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This is inspired by the now really long thread about women who don't consider themselves feminists. I think there is some confusion over the definition of the word.
What I see when I read the gender-relations threads on DU (in general), I see two schools of thought on gender equality.
I've named them:
Collectivist Feminism and Libertarian Feminism
Collectivist Feminists (ColFems) believe
-All individuals are morally inseparable from their gender class
If I am a man, I benefit from the actions of any and every other man with regards to gender relations. If any man discriminates against any woman, I am morally responsible, because I benefit. Conversely, every woman loses out when ANY woman is discriminated against. I am tied to my gender class.
-The gender classes are in a power struggle, and said power struggle is a zero-sum game
A long time ago, males began to immorally pilfer social power away from the female class. This process continues up to this day, hampered only by feminism. Any social benefit received by males as a class is necessarily a harm done to the female class.
-Males, and every male person by extension, by instituting this taking of power, are concluded to be hostile to the female class, This hostility is either overt, repressed (denial) or rejected (accepted as present, but conquered by other moral forces within a particular man).
ColFems are wary of male sexuality for the above reason. they believe every man has a socially ingrained and trained disrespect for women. If a man is sexually aroused by a woman, it is because he is trying to derive a social advantage from her. ColFems believe men use sexuality, through a process called "objectification", to retain and increase their advantage over women.
-Sexism is the means by which men keep their advantage over women.
It follows that women cannot be sexist, because they are at a power disadvantage. It makes no sense to have a system to maintain a power DISadvantage.
-feminism is a means to take back power from men. It is focused on eliminating men's advantages, and controlling men's behavior.
Every advantage a man has (and every man has), was derived from the detriment of a woman (and every woman). The ColFems strategy is to convince men to recognize two things: (1) they are part of the dominant group that is unfairly penalizing the oppressed group and (2) they have a socially ingrained sexist nature which they must reject, and learn to freely give power back, even if it means disadvantaging themselves and repressing their nature.
Whew! Now, libertarian feminism (LibFems).
-All individuals are morally independent
People are judged only by their own personal actions. A man in New York does not benefit when a man in Seattle unfairly denies a woman a job. Only the man who unfairly got that job benefitted. If a woman in Minnesota is sexually harassed by her male coworkers, the woman supervisor in New Mexico who works in a respectful environment is not harmed.
-Gender classes do not have singular interests
A LibFem understands social power in terms of tangibility and locality. If a group of male soldiers in one barracks doesn't want women in their unit and acts to indimidate any that DO get in, they have a common interest and wield power. they are local to each other, and the interest is tangible (definable). the female target of their actions is tangibly harmed. A white conservative christian male preacher and a poor inner city black male grocer do NOT have a singular interest. They do not interact with each other and have VERY different views and perspectives. Just because two people are the same gender, does not mean they want the same things.
-Males and females are in cannot in general be hostile to each other
Since men and women do not have singular interests based on gender class, its impossible for the ColFems conception of hostility to be tenable. In regards to "objectification", LibFems see male sexuality as normal and not threatening, inasmuch as it does not cause a local and tangible social harm to any woman or women (ie sexual slavery). Male sexuality is not based on an inherent hostility toward women.
-Sexism is the defense and promotion of a set of antiquated and authoritarian gender roles fashioned over time.
Sexism constrains both men and women into certain roles set for them by society. Women stay home and care for children and do housework, while men do outside work to support the wife and children.
Both men and women can be sexist, since they can both advocate for rigid gender roles, and there are many conservative women who do just that.
-feminism is the means by which women are empowered to be freed from these gender roles.
LibFems believe women should be given the choice of how to direct their lives. this new choice does not necessarily hurt men, because social power is not zero-sum but rather local and tangible. It doesn't mean men are NEVER disadvantaged by feminism. It depends on the circumstances. It is not a necessity though. The strategy for accomplishing feminism's goals is by educating people (of both genders, because even women *cough* Ann Coulter *cough* can hold sexist views) and by keeping sexists away from political power.
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Well, let me know what you think, which school you belong to, and if you think Ive got some aspect of either school wrong.
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