Social Question

Hypocrisy_Central's avatar

Isn't feminism a hypocritial fraud most of the time?

Asked by Hypocrisy_Central (26879points) September 14th, 2010

Seeing post here and articles elsewhere about feminism and the support of it I can’t but help think how it is all a crock and a big fraud. It seems as if feminism is just a slight of hand parlor game where women want to have their cake and eat it too. On one hand they (feminist) say they want to be treated even and equal to males, such as participating in little league, colleges, the military or other institutions They want equal pay and opportunity in the corporate world yet want to be treated different or special when it comes to birth rights, and past relationships on the witness stand. I also have not seen feminist going to bat to have just athletes at the Olympics etc. Why have women rowing and men rowing, why not just rowing? Why not just rowing and whichever team wins is the one that wins, if a team of women rowers were truly better then they would win would they not? If it were an evacuation situation why make sure the women with 2nd or 1st with the children? If there were able-bodies women why don’t they wait in favor of older, weaker men? Seems to me feminist want to invoke feminism when it is to their benefit and reject it when it goes against them.

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129 Answers

fundevogel's avatar

Are you asking if feminists are hypocritical frauds or do you just want us to know that you think they are?

For a thorough look at the relevancy of feminism today check this question.

MRSHINYSHOES's avatar

I agree. Not most of the time. Always. Why it ever came about I will never understand. You can blame a lot of the ills in society because of it.

Ben_Dover's avatar

Nothing wrong with having cake and eating it, too. I prefer mine with icing.

Why should women not band together?

augustlan's avatar

Um, what? Seriously?

DominicX's avatar

@MRSHINYSHOES

Well, if you don’t see women as deserving to be equal to men, of course you’re going to see it that way.

Same goes to @Hypocrisy_Central. Of course there are some hypocrites who feel that way, who want women to have all the equal opportunities but then shy away from conscription and other less-sought-after “benefits”, but a true feminist just wants women and men to be equal, neither one to be “above” the other.

Hypocrisy_Central's avatar

@DominicX The QB and the WR are on the same team even though they have different fuctions and duties to make the team successful…....

rooeytoo's avatar

This is why I say I am an equalist, I don’t want special treatment because I am a woman, I simply want an equal opportunity to do whatever I want to do in this world.

Motherhood in most cases is a choice and to me it is a career choice. As an employee I don’t want to have to cover for a woman who is away on maternity leave. And as a small business owner I can’t afford to pay a woman (or a man) because they choose to start a family. No one has ever subsidized my career choice, why should I be expected, as a fellow employee or employer, to subsidize the choices of women.

If employers are forced to pay maternity leave, and that would be a great hardship for many small businesses, then it is going to make employers think twice about hiring a female of child bearing age. If the government makes the payments, then every tax payer including me at 65 is going to have to subsidize the payments.

Doesn’t seem fair or reasonable to me.

augustlan's avatar

@Hypocrisy_Central Yes, but they are both fairly paid and protected.

DominicX's avatar

@Hypocrisy_Central

The CEO and the janitor are both crucical to the company, but which one has it better?

That’s not meant to be a direct analogy to men and women, my point is that just because two people are on the same team does not mean they are equal at all.

Monica987's avatar

Men and women differ in physical capability, men will always exceed women in the top competition of sports. That’s why I don’t think it should just be rowing, there needs division of sports.

As for the argument that women can’t have as much sex as men without being negatively labeled, well that has to do with the residue of an over barring religious doctrine. I think with time this will disappear…. and when you think about it women have more sexual partners then men. Women don’t have to fly through many hoops to get a guy to engage where as men do. Thats that not very equal now is it.

DrasticDreamer's avatar

First of all, it seems as if you’re comparing every woman who has ever benefited from feminism with women who actively call themselves feminists. This assumption is not only wrong and detrimental to the causes that many feminists had to fight for, it’s flat out illogical, as well.

“If there were able-bodies women why don’t they wait in favor of older, weaker men?” How do you know some of them don’t? For that matter, how do you know most of them don’t? This is, again, a dangerous assumption that you’re making of women in general. How many life or death situations have you personally been in that you can accurately say one way or the other? There are those in life who will take advantage of the easiest way out, regardless of what is “right” or “wrong”, but this goes for men as well as women, self-proclaimed feminists as well as those who don’t proclaim to be feminists at all.

What you’re doing is hearing, seeing, and/or reading about something (or simply coming to your own conclusion), and allowing one person, or a small number of people, to speak for the entirety of a group. Which is dangerous. Are you saying that all feminists are the same? All Republicans? All Democrats? Men, women, children, white people, black people, teens, adults, etc? That when one of those people from any of those groups says something, it must mean they speak for or represent every other person in said group? ‘Cause it sure seems like it to me.

As for having separate teams for men and women, how do you know that some feminists don’t have a problem with this? Have you ever stopped to think that, if they do, they can’t possibly tackle every single injustice in the world on their own? That people who feel differently than them (who are okay with this separation, in many regards, and not just in sports – such as @MRSHINYSHOES points out) don’t make their efforts for equality difficult?

There is so much wrong with the assumptions in this question that I don’t even know what else to address. I think you should stop and ask yourself a few more questions about feminism and what it means. Where it came from, why it’s here, etc.

cazzie's avatar

I think the men have to remember that we can freeze their sperm.

BoBo1946's avatar

Loll… two answers hit my funny bone….Cazzie and MsA…i knew that was coming when I read the question.

My answer: every person should be treated fairly and with respect regardless of their gender, race, etc… didn’t someone make a law about that! but, having said that, your example @Hypocrisy_Central about rowing is noted. size does matter!

rts486's avatar

I agree. Most American feminist want their cake and to eat it too. They aren’t interested in equality; they just want all the advantages without the responsibility. The good ole girl network is alive and well in the States, and it is just as sexist as any men. I’ve spent a lot of time in Europe, where the feminist movement is much different. I got along very well with the feminist there. They wanted real equality. Interestingly, a common question to me from the European feminists was “Why are the American feminists so rabid?”

cazzie's avatar

Strange thing, I wouldn’t call myself a ‘feminist’. But I do have an alter ego, superhero persona called, ‘Double Standards Girl’... and she fights stupid double standards, where ever they exist, whether it pertain to women, men, white collar or blue collar.

Injustice is injustice, whether it’s someone getting their cake and eating it to… or those who have their cake unjustly denied them. BUT, feminism isn’t about ‘having it all’ or ‘having more than men’... it’s about the ability to make choices. A woman shouldn’t have to stay in an abusive relationship because she’ll loose his paycheck (rich, coming from me….) and NOR should she be denied a place in an office because ‘she’s just going to go off and make babies anyway…’.... I think that’s bullshit, double standards.

I always wondered what kind of men have so little respect for women. We are your sisters, your mothers and your daughters. Calling us ho-bags and users says more about you.

@rooeytoo Don’t blame the woman who takes maternity leave that you have to cover her job. Blame your employer for not hiring a temp. You are basically telling that woman she has no right to have a family. That is quite wrong.

fundevogel's avatar

I’m gobsmacked how many people here are kicking the shit out of a straw feminist.

I’ve never felt so hated for thinking men and women should be treated equally and be given equal opportunity. I guess that’s what I get for being a hypocritical fraud that just wants all the advantages without the responsibility. Never mind that men don’t have to prove themselves responsible to benefit from male privilege.

Wait this is sounding familiar….yes it’s all coming back to me. There was another group that was ridiculed and demonized to trivialize their campaign for the rights and freedoms denied them. It’s not pretty. Word of advice, stick to criticizing people for their actual positions and character. You just look like a douche when you reinvent them as repulsively as you can.

cazzie's avatar

@fundevogel Don’t feel bad. If the right people hate you, it means you’re on the right track.

Ben_Dover's avatar

I’ve had my sperm frozen by one icy frigid woman. She froze it upon exit. But seriously. How can you deny women equality with men. It is just so stupid. I think it’s because the men are afraid of something.

BoBo1946's avatar

How about men’s and women’s basketball? Again, size does matter. There is not way this could be done fairly without separating the sports. There is no way to have equality in sports by putting men and women together. There are many things, excluding sports, that women do much better than men. But, not sports!

RealEyesRealizeRealLies's avatar

“As long as women insist upon being mans equal, they will never realize their superiority.”
Groucho Marx

cazzie's avatar

@BoBo1946 How about using examples that are completely out of context? Sports…??? Really???

MeinTeil's avatar

That’s what it’s been reduced to.

Feminism is merely women telling other women what to do and think instead of men.

No man can truly oppress you any more than any woman can save you.

iamthemob's avatar

No. Feminism is never a hypocritial [ sic ] fraud.

Some feminists, however, much like a good amount of people, can be total hypocrites.

Simone_De_Beauvoir's avatar

I’m not even going to bother.

BoBo1946's avatar

@cazzie uh, excuse me….if you read @Hypocrisy_Central‘s question he was the one who brought up sports. btw, why is that out of context? Give that some thought while you are resting. grrrr

Hypocrisy_Central's avatar

@fundevogel Feminism is a fraud, there are many places this ”equality” is shunned because if done so would leave women at a disadvantage.

@augustlan Yes, but they are both fairly paid and protected. But fairly paid doesn’t equal same pay. The QB will more than likely ALWAYS be paid more than the WR but if the wide out is any good he will be paid well for his service. The player that saved the Lakers hide late in the 4th quarter of the final game I can’t remember him because we wasn’t a super star did not get paid
nearly what Kobe and the other starters got paid but he didn’t say “I am not going to play my hardest I will just play up to the 3 million over 5 years my contract states”. In spite the fact he wasn’t raking in millions over millions like Kobe he played as hard as Kobe.

