Complete the sentence "I need feminism because..."
Here is just a sampling of some of the replies.
You can see a few more samples here. There are also additional replies here and here.
So it got me thinking: as an avowed anti-feminist, how would I reply to this question? Some thoughts off the top of my head:
"I need feminism because... I like it when my daughters dress like sluts to 'express their femininity.'"
"I need feminism because... I cherish the thought of a veritable mountain of aborted corpses, rotting into the earth."
"I need feminism because... I like spitting on homemakers as second-class citizens."
"I need feminism because... I hate the thought of happy close-knit stable families headed by a good and loving man."
"I need feminism because... I can't wait to trash another man's life by accusing him of something he didn't do, just because I hate oppressive men and want to see them suffer."
This just screams to be turned into a WND column. So, dear readers, send me your thoughts. Please complete the sentence "I need feminism because..." and give your thoughts about feminism in general. I'll use what I can in a future WND column.
Clearly you don't know many feminists if that's what you think we do. I though you were more open minded than that :(
ReplyDeleteI agree. That's not what feminism is about. This is taking the extremes and making them the norm. Feminism is about freedom of choice and always has been.
DeleteAmen to both of you!
DeleteI need feminism because I think women should be front line soldiers regardless of how that affects unit performance, efficiency, and morale.
ReplyDeleteGood one!
DeleteI need feminism because it is so much bigger than whether they can carry big things on the front line
DeleteYikes!!! That sounds as hateful as some of the comments made by super super feminist women about the subsurvient women! Surely there is some middle ground for both points of view arriving somewhere at a Godly perspective of a woman who is smart enough to have an opinion about how she is treated and reverent enough to do it in a way that is pleasing to her Creator. Supporting and nurturing other women should be the goal not name calling and flaw pointing! I'm working on the log's in my own eyes first! Any woman who dresses inappropriately, or chooses to abort, or condemns other women in my opinion just does not understand her true value as a daughter of the King. The kind of actions you comment on are actions that come out of confusion, ignorance or simply from being wounded and not knowing another way! I think God works in all of us just not the same thing at the same time. He may not have impressed on a person about how they dress becuse He is working to convice them to not take their own life at the moment. We don't know but he does! We can love all women- even the feminists. After all, God does!
ReplyDeleteYour point is a good one, Anonymous. Sadly, what we would like feminism to be and what it actually is at present - NOW, Planned Parenthood, and the like - are not Godly in the least.
DeleteThese ideologies exploit women, encouraging these radical stances under the guise of woman power.
You also make a good point about God working in us. This is true. And yet He also expects us to teach/preach by example and doing/saying something when needed. No, we shouldn't judge a person for what they are wearing, but not speaking out against the 'false' ideology of feminism is wrong too.
Actually, God does not know the feminists as their religion is from Satan.
DeleteOn judgement day, they will hear " Verily I say, I never knew you depart from me".
Hi Anonymous...
DeletePlease don't add to the Bible.
Thank you
Patrice: As the project you highlighted is a meaningless exercise other than “rallying the troops,” in my opinion, the best response to absurdity is absurdity: I need feminism because a fish needs a bicycle.
ReplyDeleteSo the quotes on the project are absurd?
Delete"I need feminism because when I was sexually assaulted, no one asked me what I was wearing" - quoted by a man... yeah that's absurd
"I need feminism because female genital mutilation still happens and when I talk about it people roll their eyes"
"I need feminism because 50% of the population is not a minority"
"I need feminism because I should not be scared to cycle home at night"
"I need feminism because my freshman week taught "how to avoid getting raped" rather than "don't rape"!"
"I need feminism because my college suggested a 10pm curfew for women to protect some of them from rape but when people suggested maybe the men should follow the curfew because some of them DO rape - the college responded that that was not a fair suggestion because most men are innocent." Why curfew women because they might get raped rather than men because they might rape?
I need feminism because some people think that fighting for equal pay for equal work, fighting for women to have the vote (many countries still don't) and campaigning against FGM, acid attacks, domestic abuse, rape and the sexualisation of girls is ABSURD
I need feminism because I feel guilty when I drop off my six week old at daycare on my way to work.
ReplyDeleteI need feminism because my husband is quite able to look after my six week old.
DeleteI need feminism because childcare is both parents' responsibility
I need feminism because it is the constant reminder for women to hate themselves and their natural instincts whenever being female looks too appealing.
ReplyDeleteI need feminism because it is the constant reminder for women to hate themselves and their natural instincts whenever being female looks too appealing.
ReplyDeleteI need feminism because I should have the right to fail as a mom and a wife so I can have a career. It doesn't matter that statistics prove my children are less likely to be as successful as those with stay at home moms. I'm sure divorce statistics have nothing to do with it either, broken homes are just fine for child development and happy lives. When I'm on my deathbed I will be so happy I chose to work instead of wasting that silly couple of decades when my kids needed me most living a life of oppression. Above all else..
