Letters

[logansrogue]

Dear Hugo Schwyzer,

If Feminism is a cold pool in which none of us can immerse ourselves in forever?

Then I'm a fucking MERMAID.

No love,
A pissed off feminist.

Comments

[lauredhel.livejournal.com]

I…

icon.

[logansrogue.livejournal.com]

As someone said on another blog (I forget which one exactly), it's really lovely to know that women's basic HUMANITY is something some people find so choking that they liken it to nearly drowning.

Lovely. Thanks, guys. You're some real allies, there.

[hotclaws.livejournal.com]

I always found being a feminist easy,(I have brains and self respect) what's not easy is the world's reaction to it.

[kythiaranos.livejournal.com]

I've got my hubby to help keep the feminist pool totally warm. Funny how not all guys are the boys-will-be-boys jerks.

[logansrogue.livejournal.com]

Yeah, all the people I've been with have been avid feminist swimmers. None of them seemed to find it a struggle. Funny, that. It's almost like, if you're not an asshole, feminism is kind of a natural step forward! Wow!

[hippiegal22.livejournal.com]

That would make a great bumper sticker!

[veronica-rich.livejournal.com]

It's always occurred to me that the biggest stumbling block with gender studies/differences and an acknowledgement that women ought to be able to do anything that's available to men already is the whole reproduction issue. (Maybe the only stumbling block? Who the hell knows.) The fact is, if left unregulated and free to do as they please, one-half of the human race would pretty much be solely in charge of deciding whether the species continues on or not. Period. A lot of men can't wrap their heads around that; they think it's an issue of controlling the incubators, when instead, they ought to be concentrating on being pleasant to potential incubators' brains (i.e., women) by making them feel they're in a world that values both genders equally, so that those who might be inclined to have children (a) don't mind bringing daughters into the world, and (b) know that they'll have help from somewhere in raising their offspring and won't be stuck doing all the dirty work of raising and providing for them - and missing out on their own opportunities in life - when some fathers decide they want to skip out on their financial and emotional obligations and leave Mom saddled with all of it.

Goddamn, that was a long sentence. Maybe I'm just ranting.

Now, as to why there are so many women who are other women's enemies in this venture - trying to block freedom of choice, enforcing gender stereotypes - I don't know for sure. I can only speculate there are just a lot of women who can only feel good about participating in outdated gender roles themselves, of being taken care of by men, if NO women have the ability/right to pursue the careers and childless lives they've willingly given up (i.e., "my choice is the ONLY choice"). All IMO of course.

[logansrogue.livejournal.com]

Now, as to why there are so many women who are other women's enemies in this venture - trying to block freedom of choice, enforcing gender stereotypes - I don't know for sure.

I think it's the thought that if they're one of the "good" women, who do everything by the book, play by all the rules, don't act like the horrible, BAD women, that they'll be treated well and they won't be disrespected/raped/abandoned/abused (etc). Humans tend to do anything not to be abandoned or treated like an outsider. I think to a lot of women, being either seen as a feminist or left-wing or just holding the opinions we do, is the worst of the worst and would mean they were alone. Terrifying!

I mean, I feel sorry for them. Outside of using my entire cussing vocabulary at them on message boards and in blog comment sections and so forth.

[nicoli-dominn.livejournal.com]

Not-so-dear Hugo:

That chill you're feeling is what happens when you unwrap the blanket of your MALE FUCKING PRIVILEGE. So get the fuck over it.

[asweetdownfall.livejournal.com]

Your letter is epic.

Hugo Schwyzer, however, definitely isn't. :|