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Bell hooks ideas about feminism
Bell hooks ideas about feminism
Feminism and its impact on society
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We live in the modern society where women can vote, work, have access to birth control, freedom of speech, and be independent. However, two articles written by feminist writers Jessica Valenti and bell hooks demonstrate that feminism still exist because of an inevitable inequality that women face in the society. Both writers are convinced that most of the people do not really know what feminism is about or they do not look at it closer in order to be able to understand the purpose of this movement. According to them, feminism is not about being anti-men and spreading hatred towards males as many individuals claim. As bell hooks states in her article “[…] I tend to hear about the evil of feminism […] how ‘they’ hate men […]” (11). Feminism does …show more content…
Jessica Valenti also supports the idea of people misunderstanding feminist movement “For some reason, feminism is seen as super anti: anti-men, anti-sex, anti-sexism, anti-everything” (2). She argues that feminism does not attempt to go against something or someone, but to make people feel better of who they are and what they can do in life. Feminism is about making people be proud of who they are and “to see through the bullshit that would make [them] think there’s something wrong with [them]” just because someone said so. Thus, both writers’ definitions of feminism exclude the common incorrect belief that feminism is directed against men. However, while bell hooks sees feminism as one of the ways “to end sexism, sexist exploitation, and oppression” (13), Jessica Valenti claims that feminism helps women to fight stereotypes they face and feel more confident in spite of the …show more content…
Before I thought that feminism is about being like a man: being able to do the work they do, being independent, strong and self-sufficient, being able to protect themselves and live the life they want without being accused or blamed of doing something wrong. However not I understand that the core of feminism is about being equal and have freedom of choices. Women should not be discriminated or excluded from work places or communities because of the gender differences. Women should not be sexually abused or oppressed. Woman should not
Society has shaped these negative stigmas around feminists, which contain grains of truth, but can be easily be shattered when looked at from a universal perspective. I feel compelled to survey my surroundings anytime I am asked this question because I don’t want have views shaped of me due to the societal view and stigmas of feminist. So, every time I am asked this question, my answers do evolve and change depending on the situation I am facing. I would like for people to understand the universality of a feminist instead of drawing on these myths society has created. Most feminists are not angry; we do not hate on men, nor do we want to be like men, but rather would like to fight to have the same rights and opportunities that are awarded to men. I remember that sheer moment of slight panic even when I was asked this question at the beginning of this class. I wasn’t sure how to answer because I didn’t want to spark opinions which were only not my true belief. This emotional connotation associated with the term feminist that is present in our society has not only worked against feminists, but actually manipulated the true meaning of the subject. With the expansion of feminism in our society, these myths are ones I believe need to be changed instead of being used as a means of discrediting feminism. There are a multitude of ways to promote the growth of feminism, but without the removal of these negative stigmas, as a society, we are not able to move past these obstacles and on to an improved
During the second week of class, we were instructed to read a reading written by Bell Hooks titled “Come closer to Feminism.” This reading is what I consider to be a very important addition to this unit. Unit one is all about Making waves, Confronting Oppression. According to Frye, it is a fundamental claim of feminism that women are oppressed (Frye, 1983). Before taking upon this reading, my understanding of the feminist movement was not nearly as clear as it is now. After reading this short handbook, I too agree that feminism is for everybody.
Bell hooks said feminism should be thought of as the “struggle to end sexist oppression,” instead of the movement to make women equals of men, as the rhetoric of the latter definition implies that it is always men who are oppressing women (26). For example, John Stuart Mill wrote that historically, the “subject-class” of women (166) were dominated by men, and power was “common to the whole male sex” (165). He only focused on the domination of women by men, and ignored how non-white and poor men have faced discrimination that rich white men did not have to endure, and therefore the former feels “powerless and ineffectual in relation to ruling male groups” (hooks 18). Mill also neglected to mention that black women are often victims of domination
Most men and women today believe that we do not need feminism, that the world is fine. Sorrowfully they are far from being accurate. We don’t need feminism because it is about genders, we need it because it is about our society’s humanity. Women all around the world are denied basic human rights simply by the fact they are women which is absurd. For instance,
started out as a movement for total equality for all humans, yet it has become a philosophy (largely promoted by Stanton and others) based on animosity and condemnation against men. The rise in feminism has led to (not necessarily caused) an exponential increase in discrimination against men, as many feminists blame men for the injustice against and oppression of women through out the ages, and not without cause. Women throughout the ages have been considered sub-human at best, and property as worst, little more than chattel, and while it is still true that women are still oppressed in some places of the world, in America (home of feminism, equality, and freedom) women are reversing the balance of power. Rather than moving fprward with ideals of freedom and equality, feminism has become distorted and history is repeating itself; but with a twist. Now the women are on top and men are being oppressed.
