Feminism The Face Of American Politics - 983 Words

Feminism is a word with a wide variety of connotations. For some it brings to mind images of strong, influential women like Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Susan B. Anthony—women who changed the face of American politics for women. To some it is just another word, but to far too many, feminism is a hated word and therefore a hated cause. It stands for man-hating, excuse-making, manly women who play the victim to gain advantage over men. This negative image of a movement intended to fight for equality prevents both men and women from receiving the benefits moving the cause forward would reap. If people made feminism what it was intended to be then men and women would be empowered to rise above gender stereotypes. Why does the word feminism have such negative connotations? According to the New York Times, eighty-two percent of Americans don’t identify as feminists, though eighty-five percent of those polled said that women and men should be treated equally, which is the basis of feminism (The New York Times). This schism happens in part because much of the media highlights radical feminists, or â€Å"feminazis† as some refer to them, and they become the face of feminism. People tend to focus on quotes from extremists such as Valerie Solanas, who created a manifesto for a hypothetical feminist society â€Å"Society for Cutting Up Men.† In her â€Å"SCUM Manifesto,† Solanas said, â€Å"The male†¦.is trapped in a twilight zone halfway between humans and apes, and is far worse off than theShow MoreRelatedThe Definition Of Modern Day Feminism1116 Words   |  5 PagesMegan Thompson Ms. Butters AP Language 13 November 2014 The Definition of Modern Day Feminism â€Å"Feminist: a person who believes in the social, political, and economic equality of the sexes.† This is what Beyonce, one of the most famous and influential Women of Color in the past decade, claims in her 2014 VMA performance, with a large, shining backdrop of the word ‘feminist’ behind her. This quickly became one of the most direct and most widely-known displays of her feminist beliefs, and Beyonce isRead MoreBlack Oppression By Huey P. Newton1202 Words   |  5 Pagespolitical institutions attempt to hold black people captive. Newton states, â€Å"the black male faces a hostile environment and is not sure that it is not his own sins that have attracted the hostilities of society† . It is clear that the black man in the United States, has been enslaved, and used as a political and economic tool. Nonetheless, Huey P. Newton does a disservice to the literature on African American injustice through the exclusion of women s struggles and their efforts for justice. The exclusionRead MoreWomen And The Feminist Movement1677 Words   |  7 Pagesto describe how American society fetishizes Asian-American women. In considering these stereotypes, femininity coincides with sexuality and exemplifies how women from different backgrounds have separate experiences and face separate expectations. Yet, the popular conception of feminism describes the story and expectations of middle-class white women only. Furthermore, Crenshaw summarizes the exclusionary tendency of white feminism by saying that â€Å"The problem with identity politics is not that it failsRead MoreLesbian Identity Politics and Associated Organizations Essay936 Words   |  4 PagesIdentity politics were a major part of social reform in the Sixties and Seventies. Yet, the advent of identity politic reform originates in the Fifties, a decade that saw the African-American Civil Rights Movement start to gain momentum. On the heels of the Civil Rights movement, we also see the Women’s Liberation Movement begin to gain steam, shortly thereafter followed by the Gay Liberation Movement. And as an offshoot of these reform movements, we observe the dawn of lesbian identity politics – a movementRead MoreStrong, Influential Women Like Elizabeth Cady Stanton And Susan B. Anthony Women985 Words   |  4 Pagesinfluential women like Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Susan B. Anthony—women who changed the face of American politics for women—are the embodiment of feminism at its finest. They, along with many other men and women, fought for equality between men and women. However, to many people feminism is representative of man-hating, excuse-making, manly women who play the victim to gain advantage over men. This negative image of feminism prevents both men and women from fulfilling their potential, but if people removedRead MoreWomanism: Universal Black Feminism751 Words   |  4 Pagesfocusing on social change or activism, womanism (some times referred to as â€Å"black feminism†) focuses more on celebrating womanhood and the African American woman’s strength and experiences. When they push for change and attention to social issues, womanists focus on racism and class oppression. One of the reasons many prefer the term womanism is that feminism has traditionally been a middle-class white-women’s movement. Feminism fought for suffrage rights for white women, but never got involved in theRead MoreFeminism And The American Equal Rights Association1550 Words   |  7 PagesDuring the late 19th and early 20th century in America, the rise of Feminism challenged the traditional gender roles. The female authors of this time period represented realistic aspects of women’s struggles, which often reflected limitations from society and their own lives. The three female authors who advocated women’s struggles in their writings were Sojourner Truth, Willa Cather, and Edith Wharton. In the speech to the American Equal Rights Association, Truth reveals that women do not have rightsRead MoreBook Review: Black Feminist Thought (Patricia Hill Collins) Essay1077 Words   |  5 PagesFeminist Thought: Knowledge, Consciousness, and the Politics of Empowerm ent (review) Black Feminist Thought: Knowledge, Consciousness, and the Politics of Empowerment. Ed. By Patricia Hill Collins. (New York: Routledge, 2000. ii, 336 pp. Cloth, $128.28, ISBN 0-415-92483-9. Paper, $26.21, 0-415-92484-7.) Patricia Hill Collins’s work, Black Feminist Thought seeks to center Black Women into intersectionalist thought, addressing the power struggles that face them not only due to their race but also to theRead MoreWaves of Feminisms in Relation to the Female Characters of the House of the Spirits1589 Words   |  7 PagesFeminism is approached by various meanings. As noted by a Salvadoran feminist activist Gloria Guzman, â€Å"It is a proposal for a change in the relations of power between people, men over women, and the relations of power expressed in the different realms of life† (Shayne, 2007). Isabel Allende’s The House of the Spirits was strongly influenced by the three waves of Feminism. Allende’s focus throughout the novel was to diminish the gender inequality between men and women. Through her female charactersRead MoreFeminist Theory Of Feminism1121 Words   |  5 PagesAccording to Webster’s dictionary, feminism is defined as the theory of political, economic, and social equality of the sexes. In today’s modern world, no matter which end of the political spectrum a person is on, the term can invoke strong feelings - some of which have created a sense of shame or harm associated with the concept. These associations of wrongdoing and radicalism with the theory of feminism and its subsequent movement have existed long before the era of social media activism and selfies;