@DominicX The CEO and the janitor are both crucical to the company, but which one has it better? I have been a janitor, once in an office complex that housed the Northwest headquarters of Nextel. My job cleaning their office may have helped them do their job but even if I didn’t dump every trash can or wipe every counter they Still would have got their job done. I could teach the CEO of Nextel how to basically clean an office in about a week if not less, then it would have been how quick and efficient he would become and how many mistakes he would eliminate. I could have trained 3 months and I would have never learned all he knew that kept the company running smoothly and efficiently, that is why he made a lot more than I did. I knew what my part was and if I did not like making less than him then it was up to me to go do something to warrant equal pay. Anyone can learn to mop a floor or clean a window in a few days unless they are as sharp as a sack of golf balls, but not everyone can learn to run a company, do proposals, command board meetings, etc in that time.

@Monica987 and in part for @ BoBo1946 Men and women differ in physical capability, men will always exceed women in the top competition of sports. That’s why I don’t think it should just be rowing, there needs division of sports. I won’t call that a cop out only because you are not thinking outside-the-box on that or remember history. I can’t remember all the times a story broke on the local news or the paper of some girl or her parents raising a stink over not being able to join a boys’ league be it bowling, track, baseball, etc. They always used the premise that the girls can play as good as the boys, and in some case better. Lets run with men being better they might be in most things but all the time? You take 8 men 190 to 230lbs of ripping muscle and put them in a shell but they have poor sculling technique and are not as conditioned and put them in a race with women 115 to 127lb who are in top shape with excellent sculling technique you believe the men would still win just because if they slugged any of the women they would knock her into the middle of the week after next? In other words, will off brute strength alone? A male bowler so long as he is more stronger than his female counter part will always beat her even if she bowled 12 years and beat 90% of the woman she plays she can’t beat him, he is too strong? Think about it………

@DrasticDreamer First of all, it seems as if you’re comparing every woman who has ever benefited from feminism with women who actively call themselves feminists. Ummmm….nah, you missed that somehow. I know there are many women who benefited off what feminist tried to do but thanks heavens they are not feminist.

“If there were able-bodies women why don’t they wait in favor of older, weaker men?” How do you know some of them don’t? The long standing code be it official or unofficial is “women and children first”. So where a woman has the option of staying aboard or in the area or whatever an able-bodied man doesn’t have the option of hopping aboard to safety just because he got to the boat or chopper 1st.

What you’re doing is hearing, seeing, and/or reading about something (or simply coming to your own conclusion), and allowing one person, or a small number of people, to speak for the entirety of a group. Which is dangerous. Are you saying that all feminists are the same? Never mentioned if all feminist were the same or not, just the whole theory of feminism. I am all ears I would love to hear what your view of a feminist is. I surely can’t comment on it because I am not clairvoyant and cannot get into your head on how you view it.

Injustice is injustice, whether it’s someone getting their cake and eating it to… or those who have their cake unjustly denied them. Good thing you mentioned that. Lets see if Double Standard Girl can withstand this Kryptonite. When it comes to a child the DNA is half the father’s as it is the mothers. Would you see feminist fighting for the father of his fair and just right to determine his half of the DNA? Seems like no one wants to even consider the father unless there is a fat child support check in question. If he did not care to be a dad, don’t want to be a father do you think feminist or Double Standard Girl will rise to the cause and say men should be afforded a legal abortion? They have 14 days from the time the child is born to sign off on it, they won’t appear on the birth certificate, they won’t be seen legally as having anything to do with that child forever, even if they changed their mind before the ink was dry or 12 years later. Is Double Standard Girl on board with that? And if a man wanted to be a dad but is denied that because the woman can’t be bothered by her biology creating a baby which she participated in getting started, he is compensated for not being able to use his half of the DNA to have the child that is half his? How you deal with that you might be making Double Standards Girl a mere paper tiger as many feminist seem to be.

@fundevogel There was another group that was ridiculed and demonized to trivialize their campaign for the rights and freedoms denied them. Um……….nebulous linkage, an old school ploy. Let see, a race of people is not a group. Being born Hispanic, Black, Jewish etc was not a choice. You can put 30 women side by side waiting for a commute train and you really can’t pick out “she is a feminist, she is a homemaker, feminist, feminist, Gay feminist”, etc, however you will be way more accurate pointing out who was Black or maybe Hispanic, and we did not have the choice to embrace it or not; feminist are not born, they decided at some point to be feminist, big point, sorry.

fundevogel's avatar

@BoBo1946 I think what she meant is sports are a very minor concern (if at all concerning) next a lot of issues of feminine equality. It’d be like an atheist going on the warpath to get “in God we trust” off the money rather than worrying about very concerning issues like people being thrown out of public office because they don’t believe in god. It trivializes the goals of a movement when you only equate it with the least significant of its goals.

BoBo1946's avatar

@fundevogel understood…BUT, it could have been worded in a way to allow me some dignity. After all, @Hypocrisy_Central brought this up, not me.

BoBo1946's avatar

@fundevogel whatever…..everyone should be free to answer the question in the manner they feel is appropriate and should NOT be chastised for their answer. Just hit me wrong.

I’m out here.

Response moderated (Personal Attack)
Response moderated (Off-Topic)
fundevogel's avatar

@Hypocrisy_Central “Feminism is a fraud, there are many places this ”equality” is shunned because if done so would leave women at a disadvantage.”

You might try adding some support to your assertions. It’s funny, I actually have to make your case for you to rebut it since you didn’t make any case at all.

1. women aren’t eligible for the draft.

But they should be. I’m no fan of the draft, but there’s no denying that the reason for excluding women (that they aren’t suited to be soldiers) is clearly based on the old myth of feminine fragility. I think women should be no more of less vulnerable to draft than men.

2. ok I can’t think of anything else. It’s a shame you couldn’t bother to make case for your position rather than presuming the grandeur of your pronouncement would sway the hearts and minds of people everywhere. I’ve lost interest in trying to explain your position for you so I can tell you what’s wrong with it. Additionally if I do that I run the risk of ascribing thoughts and opinions to you that you don’t have which would put me in the awkward position of misrepresenting you, possibly to my benefit. Not unlike people here have done to feminism.

@Hypocrisy_Central “Um……….nebulous linkage, an old school ploy.”

I’m sorry but that link is perfectly valid. Feminists may not have faced the so vile a smear campaign as blacks did, but this is an issue of magnitude, not relevancy.

“Let see, a race of people is not a group. Being born Hispanic, Black, Jewish etc was not a choice. ....feminist are not born, they decided at some point to be feminist, big point, sorry.”

Historically black people and women have had their rights infringed upon based upon being women and being black. They still face disadvantages because of race and gender. Whether you like it or not some groups are formed not by common belief, but by factors that they face together simply by virtue of what they were born. So yes, you can be a group simply by virtue of who you are born. It certainly doesn’t mean all women or black people are in lock step politically, but it does mean that they have common denominator in certain social disadvantages.

“You can put 30 women side by side waiting for a commute train and you really can’t pick out “she is a feminist, she is a homemaker, feminist, feminist, Gay feminist”, etc, however you will be way more accurate pointing out who was Black or maybe Hispanic, and we did not have the choice to embrace it or not…”

…And? That fact that you can’t recognize a feminist on the spot has nothing to do with anything. I’m not even sure why you brought it up. Some groups can be recognized and some can’t. Visibility has nothing to do with validity.

You seem to be confusing women and feminists. They are two distinct groups, though there is overlap. The existence of feminists does not preclude the existence of women as a group, nor is it interchangeable with it. And to be quite honest, feminism isn’t even a proper subgroup of women. It’s a subgroup of people. As you should be able to tell from all the male feminist jellies you can’t recognize a feminist by their gender. Though I’m not sure why you would need to identify them at all. Are you planning on bagging one for your big five?

@BoBo1946 It think the acidity this question was packaged with makes it difficult to speak dispassionately. I suspect whatever rancor is here has nothing to do with you and everything to do with the atmosphere.

BoBo1946's avatar

@fundevogel well, my answer was totally innocent. Just brought up sports as an example of to explain the difference between men and women in that area only. I’ve coached both girls and boys basketball on the high school level and this is what came to my mind first. If you will read my first answer, knew this was going to be a “hot issue” and i had no intentions of getting in the middle of it. Well, no big deal…like i said, we all need to be “tuned up” occasionally to get the old blood flowing. But, to call me a baby…that is over the line! Anyone that knows me here, knows that is not true. I go out my way to be congential and cordial. guess my Irish temper showed here!

rooeytoo's avatar

@cazzie – hiring a temp is a quick and easy answer but not always an adequate solution. If it is a technical job, there are not always people around who want to work temporarily and there are a myriad of problems that come with temp workers even if you find one. Small business has enough problems without having to deal with that one as well.

In my opinion, motherhood is a career choice. If that is the career you choose, then stay home until the child is in school, then part time until the child leaves home (at 20 or 40). I do not want to subsidize your career choice, as an employer, fellow employee or taxpayer. If a couple can’t afford to have one stay home and take care of the child, then don’t have it until you can afford it. If it is a broken relationship and the care taker of the child cannot afford to be a stay at home parent, then society must have compassion and offer some sort of assistance, but again I as a tax payer am footing the bill, but in these cases, it can’t be helped.

MRSHINYSHOES's avatar

@RealEyesRealizeRealLies That has to be funnyman Groucho Marx’s greatest JOKE of all! Hehe!

Jabe73's avatar

Definitely hypocrites when it comes to dating.

MRSHINYSHOES's avatar

@cazzie Which proves that we men are made of tougher stuff! It’s mighty tough to kill our sperm!

DrasticDreamer's avatar

Some of the stupidity in this thread makes me laugh.

iamthemob's avatar

@rooeytoo

In my opinion, motherhood is a career choice. If that is the career you choose, then stay home until the child is in school, then part time until the child leaves home (at 20 or 40). I do not want to subsidize your career choice, as an employer, fellow employee or taxpayer.

