mega thread Feminist Club!

[chaos rains 190]

I read this article today (7 Reasons Why Class is a Feminist Issue) and I felt like it brought up a lot of good points about how classism and feminism are extremely interlinked. I will note that this particular article references American statistics, so if you're in another country it may still be worth reading, but you'll have to find your own stats about classism where you live. Classism is something to try to be aware of, especially if you're a middle class person who has never had to experience financial woes. It's so true that money is power, and without money, many minority groups face an uphill battle trying to change their sociopolitical standing.

 

Also, on a different topic, I thought this video was really cool.

 

A woman named Ileana Jimenez teaches an elective feminism course at LREI school in New York. The video shows high school boys who took the class being interviewed about how they think of feminism after taking the course. I think that this is super awesome, and that more schools should offer elective courses where they can learn about stuff like this. LREI is considered a "progressive, private school" that encourages learning about diverse communities and promotes social justice, so I can definitely see how a feminist course fits into their whole vision. I could also see this elective course being vastly helpful to people in the public school system here in the US, but sadly, I'm pretty sure (at least in the state and school district where I live) they wouldn't be thrilled about supporting a class like that.

class: rich vs poor man vs woman black vs white anti brony vs anti brony gay bashers vs homosexuals religion vs scientology this is all a class war or should I say people being stupid thinking themselves above others and it all goes in a spiral like a huge hurricane of total disaster and who is left standing? Nobody. Yes they may be linked but so are the rest. They are all some sort of class war. Its all rather pathetic.

Edited September 1, 2014 by chaos rains

[Buttershot 51]

I am just wondering, does anyone think being promiscuous is empowering for women? Like going out of your way to be promiscuous, like Miley Cyrus or Rihanna. I would like I be a feminist, but I keep hearing feminist and men saying that showing off your body and basically not having morals anymore is the sign of a strong woman who brings her level of sexuality up to that of men, since men can without repercussion, and they want to e equal to men. I'm all for equality, but bein told being promiscuous is empowering... Just sounds like something a guy would say so women would be promiscuous towards them.

 

I know not all men are like that, as I've read in this thread. I'm not a raging man hater, I'm just reflecting on my experiences and what I've seen. I just wish men respected women, and women felt respected by men so they wouldn't lay down at men's feet for their attention as if its hard to get or something. Idk. Being a woman's hard

[Sir Hugsalot 9,348]

I am just wondering, does anyone think being promiscuous is empowering for women? Like going out of your way to be promiscuous, like Miley Cyrus or Rihanna. I would like I be a feminist, but I keep hearing feminist and men saying that showing off your body and basically not having morals anymore is the sign of a strong woman who brings her level of sexuality up to that of men, since men can without repercussion, and they want to e equal to men. I'm all for equality, but bein told being promiscuous is empowering... Just sounds like something a guy would say so women would be promiscuous towards them.

 

I know not all men are like that, as I've read in this thread. I'm not a raging man hater, I'm just reflecting on my experiences and what I've seen. I just wish men respected women, and women felt respected by men so they wouldn't lay down at men's feet for their attention as if its hard to get or something. Idk. Being a woman's hard

Trust me, being man can too be annoying when lots of women around me enjoy judging by looks, not by personality. I was not born as a handsome guy and because of that my life was endless rejection (with few exceptions where it was not my looks that made girl reject me).

 

Overall to not confuse anyone - I respect women. And always will. I respect everyone except single individuals and I don't judge entire groups because of them. But I expect same respect towards myself. In this thread feminists are all positive, it is a movement that I can agree with as it is not some kind of bullshit about one gender being superior over other for no legit reasons. But in real life... You'd be suprised how often I hear lines like "man should be able to predict what I have in mind" or "all men are the same" or "all men are jerks cuz my boyfriend broke up with me". It is not one gender that is guilty, but both. There is some kind of utterly stupid gender war going on and some people really enjoy boosting their own ego by participating in it. And that kind of people I truly despise. 

 

But well... to not sound bitter - fortunately this kind of people apperantly is minority. And it makes me happy. Most girls I've met both irl and on the internet are really sweet :3 

[Darker 1,351]

I don't really need to go very deeply on this topic. We, all the beings on Earth deserve the same kind of treatment, humans and animals alike.

 

Genders don't matter, we all have the same rights and we deserve the same things, especially respect.

