THE+NEW+F+WORD

//Please be advised that there are slurs and discussion of rape in this article. Use your discretion when reading.// =FEMINISM IS NOT A DIRTY WORD.=

Feminism is a movement for equality of the sexes--so why has it become synonymous with man-hating and misandry? This project is a retrospection on how a movement with the main goal of increasing tolerance led to an opposing school of thought with its own new intolerant ideas. What do you think of when you think of feminism? There's a very good chance that terms like //bra-burning// and //feminazi// come to your mind. How on Earth did being a feminist become equated with being a Nazi? One group wants to make all people equal regardless of gender, race, and creed. The other aims to destroy all people who do not fit certain criteria for a master race. You tell me what the similarities are, because I can't find any. Some say that feminism is actually oppressive to men. I contend that the desire of others to have rights that you have always had is hardly oppressive. Perhaps this incredible misconception arises from misandrists who call themselves feminists. What is a misandrist, you might ask? Put simply, it is a person who harbors prejudice against men. Compare it to misogynist: a person who hates women. That is a word you have probably heard before (and one that your spell check will actually recognize, unlike 'misandrist'). These people are the real enemies to equality. Replacing male supremacy with female supremacy is no solution to anything. Rather, it makes tension and hate worse. Extremists falsely alleging to align themselves with a cause hurt not only those they actively oppress, but those who work to further the real cause by giving them a bad reputation and allowing mistrust to breed among the public. Many people (primarily men, but not always: see Karen Santorum defending her husband's alarming remarks against women) still believe that feminism is oppression. Let's look at just a few of the problems that //real// feminists are fighting: Think about that and tell me that these things aren't oppressive, and that fighting them is. A less obvious but equally problematic issue surrounding the public perception of feminism is the wink-and-a-nod phenomenon: calling out misogynistic comments is disregarded as being "easily offended" and "oversensitive". This is exploited as an easy way to push women back down into their "place", thinking that they won't notice. But nothing gets past us feminists. I watch people try to make misogyny seem okay by asserting that we've "achieved our goal" (Fitzpatrick), and I don't believe it for a second. Equality is not a point society gets to and then remains permanently at. We must constantly hold our place as equal beings. Anyone who tells you to relax or lighten up is full of it. No, Rush Limbaugh, Sandra Fluke is not a slut because she uses birth control (Rush Limbaugh vs. Sandra Fluke: A Timeline). No, Chris Brown, it's not Rhianna's fault you assaulted her (Marcotte) ...it's yours. Feminists can smell oppression from a mile away (it smells like sulfur, if you were wondering.) Give it up. We're not going anywhere. How have we become intolerant of tolerance? The more I think about it, the more stunned I become. We excuse misogyny and fight progress. But it won't continue forever. As information spreads, the public is becoming aware. People are looking at their world differently, and they are positively //livid//... and rightly so! A Y chromosome doesn't exclude you from being a feminist either, by the way. Regardless of your gender identity, you can help. Smash the patriarchy. Blur the binary. Get mad. And tell your friends.
 * Women possess only 1% of the world's wealth, though they comprise 40% of the world's labor force. (Reddy)
 * America does not represent the life of the majority of women around the world. Arranged marriages and abuse of wives are the norm in many countries globally.
 * Women cannot hold positions of authority within the Church in most Christian religions.
 * One of the worst examples is the general acceptance and even glorification of rape. (Santorum)
 * Ever heard of Dr. Pepper's "It's Not For Women" marketing campaign? No, that's not from the 1960's...it's going on //now//. (Clarke)


 * --JACKIE 'RORY' TARICS.**



//Article graphic created by yours truly.//


 * WORKS CITED**

Brown, Ian. "The Globe and Mail." //TheGlobeAndMail.com//. The Globe and Mail, 23 Mar. 2012. Web. 02 Apr. 2012. . Clarke, Suzan. "Dr. Pepper Ten: It’s ‘Not for Women,’ Macho Marketing Campaign Says." //ABC News //. ABC News Network, 10 Oct. 2011. Web. 09 Apr. 2012. . Fitzpatrick, Laura. "The New Sexism." //Time//. Time, 16 Mar. 2010. Web. 04 Apr. 2012. . HealingAuras. "Male Gaze." Rev. of //Why Men Can't - and Shouldn't - Stop Staring at Women.// by Ian Brown. Weblog post. Healingauras.tumblr.com, 27 Mar. 2012. Web. 2 Apr. 2012. . Marcotte, Amanda. "Why Do So Many Teens Still Blame Rihanna for Chris Brown's Violence?" //Slate Magazine//. Slate Magazine, 3 Jan. 2012. Web. 04 Apr. 2012. Reddy, Sudeep. "New Facts on the Gender Gap from the World Bank." //WSJ.com//. 18 Sept. 2011. Web. 02 Apr. 2012. . "Rush Limbaugh vs. Sandra Fluke: A Timeline." //The Week//. The Week, 9 Mar. 2012. Web. 04 Apr. 2012. . Santorum, Rick. "Piers Morgan Tonight: Interview with Rick Santorum." Interview by Piers Morgan. //Transcripts.CNN.com//. CNN, 20 Jan. 2012. Web. 2 Apr. 2012. . . 