ReplyDeleteI need feminism because I shouldn't be held responsible for my failures, I'm trying my best.
Or, as Arie Hoekman of the United Nations has been saying, the breakdown of the traditional family is a triumph for human rights. You go girl! (The further the better.)
DeleteThis page has been promoted at:
http://antimisandry.com/feminist-misandry/i-need-feminism-because-52273-4.html#post331518
As a Dragon Slayer, I need feminism because those females think they can slay their own dragons. By golly Miss Molly, how's that working out?
ReplyDeleteMontana Guy
I need feminism because I love the smell of oppression in the morning.
ReplyDeleteVery disappointing post.
ReplyDeleteI need feminism because, I needed an ideology to tell me that being masculine is better than being feminine.
ReplyDeleteThen in the process we feminize our males so they are metrosexual or some other 3rd gender. Then women wonder what happened to all the MEN.
Paula Cole wrote the song "Where have all the cowboys gone?" Interesting/artistic commentary on men's roles.
We all need Feminism to identify the trolls and closed minded, self serving, liberal religious fanatics.
ReplyDeleteIf you were a man Patrice these female posters who are "disappointed" or claim you are closed minded would simply accuse you of "hating all women".
To speak out against one of the holy trinity of Liberal Femocrat religious ideology is a sin. Like all Liberal beliefs it will last about 30 seconds after the lights go out.
Pioneer Preppy,
DeleteI love your sentiments - especially your identification of the Liberal Femocrats. The only thing I take issue with is calling their position 'religious'. Not that you're doing the labeling.
The ongoing Feminist agenda to repackage what it means to be a woman is the same Troll machine rebranding Jesus as a whey faced peace-nic who wouldn't have said boo to anyone, let alone died for the Truth. Too gory and mean.
Their objective: To kill the Truth and replace it a lie.
I pray the lights go out now because 30 seconds is way too long!
I need feminism because there's just not enough hatred or false judgements or political correctness in this world, but there are darned sure too many scratch cookers, canners and home schoolers.
ReplyDeletesnrk snrk snrrrrrk
A.McSp
I need feminism because I can't accept myself as a feminine entity.
ReplyDeleteI need feminism because God wants women to be accepted as a feminine entities and not second class citizens.
DeleteI need feminism because I just love hearing 19-year old Bryn Mawr Womyn's Studies majors whine about how oppressed they are on daddy's dime.
ReplyDeleteI need feminism because I'm fed up of people assuming that women are only at college because there is a man paying for them.
Delete"I need feminism because I think God's 'divine plan' for mankind is rubbish!" -Satan
ReplyDeleteThis is a scary world when people think that treating women equally is Satan's plan and not God's.
DeleteI like quotations too, but I'd prefer to get them from a reliable source rather than my own head:
"There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus." Galatians 3:28
Ps. I was what I called a "radical feminist" for about 13 years, believe it or not. Didn't believe in God, monogamy, barely believed in gender even, refused to make dinner for my now husband when we first met.... my how times change. ;)
ReplyDeleteOh dear, Patrice...oh dear. After reading this post, I almost forgot Jesus loved me. I understand you are trying to make a point, but it got buried under the avalanche of nasty sarcasm. Anonymous 7:29 had a good analysis. please rethink your response. :(
ReplyDeleteSadly, what has been stated above about the positions held or rather enacted by the feminist agenda (not necessarily the women themselves) is not nasty sarcasm. If only.
DeleteI find Patrice's stating the bald truth minus political correctness (and without any conciliatory niceness)refreshingly female and spot on.
As for Jesus loving us, I'm all for that. We should, however, follow His example and start loving ourselves by speaking Truth instead of hiding the light beneath a bushel of getting along.
Hmm..."refreshingly female" is your opinion about Patrice's post, Patty...it is not necessarily the truth. The truth is something Jesus could get through to both feminists and non-feminists without humiliating or degrading anyone.
DeleteThe feminists I've encountered personally have never treated me with this kind of contempt, in spite of our disagreements. And I'm sorrowful to hear it coming from Patrice...that's all. I've read her blog for quite a few years and appreciate her wisdom in many things. But this is the clanging bell the Bible speaks of when we insist our words are "truth" but there is no love.
It hurts the already hurting soul...and it does not speak well for Christ. Peace, sister.
Anon 10:25
Dear Anonymous,
Delete"Refreshingly female" is exactly what I would label calling out evil in an attempt to protect family, children, and society. That is what real women have done throughout the ages. And yes, that is my opinion which is what I thought comments were meant to express.
I've known Patrice personally for 16 years and find her courage to speak truthfully rather inspiring.
As for Jesus's 'getting through to' feminists and non-feminists without humiliating and/or degrading anyone, I cannot agree with your interpretation of the Bible.
After all, it must have been pretty humiliating when Our Lord drove the money changers out of the temple with a whip or when He rightfully branded the Pharisees as whited sepulchers and sons of the father of lies.
There is also the matter of free will. Not everyone followed Jesus, even after hearing the Truth. In that case, their sin remained.