Although the ideology has noble intentions, the word itself has become taboo and those who identify as feminist are perceived to have the quality of misandry: the hatred of men (“misandry”). This is incorrect because feminism, unlike misandry, is the ideology that all genders should be treated equally in every facet of society (“feminism”). The true definition is absent of the phrase “aiming for equality while hating men.” Though feminism does not imply misandry, much of society is under the impression that misandry and feminism, two very different ideologies, share the same meaning. Emma Watson, the Goodwill Ambassador for the UN Women, in an event to launch the HeForShe campaign eloquently stated, “I have 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 got to stop” (Watson). This movement is not discriminatory toward men, in fact, the HeForShe campaign is actively encouraging the male population to join. Watson addresses the lack of male support in the movement by retorting, “It is time that we all see gender as a spectrum instead of two sets of opposing ideas” she additionally states, “How can we effect change in the world when only half of it is invited, or feels welcome to participate in the conversation” (Watson). Social change will
Feminism, in its simplest definition, is the belief that men and women should have equal rights and opportunities. (Webster) Feminists fight for equality for women to men socially, politically, and economically. At the peak of feminist discourse is equality for men and women in education and in employment. However, feminism also focuses on more than issues regarding the rights of women in relation to men. Issues of gender equality and women’s right to control their sexuality are also at the core of feminist theory. A key argument made by many feminists is how women have very little control over their sexuality, mainly being defined and controlled by men. T...
In “Understanding Patriarchy,” bell hooks lays the groundwork for her most regarded feminist perspective. hooks articulates the singular reason for the social disparity between genders: a “political-social system” that everyone prescribes to and which negatively impacts the way people exist (p. 1). hooks contests that this system affects everyone alike. In it, persons’ genders are funneled into man and woman depending on their biologically-assigned sex. Men are praised for attributes understood as masculine – violence, autonomy, authority, and individualism, for example. Women are praised for certain traits as well– communal, passive, weak, and submissive, to name a few. Further, the traits which are not lateral to one’s apparent gender are not just ignored or not awarded but violently opposed. This is
One concern of hooks is the fact that many women do not wish to be associated with feminism. With the amount of women that do not wish to be associated with the term it will be hard to make any sort of real transformation socially. She points out that the root of this is that there is no real definition for feminism. While she views it as the struggle to end sexist oppression, many women view it as a lifestyle or associate feminism with lesbianism. In addition, many women view feminism as a white women’s rights group. This excludes oppressed ethnic groups of women. She makes a good point with this issue because before any further goals can be reached, feminism must become something that women want to be a part of. If the very women that would be benefiting from the goals that the group has do not want to be associated with the term, then it makes mainstream society dismiss the group even more than it already does.
Feminism is a widely discussed topic throughout the world. Although there are many different definitions of feminism, author and feminist bel hooks defines it as “a movement to end sexism, sexist exploitation, and oppression” (Dig Deep 662). Feminist is typically thought to only affect women because most well known feminists are women, but feminism really does affect everyone. There are many sub issues involved in feminism, but two important ones are class and race. Author Sheryl Sandberg discusses feminism focusing on the roles that women hold in the workplace.
Feminism Cannot Keep Up with Modern Times In “Bad Feminist” Roxane Gay argues that there is little room for multiple or discordant points of view within feminism today, and yet she claims feminism remains a key identity to her. Gay states the feminist movement has been so warped by doctored misperceptions for so long that even the public who should know better have bought into the essential image of feminism. The public only knows the doctored version that showcases feminists as mean and angry, militant about their ideas, and against expressing multiple views. Today women are reluctant to identify as feminist for fear of signing away their complexities of human experience or individuality.
Feminism can simply be defined as a range of movements and ideologies in which share a common ground in terms of defining, establishing and achieving equal opportunities to that of males, in regards to economic, cultural and social rights. It is a critique of male supremacy with efforts in changing this to end the social oppression of women. (Hooks, 2000)
The term “feminism” tends to have a negative connotation in today’s culture. Feminism is now focusing on female dominance and male disrespect. Women are fighting for equality, yet using personal bias to define equality, claiming identical rights for all will produce an equal culture. The mainstream feminist movement is using this corrupted view of equality to force rights of women. Contrary to popular belief, true feminism fights for true equality for women, as well as other people groups. The false view of feminism causes women to distort gender roles, dishonor themselves, and degrade men.
The word feminism is sometimes misinterpreted and associated with female superiority and hatred of men, although most people probably agree that feminism can mean the desire for social and economic parity. There is so much baggage surrounding this term that clarification of what feminism is and is not, is essential. Indeed, the way feminism has developed has not been pretty. “Feminism over the years have [sic] evolved away from its noble purpose of creating awareness and defending women rights to creating new ridiculous ‘belief systems.’...feminism has become more like a medium for angry women to vent their hatred and frustration towards man”(“Feminism is Chauvinism”). This definition goes completely against the true meaning of what feminism entails. Feminism can be defined as a fundamental respect for others and the desire for equality between men and women.
Michael Levin, a professor of philosophy and author of the book Feminism and Freedom, faults feminism for trying to impose an inappropriate equality on men and women that conflicts basic biological differences between the sexes (Levin, Taking Sides, 42). Women are not the same as men, neither physically nor psychologically. In the past, men tended to be the stronger more powerful gender, while women have traditionally been viewed as the weaker, more feeble one. The untrue assumption that men and women are the same in their ways of thinking and physical capabilities leads to the failure of the feminist message. Their agenda of eliminating all observable differences between men and women is doomed to fail and will inflict more pain than gain in the process. Recognizing the differences between the sexes and allowing each to do what they are strongest at will in the long run make society stronger, more efficient, and more effective.