[IridscentNionios 1,420]

I would like to mention this only. "Equal but not the same..." we kinda say "averagely men are stronger in physical composure than women" for example and we kinda tend to call this a privilege and go on ranting about feminism. We need to understand that we are different and we need to be treated based on who we are and not what others think we are.

@@Jennabun, It's pretty cool seeing more people opening their eyes to problems they've been ignoring but i would like to stress that Equality is the part that feminism "aspires" to achieve. Pretty much same thing but you could say that.

Joke time. Fe-Male=Iron Male=Iron Man... DUN DUN DUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUN!!! 

[Buttershot 51]

that's very very true. Promiscuous means sexy/slutty. I don't agree with it, but the media likes to make everyone think you should be slutty. For America, anyway. The media is ran by men.

[Static Electricity 729]

I'd like to ask the people of this thread on what they think of the Zoe Quinn scandal.

 

Also, nice to see this thread is back.

[Jennabun 1,579]

So does being promiscuous make anyone feel empowered?

Everyone's version of empowerment is different. Women are empowered by a variety of different things, whether it be their hobbies, their profession, their family, their skills, their friendships, etc. It all depends on the person.

 

I wouldn't ever bad-mouth a woman who feels empowered by sex. I don't think anyone has any right to tell someone that what makes them happy is wrong (unless what is making them happy is causing someone harm). If a woman is empowered by having a lot of sex, cool. Of course, some women don't need tons of sex (or any sex, sometimes) to feel empowered, and that's fine too. Women have different preferences when it comes to how often they have sex, who they have sex with, and what kind of sex they enjoy. A woman feeling empowered having sex frequently or non-monogamously is not wrong. As long as everyone involved being safe and healthy, it's all good.

 

Feminism is not only about getting men to respect women, but getting women to respect other women as well. We live in a culture that often tries to pin women against each other instead of supporting each other. From an early age, girls are taught to gossip, belittle, judge, and harass other girls. We're taught to call other women sluts, whores, dykes, bitches, hos... and really, all that does is perpetuate sexist bullying. It's important to actively avoid participating in that negative trend. If a woman has a lot of sex and you don't agree, that doesn't make that woman a "slut" worthy of condemnation. It just means that we're all people, we have different tastes, and our preferences don't always align.

 

That being said, I think women having sex is a very empowering thing, whether women are "promiscuous" or not. I just watched a documentary about when birth control become more commonplace among women, specifically when the oral contraceptive pill first emerged. Sometimes I think we forget that less than a century ago, women had no power over their sexual destinies. Men could get condoms pretty easily, but that's something women had little to no control over. The only choices available to women in heterosexual relationships were to abstain from sex completely or to have sex with the constant risk of pregnancy. This risk kept women from healthily exploring their sexualities, even when they were with longterm, monogamous partners/spouses who they loved. The risk of pregnancy, especially for poor women who could not afford more children or single women who were not married, kept women stifled. Now, we live in a time where women can choose their own sexual path. All women - married women, women in longterm relationships, and single women alike - have several effective ways to choose when they get pregnant. We don't need to worry nearly as much about accidental pregnancies altering our lives, relationships, or careers. We have the pill, iuds, shots, spones, female condoms, vaginal rings... so many things! Of course, there's always a slight risk of pregnancy with sex, but now there's significantly fewer risks. With a pill, for example, less than 1 woman out of a hundred get pregnant with regular use. That's amazing. Now, we are able to fully be sexual beings if we wish, and that is such an empowering thing for the female sex as a whole. I mean, even if you don't personally have sex all the time (or at all), the fact that we have a choice in the matter (rather than needing to be abstinent by default) is pretty damn rad.

[lelouch. 625]

Does the fact that I got up from my chair to let a girl sit make me a radical feminist? Because getting up does make me kinda inferior if you think of it that way.

[chaos rains 190]

Does the fact that I got up from my chair to let a girl sit make me a radical feminist? Because getting up does make me kinda inferior if you think of it that way.

 

Thats called being polite and respecting another. And in turn more people have respect for you even if they dont know you. Thats nothing to do with feminism or inferiority unless that person gets on every day and makes you move whenever they get on thats inferiority.

[lelouch. 625]

Thats called being polite and respecting another. And in turn more people have respect for you even if they dont know you. Thats nothing to do with feminism or inferiority unless that person gets on every day and makes you move whenever they get on thats inferiority.

makes sense but all the other guys were like "what are you doing?" and "I would make her get up for me instead". I'm glad I'm not like that. Didnt earn much respect, but its how I am.