Love, that is true Love, Anonymous, is wanting what is best for the other person. Repentance. Salvation. An end to false ideology. Not trying to be unoffensive or nice. And while your personal experience with individual feminists may truly have seemed benign, it is where the feminist ideology leads that needs to be called out. Loudly.
Many who identify as feminist do not realize that the A,B,C they proscribe now leads to the list of grotesque Zs outlined in Patrice's article. They fool themselves and drag many other unsuspecting women along with them.
It is charity to to speak out and in bold terms. Christ did.
A dear Christian friend managed to give me the truth without being offensive, Patty. I loved Jesus because He first loved me...not because He mocked my sins. I completely disagree with your interpretation of love.
DeleteTo point to the pharisees as the object of Christ's wrath is somewhat ironic as they were the legalistic carriers of the truth who humiliated the women of that time when they stepped out of their "biblical roles".
Yes, this is all about opinion...which is why I asked Patrice to reconsider her response.
Is it possible that you disagree with my interpretation of love, Anonymous, because you, by God's grace, are one who was able to be reached gently?
DeleteNot all are similarly blessed. Not with your temperament, not with a Christian friend, and not with good parents or a wholesome society.
Some folks require a good scare, a swift kick, or serious consequences to wake them up. It took all three for me.
You have me stumped with your reference to the Pharisees humiliating women for stepping out of their "biblical roles". Mary Magdalene was called out as a public sinner, not because she was a woman. There is no need to view the bible through a feminist filter.
But just as the Pharisees perverted their role as the Keepers of the Law, Feminism has taken that which was meant to be good, and was/is good in many aspects, and turned it into a beating stick for both men and women.
In that sense, I hope to have the courage to imitate Our Lord and speak out. Even if that speech is deemed offensive because love, just like the Truth, often hurts.
I need feminism because due to an economy inflated by dual incomes it makes it virtually impossible to afford to support a household on my good wages so my wife can stay at home, teach and raise our child.
ReplyDeleteI need feminism because it’s so rewarding to be scowled at like I’m a weirdo for holding open a door for a woman I don’t know.
I need feminism to help break down the biblical codes that helped to define the strong family structure, roles of patriarchs and matriarchs, familial responsibility and gender role satisfaction that virtually evaporated after my grandparents example resulting in a bevy of 40-something-year-old single women desperately seeking security and finding a bevy of opportunistic men willing to take advantage of them.
I need feminism so I have an example of mistakes women can make to share with my daughter, who is capable of anything BTW.
I think farmer's wives don't need it. I wouldn't be able to answer that question.
ReplyDeleteHave a great day. ♥
I need feminism because there isn't a single other ideology that can turn women into easily used and discarded sex objects.
ReplyDeleteI need feminism so my daughters can feel bad about themselves for wanting to be mothers, wives and homemakers because they are wasting their lives serving a man.
ReplyDeletehttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MNURDy_uGu8
ReplyDeleteEither my comment got lost or you decided not to post it, but my "Ps." comment above was actually connected to another comment.
ReplyDeleteI love anonymous @ 10am's reply. :)
I am also an anti-feminist, but I am afraid your post sounds a little, well, anti-Christian. Patrice, you seem to have a good heart. Don't let Satan use his tricks to bring you down. Hateful speach, on either side, is part of Satans tool chest.
ReplyDeleteProverbs 15:1-18
ReplyDeleteI actually see Patrice doing more "manly" work out side than most men.
ReplyDeleteMy wife was a die-hard career woman before our daughter was born. Then all she wanted to do was stay home and be a mom. She did have to go back to work, but we have been able to have her work only part-time.
ReplyDeleteAnd in all fairness these people holding the signs are what many of us were at that age, full of conviction but empty in real life experience.
Oh, and I made my own sandwich this morning before I went to work, and didn't think anything about gender roles while doing it
ReplyDeleteFeminism is a mixed bag for me.
ReplyDeleteI'm currently attending mechanic school and have to sometimes brush off a guys automatic reaction to try and help me with my practical labs and heavy objects. They need to know that in a working shop I won't be calling them over every time something weighs more than 30 lbs. I really like working with my hands and to put it bluntly the womanly arts don't pay the bills as easily. I might marry later in life but with the mindset available in my age range it's not likely to happen anytime soon. ;)
On the other hand, I don't make a fuss over guys holding open the door for me or call a guy "sexist" for wanting to help. It's just plain polite and most of them have spent their entire lives being coached to treat women differently. Hopefully they'll learn that in the shop I need to just be another co-worker.
PAST Feminism movements have enabled me to pursue a traditionally male dominated career. The current radicals have also made an instructor too afraid of being accused of gender bias to tell a female student to "suck it up" when she complained about menstrual cramps and left the rest of the group to pick up her slack. The instructors are nervous about giving directives like "put your purse down and HIT IT" when a firm blow with a hammer is needed. Everybody has heard about the female who accused someone of gender bias for being polite and won in court. They actually have made it HARDER to be accepted as a women instead of easier.
