Feminism

Recently, my Facebook feed has been filled with posts about feminism. I guess it is the Libra in me that is just pissed off about this so here we go. 

If you are male, shut up and listen. Feminism is about equality. It is not about man bashing. It is not about female superiority. It is about have equal standards for men and women. The term "feminism" does market it slightly negative, but equality is more accurate. 

The suffragettes of the past made their mark just to get the right to vote. The civil rights movement pushed forward the equality of color and ancestry. The marriage rights movement pushes toward giving equal rights for people based on their sexual orientation. But today, are they all equal? Women, people of color or not, sexual orientation are being threatened, bashed, and degraded because if something they have absolutely no control over. They are often treated as second class humans.

So before you decide to threaten a woman because they are trying to stand up for equality, check yourself. Because the issue is not theirs, it is yours. You are the person who fears losing "control". You are the person that does not have respect for yourself, and try to take control over other people because of it. You are the person who fears your own abilities to compete for that job a woman may get. You are the person who is ignorant and unwilling to learn. You are the person without the ability to try to understand what another person is going through and lack the compassion. 

What would you do if someone raped your wife, daughter, sister, brother, father, son? What would you do if you were denied the ability to make a decision about your own health or body? What would you do if people told you that your relationship was wrong and that you should be stoned to death? What would you do if you were killed just because you were of a specific color... Or religion? What would you do to make it all just stop? Would you stand as part of the crowd trying to make it equal? Would you hide in the corner and hope that you are not damaged while the people you know and love sacrifice themselves for equality? Or would you join the oppressors and push down any and all change even if it means you are willing to hurt your own friends and family?

That is real life. That is why everyone should be equal. That is why feminist are standing up for social change. So here it is. I am a feminist. I believe in equality. I believe in freedom from oppression of any kind. Where do you stand?