back.

    I have zero tolerance for toxic masculinity and so-called “alpha male” attitudes that promote dominance, entitlement, and emotional repression. That culture hurts everyone, but it especially harms women by normalizing control and aggression.

    I want my daughter and every woman to see examples of men who are allies, not bystanders. Feminism is a promise: to show up, to speak out (or more often shut up), and to help dismantle barriers so that every person, regardless of gender, can thrive without restriction or fear.

  • Wahots@pawb.social
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    9 days ago

    JK Rowling and the other TERFs have kinda ruined that term just like the american right soiled the flag.

    I prefer “egalitarian” at this point, less loaded, and gender inclusive. I’m one of those radicals where I want non-traditional families, no gender roles, and all the vanilla straight stuff to all exist side by side in harmony.

    Also, women’s clothes needs real pockets. And men need cuter clothes like shortalls. That’s a world I want to be a part of :)


    The one thing I’m not egalitarian about- straight men need to be taught to pee sitting down, or at least lift the seat, damn. I know it’s not all of you, but there are a couple of animals out there that need help. :p

    • GreyEyedGhost@lemmy.ca
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      9 days ago

      The one thing I’m not egalitarian about- straight men need to be taught to pee sitting down, or at least lift the seat, damn. I know it’s not all of you, but there are a couple of animals out there that need help. :p

      This isn’t really a gender issue, either, but I acknowledge men tend to be more of a problem here. But the solution is simple and egalitarian (or feminist, if you prefer): If you make a mess, clean it up. It also works in places besides the bathroom.

    • Pandantic [they/them]@midwest.social
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      8 days ago

      I want non-traditional families, no gender roles, and all the vanilla straight stuff to all exist side by side in harmony.

      What do you mean by vanilla straight stuff?

      • Wahots@pawb.social
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        3 days ago

        The traditional ™️ heterosexual family with two kids and a bio dog. Which is totally fine too, in my book.

  • Sunsofold@lemmings.world
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    9 days ago

    I call myself egalitarian. It distinctly means what you mean by feminist without being so readily confused with what she means by feminist.

    • dandelion (she/her)@lemmy.blahaj.zoneOP
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      8 days ago

      ironically I think it’s more confusing, if I tell someone I’m an egalitarian they honestly might not know what that word means at all, whereas at least if I say I’m a feminist they are closer to understanding that I’m in favor of women’s rights …

      What my physical therapist considers “feminism” is not something I generally take seriously as a real meaning of feminism, it’s a strawman, and it feels wrong to me to cede the meaning of the word to something so contrary to the actual context of what feminism is (both historically and in its present forms).

      There are a variety of feminisms, but none of them advocate for the kinds of things my PT believed, so … I don’t know, it doesn’t seem reasonable to only call myself an “egalitarian” and not use the term “feminist”.

      • DrQuickbeam@lemmy.world
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        8 days ago

        Don’t get too caught up in nuance and small strains of academic philosophy here. The difference is clear:

        Egalitarianism is a philosophy that asserts equality among all people. An egalitarian holds the belief or principle that all people are equal and should be treated equally.

        Feminism is a social movement born out of the pervasive and systematic disenfranchisement, oppression and abuse of women, which holds to an egalitarian philosophy of equal rights between men and women. A feminist is an advocate for the equal rights of women.

        One is an abstract idea that influences modern humanism, liberalism and democracy. The other is a struggle to make that ideal a reality, that has a different face in every different time and place that it’s happening. Both are virtuous.

      • Sunsofold@lemmings.world
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        8 days ago

        I place the result of ‘What’s an egalitarian?’ as better than the die roll as to whether they will take it as one or the other, or even a third interpretation. If I say egalitarian, and they can’t define it, they’ll probably go into a questioning mode, which helps make them more open to discussion. The number of people who could define it AND be against it would be minimal. On the other hand, feminist has become almost an epithet to a significant chunk of the English-speaking world. It’s a word that shuts down empathy and critical thinking for those people, even if they couldn’t define it, which your anecdote helps show it can be hard for people to do at any rate.

  • JackbyDev@programming.dev
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    9 days ago

    I am a feminist because I believe men and women should have equal rights. I think a lot of people fell for the propaganda that feminism is about women over men or something. The thing a lot of men fail to realize is that “the patriarchy” hurts them too. A lot of the things you see men complain about like being told to “man up” or not being able to express their feelings without being mocked are 100% a side effect of patriarchy.

        • Appoxo@lemmy.dbzer0.com
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          8 days ago

          Well.The word problem is solved. Hooray.
          Can the world now calm the hell down and just be peaceful with everyone playing nice? :(

      • JackbyDev@programming.dev
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        7 days ago

        Equal rights for all!

        That’s what feminism is. That’s my whole point about people falling for the propaganda that it means something else.

    • gens@programming.dev
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      8 days ago

      “Man up” isn’t always about bottling your feeling like the US internet says. More often it’s “stop complaining and just do it”. And someone has to do “it”. And it often leads to growth.

      The internet often distorts things.

      As for the topic, I am a feminist. The first and second wave feminism, that is. The equality ones. Not the pink haired screaming “all men are evil and should pay” third wave. Everybody screaming “patriarchy” while sitting on their bed, not even looking further then that. Looking at everything black and white.

      Actually, I’m kinder to women then men…

      • JackbyDev@programming.dev
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        7 days ago

        “Man up” isn’t always about bottling your feeling like the US internet says. More often it’s “stop complaining and just do it”. And someone has to do “it”. And it often leads to growth.

        I’m sure telling people who are hesitant to open up about their feelings and want to express them more to “stop complaining and just do it” will definitely make them open up about their feelings. 🙄 Way to miss the point entirely.

        Not the pink haired screaming “all men are evil and should pay”

        I don’t think that caricature helps promote gender equality.

      • npdean@lemmy.today
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        8 days ago

        As for the topic, I am a feminist. The first and second wave feminism, that is. The equality ones. Not the pink haired screaming “all men are evil and should pay” third wave.

        Actually, I’m kinder to women then men…