You go, girl!
Delete- Patrice
Now this lady is a real feminist, and not afraid to admit we are different.
DeleteThe disappointed and "I thought you were more open-minded" people here clearly haven't met my mother.
ReplyDeleteI need feminism because hearing my mother stating that she regretted not staying home with me and my little sister for years before she died is just the confidence boost I need!
LOL I almost spelled feminism as 'faminism', so ironic!
~Lily~
I need feminism because I constantly need to be told that staying home to raise my kids is somehow "wasting my potential"
ReplyDeleteI need feminism because without it, how would I know that it's all the same to my kids whether they get to stay home with mom or whether they get dumped off at daycare before the crack of dawn?
I need feminism in order to justify my own feelings of lack of control and wanting to get into combat so I can see the horrors of mangled bodies and limbs being blown off. To be able to wear the blood of my comrades and then feel guilty for surviving the rest of my life.
ReplyDeleteI need feminism because... Well, I don't, come to think of it!
ReplyDeleteWill Robertson
Ridgecrest, CA
I need feminism so my daughter can be drafted for military service to fight in combat.
ReplyDeleteI need feminism so that I can wear that first abortion as a badge of honor. Welcome to the club.
ReplyDeleteI need feminism so that I can loath the ground men walk on. What will that do for my two boys?
ReplyDeleteI need feminism because without it, I wouldn't be able to post my opinions on a blog (and may not even be able to read), I would have to wait for my husband to do every manual labor job outside my home even though it might take weeks for him to get around to it, I like to decide what I to do with my life and decide whom I marry (not my dad, uncle, or brother) and I like to wear pants and not layers and layers of skirts. Unfortunately for both the hard core feminists and the hard core feminist haters there is a happy medium. Most people know this and just pretend to be far left or right on the issue to get blog hits.
ReplyDeleteWe need Feminism so women like the above poster can continue to spread lies about the "bad old days" or make up fictional rules about patriarchy and feel superior.
DeleteAww, Preppy, are you offended because men were and are not very nice to women. Got called out did you? Lies huh? Yeah, women have always been encouraged to express their opinions. I forgot.... or it may be that you are ignorant or in denial. The writer of this blog contradicts her own stated values, in this very post, but you probably missed that.
DeleteLets see arranged marriages? Only if you were a member of a wealthy family and men were victims just as often as women in these scenarios and still are to this day.
DeleteWomen weren't allowed to do what? Become a judge? That happened many times. Become a doctor? Happened as well. Run a company? Yep did that.
As any fanatic you spout lies and stories based on no facts or more often just make stuff up and hope people will believe it.
The truth is any woman who was worth listening to has always been heard and any woman who could do the job has always been allowed to do it. Until feminism, now we let those who can't do, and spend all the money or lower the bar until they can.
Guess we know which category you come out of.
Hey Anonymous!
DeleteI'm Patrice's Mast...err...husband. Just wanted to disagree with you on a few things. While it is true that I help her with the really big words, everything else on this blog is Patrice's opinions (soon as I give them to her o'course). And as far as those outside jobs go, shoot! I'm so much into feminism that I let Patrice do BOTH the inside AND the outside jobs, thus freein' me up for the important manly jobs of scratchin', spittin'. and fishin' Now as far as marriage goes, and so far as I can cypher, I'm not actually related to Patrice (Although us country folk do seem to have trouble keepin' track of such things, needin' paper, ink, and quills and the like.). And finally, I never insist on Patrice wearin' skirts, unless o'course we're a-goin' out for a night on the town, like to a monster truck pull or a jello wrestling contest.
Hope this clears things up for you and here's wishin' that someday your father can arrange a profitable match for you with a forward-thinkin' modern fellow like me!
Husband of the Boss
Thank you for making my point Husband of the Boss.
DeleteAre you really Christians?
DeleteThe sarcasm is lost on this one, it seems...
Delete~Lily~
Those signs they are holding just scream intelligence! I'm beginning to wonder if they even know why they need feminism.
ReplyDeleteI need feminism so I can justify remaining childless while criticize those 'mothers' for how they are raising all those noisy, untidy children.
ReplyDeleteI need feminism because:
ReplyDelete...it's much better that women not think independently when they can tow the self-centered, statist party line.
...men truly are fourth-class citizens at best and must be reminded at every opportunity.
...children are an inconvenience getting in the way of women who know that what they want now is all that is important.
...women who want it all should have it handed to them without making any of the sacrifices, compromises, and trade-offs required, especially when it all comes at everyone else's expense.
...women should feel righteously offended any time someone wants to help, do something polite, or as a favor as if every woman doesn't innately know how and can do everything perfectly and alone.