[chaos rains 190]

makes sense but all the other guys were like "what are you doing?" and "I would make her get up for me instead". I'm glad I'm not like that. Didnt earn much respect, but its how I am.

its not always about respect I mean if a pregnant woman or old woman or man came on would you really force them to stand on a packed bus when they could have health issues? Its about you being respectable not just for them but for yourself and doing what you believe is right. Give respect and gain respect. Plus doing a good thing gives an amazing feeling.dunno why it just does and shows heart. Ok forgive me if my explanation isnt the best.

[Simon 4,557]

This thread is being re-opened now that some significant clean up of the thread has been done.

 

Let me be extremely clear here...

 

This thread is not for debate of any kind.  This thread is meant for some specific sorts of discussion such as feminist friendly movies and songs that you have found and more personal anecdotes about why you are a feminist.  Things of that nature.

 

As a rule of thumb, any topic which may cause controversy, disagreement, debate, or a discussion about the merits of feminism or aspects of feminism is not supposed to go on this thread.

 

The problem with these types of posts is that there is already a thread for any sort of debate or in depth discussion about feminism in and of itself.  That thread is in the debate pit and it is a more inclusive topic permitting both sides to be heard, so it is where any discussion about feminism should go.

 

This thread is not meant for discussions about the merits of feminism or debates about aspects of feminism.  Instead this thread is designed to be a place to connect with other feminists.

 

If you're not looking for a thread to connect to other feminists, but instead are trying to ask questions about aspects of feminism, debate feminism, or discuss anything more controversial, do it in the debate pit where it can be more fairly and openly discussed.

 

While the staff has tried very hard to keep this thread open, if people continue to engage each other in off-topic discussions, it will be locked.  If you see a post that might cause controversy report it and do not respond.

 

Thanks for understanding everybody.

[Jennabun 1,579]

Hey feminist-positive ponies I've missed you all.

 

I found this cute transparent feminist banner today and I love it. I thought some of you might enjoy using it somewhere!

 

[IridscentNionios 1,420]

Can you clarify me one thing before i go? Is feminism political, ideological or both?

[Jennabun 1,579]

Can you clarify me one thing before i go? Is feminism political, ideological or both?

 

I say both. It seems to be involved in both spheres of my life, anyway.

 

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

I wanted to post this video for you guys. It's by video game youtuber Jim Sterling. I identified with it a lot. Here, he rants about how people seem to be ascribing the pejorative label "social justice warrior" to literally anyone who brings up social issues on the internet, not just the extremists the term was invented for. I've gotten really tired of seeing the insult "SJW" thrown around like crazy lately. The more it's used, the less impact it seems to have as a descriptive term. People seem to just label anyone who they disagree with about social issues as a "SJW," which really limits real dialogue and shames people for having valid opinions. Idk. I just don't get it, and neither does Jim Sterling, and that's why I love this video XD I thought some of you might also identify with this as feminists too.

 

[Jennabun 1,579]

I read this article earlier and I thought some of you might find it interesting. It's titled, "Getting Called Out: Why Acknowledging Oppression Matters More Than Your Hurt Feelings." It's important to remember that any of us may potentially be called out on being offensive or saying inappropriate things related to gender, race, sexuality, etc. Usually when this happens, people's first reaction is to get defensive and angry. This is not the best response. Even as a feminist-minded person, you can accidentally encourage oppression. None of us are perfect; we've all been raised in a society that oppresses minority groups, and we may unintentionally absorb some negative problematic/offensive behaviors. If someone ever says that you're being offensive or that you've said something kind of sexist/racist/homophobic/etc., it's valuable to listen carefully to their point of view and consider what they are trying to communicate to you about oppression. You may learn something new, and you will become a more educated, open-minded, and socially-aware human being.

 

My favorite part:

Responding to Getting Called Out

[...]

 

The key thing is not to take the criticism personally.

If you interpret it as an attack on your character, you’re going to immediately stop listening. Instead, look at as an opportunity to learn how to increase your consciousness of others.

 

Also, if you fixate on proving to the other person that you’re not an asshole, the exchange will probably escalate into an argument, which will in turn become a defense of your own opinion instead of respecting the other person’s experiences.