How is fatherhood not a career choice?

fundevogel's avatar

@Jabe73 “Definitely hypocrites when it comes to dating.”

If a girl expects you to pay for her every time she’s not a feminist, (remember not all women are feminists, some are down right anti-feminist). I have heard the discrepancy in what men and women make used to justify men paying for dates. Personally I’d rather get rid of that discrepancy than use it to legitimate someone else paying my way.

Aside from how it may unfairly burn a hole in your pocketbook I don’t think it’s psychologically healthy for men to always pay. I’ve run across women that treat themselves like high class whores because they think their sexual compliance is something to be procured with dates and gifts. It’s disturbing on so many levels.

@iamthemob “How is fatherhood not a career choice?”

Hit the nail on the head.

rooeytoo's avatar

@iamthemob – let’s face it, at this point in time, on this planet, child care is usually the job of the mother. But if the father is staying at home instead, I still feel the same way, I don’t feel it is my obligation to subsidize the choice.

My last place of residence was in a mining town. The company who owned the mine is one of the largest in the world and has an excellent paid maternity/paternity leave program. When our young neighbors across the street had their child, dad took great advantage of his “paternity” leave to go fishing for most of the day every day he was off. I’m glad I wasn’t paying that salary. But the problem is that in essence I and every other consumer is because the cost of his paternity leave is reflected in the price of product to the consumer.

iamthemob's avatar

@rooeytoo

let’s face it, at this point in time, on this planet, child care is usually the job of the mother. But if the father is staying at home instead, I still feel the same way, I don’t feel it is my obligation to subsidize the choice.

Of course. But you still assume it’s one or the other. If both were on leave, the time would be halved.

Hypocrisy_Central's avatar

@fundevogel You might try adding some support to your assertions. It’s funny, I actually have to make your case for you to rebut it since you didn’t make any case at all. I did with the mother of all feminist hypocrisies of birth rights. I was going to go into the other stuff but people have things to do and I did not think they could sit through a novel worth of text if I even had that much room.

ok I can’t think of anything else. Lets try the Rape Shield law, as bad as rape is getting to the truth might be better served if her sexual history was known. How many times in the past has she felt she was raped by others? What was the details of past attacks if there were any?

Maternity leave, they want to be able to choose to be away from the office, etc. for 2 years and expect that their job should be waiting when they decide to come back. Then expect not to lose any promotions to boot. That would be like allowing one car to clog the only way to the ivory tower. I guess every one who was hired on while she was away have to wait until she gets back to advance because if any of them jump ahead of her and there are no other seats at the table at that moment she will sue. Nothing is never said that after she has the company hold her job she changes her mind what does she owe the company who could have filled that position weeks or months ago?

To name a few I could make a case with.

I’m sorry but that link is perfectly valid. Feminists may not have faced the so vile a smear campaign as blacks did, but this is an issue of magnitude, not relevancy. Really? I did not know females were born feminist. Feminism is a choice. Sure women has issues of discrimination but I hardly seen them as a class get strung up by trees or burned alive. I guess Mary Turner was a two-time loser then? http://maryturner.org/, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mary_Turner. Maybe a three-time loser since her child and whole family was taken down too.

Historically black people and women have had their rights infringed upon based upon being women and being black. Women has been discriminated on but not all women were feminist because of it, all Black people were still black, and that was no choice as to be Black or not, discrimination notwithstanding. Not all Black people are militant in their quest for equality as the SLA was etc. and not all women who want not to be discriminated are feminist.

The last case, the dumbing down of test for firefighters and cops etc, so that more women can pass. If the standard was you had to be able to carry a 300lb man down 6 flights of stairs in X amount of minutes for instance, it is that way for a reason, that means just about anyone would be saved from a fire if they were passed out or injured. To lesson it, to say, a 180lb man down 3 fights of stairs in 4 minutes might get more women to pass, but serves safety a disservice. If wlmen wanted to be firefighter they should pass the test as it was since the 60s not cry it keeps women out, maybe they should have just rose up earlier and ate more Wheaties.

@BoBo1946 whatever…..everyone should be free to answer the question in the manner they feel is appropriate and should NOT be chastised for their answer. Welcome to Fluther. Sadly free speach is not that free. The unfortunate thing is sometimes here when people cannot make their point or get legs under it people slather you with silly, assinine, insipid, or worse. Believe me I have had my share of spaghetti slung at me but none has stuck. ;-)

Trillian's avatar

@Hypocrisy_Central You forgot to say; “Fact from fiction, truth from diction.”
Try that and see if your arguments carry more weight.

cazzie's avatar

@rooeytoo I’m glad I live in a country that feels otherwise.

Hypocrisy_Central's avatar

@Trillian Please…...my facts don’t need that this time around, you can put better legs under your’s than fretting over a personal maxim. :-P

Do you have a rebuttal…...any at all?

Trillian's avatar

Nah. I no longer have the inclination to pay you the compliment of rational discouse. It appears well covered on both sides.

iamthemob's avatar

@Hypocrisy_Central

- the rape shield law is not gender-specific. States generally allow for exceptions to the shield subject to a relevancy test. Instances of repeated accusations of rape, for instance, would more than likely meet this standard. The shield is meant to be an automatic guard, because evidence of a persons sexual history is not relevant to the specific facts of his or her rape generally, and will more often confuse the jury with irrelevant facts which may appear probative to them. A basic standard for evidentiary admission is that the probative value outweigh potential prejudicial effect. The law essentially takes this standard and says “past history of sexual activity will not meet this standard unless it falls under one of [these] exceptions.”

It’s really a very practical thing.

- your example of the workplace discrimination issue shows how, in fact, women are not protected to the degree you seem to think. There are three levels of scrutiny courts use to determine whether a law is discriminatory either on its face or in its results. Laws which have a discriminatory effect are often subject to intermediate scrutiny, which means that as long as the employer has a compelling (in the interests of safety) reason for the requirement and it’s clearly work-related, and the method through which discrimination occurs (such as the firefighter’s test) is not unreasonable, then it’s gonna be safe.

In this case you’re talking about, I’m fairly certain there was an overlap such that the standards needn’t be as “high” as they were, and so had an overly discriminatory effect than was necessary. The standards, in essence, functionally prevented women from ever getting the job. The court would not require firefighters to lower their standards to a point below a level that’s safe, but they will be required to make sure that the standards, while safe, should not act as an absolute bar to women unless totally necessary.

- the women and children first thing – is that still the standard? Regardless, it seems like it’s kind of a rare occurrence to actually be something worth discussing here.

- the issue of birth rights…can you pin that down?

- maternity leave…I’ve stated my position that men and women should each receive childcare leave, in equivalent amounts. Then, both end up having the opportunity to share caregiving responsibilities.

(this may also solve the “Women and children first issue” as children are a no-brainer, and the women go because they might be the primary caregivers. :-))

fundevogel's avatar

I said, “I’m sorry but that link is perfectly valid. Feminists may not have faced the so vile a smear campaign as blacks did, but this is an issue of magnitude, not relevancy.”

@Hypocrisy_Central “Really? I did not know females were born feminist. Feminism is a choice. Sure women has issues of discrimination but I hardly seen them as a class get strung up by trees or burned alive. I guess Mary Turner was a two-time loser then? http://maryturner.org/, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mary_Turner. Maybe a three-time loser since her child and whole family was taken down too.”

Guess you think that developing the political opinion that women should have the same opportunities as a man is an act deserving of ridicule and character assassination in your mind. I’m very sorry to hear that you can only sympathize with people that are can’t help being what they’re demonized for. I mean shit, I’m sure those black people would have stopped being black if they could and would have stuck with a more acceptable shade of white, but those feminists…HOW DARE THEY CHOOSE TO BE SOMETHING UNPOPULAR.

Frankly I’m disgusted that you seem to think that so long as no one’s getting strung up everything’s fine. News flash. Racism isn’t restricted to hate crimes and women’s suffrage didn’t magically do away with thousands of years of institutionalized male privilege.

I don’t think I can continue to talk to someone who thinks feminists had it coming because they couldn’t just shut up get with the complacency.

In case anyone else is wondering about the smear campaign against feminists that’s got my panties in a bunch I’ll clarify. I’m talking about the flagrant character assassination of femistists that seeks to discredit them and take the focus off of their concerns by mischaracterizing them as militant man hating shrews not to be taken seriously. It’s complete bullshit. For reals. A study published in the journal “Psychology of Women Quarterly” and found that women that aren’t feminists are actually more hostile to men than feminists are.

iamthemob's avatar

@fundevogel

Feminism isn’t a choice, it’s a mandate – once you recognize what its fundamental goals are.

BoBo1946's avatar

@DrasticDreamer some of the lack of tolerance doesn’t make me laugh. Every person sees this world differently. Also, everyone cannot express themselves as well as others with written communication. Certainly not me.

I’ve never a problem with ladies that want equal rights. That has never been a problem with me. Everyone deserves to treated with respect and dignity, That would be in a perfect World, certainly not this one.

BoBo1946's avatar

@BoBo1946 whatever…..everyone should be free to answer the question in the manner they feel is appropriate and should NOT be chastised for their answer. Welcome to Fluther. Sadly free speach is not that free. The unfortunate thing is sometimes here when people cannot make their point or get legs under it people slather you with silly, assinine, insipid, or worse. Believe me I have had my share of spaghetti slung at me but none has stuck. ;-)

Well said, and could not agree more. My comment was totally innocent. I’ve no agenda about the ladies having their rights etc. More power to them. I’m retired….I’m not competing with anyone…just come to my p/c everyday and converse with my friends. Ahhh..the simple life is fun.

Hypocrisy_Central's avatar

@fundevogel
Guess you think that developing the political opinion that women should have the same opportunities as a man is an act deserving of ridicule and character assassination in your mind. I made no thought of if feminist were perceived as Nazi man-haters or anything else. My train of thought goes to the methodology or the theory of feminism not the feminist themselves. If a feminist conducts herself militantly, strictly political, or in between makes little difference to me.