Finally, for those who may have missed the point, "You shall not hate your brother in your heart; you shall reprove your fellow and do not bear a sin because of him. You shall not take revenge and you shall not bear a grudge against the members of your people; you shall love your fellow as yourself -- I am Hashem." (Vayikra (Leviticus) 19:17-18)
I need feminism because no one ever asks whether men can "have it all" but if women DARE to want to work and have children, they're made to feel guilty
DeleteI need feminism as I happen to earn more money than my husband working for a charity protecting children who are being physically and sexually abused (who need women - not men - to work with them) and so my husband looks after the children quite happily and is STILL the head of the house. And that's okay.
Sometimes people equate feminism with equality. It is not.
ReplyDeleteWe do not need feminism. Feminism used to be about enfranchising women. Now it has become about emasculating and disenfranchising men.
We need true equality so that people who do the same job should start at the same pay level, regardless of gender, race, color, religion, age, etc.
We need true equality so that the term "visible minority" is meaningless. We need true equality so that term "affirmative action" is meaningless.
We need true equality so that men and women can find fulfillment in the roles that best suit them.
Wonderfully put!!!
DeleteAmen!
DeleteThank goodness the woman in this clip had a feminist pave the way for her to speak her mind in the Irish Parliament (of course .. she's blasting the pandering of Obama .. so I fully support her).
ReplyDeletehttp://www.ijreview.com/2013/06/61281-must-watch-irish-mp-blasts-president-obama-as-hypocrite-of-the-century/
I need feminism like I need another hole in the head! (Can't think of anything clever right now.)
ReplyDeleteI would also like to say that it bugs me A LOT when a person who has a problem with a post and wants to criticize it cannot bring him/herself to post their name! Anonymous always has a lot of disagreeable things to say, ever notice? If you have a strong and definite opinion about something, for Pete's sake have the b*lls to put your name down. (Please pardon my "French".)
There is a point to having anonymous comments. The blog settings allow the author to allow them or not. They are allowed here, and until they are not, it's just going to have to bug you.
DeleteAnd what is that point? I can understand someone not putting their name down b/c they fear some kind of retribution in real life for an extremely politically incorrect opinion or because they do not want something really personal to be known to those who might recognize them. There is a point to that, I can concede. I do not, however, believe that a person should hide behind "anonymous" simply b/c they are afraid to put their name to their overly critical opinion.
DeleteJust because a blog setting "allows" you to put yourself down as anonymous doesn't mean you should avail yourself of the opportunity. Again, I say, have the guts to make your statements "in person", so to speak.
I am a feminist because birth control, abortion, healthcare, college education, and while I'm making a list, housing, food, transportation, and cell phones are my rights to have even though someone else has to pay for all of them.
ReplyDeleteMeanwhile, I will wear what I want even if it causes men to stare and then denigrate them for treating me like a s***. I will chew them out for holding the door for me. I will demand that I have a career that pays well while having babies that someone else takes care of.
Not.
There is a common misunderstanding that feminism means an equality of the sexes, it doesn't. Feminism is a belief that women are better than men the exact polar opposite of chauvinism which believes men are better than women.
ReplyDeleteSo "I need feminism because apparently there aren't enough sexist bigots in the world already and the best way to fight them is … to join them?"
Chauvinism is not specific to belief in masculine superiority. That would be masculinism, a word I have never read or heard anyone abuse. Chauvinism, a word originally coined from the behavior of Nicolas Chauvin, a fanatically devoted follower of Napoleon, refers to extraordinary political devotion or ideas extolling the superiority of one's own group. Thus, feminism is and always has been a form of chauvinism.
DeleteWrong... just... wrong.
DeleteFeminism is about equality in justice, working conditions and pay and treatment.
People who are anti-feminist try to make it what you wrote.
I love to be told what I believe. All you folks who believe that the point of feminism is equality, you have been told! You're wrong! You believe this not that.
ReplyDeleteI need feminism because I want to make my own decisions about how I live my life, and not give any and every man that right.
ReplyDeleteI need feminism because I like thinking for myself, and making my own mind up and not spouting off the opinions and thoughts of my husband or father.
I need feminism because I want to be able to own property in my own name and do with it as I wish, when I wish and how I wish, not how my husband tells me to.
I need feminism because I like earning my own money and spending it where and when I choose. I don't have to turn it over to my husband. And guess what, I choose to spend it on homesteading items for OUR home--not on slutty clothes.
I need feminism because when I've given birth 10 times in 12 years, I want the right to tell the Dr that I want my tubes tied and not have him ask my husband if HE wants my tubes tied. (true story-- my aunt, not me. She didn't survive pregnancy number 11.)
I need feminism in order to justify abject selfishness. Sheesh. No wonder men are on strike and are in great numbers forgoing marriage.
DeleteHopefully, your husband doesn't have to turn over anything he makes to you, either. Except for when you divorce him, demand and receive custody of the kids and then bankrupt him. Yeah, more great gifts from feminism.
What a train wreck.
Your entry makes me sad. Not because of anything that you have said specifically, but because it seems to sum up what is wrong with this generation - focus on self.