 

This is why it’s doubly important to do your best to remove your personal feelings from the apology.

 

In lieu of justifying your actions, try channeling your energy into understanding the other person’s perspective. Say something like, “I’m sorry. It wasn’t my intention to offend you. Could you explain why what I said was wrong?” You’re letting them know that you hear them and are open to changing your behavior.

 

[...]

 

take a moment to make sure you both collect yourselves and try to engage in a dialogue. Afterwards, maybe say, “I totally see where you’re coming from and I’ll be mindful of that in the future. I was kind of thrown off in the beginning and misinterpreted your intentions.”

 

And hey, I hate to break it to you, but the issue or the confrontation might be entirely your fault and you have to be prepared to be mature and take responsibility for that. None of us like to admit we’re in the wrong, but it’s best to not sugarcoat problematic behavior. You’ll be a better person for taking the time to learn in the long run.

[Andaasonsan 3,205]

 

 

I wanted to post this video for you guys. It's by video game youtuber Jim Sterling. I identified with it a lot. Here, he rants about how people seem to be ascribing the pejorative label "social justice warrior" to literally anyone who brings up social issues on the internet, not just the extremists the term was invented for. I've gotten really tired of seeing the insult "SJW" thrown around like crazy lately. The more it's used, the less impact it seems to have as a descriptive term. People seem to just label anyone who they disagree with about social issues as a "SJW," which really limits real dialogue and shames people for having valid opinions. Idk. I just don't get it, and neither does Jim Sterling, and that's why I love this video XD I thought some of you might also identify with this as feminists too.

A couple of days ago on these very forums I was informed I was an SJW for the first time ever. 

 

I feel very proud, I don't even use Tumblr.

 

 

 

But yeah it seems like if someone on the internet even mentions something that could be construed as feminist, everyone gets their hackles up and starts screaming "SJW".

 

 

I've been informed many times that "political corectness" is evil, but my observation is that at this point the anti-PC backlash has become waaaaaay more obnoxious.

[Jennabun 1,579]

 

 

But yeah it seems like if someone on the internet even mentions something that could be construed as feminist, everyone gets their hackles up and starts screaming "SJW".

I know, right? It doesn't make any sense. And as the video points out, when you break down the phrase, it doesn't even seem like a pejorative term!

 

"Social" means sociopolitical issues such as sexism, racism, homophobia, etc.... alright, makes sense.

 

"Justice" means fairness and equality.... seems pretty legit.

 

"Warrior" means someone who fights passionately for something.... sweet!

 

Put it together, and that means somebody who calls me a SJW is describing me as someone who fights passionately for the fairness and equality of all genders, races, sexual orientations, etc. Okay............. and this is a bad thing because..............? XD

 

Idk. All I know is that this "insult" is one that doesn't even phase me at all. I just kind of roll my eyes. It's lost all of the power it once had due to its vast overuse.

 

 

 

I've been informed many times that "political corectness" is evil, but my observation is that at this point the anti-PC backlash has become waaaaaay more obnoxious.

Yeah, I hate how "don't be so politically correct" has pretty much become code for "don't point out that I'm saying really rude stuff because that means I would actually have to be somewhat empathetic and consider my words' implications on others, and that would just be way too hard."

[Ashen Pathfinder 16,161]

A couple of days ago on these very forums I was informed I was an SJW for the first time ever. 

 

I feel very proud, I don't even use Tumblr.

 

 

 

But yeah it seems like if someone on the internet even mentions something that could be construed as feminist, everyone gets their hackles up and starts screaming "SJW".

 

 

I've been informed many times that "political corectness" is evil, but my observation is that at this point the anti-PC backlash has become waaaaaay more obnoxious.

 

Oh. My. God. Thank you!

 

You have no idea how refreshing it is to finally hear that. Too many times have I seen the PC excuse essentially be used as short form for "I do not like your idea, therefore it is wrong and here is a catchy statement to combat it."

 

I know, right? It doesn't make any sense. And as the video points out, when you break down the phrase, it doesn't even seem like a pejorative term!

 

"Social" means sociopolitical issues such as sexism, racism, homophobia, etc.... alright, makes sense.

 

"Justice" means fairness and equality.... seems pretty legit.

 

"Warrior" means someone who fights passionately for something.... sweet!