Equality and importance, I guess, hold a different place depending on if you are thinking outside-the-box or trapped in it. Balance is more to the nature of actual equality. A man is a man and build the same as the next be he Black, white, Hispanic, or Asian. Being a different nationality will have little to do on how he can perform a different task. As some believe that a shell of women no matter how trained could not win against lesser trained but physically stronger men even when the logic don’t support that, in spite what nationality those women would be. The very computers we use to even have this conversation should serve as a prime example. It takes hardware and software not just all hardware or all software. Is one better or more important than the other? No, it takes the balance of the two different sides to make it useful. If I have my tower, my hard drives, memory, motherboard and other peripherals but no software to run it, all it would serve as is a very bulky interesting paperweight. If I had all software with nothing to run it, no monitor, no DVD drive, no mouse, no motherboard all that info, data, programs on those disc and flash drives might as well be just drink coasters and neck charms. Men and women were not built to be the same, you have two right legs and no left you have a human who has a hard time standing. Try having a tandem bike where the riders are side-by-side instead of inline. I bet it won’t be very balanced with out a lot of effort of the riders if at all. I guess feminism can’t see that; balance is nebulous because they believe they are on the low end of the scale.

Frankly I’m disgusted that you seem to think that so long as no one’s getting strung up everything’s fine. If that is all you got from that, sorry, I guess I need to make it more clear. I never believe it is OK.

In case anyone else is wondering about the smear campaign against feminists that’s got my panties in a bunch I’ll clarify. If feminist want to have what men have they better move to boxer briefs and ditch the panties.

iamthemob's avatar

@Hypocrisy_Central

My train of thought goes to the methodology or the theory of feminism

- alright, but what then is the methodology of theory of feminism? Sources appreciated…

Being a different nationality will have little to do on how he can perform a different task. As some believe that a shell of women no matter how trained could not win against lesser trained but physically stronger men even when the logic don’t support that, in spite what nationality those women would be. ... Men and women were not built to be the same, you have two right legs and no left you have a human who has a hard time standing.

- What point are you trying to make here? I thought the work issue was fairly settled…but what questions/problems remain?

cazzie's avatar

@MRSHINYSHOES yeah, endurance of your sperm makes you expendable, not made of ‘tougher stuff’. We gestate and deliver the offspring. In my mind, that makes us tougher.

iamthemob's avatar

@cazzie – no, that makes you unlucky (sorry…I couldn’t resist)

cazzie's avatar

@iamthemob —misquoting a favourite movie—- ‘I don’t feel…. unlucky.’ In fact, I feel quite darned lucky to have gotten to do it and I’d do it again!

BoBo1946's avatar

As my grandfather said so many times, “the light so shall shine through!” Evenually, what is in a person will surface. From reading some of the comments here it appears that some women and some men are showing their insecurity and attitudes about the opposite sex. Prejudicial attitudes work both ways. just saying!

cazzie's avatar

@BoBo1946 et al….. I’m really lucky. I live in a country that appreciates, to an extent, a woman’s contribution to the community by bringing new life into the world and the care taking she does. This community supports me for a year if I so choose to stay home to tend to my child and my family. This is the kind of thing I think more nations need to embrace. That’s my point here. Of course, men and women are NOT the same and can never be treated like two exact puzzle pieces. Women have their strengths (generally speaking) and so do men… (generally speaking)....

My beef is that women need to serve more than one purpose in this world. We DO need to have careers and work, (not just for our self esteem and our ‘modern’ need for choice) Economics, such as they are now, it takes two incomes to run a household. Women don’t get their cake and eat it too. They are responsible for their family’s day to day AND they are now expected to work full time jobs and bring in a pay packet. Dependant kids, elderly parents…. these ‘jobs’ more often than not, fall on a woman’s shoulders. I think all we’re asking for these days is for all the unpaid work to NOT go unnoticed and to get some support (paid sick leave when we need to look after our sick kids…. a bit of maternity leave….) Just SOMETHING that says, ‘What you do matters. We are a community and raising children and taking care of the elderly is part of that community.’ What happens when the kids AREN’T raised and parented? That is FAR more expensive. It’s about being far-sighted as a culture.

OK.. now I feel like I’m ranting a bit, but I just want everyone to understand. We really haven’t come that far…. historically speaking. If you read what Mary Wollstonecraft was debating in her day…. so much still resonates now. It’s a shame. http://no.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mary_Wollstonecraft

We’re not all bad. As the saying goes… ‘Don’t throw the baby out with the bathwater.’ (pun intended)

BoBo1946's avatar

@cazzie Today’s world has changed so much. The man and woman must share all the responsibities. The man’s role has changed so much. Now, he is expected to wash, iron, wipe junior’s butt, etc. And, when both work, he should. My son’s wife has never worked in their 16 years of marriage, but he help out so much when he gets home. He is a real team player. When the children were younger, he was the one that usually got up in the middle of the night and took care of them. To say the least, I’m very proud of him. He is my only child.

My grandfather never allowed my grandmother to work. He told her, you take of what in the house and I’ll take care of the rest. It worked…they were married for 60+ years. She was happy and so was he. Those kind of arrangements are about exitinct.

I’ve never gotten into the feminist movement. I was taught at an early age to always be a gentleman. When I was very young, would always open the doors for the ladies, say nice things to them, etc. When I was working, had a couple of women bosses, got alone great with them. Actually, better than the men i worked for.

Anyway, enjoyed reading your comments. Take care!

cazzie's avatar

As always, @BoBo1946 thank you. I know it takes all kinds and your son is one to really be proud of. The problems are elevated when the man in the relationship hasn’t cottoned on to the disparities. Honestly, your son is an exception. It’s not only the disparity at home that troubles me, but the choices a woman has when she’s either alone with the children (because let’s face it… men walk more than women do…) her choices and life change DRAMATICALLY. I just want everyone to ask themselves… ‘WHY?’ Why do single mothers (and they are single mother’s for a variety of reasons, but their job and situation remains the same, regardless, so keep the judging to a minimum, please.) have such limited resources? Options? It’s a hard cold fact that people don’t like to face, but they need to really empathise with the issue of single parenthood.

There has been statistics taken for divorced and separated people. The results are not surprising. Women’s income drops dramatically..while the men enjoy an increase in household income. BUT…. recent studies show that the men have much higher indications of unhappiness, while the woman’s indicators for happiness go way up. Hmmm….

It’s been said by several and attibuted to many, but I like the quote… *Educate a man and you educate an individual. Educate a woman and you educate an entire family.’ We’re not equal. We’re different, but we should be valued the same.

I think I’m as old fashioned as you. I just want what’s best for my family.

BoBo1946's avatar

@cazzie oh, you hit a nerve…when I was teaching, i told the girls in my classes, don’t get married until you have that degree. So many want to get married out of high school. Would tell them so often, don’t have children until you are sure that he is the one. That way, at least they could walk away and have the money to take care of themselves. So many complications when a woman get out of marriage with children and no degree. This is bad. And, you are totally correct about the man’s income going up and the woman get the children and less money. And, plus all the responsibilities. .

We should team up and go to high schools and have seminars on this..loll

Hypocrisy_Central's avatar

_ As some believe that a shell of women no matter how trained could not win against lesser trained but physically stronger men even when the logic don’t support that,_ That was just a point to show that many feminist are full of it because they don’t believe their own rhetoric, If they did they would insist on just rowers and not men or women rowers because when it came to technique over brute strength bigger stronger bodies would not matter.

Men and women were not built to be the same, you have two right legs and no left you have a human who has a hard time standing. to point out as @cazzie alluded to, Of course, men and women are NOT the same and can never be treated like two exact puzzle pieces. having a jet with 2 wings on one side and none on the other or a wheel barrel with 2 wheels on one side and none on the other etc. will never work. As with software and hardware you need balance that is equal importance even though they are not the same or function. Feminist seem to want to have either all hardware, or all software depending on which they feel them men had 1st.

@cazzie We’re not equal. We’re different, but we should be valued the same. THANK YOU! Could not say it better, the software in the computer is just as important as the hardware that runs it, they are a team, they work together even though they are both different, both are important in there special way to make this idiot box an instrument capable of doing great work like solving cancer or fun stuff like fluthering. Not equal, different but just as important as the other, like men and women.

iamthemob's avatar

@Hypocrisy_Central

I am having a little bit of trouble following you, to be honest…I’m confused about what point you’ve made still…the fact that men and women are physically different and that necessitates some barriers when it comes to competitive sports and jobs such as firefighters – but that was pretty much settled legally a long, long time ago.

fundevogel's avatar

@Hypocrisy_Central “If feminist want to have what men have they better move to boxer briefs and ditch the panties.”

Seriously? It’s our underwear holding us back? Who knew? God I feel so silly for getting all up in arms for about the idea that women are asking for special treatment when they take leave for a common medical condition that never afflicts men. God, if I had only known. If I wear boxers will I, like a man, be able to become a parent without needing to take time off to squeeze a lifeform, larger than a breadbox (but smaller than a Studebaker) out of my cooter? Because if that’s all it takes I’m there. Might be a bit awkward with my mini skirts, but really, what’s a little static cling on the path to true equality?

@iamthemob See I do employ it. Was that so dispicable?

rooeytoo's avatar

Why does it pain some people so to say all humans are created equal. Some are stronger than others, some have different plumbing but what the hell does that have to do with being equal??? Why must the semantics of not equal but different of the same value enter into it? It is just a nit-picky way of saying one is superior to the other.

Here is the final determining factor in my mind, the human race cannot exist without both, so therefore THEY ARE EQUAL!!! But do bear in mind that artificial insemination is a much simpler application than hatching a human egg in an incubator, so if you wanted to really get down to brass tacks, which sex could continue to exist longer without the other and does that make it superior???