DeleteI am a man. God directs me to be the head of my family, as Christ is the head of our Church. But you know something, to be first is to be last. To lead is to serve. Christ leads the Church from the cross of Calvary.
So I make decisions, spend money, buy and sell property, plan a family not with an eye on what I want, but what is good for the family unit. I make these decisions in union with my wife, who is thinking of the family and not herself.
As the kids say, "It's not about you."
What you "need" is equality, as stated and explained above several times. Feminism far exceeds equality, and you have had it for many years.
Delete--from someone who lives in the equality state
You really hit the nail on the head, Anon 801 AM. If Shelljo is a Christian (which looks doubtful) she missed the part about "dying to self". Total self-focus. What she said is what you'd expect from a non-believer.
DeleteJane
Guess what, I've been happily married 25 years to the same man. No plans for divorce. I am not radical, but not too many years ago, I as a woman couldn't own property. I couldn't inherit property if widowed. The property I built with my husband would gave gone immediately to my children. If I were a second wife, it would have gone to his children and I'd have been left with nothing. The equality we have today we got from feminists. Gee, If you guys don't think I deserve to feel this way, maybe you should move to a Muslim country. That's how they treat women--still today.
DeleteIt's not about ME, it's about how "ME" has the right to make my own decisions, work in the careers I choose, and that the law will respect my rights and not force me into poverty or into another marriage--just because I'm a woman. It's about me having MY name on the bank account too, not just my husband's because I'm his weak and stupid wife who can't handle money or business decisions.
I've seen women widowed who then lost their land and their homes and had no skills or no way to raise their families. Their names weren't on the bank accounts, so they couldn't access the money they did have. Both women had to go to court and fight for that money and the land that was only in their husband's name. Both eventually got the bank accounts, but lost the land. Both spent the rest of their lives in poverty and struggled to raise their children. Frankly, I'm thankful for the feminists who changed those laws so that I won't have to worry about it happening to me.
And my faith has nothing to do with recognizing this. Remember, some of Jesus's closest followers were women--women who broke out of the traditional roles assigned to them to make life better for all. Just because a few radical feminists anger you, you shouldn't ignore all the positive aspects feminism has brought to American Women.
Like the right to vote. Want to take that away? Let's see...Feminists were crucial in getting Women the right to vote...
"Gee, If you guys don't think I deserve to feel this way, maybe you should move to a Muslim country. That's how they treat women--still today." Shelljo
DeleteAnd yet you support (yes?!) the faction of women in this country who couldn't get up off the couch to denounce the islamic movement in this country that Hillary!! yes Hillary!! is moving into the forefront of politics in this nation. Huma, anyone? Muslim brotherhood? That is now all on you unless and until you denounce these feminists that refuse to acknowledge the destruction and infiltration that has occurred at the highest levels of our state department.
Please tell me you are aware -and a hypocrite- or ignorant and confused. One or the other. which is it?
Shelljo, the very same thing happened last year to the mother of a co-worker. Nothing was in her name, and her husband's will left everything to their children. If those adult children hadn't been decent people, that elderly woman would have been out on her own, after a lifetime of caring for that man. I agree with much of what you have to say.
DeleteNot sure why Dina has to change the subject and pathetically challenge you to take a stand on a topic you didn't start.
because everyone knows that a minimum wage daycare provider is better at raising children.
ReplyDeletesidetracksusie
unfortunately that is the reality and why we have so many frustrated, ill-educated, rude young people.
DeleteFrom the Merriam Webster Dictionary:
ReplyDeleteDefinition of FEMINISM
1
: the theory of the political, economic, and social equality of the sexes
2
: organized activity on behalf of women's rights and interests
Seems to me true feminism isn't all that bad. Let's take it a part at a time:
Part 1: I believe that the Lord made women and men equal. But equal in value, not equal in role. Women are a part of the political, economic and social structure of our society, even if they stay at home and don't work. My wife is a house wife. But she discusses current events and takes part in elections (political), runs our household finances and makes decisions with me on our financial goals and priorities (economics) and is the corner stone of our inter and extra family relationships (social). So I guess we can check off definition #1.
#2 - My wife meets with other ladies on a regular basis to discuss the things they are interested in - which at this point mostly seems to be the children. Our church has an organization of women who take an active interest in the welfare of all the ladies in the community and help out whenever necessary. I guess we have part 2 taken care of, too.
So you see, true feminism isn't really all that bad. It's just been distorted by some people to further their own agenda.
YAY!
DeleteLots of anti-feminists try to use the tactic of reductio ad absurdum to make feminism bad.
It is equality. That is all.
One additional thought...I would like to know from feminists just how any woman is supposed to have a high-flying job and also be a good mother and wife? If you're gone all day doing something else, how can the couple of hours in the evening provide enough time and energy to cook, bake, clean, wipe noses, take the kids to the park, work in the yard/garden, do crafts, shop for the household, etc etc etc?
