Suffragettical

My friends and I have discussed the possibility of running a multi-author blog, to "come out" as feminists in a time and place where being a feminist may be seen as being old-fashioned, negative, misinformed, or unnecessary. Where we can discuss issues that matter to us, why they matter to us, and why we, as women, students, citizens, and persons feel comfortable doing so. Unfortunately, we never got around to it. 

Thankfully, someone has. A local woman began this page in order to discuss, showcase, and share positive feminism in an immediate way.

I'll be doing an article for the Walleye in October (Women’s History Month, after all) where I'll get to speak with the author and perhaps some admin (Who so far sound like some seriously cool Ladies) about their motivation and goals in opening this dialogue. Why?

This is why.

Among my friends and peers there’s been increased discussion regarding how we see the current media and pop-culture of North America as depressing and alarming in regard to the portrayal of women, relationships, and feminism. 

It’s not difficult to see (or feel) the further backlash against feminism which seems to be gaining only strength, and there are far too many political backslides to show for it, particularly in the United States; Our nearest neighbor, and the so-called pillar of moral authority and democracy in the world. These increasing atrocities include limiting access to birth control, persecution of victims, and even criminalizing abortion and miscarriage.

Feminism is increasingly sneered at as being where our society went wrong. At it’s worst, many young women and girls are seeing the word as unattractive, and as something synonymous with hating men, being ugly, and thinking that women just want more money and power. At it’s best, people still quibble about the word and it’s ‘true’ meaning. Why not 'equalist' or 'personist'. These qualms still spread the negative connotation, but with a rational brush.

The fact that this is happening in my country as well makes me sad. The fact that it's happening while, in the majority of the world, women do not have the rights and freedoms we rightly see as our privilege is a slap to the face of every person who fought so we could have them, and for the millions worldwide who are fighting for those who have yet to have them. 

I firmly believe that saying feminism is unnecessary or misguided in a world where girls still have acid thrown in their faces for going to school; where girls may still be forced to marry their rapist; where there are countries where simply being born female automatically classes you at the bottom of the social heap, is a sickening lack of awareness for both how lucky we are, and how little we seem to care about it. 

People are taking things for granted almost as fast as it takes to lose them, and it's something I want to address.

We do have social problems in this country, for people as a whole, not just men and women. I don't see feminism as being anti-man, or even exclusively pro-woman.  

The fact is: When women and girls have autonomy in their social, political, and financial lives, societies flourish. They develop economically, their children are healthier, and rates of poverty and disease decrease. 

The social problems in North America are, I believe, a product of a massively egotistical and consumerist culture that needs to change, and I further believe that blaming feminism is a mismatched, patriarchal conclusion. 

Go and like Thunder Bay Needs Feminism. Everyone, everywhere does. 

Think. Why do you?