 

Put it together, and that means somebody who calls me a SJW is describing me as someone who fights passionately for the fairness and equality of all genders, races, sexual orientations, etc. Okay............. and this is a bad thing because..............? XD

 

Idk. All I know is that this "insult" is one that doesn't even phase me at all. I just kind of roll my eyes. It's lost all of the power it once had due to its vast overuse.

 

 

 

Yeah, I hate how "don't be so politically correct" has pretty much become code for "don't point out that I'm saying really rude stuff because that means I would actually have to be somewhat empathetic and consider my words' implications on others, and that would just be way too hard."

 

People don't have to understand insults to use them, M'kay? (Or at least that is from my own experience.) Given the nice little breakdown you provided, I think it's nice proof that many of these people who choose to insult others as such really have little idea of what they're talking about.

 

Seriously though, I have to agree %100, and it's something I never really thought about before. Anytime someone uses the SJW acronym; just say thank you.

[IridscentNionios 1,420]

I know, right? It doesn't make any sense. And as the video points out, when you break down the phrase, it doesn't even seem like a pejorative term!

 

"Social" means sociopolitical issues such as sexism, racism, homophobia, etc.... alright, makes sense.

 

"Justice" means fairness and equality.... seems pretty legit.

 

"Warrior" means someone who fights passionately for something.... sweet!

 

Put it together, and that means somebody who calls me a SJW is describing me as someone who fights passionately for the fairness and equality of all genders, races, sexual orientations, etc. Okay............. and this is a bad thing because..............? XD

 

Idk. All I know is that this "insult" is one that doesn't even phase me at all. I just kind of roll my eyes. It's lost all of the power it once had due to its vast overuse.

 

Yeah, I hate how "don't be so politically correct" has pretty much become code for "don't point out that I'm saying really rude stuff because that means I would actually have to be somewhat empathetic and consider my words' implications on others, and that would just be way too hard."

Its just like the word Brony. Nobody cares what it means they just care about what kind of people they reference with it.

 

Also we are arguing now. We should stop.

[Jeric 46,852]

I've gotten really tired of seeing the insult "SJW" thrown around like crazy lately. The more it's used, the less impact it seems to have as a descriptive term. People seem to just label anyone who they disagree with about social issues as a "SJW," which really limits real dialogue and shames people for having valid opinions. Idk. I just don't get it, and neither does Jim Sterling, and that's why I love this video XD I thought some of you might also identify with this as feminists too.

 

 

Nods in your general direction. It has now become an over simplified buzzword sitting on the shelf with other terms like 'liberal' or 'neocon' and currently slated to join that list 'autistic'. Words that should have no real insult, but are used pejoratively. 

 

As a father of two teenage daughters, I actually share the goals of several of the woman's rights groups and SJW's except on a more focus level - with my two girls. I'll be dipped in bantha poodoo if they have to deal with the same garbage my mother and sister had to. 

[Shawn Parks 1,798]

Yay - the thread is open again.

 

 

Has everyone here heard about the "He For She" campaign that Emma Watson has been promoting?  

It is focused on men standing up for women's rights.

 

 

http://www.heforshe.org/

 

 

 

[Jennabun 1,579]

Yay - the thread is open again.

 

 

Has everyone here heard about the "He For She" campaign that Emma Watson has been promoting?  

It is focused on men standing up for women's rights.

 

 

http://www.heforshe.org/

 

 

 

 

Thanks for posting this! I absolutely love this movement, and I love the work Emma Watson does for gender equality. Here is her entire speech that she did for UN Women, which is breath-taking and worth the 13 minutes:

 

 

My favorite quotes from her speech:

 

"[...] the more I have talked to about feminism, the more I’ve realized that fighting for women’s rights has too often become synonymous with man-hating. If there is one thing I know for certain, it is that this has to stop. For the record – Feminism by definition is: 'The belief that men and women should have equal rights and opportunities. It is the theory of the political, economic and social equality of the sexes.'"

 

"I started questioning gender-based assumptions a long time ago. When at 8, I was confused at being called ‘bossy’ because I wanted to direct the plays we would put on for our parents - but the boys were not. When at 14, I started to be sexualized by certain elements of the media. When at 15, my girlfriends started dropping out of their beloved sports teams because they didn’t want to appear ‘muscly.’ When at 18, my male friends were unable to express their feelings. I decided I was a feminist, and this seemed uncomplicated to me. But my recent research has shown me that feminism has become an unpopular word. Women are choosing not to identify as feminist. Apparently, I am among the ranks of women whose expressions are seen as too strong, too aggressive, isolating, anti-men and, unattractive even. Why is the word become such an uncomfortable one?"