ReplyDeleteIt's not possible Sue...it's one thing or another. I tried it and it can't be done. If you're a career woman or woman that works full-time, you WILL neglect children, your husband, laundry, home cooked meals, etc. WOmen were not created to play the role as the man. If a woman is married with children, her place is in the home. I often hear: "what about me?"...what about you? it's not about you..hello?? It's God, your husband, your children and everyone and everything else. Ephesians 5:22-23 and 1 Peter 3:1-7 and Colossians 3:18-21..pretty much sums it all up. It's all about glorifying GOd and giving HIM all the glory.
DeleteI work with children who have been sexually abused. Who for obvious reasons, cannot work with men - atleast for a few years until healing has begun.
DeleteI earn more than my husband.
My husband loves being a stay at home dad - and finds that this does not contradict anything in the bible and does not mean he is not the head of the house.
Now... am I bad person for wanting to help children? Appartently, according to homestead (who complains she's criticised by feminists for being a full-time mum - yet happily accuses working mums of NEGLECT abuse) I WILL neglect children and my husband
AND SHOCK HORROR THE LAUNDRY(!!!!!!)Why a man can't do that I have no idea...
It is NOT about ME. It is about THEM, my husband, then my children, then OTHER children who have had worse lives than you can imagine.
But don't listen to me... I'm selfish.
Truthfully, I think it all boils down to your definition of feminism--of which there are many. Clothing is only a small part of it. Especially if you consider that before feminism many of the styles, while perhaps modest, were downright unhealthy--tiny waists and all. But does anyone here know anything about Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Lucretia Mott (among others)? Thank you to early feminists for ensuring my four nieces' right to vote, to sit on juries, to receive a quality education. As your daughters seek out what it is they wish to study/do when they leave your home, it's thanks to these women that they can make choices that work for them. As a homemaker--and a feminist--I agree it's all about choices. Perhaps current societal ills are less about feminism and more about materialism and greed and growing too big for our planet. And for the record, I know plenty of Christian wage earning women who are anti-feminist as well. What's that all about? Or can you only be against if you're a homemaker?
ReplyDeleteI was never married to my house I was a homemaker and married to my husband, greatly enjoyed being a homemaker!
ReplyDeleteI need feminism because I want to disappoint my Creator, the Omnipotent, Ominscient, Omnipresent God that doesn't know what He's doing, that He made a mistake creating man first and woman as the helpmate. I want to discredit the Almighty God that said in Ephesians 5 that we're (women) are to submit to our husbands in ALL things. Wow!..God means what He says and says what He means. Anytime we go against His WOrd, there is chaos. Patrice you are an awesome submissive, talented, creative hard-working woman. You do challenge women that wish they could do 1/4 of what you do. My husband is my ministry and that simply means to serve. There is power in being submissive, but unbelieving wouldn't know that. Praying that more women see the 'light'...keep on blogging lady!..you're ruffling feathers, but that's what makes your blog so interesting. In my daily prayers, you are.Alicia
ReplyDeleteI am a feminist. I was raised in a rural environment much harsher than where the Lewis family lives.
ReplyDeleteMy mother had to work two jobs to support my family when my father became unable. She might have been able to get by with one, if she had been paid the same amount as the men in her field. One of my earliest lessons from her (and one she still tells her grandchildren) is that I must be able to take care of myself, and any children I had, by myself. We learned early to be competent and self-reliant in many things, to help those who needed it, when we could.
Before I married, I supported myself. I am now primarily a wife, mom and homemaker. I've taught my child the same lessons my mother taught me; to be a burden on no one, and to be able to care for yourself and anyone you are responsible for.
I am a feminist. I hunt, fish, garden, cook, can, dehydrate, sew, knit, crochet and quilt. I probably really am the most highly qualified female NRA instructor in the Western states (not your fellow blogger Kellene) and I teach our state concealed carry course.
I am a feminist, and none of the vile, hateful crap Patrice and other commenters above have written above would EVER come from my mouth, nor will it. The gleeful spite with which you attribute hateful words and behaviors to me and thousands of people you've never met, reflects more on you than it does on me. I would never guess most of you are Christian by your words.
I've enjoyed visiting this blog, watching as the Lewis family re-invents the wheel of homesteading. However, from the mocking and smug hypocrisy of the author and commenters, to calling "Vox Day" a genius, to this column... you may be a competent writer - but you're not very smart, or very Christian.
Interesting post, to which I give a nod of respect but also proffer some respectful dissent.
DeleteFirst, all of your formidable, fiercely independent skills could have been practiced by any farmwife or pioneer woman in a "harsh rural environment" 100 or more years ago. The stereotype of the Appalachian woman with her shotgun is firmly rooted in fact; a tough woman is a tough woman and she doesn't need the badge of feminism to give her legitimacy.
One thing that Patrice fails to consider, and that may be of value in articulating her stance, is that there are many different forms of feminism, from the first wave led by Christian suffragettes that addressed the voting, contract and property abuses in the early 1900s, to the profoundly anti-Christian 2nd wave that began in the 1960s and that takes abortion as its Eucherist and pretty much reduces the social value of a woman to her power pantsuit and vagina.
