Feminism: Power, not truth

Photo: A symbol from Germany’s Women’s Movement in the 1970s. Photo by unknown author [Public Domain], via Wikimedia Commons 

 

Alexander Suarez/Staff Writer

From primary to higher education, the feminist movement is given a hearty welcome. To question the ideals of any feminist automatically places you on the wrong side of the limelight. You are portrayed either as an arrogant male chauvinist or an ignorant supporter of female oppression. If you don’t believe me, try critically examining some of the feminist’s presuppositions in your classroom.

Though I don’t doubt that some good has come from the work of feminists, I think too much goes uncritically examined under the motto of “women’s rights” or “equality.” A lot of it, like other movements, is reactionary. That is, a reaction against those patriarchal systems that were abusive. And because of those abusive and corrupted systems, we as a generation have received the former generation’s reactionary spirit against all forms of patriarchy.

Before the reader throws me under the bus as a male chauvinist and as a patriarchal tyrant, let it be known that I abhor the abuses of patriarchy. And let it be known that I am not advocating patriarchy in of itself, but am asking that the reader reevaluate some of their beloved feminist teachings.

To me, it is not surprising when I hear a story of some gross actions from someone who was already thinking a certain way. For example, when many people uncritically believe that women should be treated equal to men, I am pretty sure most, if not all, did not intend to make men treat women like their wrestling buddy. Neither did they probably intend for men not to hold doors for ladies or for men to stop giving women their seats. Most people did not intend to scrap the idea of the gentleman or man of chivalry, but the sad logical implication of treating women equally is that it rids a whole society of gentlemen.

Now, I know that what some people mean by “equality” is their desire that women and men be treated as though they are equal in objective value. That women be treated like human beings and not some animal you own. And with this I completely agree.

However, does this automatically imply that gender roles be thrown out the window? No, it does not. But we have fooled ourselves into thinking gender roles are merely a cultural construction. We have attempted to divide the fact and value lines so that they have no relation. The fact that a female is the only one that can naturally get pregnant seems to be considered irrelevant when it comes to any implied values about motherhood or about womanhood.

Just look, some of us have already reached the point where we think it no problem if a person wants a sex change. But, even they cannot escape the reality that humanity is not absent of a sex or gender. Even further, they cannot escape the given aspects of nature. They can only choose between male and female, unless they wanted to be both.

All that said, I sum with this: Much of feminism is reactionary and postmodern, in the sense that it rejects any notions of the natural or givens of nature. And in place of the natural, it accepts any conception that supposedly gives women power – not necessarily truth.

 

alex.suarez@fiusm.com 

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