Hypocrisy_Central's avatar

@iamthemob I am having a little bit of trouble following you, to be honest…I’m confused about what point you’ve made still…the fact that men and women are physically different and that necessitates some barriers when it comes to competitive sports and jobs such as firefighters – but that was pretty much settled legally a long, long time ago. Because you got stuck on the job. Point blank feminism is not needed. As @cazzie stated Of course, men and women are NOT the same and can never be treated like two exact puzzle pieces. Men and women are different as @fundevogel say, men don’t have babies and women can’t fertilize their own eggs naturally. It is like a lock and a key, we know how that works, two keys and no locks you can’t secure anything; two locks and no keys don’t work any better. Feminist want either two locks or two keys not a key and a lock so it can actually be useful, that is overall, not just some job or sports.

@fundevogel Seriously? It’s our underwear holding us back? If it were only that simple. Feminism is all about women getting what men have and enjoy, I have never seen a movement were men desired to get what women have other than control over their half of the DNA before they are asked to shell out money without no say. Logically then what men have must be better because women want it so much. Maybe they should have boxer briefs just like men since it is for men it must be better than a lacy thong.

@rooeytoo They arn’t, just as software needs hardware and visa versa both are important to the whole even if they are made different and have defferent fuctions, feminist can’t see that.

fundevogel's avatar

@Hypocrisy_Central “Feminism is all about women getting what men have and enjoy, I have never seen a movement were men desired to get what women have…Logically then what men have must be better because women want it so much. Maybe they should have boxer briefs just like men since it is for men it must be better than a lacy thong.”

You make it sound like a bad thing. Wait lets see what happens if we apply this sound and reasonable argument to other groups of people mad libs style.

Civil rights is all about black people getting what white people have and enjoy, I have never seen a movement where white people desired to get what black people have…Logically then what white people have must be better because black people want it so much. Maybe they should have boxer briefs just like white people since it is for white people it must be better than a lacy thong.

Animal rights is all about animals getting what people have and enjoy, I have never seen a movement where people desired to get what animals have…Logically then what people have must be better because animals want it so much. Maybe they should have boxer briefs just like people since it is for people it must be better than a lacy thong.

Bodily autonomy is all about hos getting what pimps have and enjoy, I have never seen a movement where pimps desired to get what hos have…Logically then what pimps have must be better because hos want it so much. Maybe they should have boxer briefs just like pimps since it is for pimps it must be better than a lacy thong.

well when you put it like that…

I invite anyone to do their own madlib. You too @Hypocrisy_Central.

iamthemob's avatar

I can’t even discern an argument anymore…am I at a locksmith?!?!

augustlan's avatar

I give up even trying to understand his argument.
@fundevogel I lurve you. That is all. :)

fundevogel's avatar

@augustlan I lurve you too.

MRSHINYSHOES's avatar

@cazzie After all the talking and debating, only one fact remains——men are on the whole much bigger and stronger than women because of the greater amount of testosterone they make. They are generally larger, more muscled, and have greater strength overall. Sorry ladies, but those are the facts. A hard pill to swallow and accept, but that’s the way it is. :)

And with that note, this case is closed——thankfully! Good-bye and good riddance! Lol.

DrasticDreamer's avatar

@MRSHINYSHOES Why is that a hard pill to swallow? Men generally are physically stronger. So what.

Hypocrisy_Central's avatar

@fundevogel Civil rights is all about black people getting what white people have and enjoy, I have never seen a movement where white people desired to get what black people have…Logically then what white people have must be better because black people want it so much. OK, I am going to go there. You know what? You are right. If you have the choice on a hot day to drink from a rusted spigot or a refrigerated fountain you have to be pretty dense to want to drink from a spigot of tepid water than ice cold from a fountain. Yes, what white people had was better. Does that mean white people are better than Black people? Hardly. But you can’t really stack white men next to Black men unless you want to say who could work best in the sun with out getting sunburned, which scientifically the edge would go to the Black men. What Black people were denied had nothing to do with them not being as tall or as strong or because all Black people had a medical condition that no white person had. The privilege white people had and the opportunities were better. I would not want to say only a fool could not see that but they would have to be very close.

However, a lot of white people want small parts of what Black people had. They certainly went crazy over rap can’t figure out why, blues, wearing saggy, baggy jeans from the early 80s gang culture, and ”Bling Culture”. But where it really counts, housing, free enterprise, education, etc I know you are not going to sit there and say white people had it just as bad as everyone else, they had it better than everyone, Hispanics, Native Americans, Asians until recent history, everyone. I know you are not going to test the intelligence of Fluther and suggest otherwise.

fundevogel's avatar

@Hypocrisy_Central Cool, so I guess if you agree that it’s totally reasonable for black people (or any other shade of people) to want and acquire the same advantages as white people that you also agree that it is totally reasonable for women to want and acquire the same opportunities as men.

We’re all just people after all.

DrasticDreamer's avatar

Annnnnnd @fundevogel wins!

The end!

Hypocrisy_Central's avatar

@fundevogel Cool, so I guess if you agree that it’s totally reasonable for black people (or any other shade of people) to want and acquire the same advantages as white people that you also agree that it is totally reasonable for women to want and acquire the same opportunities as men. The 1st part, yeah. Unless somehow a Hispanic or Black man is prone to have some physical condition white men don’t have but normally we all shave, have an Adam’s apple and a penis in the pants. The 2nd part not, that is, unless women want to be built just like men. Hardware needs software or what good is it? Good thing all women did not care to abandon their role to try to do the role of men, society would die out in 80 years.

Yikes, no victory

DrasticDreamer's avatar

“To abandon their role”. Funny.

fundevogel's avatar

I’m a afraid I’ve already spent my word budget for this question.

Morgan Freeman

cazzie's avatar

Yeah… I don’t get that… ‘Abandon their role?’

iamthemob's avatar

@cazzies/he means that women wouldn’t get knocked up like they’re ‘sposedta

Seek's avatar

@Hypocrisy_Central Sickle-cell anemia?

iamthemob's avatar

@Seek_Kolinahr – Black men are prone to a skin disorder that prevents them from being able to shave normally, as it will strip their skin. Therefore, they have beards of some length all the time. Firefighters (as well as many government workers) have appearance policies that require men to be clean-shaven. This created a disparate impact on black men applying for positions, and has been held as discrimination under Title VII.

I think that’s what s/he’s talking about. But yeah, that too could lead to a claim of disparate impact. Either way, I don’t know why it matters in a discussion on feminism.

I don’t even know what s/he thinks feminism might be…

Seek's avatar

He is a black man. He is all for civil rights, as long as they directly benefit him. His screen name has never been so apt.

Hypocrisy_Central's avatar

@Seek_Kolinahr If you know me well enough you would know I loathe Affirmative Action, I believe that to truly be equal you have to have the exact disadvantages or advantages as the “Man” at the top. But then again be he white, Black, or Asian non-has babies or nursing breast, and each has the ability to be as physically strong as the other.

iamthemob's avatar

@Hypocrisy_Central – I’m sorry, but what does that have to do with anything? I really would like to know (1) what you think feminism is, and (2) in what contexts specifically women should not be treated equally to men, whether it be directly or because of the effects of policy.

Seek's avatar

@Hypocrisy_Central Because you only deserve to be equal if you can beat up the other guy? That doesn’t even make sense.

fundevogel's avatar

Perhaps he’s a social Darwinist.

iamthemob's avatar

@fundevogel – then he’s going to be whoa depressed when science makes the Y chromosome officially obsolete.

Hypocrisy_Central's avatar

@iamthemob what you think feminism is, and (2) in what contexts specifically women should not be treated equally to men, whether it be directly or because of the effects of policy. In short what I think feminism is a fraud, it is wanting the perks of being male with out giving away any of being a woman. As I have already pointed out with birthing rights or control. Women say they want to be equal and all should be fair unless the father wants to dictate some control over his half of the DNA; women want to be the sole gatekeeper in that area as if the man’s DNA is irrelevant.

Women want to be treated like men and have all the opportunities, etc, but they want things altered to better favor them. In certain professions like cops, fire fighters, etc they want the test ”soften” so more women could pass it thus becoming fire fighter, for instance. Why don’t they take the opportunity as is if they want to pass they can just bulk up as any man would have to do. What next? Change the rules so the blind, little people or amputees could pass and join just because it appears fair? If the rules or test was not changed for short weaker men, why should it be changed for women? If they can’t do it why not they be in the same class as the weaker male who could not do it?

In sports they want equality with conditions. Back when I coached soccer they wanted to mix the teams, to have coed teams, I think one year not too many girls signed up. Several people expressed the reason that they (the kids) should play together, that the girls were just as good or equal in play to the boys. Interesting part was all the names went into a hat and the coaches drew them out at random. But there were 2 hats, a boys’ hat and girls’ hat. Why was that? If the girls were really equal to the boys there would have been one hat with everyone’s name in it. If one team drew 5 girls and another team drew none or one girl if the theory holds the team with more girls would not be at any real disadvantage, that there was no reason to try to even out the girls on the teams so no one would end up with more than the other. Equality with conditions; fraud to the max.

Fraud like that equals Blacks who want affirmative action, because they want a seat at the table and an equal chance to sit or not. However, they want quotas that say there must be X number of Black people at the table even if white people who paid more for the plate is not allowed a seat. Affirmative Action, Feminism, if you are going to go there, don’t wade in the “kiddie pool”, dive into the deeper end. If you want equality then accept that the opportunity at that equality ”as is” and if it shakes out to women not measuring up and it would end up that way anyhow even if they had not the opportunity in the first place.

rooeytoo's avatar

That is why I say I am for equalism, I don’t want “special” treatment, that breeds resentment as you are oozing in your statement above. It also makes it more difficult for women who really want equal rights to be taken seriously. A lot of women do want it both ways and it is ruining the cause. There are plenty of women who are strong enough to be a firefighter without softening the requirements, let them be the firefighters. I couldn’t do that, I am not tall or strong enough but in anything that requires abilities other than physical, I am right there and want an equal shot.

iamthemob's avatar

@Hypocrisy_Central

I did not ask what you think ABOUT feminism. I asked what you think feminism IS. This means that I want to know what you believe the objective of the feminist movement is. The objective of the feminist movement cannot be that it’s a fraud.