While I was in grad school at one of the finest, elite schools in the nation, we diligently studied Third Wave feminism, which includes the mantra "all sex is rape," Queer Theory, Gender Theory, and other such intellectual, post-structuralist weaponry aimed at the very heart of the traditional family (a "patriarchal abuse" that needs to be deconstructed and destroyed, in their estimation, primarily by brainwashing their sheeplike students). On the other hand third wave feminists have also embraced the self-sufficiency movement, and picked up their knitting/canning again, which is quite interesting.
While 2nd wave feminism has provided some notable benefits to all women, these "good" things are so soaked in the blood of destroyed babies and in the souls of destroyed men, women and children, that it pretty much strikes me as defending Hitler's autobahns and trains while trying to sweep the Shoah under the rug with euphemisms like "it's okay to kill it because it is just an unwanted mass of tissue." For the commenters going to the mat for feminism and freaking out on Patrice, THIS is the heart of what you are defending. Which, of course, you know. Personally, I reject having that blood on my hands and thus consider myself anti-feminist movement; a pro-life feminist makes as much sense as a pro-Juden Nazi.
--Mama Bear
Dear Mama Bear
DeleteThanks for your nuanced and courteous response.
I am not, on the whole, unusual for the women in my area. I did not mean to imply otherwise.
I have never taken a women's studies or gender theory course or any of the other courses you describe. They never seemed interesting or useful for my life. I'm glad you survived (sincerely, not being snarky).
I believe that I am an individual; that I have the right to determine my own life, vote, bank, enter into legal contracts and own property. I believe I should be able to enter any trade that I am able to perform, and that I should received the same wages as any other similarly-skilled practitioner of that trade.
Please note that I do not promote the destruction of the traditional family, the destruction of ANYONE, nor do I defend the Holocaust.
I am not freaking out. I responded because I find the nature of some of the comments here, and indeed the nature of this post to be strongly reminiscent of the worst of middle school mean girls. "Let's all mock this group by making up extreme, ridiculous statements and attributing them to that group! Everyone join me!"
It's not a mature way to make a point, and it's a little off-putting to see the fervor with which some commenters mock and insult other commenters who protest the calumny inherent in the original post. It's strange to see commenters tell other commenters that their life experiences never happened. It's particularly odd to see commenters who are posting in favor of kinder, more Christian attitudes to get smacked down by other posters who claim superior Christianity.
Of course, this is Patrice's blog, and of course I respect her right to say what she wants, when she wants, how she wants, and to gather a group of like-minded, similarly-thinking blog followers.
It's just becoming clear to me, and probably to others, that this is not a blog community for me.
Thank you for sharing your knowledge of the various forms of feminism, Mama Bear. I appreciate that you took the time to make distinctions. May your cubs be many and healthy!
I need feminism because.... every little girl (like myself) deserves a working mom who puts her in daycare at 6 months old till 5 yrs old then at 6 yrs old into public school for 12 years and who isn't around from 8-5 and isn't available to call during those hours because the boss, project, customers, co-workers come first...oh and when that little girl grows up, marries and has her own little girl she is left clueless on how to provide the basic needs for her family like cooking, cleaning and raising a preschooler.....Man, how I LOVE feminism!!!!
ReplyDeleteI need feminism because I like having a victim mentality, and I do not believe there is anything good about being a woman and I want to be like a man.
ReplyDeleteI need feminism because;
ReplyDeleteFist fighting real men is risky, I might lose.
I can easily take these pretend men.
I need feminism because:
ReplyDeletePaying for sex can get expensive. Marriage means sacrifice and commitment on my part.
Respecting women is so passe.
Being a single mom with a litter of b@st@rds and 47 'uncles' is.... empowering.
Watching 30 something women desperately trying to find a man to commit to them is, amusing.
Watching 40 something women trying to convince everybody (and themselves) that they really wanted to die single and alone is, hysterical.
Seeing what women have traded to become weak men is... Better than taking drugs.
You need to be a feminist because.... misery loves company and I'm getting pretty lonely over here.
I love how your post is only dishonouring to women...
Deletewhat about those "47 uncles" who happily sleep with and leave her?
Men who decide not to marry is fine - but women doing so is laughable?
Women are just WEAK MEN if they decide to not marry (or don't find a good enough man for them) and go it alone?
I need feminism because God did not make women as second class citizens
ReplyDeleteI need feminism because I should be allowed to choose who I marry and submit to - and only I should choose this.
I need feminism because my husband should have no shame in the fact I earn more than him
I need feminism because my husband should be PROUD to be a stayathome dad - the hardest job in the world
I need feminism because if a man is raped, no one asks what he was wearing
I need feminism because people seem to forget about Ruth, Naomi, Pheobe etc. in the Bible.
I need feminism because God loves my single, female friends and has plans for their life - and that isn't just to wait until they're married
I need feminism because Paul did not tell women to submit to all men.