Wait, WHAT?

                                         

Man-Hating, Promiscuous, Unattractive, Insecure, Irate, Hairy, Lesbian, Unworthy, Women. Generalizations occur.  Stereotypes happen.  How their truth resonates is up for debate, and the argument one has for the debate also depends on their outlook on life.  If you're looking for a stereotype you'll undoubtedly find one.  If all you do is generalize, you will attract people who fit those characteristics. So have they permeated through to our psyche that even when we outwardly refute them, we still subconsciously believe them, and silently accept them?  Each facet of life has a multitude of sweeping observations attached to them. Feminism may be one of the most misunderstood, social aspects of life.  Something most people are afraid to associate themselves with or even claim.

Back in August there was a video posted of responses from a few people about what they thought feminism was, and if they supported it directly or passively.  This video in itself presents a generalization of more women leaning towards the Feminist side and more men denying it when both genders stated they believe in equality for women (and presumably all people) but the men did not identify with the term Feminist. Hmm, interesting when the first official post of this blog incorporated the socially accepted definition of feminism, that it advocates the rights of women to those equal to men.  So would that not make EVERYONE who believed in equality for women, as well as all people, a FEMINIST *loud roars of thunder and steaks of lighting* .  In a nutshell, that definition has been approved by the status quot and how vague it is, is applicable to anyone who touts in believing in and wanting equality for all.  One could present the rebuttal that it specifies "to advocate" but in its simplicity advocate simple means making one statement or writing one concurrence which supports that said movement.  So with all this supposed support, why are there prejudice patterns attached to a movement that should be very progressive and positive, and why do people cringe (roll eyes, smack their lips even) when they hear feminism?  Media and Groupthink.

The Media affects each and every individual exposed to it.  With an overabundant amount of biased information emitted to us, we become conditioned to a standard way of thinking by the masses. This is the most dominant method of producing social conformity, what Irving Janis defines as Groupthink.  Even with other different social reforms sprouting and making their mark on pop cultures, there is still evidence of the group thinking in an elitist manner.  They produce propaganda to support the philosophy of race and color not being a legitimate reason to judge and discriminate but sex and gender , well there is an exception to that issue. From television to popular literary pulp fiction such as magazines, and world news papers, to the even infiltrating into one of the most liberal concepts of our post-modern times, the Internet, the regressive way of thinking that women have a certain subordinate place in society amongst her "peers" is still quite mainstream; there is evidence in sub-culture groups such as the "Pro-Black" community that a woman's place is simply to aid and support the efforts of the black man, or in a large number of lesbian relationships and communities there's is affirmation that one has to carry the image of being more masculine, or the more dominant one thus being deemed the man, (in most femme on femme relationships).  Also, the notion that gay men should be ashamed of their sexuality, and that homophobia is an excusable (understandable) attribute from people.  Should there be an example of if a man is not the least bit interested in politics, sports, and/or bringing home the bacon, he's now been looked upon as being a bit "fruity" because there is no way that one heterosexual man is THAT odd.  He has to fall into some type of masculine definition to be seen as a true man.

Despite efforts of promoting equality for all (mostly men) and believing in fairness for women (should be all) people fall under this umbrella of infinite double standards, that when Feminist bring their literature, programming, web-series, blogs to counteract the defense of patriarchal rule, yet again their pursuit of civil rights is combated with harsh ridicule for the cause.  A group of Feminists actively advocating against the rape of women are publicized in the news as man bashers, when it's an honest demonstration of their hurt and frustration with how people choose to turn a blind eye to a very unethical common situation.  Women who aren't the most "feminine" in how they dress, or choose not to shave their arms, legs, pits, buttocks, back, and coochie daily are automatically categorized as lesbian when not too many stop to think, maybe she's just comfortable with herself as she is?  To include the fact that a woman who chooses not to be hairless is considered less attractive by her patriarchal counterparts. Lastly, but certainly not the only Feminist judgment dealt with in life, is that Feminists who aren't (100%) lesbians are loose, wild, hyper-sexual women.  Such an abstruse way of thinking considering how oversexualized and hyper-sexual patriarchy is...?  But because a woman made up in her own mind that marrying the father of her children isn't included in her personal destiny and that a non-nuclear family still can be a strong one is a "whore issue"; maybe even the fact that another large amount of women are comfortable with being single, not a mother and happy with pursuing how many people she wants when she wants and being open to them all about it isn't self-respecting.  The fact that women of these calibers do not conform to the ideal of chastity being respectable and respectful are worthless women, when in actuality, the women who submit to the male standard of "You're MY WHORE wife/y, that's the difference" degrade themselves more consistently than a woman who knows she doesn't want to be reduced to her vagina being a pleasure pot, her intellect being second guessed and put down, and her emotions being ridiculed when logistics just aren't solid. Is still that man's whore, and a tamed whore in the eyes of all the men who are intelligent to the fact that she is taken, you know, like a possession. So women who argue against the entire authority of the male perspective are too extreme to be accepted as human beings, still; if she's not a fuck-toy, she's too smart for her own good (Tilts head, really now?).

Feminism is not immune to groupthink, obviously the prevalent definition of it, is what people accept and believe, feminist themselves incorporate its meaning into their practice.  Feminism puts the most emphasis on individual experiences. It's not gender specific, even living in a male dominated world, men have issues with non-conformity and being able to express themselves often gets trumped by the inner voice of groupthink. Stereotypes reverberate in the human mentality much more than we would like to admit; we think more like one another than we accept, even against the proclamations we make of how we have a different mindset.  Sure the misconceptions come from a place of half-truths, but that's only what we see and read in the media, and all the social hearsay we get from one another.  Ignorant questions become a method of re-evaluating your innermost prejudice thoughts.  Check yourself, and learn your own personal benefits from feminism.