(1) As I have already pointed out with birthing rights or control. Women say they want to be equal and all should be fair unless the father wants to dictate some control over his half of the DNA; women want to be the sole gatekeeper in that area as if the man’s DNA is irrelevant.

Your description here seems misleading, or is at least unclear. Man does not have any legal control over his “DNA.” If you’re talking about abortion rights, I understand the personal stake. I would want a legal say in whether the mother of my child decided to terminate her pregnancy in any case. If it were done without my consent, I am not sure that I would be able to get over that (of course, there are circumstances where I would clearly be able to – including among others a risk to the life of the mother). However, a person does not have much in the way of legal rights to parts of themselves once they’ve been removed. This is why you cannot sell your organs (legally). This is why you cannot demand the return of donated organs. You can sell your sperm, etc., but you have to sign away parental rights to do so. This is because, once it, ahem, LEAVES your body, and meiosis starts, what is created is either (1) a life of its own, on one side, which means that YOU don’t have ANY rights to it greater than its own rights (I think the thirteenth amendment frees us all from slavery) or (2) a part of HER BODY. The fact that you donated an ounce of material and six seconds of time to the process doesn’t mean you should have equal say as the person who has to gestate, feed, and birth a child because of that. We’ve already admitted that there are some physical differences, and feminism doesn’t preclude that this means that sometimes women and men will by necessity be treated differently.

(2) Some women want that, and I’ve already said that the law has been changed in order to ensure that the requirements do not create a disparate impact on women being able to participate. Many of the standards set were higher than necessary and designed to keep women out (kind of like the clean-shaven requirement for firefighters was designed to keep black men out). But still there will be far fewer women that qualify. As for your other suggestions, the ADA covers disabilities, and states that they would have to otherwise qualify for the job if there is some way they can be accommodated, and if not offered there must be a legitimate business reason. Safety has always been accepted as one, so you don’t have to worry about the slippery slope – we’re safe.

(3) You keep coming back to sports. No one is arguing with you. Sports are not really a focus of feminism. It’s about as central to the movement as a hypothetical call to have women play male roles in movies so that they have a equal shots at action roles in Hollywood. Point conceded, sports will be treated differently. That’s not feminism.

You are not making a point about feminism. You are making a point about abortion and sports. Only the first is an issue of central importance to feminism. The latter is a weak attempt to show “difference and therefore no equality.” If your issue is only abortion, please let me know if you disagree with my points in (1) above, with reasons, and support. If there is something more (and remember, sports is conceded) that I’m missing, let me know. But I would still finally like to know what the definition of feminism is for you that leads you to the conclusion that it is a fraud.

Hypocrisy_Central's avatar

@iamthemob I did not ask what you think ABOUT feminism. I asked what you think feminism IS. I think it is a systemic methodology to acquire parity with men but not at face value. That is what I see feminism as and how applied.

*Man does not have any legal control over his “DNA.” If you’re talking about abortion rights, I understand the personal stake.” I don’t care what you want to call it but a man do not have say over any part of a creation which his DNA was vastly important in the creation. As you say about test, they were overly done as to keep women out, here it is overly done to give women more rights at the expense of the men,—-I can blame many generations of pussy whipped men and vote whore politicians for that one—. If it was his house with his money and the marriage goes south under the way the law is applied to his DNA he should not have to share any part of the house with her, she should move out and go get her own.

However, a person does not have much in the way of legal rights to parts of themselves once they’ve been removed. Part of my case right there, the use of semantics and junk logic to try to bamboozle the issue when it appears women will have to give up some part of the pie or share it for a seat at the table. Trying to say if he has sex with her without a condom and she becomes pregnant he has no say over than DNA once it departs his penis into her vagina. The bamboozling come where one tried to cleave men of the right, but not the responsibility should she decide to keep it. If he don’t have any claim to it he should be allowed to keep that up or exact it after the birth, if we are talking all fairness and equality.

This is because, once it, ahem, LEAVES your body, and meiosis starts, what is created is either (1) a life of its own, on one side, which means that YOU don’t have ANY rights to it greater than its own rights (I think the thirteenth amendment frees us all from slavery) or (2) a part of HER BODY. To clear up, it is, as you say, a life of its own, at the appropriate time he/she will be expelled to live a life of its own and not forever a symbiant of the woman. It is NOT a part of the body or the woman’s “other” tissue. It was not a spontaneous growth that just happened without the present of male sperm; it did not form like a cancer. If so, I would say men has no say, if we want to be fair and equal about it. The mother has only limited rights in pure logic as to what she should be able to do with it because it is a life of its own whose creation is equally shared by both parents. I guess we can curse God because He made it that females carry and birth the children. That is one of their primary roles. In the creation part and early childhood era of a person it is the mother who carries them until birth and feeds them –I will give bottles took some of that away in most industrialized nations, but that is quite a new thing over the totality of history, that is why females have breast that make milk. But the important but different function seem to miss feminist who think we all should be just alike. Maybe one day we can take the woman out of it and gestate the unborn in long black tubes then she can walk away and go sex it up more with out ever having risk of being ”stuck” with a child in the womb or having to vacuum it out like rubbish. That day is not today. However you call it if you are going to be true to fairness it took 2 sets of chromosomes to get things going, both parties have a say.

The fact that you donated an ounce of material and six seconds of time to the process doesn’t mean you should have equal say as the person who has to gestate, feed, and birth a child because of that. Donate? If you have consensual sex with someone of legal age and she did not enforce birth control there is no donation because unless she is a whopping loon she knows the risk. Even if it were an accident and unintended to say everyone else go to hell because she get to be sole arbitrator when we are speaking fair and equal shows that to be a fraud. If it were anything else the court would weight it out on a case by case basis. If I and a woman built a house together and somehow she went hiking in Egypt and ended up arrested I could not just decide to sell the house, my half and hers with out some legal proceeding just because I am paying the mortgage, utilities, and upkeep with out any help from her. If we can take such detail over property we should be 10 times more attentive to detail on children (even if unborn).

Some women want that, and I’ve already said that the law has been changed in order to ensure that the requirements do not create a disparate impact on women being able to participate. Many of the standards set were higher than necessary and designed to keep women out (kind of like the clean-shaven requirement for firefighters was designed to keep black men out). When it comes down to anything in which physical ability comes into play feminist more than not want the rules bent or broken so they can succeed at them. What better way to say ”I can’t compete head to head” than that? Using shaving as a way to exclude other men has no physical basis at all. A man with stubble can carry a 425lb man just as well as one who is clean shaven. Those that can’t, can’t clean shaven, full beard or whatever. Women, no matter what the race will have a harder time doing it, again, blame God for not making women with the same physical attributes and traits as men, then I guess He would not have need of Eve people might just be hatched from eggs then it would be all equal. To say safety was overplayed to undermine women? Really? Reeeeeealy? Guess that is why they kept women out of the military because they just knew in a knife fight in a fox hole women could take out the enemy just as much as any guy –just not here in America when they report wife beater—but they just did not want women to get medals for valor, bravery and outstanding conduct. Now I see it……. That is why the illustration of sports comes in, it is the purest and easiest barometer of the feminist fraud ”we want to play but we can’t play head to head because we would get our clocked cleaned as is being said”. Gals want to play with the guys to play with the guys because they are just as capable BUT we have to do so that every team is balanced equally with females or rules modifies to make up for shortcomings.

They want to be executives when they want to but want to take off and be mommies when they choose. All fair and well, it is there choice. They want to hold the business or company hostage while they do so. If a company is working on a big project and she decides to take off to have a baby, why should she think she should come back in at the same rate and pay when she has been out of it by her own choice for many months or a year plus? What if there is nothing for her to really do to warrant a promotion or raise? Everyone else has been there the past week, months and more working on this big project. What are they suppose to do? Hold her hand while they take extra effort to bring her back up to speed? If there is one road to the ivory tower and only 2 condos left in the tower should she have the right to park her car in the lane and bar anyone from those last 2 condos because she chose go be a parent? That would be to tell anyone hired after her to fill the void she left, “no matter how hard you work, or how great it is you can’t advance because we have to save that office for _______ or when she decided to come back and there is not place for her or she gets passed over she will sue and cry foul”. No matter who leaves and for what, you pass on the kudos is what I say. You want to go to Tuscany to ”find yourself” go, just don’t expect the company to hold your job or your position as a “have to”, if they chose to then it is a different matter.

As for your other suggestions, the ADA covers disabilities, and states that they would have to otherwise qualify for the job if there is some way they can be accommodated, and if not offered there must be a legitimate business reason.” Good thing you mentioned that. The ADA is a good thing for the most part, but any person with a disability who don’t realize their limitations need to be checked. It is all feel good junk logic to say you can be anything you set your mind to, it is a disservice to tell disable kids that. Can a blind person or one in a wheel chair be an effective mail carrier? More likely not. Can a blind person be a bike messenger? More likely *NOT, there are things people with disabilities just can’t do or cannot do effectively. If you age going to demand a job because you feel you can keep up and that you are no different and equal to your fellow workers then you should be able to do that, if the company or business has to modify or change anything for that person or small group of workers that only they will benefit from them logically they were not good enough head to head because they could not do the job effectively enough. That would be like telling students about to take a test that those from the barrio and the ghetto who is suppose to be just as smart as the students from the affluent and private schools that they can take the test “open-book” to give them greater assurances to pass. If they really were smart enough there would not be any special treatment needed.