 

"We don’t often talk about men being imprisoned by gender stereotypes but I can see that that they are and that when they are free, things will change for women as a natural consequence. If men don’t have to be aggressive in order to be accepted women won’t feel compelled to be submissive. If men don’t have to control, women won’t have to be controlled. Both men and women should feel free to be sensitive. Both men and women should feel free to be strong. It is time that we all perceive gender on a spectrum instead two sets of opposing ideals."

 

"I want men to take up this mantle. So their daughters, sisters and mothers can be free from prejudice, but also so that their sons have permission to be vulnerable and human too - reclaim those parts of themselves they abandoned and in doing so be a more true and complete version of themselves."

[Miles 2,512]

Nods in your general direction. It has now become an over simplified buzzword sitting on the shelf with other terms like 'liberal' or 'neocon' and currently slated to join that list 'autistic'. Words that should have no real insult, but are used pejoratively. 

 

As a father of two teenage daughters, I actually share the goals of several of the woman's rights groups and SJW's except on a more focus level - with my two girls. I'll be dipped in bantha poodoo if they have to deal with the same garbage my mother and sister had to. 

 

Hmm... Well, all due respect, I don't quite completely agree with one aspect of this.  Though, I'm speaking in terms of when the person is speaking in correct context; I don't think the term "liberal" is so much of an overused buzz word - now, of course, I agree with you about "SJW" and "autistic" being overused, and incorrectly abused, buzz words - however, I think that the word "liberal" is just fine.  I mean, though it's a bit ironic for me to defend, I'll explain the contrary as such: Many people do like to be outspoken and provide unto others their political stances.  Now, yes, of course, plenty a time may one see political terms thrown about too loosely... But... at the same time, I would like to believe there ought to be as many people using them correctly. 

 

As y'all may know, if you know me, heh, I can be a tad blunt... and outspoken.  But, I strive to be humble and respectful all in the same.  (Sometimes I can be redundant, but... hey - I mean, it's just a part of me, you know; tradition...)  Anywho, I would just like to say that, I think  it can be a good thing, and hopefully respectfully so, to let unto others your honest opinions. 

 

So - I believe, when the context suits the word accordingly, it can be beneficial to provide one's own political stance.  Despite this, I should say, sometimes one's political stance may not mirror one's lifestyle (and/or, social views, etc.).  In the like, this is exactly my own case.  I've grown to become a much better person after I left the comfort zone of my home; after going to college.  Right now, I'm a sophomore (computer science major).  Point is, I used to be, literally, a diehard.  A diehard "rightie" conservative - both politically, and my social [lifestyle] views.  But I'm not that way anymore.  Graciously so, I can finally say I'm no longer a close-minded tool.  You may say that I'd ought not be so hard on myself, but... I really was like that back before college.  But upon coming into a completely different culture - upon going to college in a city an hour and a half away from home - I began to start realizing my negative twirks.  Be it my contientiousness, or be it subconsious erosion via enviornment... I started to change.  It took a while, but finally, one day, I had a big "ah-ha!" moment.  I went to my dorm room to be alone with my thoughts.  I looked upon all the things I used to stand for.  I looked upon myself, and how others perceived me.  Right then and there, I admittedly felt a bit of shame.  I knew - I realized - that I was... well, I was kind of an arse.  So I made a point to myself to layout all my beliefs, values, stances, etc... and put them on the table (metaphorically speaking).  I then compared them to, well, to this basically whole new world I was [still am] living in. 

