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Would you call yourself a feminist? (lemmy.ml)
submitted 1 month ago by to c/asklemmy@lemmy.ml
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I'm a cis male and I believe in the importance of feminism, but I hesitate to call myself a feminist because it seems like there is a presumption of understanding women's experiences as if I was part of the Me Too movement. In some binary sense given how hateful and shitty men can be I'm absolutely a feminist, but I wouldn't declare myself to be one. What is your standpoint?

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[–] 44 points 1 month ago (9 children)

I was raised with Gloria Steinem's definition of feminism shaping my understanding, and have called myself a feminist since I was a child:

"A feminist is anyone who recognizes the equality and full humanity of women and men."

A more modern and inclusive version of that same idea, adopted by UN Women:

"Feminism is the belief that everyone, regardless of gender, should have equal rights and opportunities."

Feminism is a very complex grouping of movements and ideologies, but I think "membership" within them is very simple: if you believe in equality regardless of gender, you're a feminist.

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  • [–] 12 points 1 month ago (7 children)

    How does it feel that the person who defined feminism for you was a CIA agent?

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  • [–] 0 points 1 month ago* (5 children)

    Are you implying that feminism is a CIA initiative?

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  • [–] 5 points 1 month ago (4 children)

    Steinem worked with the CIA to promote reactionary propaganda and helped direct the women’s liberation movement into a corporate-friendly, anti-socialist direction.

    Source: Jacobin

    They didn't imply feminism is a CIA initiative, but the CIA definitely worked with her to influence the feminist movement.

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  • [–] 6 points 1 month ago (3 children)

    Sure, because they cared about controlling the direction of the political movement, same way they influenced the Civil Rights movement. But once again, unless they are implying that the definition of feminism as offered by Steinem, quoted above, is part of a CIA influence op, or tainted by their influence, then what's the point of bringing that up?

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  • [–] -1 points 1 month ago (2 children)

    To have a conversation? To get further insight into how a person thinks? To gain understanding? To talk about the ideological framework through which the person views the world, and hopefully gain some perspective out of that talk?

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  • [–] 2 points 1 month ago (1 child)

    If they truly intended it to be a neutral question, then they used a particularly bad choice of phrasing.

    Most people understand the CIA is a tool of imperialist violence/authority, but framing that as "how does it feel to x" is clearly a condemnation of the association being pointed out, which in this case would only matter if that association itself in some way taints the topic it was brought up in response to... I.e. the definition of feminism by Steinem.

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  • [–] 0 points 1 month ago

    This raises the question whether feminist is the right word for those definitions. Humanist, maybe?

    I'm not trying to "all lives matter" the situation – the history of the treatment of women warrants specific advocacy. But I think of a feminist as someone who (regardless of gender) is actively an advocate for change, not just someone who believes in equality.

    That's the connotation I have for the word anyway. Clearly UN Women are a more authoritative source, and they specifically use the word "belief," so my connotation seems to be wrong.

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