The latter is a weak attempt to show “difference and therefore no equality.” That would be the feminist game, unless equal in size, color, material, amount, etc then there is not equality. I say as say there is no computer with out both the software and the hardware to have just on or the other you really don’t have anything. They are both different, function different, but goes together with out being a mirror of the other.

iamthemob's avatar

@Hypocrisy_Central

You are clearly not talking about feminism. It seems clear that something involving you and a woman or women and a child happened and you are upset at the outcome because you had no say. I’m sorry about that, if that really is the case, so I’m going to say again that I understand the frustration.

But feminism is about having access to the same rights and privileges that men get, subject to certain necessary limitations. Child rearing is not one of them – maternity leave should be paired with paternity leave. They can do any job a man can do unless there is a physical limitation that she cannot meet set due to safety standards. Feminism works towards that. Feminism, like any civil rights movement, is a good thinig that some people can take too far.

I can blame many generations of pussy whipped men and vote whore politicians for that one

That sentence, which barely even makes sense, is your problem. You are clearly angry and bitter and lashing out about something personal. Feminism is not the fraud…unfortunately, your argument is.

Jabe73's avatar

@fundevogel Um I was just joking around here. Geez you guys take this “feminist” thing seriously it seems.

Hypocrisy_Central's avatar

@iamthemob It seems clear that something involving you and a woman or women and a child happened and you are upset at the outcome because you had no say. Nope, wrong, never been in that position. I have no grudge against any particular woman.

But feminism is about having access to the same rights and privileges that men get, subject to certain necessary limitations. Such as? What are these limitations? And what is wrong with men enjoying necessary limitations that women don’t have? I say if a woman wants to have exact access to things as men they acquire and approach it the same as any man. If they can’t because unless they have ”necessary limitations” their very actions prove other than what their mouth says.

Child rearing is not one of them – maternity leave should be paired with paternity leave. I think I said that but with one big difference, no matter who decides to take off work they don’t expect the company to go on hold until they return. If they lose some luster because they shelved themselves so to speak, they don’t expect others to wait behind them, especially if there is not an unlimited platform at the top.

They can do any job a man can do unless there is a physical limitation that she cannot meet set due to safety standards. Safety standards are for everyone, strong men, weak men, the disabled, etc. Performance standards are about how efficient the job can be done and if it is a job in which muscle etc is involved no matter how safe you are it won’t make your work faster or better; two different things.

Feminism, like any civil rights movement, is a good thinig that some people can take too far. And boy do a whole bunch of feminist do.

You are clearly angry and bitter and lashing out about something personal. I am not angry as much as annoyed. There was nothing personal any woman did to me, I usually see them coming and avoid stuff before it gets to me. If I would lash out at anything is people trying to bamboozle me, not just on this issue but any others. You brought up feminism and civil rights, where they have some overlap they are nowhere near the same. Men are men and have the same anatomy as men no matter where they were born in the world. Men in China don’t have babies while men in Australia don’t but have breast etc., all the men are biologically the same. Women no matter where they are born are the same way. Biology transcends any race or nationality. Women and men are different, all of nature and physics have shown that balance keeps things on an even keel. Which I tried to explain by example of the very computer you are using, take away the software and place another laptop or tower in front of you would you be able to do anything? All you would have is two organized piles of plastic and aluminum that won’t do a damn thing. With so software to boot it up, and no software to access the Net or run a spread sheet all you have is a glorified paper weight. Same as if we removed your laptop, your tower and gave you 2 disc of all the programs you run now would you fair any better? With no laptop or tower with a HD, motherboard, CD WR, or DVD+RW, etc, what good would those programs be? Their on the disc with no way to read, install, or do anything with them, they would only serve as drink coasters. One is no good with out the other. That is why we have both men and women because there are two genders with 2 different functions and, be it God designed or evolution the process was the same. I could not think of a world in which there were no women. There are many things in the world we all would have missed if there were no women or every woman wanted to act and be like men.

Final word on rights, if I demanded to treated as an equal with the same opportunities as everyone else but then say I need Affirmative Action to assure that Blacks got into college or corporate America I would be a fraud. Why would anyone need conditions changed for them if they were good enough to stand on their own skill and merit? I can’t say one the left hand I am good enough to compete and play the game and on the right say I can compete only if there are conditions where I don’t have to live or die solely by my skills I would be a fraud to my very belief.

augustlan's avatar

All I can say @Hypocrisy_Central, is that you are damn lucky to live in an age where Affirmative Action might no longer be necessary. I’d venture that if you were born 40 years earlier, you’d have felt entirely different about that.

Seek's avatar

^ This.

We are feminists because we can appreciate that there was once a time (not that long ago) when we weren’t able to succeed based on our own merits. And that fight is still not completely won.

You and I are both too young to remember a time when a woman would be abandoned by her family for getting divorced, or would be passed over for a seat in a college classroom in favor of a man, or didn’t have the right to go to a college that taught men at all! My grandmother remembered when women were granted the right to vote.

Abraham Lincoln once received a letter from a 7 year old girl that said (and I paraphrase) “I think you should grow a beard, because my mother likes men with beards and if the ladies thing you’re attractive they might ask their husbands to vote for you.” That was only 150 years ago – a drop in the bucket compared with the long Western history of ignoring those of the population who spend their lives barefoot and pregnant.

We are feminists because there are still women in the world whose voices are not heard, whose voices are silenced by self-important men who are afraid of losing a position granted to them by tradition and religion. We are feminists so we can speak out against arranged marriages, burquas, genital disfigurement, domestic violence (still so much a problem in these United States), human trafficking, the list goes on and on forever.

We are not something less than human because we are women. We are not dirty because we menstruate (why is the word “Vagina” censored from tampon commercials?). Our evolutionary purpose is to incubate offspring and nourish them with our bodies until they can eat solid foods. Why on earth should that make us less desirable as an employee? Why should any parent male or female not have the right to stay at home with their small sick child? Why should anyone have to choose “career” over “family”? And why do the same people that support pushing women out of careers when they choose to bear children also look unfavorably upon people who draw from social funds like food stamps and Medicaid? If we can’t have a decent job and a family, how else are the kids going to eat?

I recently Stumbled across this blog, written by a college-educated, childless black woman, and while reading it I was torn between cheering and crying.

Why I am a Feminist, and Why I Will Shout it Loudly into the Ears of Anyone Who Will Listen

cazzie's avatar

@Seek_Kolinahr I adore you even more. Pressing button for BRILLIANT answer.

MeinTeil's avatar

Jesus everyone.

It’s only gender.

Simone_De_Beauvoir's avatar

@MeinTeil I agree – it matters so little when it comes to people.

Hypocrisy_Central's avatar

@Seek_Kolinahr Well, I would have to say out of all that wind and dust that at least gave a more clearer picture on why feminist think as they do guess it takes Vulcan logic. :-}

whose voices are silenced by self-important men who are afraid of losing a position granted to them by tradition and religion. That can go both ways.

We are not something less than human because we are women. We are not dirty because we menstruate (why is the word “Vagina” censored from tampon commercials?). I agree, what I believe all along, that same importance don’t necessarily equal same everything.

Our evolutionary purpose is to incubate offspring and nourish them with our bodies until they can eat solid foods. Why on earth should that make us less desirable as an employee? I can see why some employers would not care to hire women because of that, but over all it would be no different as employees not wanting to hire old people like me, over weight people, little people, or maybe those of certain disabilities. I can see it as being pregnancy would limit what the woman could do as carrying out her job, same as if a person what over weight certain jobs might be more difficult fro them. It is not a perfect word, things happen. But not every employer will think that way.

Why should any parent male or female not have the right to stay at home with their small sick child? Who would want to bar them from staying at home or being parents? Not I, I just think if they want to do so be it man or woman they don’t expect special treatment. Why should they get special perks when the single people who are still their taking up the slack not get any? Since they are not parents the single people should get Spring Break days or Golf days to go out and do something of their choosing and when they return they get dropped right back in track of the corner office just as the person sweating all those passed months on the project?

Why should anyone have to choose “career” over “family”? Sometimes it comes down to that, the same as people choosing school of work. You usually can only ride one bike at a time to really do it well. Family should trump career because being a parent is a career, and maybe the most important. Now people will bring out the old argument about the 2-earner family. That is only because we as Americans don’t want to do with out. People could live on one person’s income but that would mean no $70 sneakers, $7 lattes, that gym membership, the dance lesson, and taking the Skidoos out twice a month. The only reason most families feel the need to have both working is for the toys and other goodies.

I don’t feel a woman should be barefoot and pregnant that would be a waste, women have a function beyond their biological one. There was once a saying “men build the houses, women put the warmth into them”. I would have to apologize of Boorish men caused you to feel as if you were some red-headed stop child or more than chattel but not quite human.

Maybe men wanted to have their own space so they can post their bikini calendars, etc with out having to worry about women getting pissed off. Maybe they have all male schools so the boys can focus on school and not how to catch the eye of some skirt or seethe in jealousy because the skirt he likes like another boy. There can be all sorts or plausible reason that has nothing to do with how much worth is attached to girls or women, but most feminist seem to never be able to think outside-the-box to come to that.

Simone_De_Beauvoir's avatar

@Hypocrisy_Central How is objectifying women through biking calendars and thinking of them as ‘skirts’ not ‘having to do with how much worth is attached to girls or women’? – sorry, you’re the one not thinking outside the box – your statements are anything but alternative or revolutionary, just same old same old.

