Stuff learned from feminism
The rights of women in Canada have been supported and protected by a government agency named Status of Women Canada. SWC has funded many already dangerously underfunded community organisations, such as pregnancy centers and halfway homes, to maintain operations and provide much-needed services to women (and sometimes, anyone) in need.
Our not-very-compassionate Conservative government was recently under pressure by an anti-feminist, “family values” type outfit called REAL Women of Canada to shut down SWC altogether. Instead of doing that, the government decided to cut $5 million in funding to SWC this year, despite registring a $13.2 billion surplus just laying there, gathering dust mites.
In order to attract attention to this situation, my bretheren at Progressive Bloggers have started up a meme of sorts which poses the question “What five things feminism has done for me.” And here is my contribution…
Feminism has made me the best dad ever.
Jump back 50 or 60 years ago, and I’m not quite sure I would have been priviledged enough to have the same level of complicity and attachment I have with my son today. Chalk one up for demanding that dads have a more involved role in raising their children.
Feminism has made me media aware
If one of feminism’s biggest battles was (and still is) the objectification of women in commercial advertisements, it has successfully instilled in me the critical mindset needed to weed through the garbage of crass commercialism. Not just to notice how women are manipulated into feeling/acting/thinking the way corporations want them to, but how everyone is affected by their machinations.
Feminism has taught me to judge people on their merits
Woman, man, black, white, hispanic, buddhist… it doesn’t matter to me. One’s actions, words, exploits however, they will speak volumes. I honestly believe that my mother is the person who made me the excellent judge of character I am today.
Feminism has made me a pretty good cook.
I mean, come on. Had feminists not gone through that whole “women in the workplace” thing, and my girlfriend would have been a stay-at-home mom because of it, chances are I would have never discovered the pleasures of fixing up a meal and sharing it with others.
Feminism has made me understand that gaining any rights is a battle
It’s the earliest civil rights movement I had ever been exposed to directly, and it’s still on today. And what it has shown is that civil rights are not gifts. They’re not hand-me-downs from those in power. They are fought for and warred over by people who are tired of being overlooked and/or suppressed for various reasons. People have fought very hard in wars to protect our freedoms, but others have fought just as hard in different battles to create more freedoms for more people. The last thing a person needs to believe is that these rights were granted to us. Because those in power don’t want little things like human nature coming to muck up their marketing plans.
Beijing Platform for Action and act upon it here at home and around the world.
You should only be thanking YOURSELF for the things mentioned above. Kudos! I’m proud of you too
However, if you really believe that feminsm should be thanked for instilling in you qualities that should be INHERENT in all REAL MEN, you apparently need all of the help that you can get.
Great post Mike.
REAL MEN ??? now would that be as opposed to those fake robotic men who live among us?
Or is it more along the lines of insecure twerps who think that everyone should think they are special just like mommy did?
Enquiring minds want to know.
Actually, Mike is not a REAL man. He is a robot programmed by feminists.
In my view, people are neither inherently good or bad. I doubt that feminism made anybody a certain way…But, certainly it has provided us all with opportunities. Moreover, it has given us food for thought and a chance for reflexive thinking.
I totally agree with you, Mike, that we sometimes forget how hard people have to fight for rights. I was annoyed during the last federal election when the Liberals positioned themselves as some sort of guardians of rights around gay marriage. As you say, rights aren’t granted but established and claimed by those who struggle.
REAL men are probably related to REAL Women.
:)
you didn’t include any of mine… what happened to cowriting this post?