 

Some things... some things will never change.  And I know that.  But some things can; some things can change.  Humbly, I have always known my foremost virute to be honesty.  Obviously, I wouldn't, and don't want that to change... and much the same for my introversion.  I mean, don't get me wrong, I know damn good and well I'm verbose.  But, I'm introverted nonetheless.  Now, this doesn't mean I cannot receive motivation from others - I can - it just means, the larger portion of my drive comes from the inside.  Onto the next part of me... is something of a contradiction, really.  It's tradition.  I say that I've changed - I have, and I'll get to how so momentarily - but I am very tradition oriented.  My core values are stuck in place... So how then, have I changed - and for the better?  Admittedly so, I'm still basically on the "right" side of the political spectrum, which is why I think it's in correct usage when I say, I'm politically conservative (with a bit of newfound libertarian views mixed in).  But, rather than being the same way socially, in terms of lifestyle... I've opened my mind.  I no longer think disrespectfully towards those in opposition of my views.  I moved past that shut-door phase that left me being nothing more than a naive fool.  That being said, I know that I'm always going to have some bit of naivete in certain cases, but... my eyes and ears no longer turn the other way when something strikes against a chord that does follow my own in harmony.  Because - maybe, just maybe... it's me who is out of tune. 

 

College definitely played a role in helping me, but I must not exclude another factor that helped me; in part, I owe a very honorable tip of the hat to... My Little Pony; Friendship is Magic.  The show.  The fandom.  YOU guys 'n' gals... this site... We're like a family, you know.  And aside from the here and there troubles and bickering (which, duh, that happens in families, too, lol), we really, really do owe it to each other to say thanks.  I cannot say it with enough gratitude how much I am thankful for MLP, and all of you. 

 

So, here I am now.  Changed... I may still be know for: traditionalism, redundancy, verbosity... honesty...

 

And, really, those are probably good things, anyway.  But, what I can now add to the list...  I've become open-minded. 

 

So, if you've bared with me this long, heh... Let me now try to bring this all back into context of this thread.  Unfortunately, I cannot falsely title myself a feminist.  But, what I can say, is that I agree with a monstrous amount of the concepts within feminism.  With a grain of salt, to be honest, modern feminism is quite much in the same with egalitarinism.  But, of course, the key factor - in which I do ultimately agree with - that divides the two concepts is that, feminism (at least, the type in which this thread was created to discuss *nod and smile to @Jennabun*) sets forth to shine the light on how women still don't get equal treatment.

 

I hear many neigh-sayers [hehe] try to say "but oh, things are much better now, and everyone [seems to be] treated all in the same" - alas, this is untrue.  Bare with me, those of you who're not-so computer-savvy - I would like to compare our society to the internet; the entirety of the web... You see, standard internet browsers (Internet Explorer, Firefox, Chrome, Opera, Safari, and a few othes), paired with standard interenet search engines (Google, Yahoo, Bing, Yandex, etc.), what you see is only the surface of the web.  Think of the ocean, and how, only to a certain level does sunlight reach... then the rest (which is more than what does have light) of the abyss lay beneath... Any standard browser with any standard search engine will only see a fraction of the web.  You see, this is due to page indexing.  Only do we have links to sites that have been indexed by the bots used by the search engines.  There is something further that remains unseen without special tools.  It's called the Dark Net; also the Deep Web (or, you could switch the terms; Dark Web, Deep Net - doesn't matter really).  One tool to dive into the abyss is called Tor - it is a browser that allows you to go to non-indexed pages of the web, only provided you have somehow acquired the links (the url/adresses) to the hidden pages. 

 

In the real world, we only see what we only see - which means there is always more than meets the eye.  I gave that description of the Deep Web as a way to say, there are plenty of problems with women being mistreated, in multiple ways.  It's just that, alot of it, if not most, goes unseen; behind closed doors, if I may.  OR - if not, it goes ignored because people turn their cheeks because they don't want to get into other people's business.  We have to break the[se] barriers.  Now, of course, there are countless topics to discuss, but since I've already written a novel here, *eyeroll*, I'll just say in short that, feminism is about this focus - bringing light to the darkness that occurs with the mistreatment of people in society - both men and women - and that, despite the metaphorical Christian phrase I so believe in "turn the other cheek," the truth is, ignoring these problems is the biggest mistake, and is the worst thing one can do when some kind of mistreatment occurs within eye or earshot - plus, much the same for not trying to actually look for it. 

 

In conclusion of this here book of mine... There are connections in words many times taken for granted; remember "stop, look, and listen"?  Eeyup.  It goes hand in hand with this topic, no doubt.  "Check your blindspots" when you go outside, because sometimes you might see something you wouldn't have otherwise seen - and that something could be someone... in need.  In need of help. 

 

We all live together on this Earth; we'd ought to stop ignoring.  We don't have to be active to not be passive - but in the least, what we need to be is... awake, alert, and aware. 

 

Your Honest Fellow,

 

~Miles