Hypocrisy_Central's avatar

@Simone_De_Beauvoir Women never had names for men? Never were men seen or called “hunks”. “hotties”, “dweebs”, “sperm donors”, etc? I guess with everything we could just stick to the clinical name. I guess “man’s best friend” can simply be canine and nothing else. I am not shame to say I believe women are breautiful creatures, if they looked just like men they would be seen with the same interest as I would a discarded refrigerator, as I believe most men would also then i guess sex would be just to keep mankind going and nothing more.

Seek's avatar

@Hypocrisy_Central

Family should trump career because being a parent is a career

When being a stay-at-home parent pays $45,000 a year and comes with health and dental, we’ll talk.

Simone_De_Beauvoir's avatar

@Hypocrisy_Central Just because some women call men dweebs or what have you doesn’t mean it’s okay for you to call ‘em ‘skirts’ – what kind of an argument is that anyway? We are discussing whether objectifying women is not an issue since it’s one’s opinion and apparently without reproach. Whether you think women are ‘beautiful creatures’ or not is, again, not the point here – it matters little what you think of an entire sex’s beauty if you don’t think they deserve to have equal rights as the so called ‘superior’ sex.

iamthemob's avatar

Why should any parent male or female not have the right to stay at home with their small sick child? Who would want to bar them from staying at home or being parents? Not I, I just think if they want to do so be it man or woman they don’t expect special treatment. Why should they get special perks when the single people who are still their taking up the slack not get any? Since they are not parents the single people should get Spring Break days or Golf days to go out and do something of their choosing and when they return they get dropped right back in track of the corner office just as the person sweating all those passed months on the project?

So either one parent works, and the other stays home. People won’t want to give up their independence to start a family. But feminists shouldn’t expect that single people to pick up the slack. So employers and taxpayers can’t pay for school or time off from work. Okay, no more public schools because parents aren’t contributing to the economy and singles aren’t taxed on it, so there are no revenues for it. So parents would have to pay for schools even though making less or no money. No one needs to hire a parent because they might have family issues.

Hmm…if that’s the case, no one really has any motivation to take on the burden of being a parent. We die out as a race.

Holy Crap! Feminist arguments are the reason why the human race continues! Not only is it not a fraud, but FEMINISM HAS SAVED THE WORLD!

Thanks feminism, you win.

QED

Seek's avatar

I think the “Bazinga” is implied, here. ^_^

cazzie's avatar

but I’m going to say it… ‘Bazinga’.

And ‘beautiful creatures’? I do hope you’re a dying breed.

rooeytoo's avatar

Let me be the first to offer my most sincere gratitude for saving me from extinction.

Seriously though, I truly do not get why a woman would follow this biological imperative to have a child but then hand over the raising of it to another. You may send the child to a wonderful child care center but the carer is a very sexist individual, steers girls towards dolls and boys towards trucks, or perhaps a religious maniac who talks about god or a commie pinko pervert or a muslim hater. Isn’t this when a child is imprinted with ideals and the seeds of ideas which guide the rest of their lives? I don’t understand why one wouldn’t wait until finances were such that a parent could stay home and raise the child with your own ideals?

Simone_De_Beauvoir's avatar

@rooeytoo I tell the people at Alexey’s pre-school to stop it with their gendered crap in his direction and they listen but it’s not just them, it’s the other kids. this is off-topic but I agree with you.

iamthemob's avatar

@rooeytoo

(1) You don’t really begin to form your memories until about three.

(2) You can responsibly research who you’re leaving your kids with.

(3) If you’re going to be that fiscally responsible, what you should really be doing is waiting until your finances are secure enough that you would be able to survive on no income for two members of the family for 18 years, considering that in order to ensure that one parent will be home to raise the child you need to take into account the fact that either might die before the child turns 18.

(4) I don’t understand how a man would follow the “biological imperative” of having a child and then hand over the raising to another.

(5) If you are communicating with your child, then you’re going to know who they are talking to and where they are getting there ideas from (at least, you’ll know more).

(6) At 5, the child goes to school. All these concerns apply to that. If you are saying that children should be home-schooled, then this point doesn’t really matter. However, if you assumed that the child would be educated outside of the home, then there is only a two – year window during which we remember like four things, and will have little effect on the child’s development if the parent is responsible in the vast majority of cases.

cazzie's avatar

Here’s what happens in a civilised country. I had a job… I got pregnant, I had to stop working a month before my due date but it was paid sick leave. I had the baby and I had paid maternity leave for a year. I chose NOT to go back to work (couldn’t anyway, because it was a part time cleaning job that started at 6am…) but stayed home with my child and because I didn’t use the State Funded childcare, I got a dispensation from them for about $400 a month… I started my own business from home…. it started really taking off so I revisited daycare when he was 18 months and off he went part time to a daycare that was staffed with university trained professionals. There was a fee for this (it’s subsidised by the State, not fully funded).
My husband also got paid paternity leave from his job…. but just so you know what happens here with paternity leave.. the did a poll, a majority of men spend it out with friends and at the gym, because they have to take it that first year, when the mother is home as well. I remember something very similar happening in my house too… I can’t even remember him having that time off. I still got up for all the feeds, and then got up and got his son off to school at 7am.

Does America want all it’s children born into poverty and just the very wealthy? Makes no sense.

Seek's avatar

@rooeytoo

Because clearly only men in the top 25% of the income bracket deserve to have children. We won’t mention the women, because they shouldn’t be working while they’re fertile anyway, just in case they happen to get knocked up. The whores.

rooeytoo's avatar

@Seek_Kolinahr – you always get all annoyed with my opinion and say things that are nowhere near what I actually hoped to convey. I never called or implied that motherhood made women whores, how the hell did you get there??? And fertility is to me a mere biological fact, you either are or you’re not, has nothing to do with your humanity or if you should have children.

I think anyone who wants to have children should have them, but I asked why have them and let someone else raise them, it seems like a negation of having your own in the first place. @iamthemob says nothing is remembered until you are 3, in fact that is not necessarily true, there is much evidence to prove that incorrect. I myself lived through some episodes in my childhood that are still some 60 couple of years later, very vivid in my mind and did indeed affect my life for many years.

But again, that is your business, I don’t get it, but it is not my concern. However when I as an employer am required to subsidize your choices then I am not happy. I have had many young women work for me over the years, luckily for me none ever became pregnant during that time. If they had it would have put a very serious strain on my bottom line and ability to pay my own bills and the salaries of the other employees. Neither do I understand why anyone should feel it is the job of the government to subsidize anyone’s choice through welfare payments that come out of taxes.

So before you get all pissed and go trying to put words in my mouth, think about the situation from all perspectives. Have you ever been an employer? If you were and didn’t feel the pinch that paid maternity/paternity puts on a small business budget, then you obviously must be a lot more successful than the average.

iamthemob's avatar

@rooeytoo

You’re misstating what I said. I qualified my statement, and was not claiming that nothing was remembered until three. The phenomenon I was discussing is almost universally shared by people and is called infantile amnesia.. The actual age it begins varies from person to person…but pretty much everyone has clear memories of things that happened to them at five…less clear or very fuzzy by four…less clear to none around 3…and below that its rarer and rarer to have any memories at all.

I, for instance, can remember about five or six instances from my first house…when I was age 1 to 5. All of them include my brother, who was born when I was two. And one of them does not include our back deck, which was built when I was four. But that, much like the evidence you claim about your own memories, is anecdotal, so you can take it or leave it.

As a general phenomenon and not a fact, it certainly has some exceptions. The point is that we hand over much of the raising of our children to others. The majority of the day for nearly all of their memorable life, in fact, they are not in our hands. So we all do it anyway, I don’t see how childcare prior to school makes that much difference.

Personally, I believe that maternity and paternity leave should be offered, with exemptions for small businesses, so that we all bear the burden. We may want to bring government subsidies into play. There’s unpaid FMLA leave. What we should not do is saddle one gender with the responsibility and hamper that gender in his or her ability to seek, get, and progress in his or her career. I understand your issue, but women should not be penalized because we need to continue having families.

MeinTeil's avatar

Edwina: that magazine exploits women!!

Pats: Exploits?? She’s the one holding the whip!

flo's avatar

After all the long exchange, is everything where it started? It would take me forever to read and digest all that.

HungryGuy's avatar

It depends on what you mean by “feminism.”

If you mean that men and women should be treated equally before the law and have the same rights and responsibilities and opportunities, then you can call me a feminist!

On the other hand, if you mean that women should be denied the right to choose their lifestyle (as in banning prostitution and pornography), then I agree that’s hypocritical.

Ladymia69's avatar

@MeinTeil That is a great AbFab moment!
Other than saying that, i am not even going to get started on responding to such an ignorant question as this OP’s.

thesparrow's avatar

@Hypocrisy_Central See a related post I put up about feminism. For the most part I agree with what you say here. The only problem [one you aptly touch on without outwardly saying it] is that there will always be inherent differences between men and women.. one of them, of course, being that we give birth. Equal rights just means giving women what they want (i.e. allowing them to have careers, not discriminating). But it doesn’t mean ACTUALLY making them equal. I think everyone knows women are not totally biologically equal to men.

flo's avatar

@HungryGuy On the other hand, if you mean that women should be denied the right to choose their lifestyle (as in banning prostitution and pornography), then I agree that’s hypocritical. People who work in sweatshops, abused spouses, slaves of any kind would/could tell others that it is their choice/lifestyle. It is only after they get out of it, that they talk about the degradation.

There are people who have a vested interest in making them and the rest of the world think that prostitution, pornography is a lifestyle, a choice. Manufacturers of pornography, pimps, ...we can go on.
Added: If it is a choice, it could be between horrifying home life where they are beaten to a pulp for example, or molested by family, or starving, being homeless etc. .

Hypocrisy_Central's avatar

@thesparrow I think everyone knows women are not totally biologically equal to men.
That is where the lawyers come in to legislate equality to run roughshod over biology; if too few women can past the test because they are physically incapable of doing it, change the law so the test can be physically dumbed down so more females can pass it.

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