I have sent the following questions to twelve faculty members of varying generation at Maryville University:
1. Do you identify as a feminist? If so why? If no, why not? AND/OR “_____ is what feminism means to me.”
2. Do you think the label “feminist” is a deterrent to others identifying as such? Why or why not? AND/OR What do you believe has been the biggest deterrent regarding the progress of the feminist movement?
3. What is one thing you think our society could begin/change in order to enlarge the pool of our population who identify with feminist values?
4. What impact do you think feminist pop culture blogs can/do have in our society?
5. “My top concern in the feminist movement is _____” (What you would like to change/see more of.)
Until the results of my questionnaire are tabulated within this week, I'm linking an interesting feminist survey video here.
1)No. We've discussed this. I identify more as a humanist. I believe in the value of a human being, with no regard to sex, race, etc.
ReplyDelete2)Yes, I do. I think a lot of people would be more likely to identify with feminist ideals if the label didn't exist. As it stands, it makes the belief system seem very egocentric. If feminism is for the equality of sexes, then why include a singular sex in the name? Why not just call it humanism and carry on business as usual? To me, it makes feminism seem more biased towards women. It seems less about uniting the sexes, and more about empowering the female sex. That isn't necessarily a bad thing, but it is a deterrent to men to try to learn about feminism.
3)Make the idea more open to ANY person. Like I said, the very name "feminism" seems agressive towards males. It makes men feel like villains, and so it seems dangerous to them. Why should a man want to learn about feminism when the name implies that he is not invited?
4)I'm not sure. I don't have enough experience reading them.
5)My top concern is bias. I don't disagree with feminist ideals necessarily. Like I said, I believe all humans are equal in regards to basic human rights. If feminism agrees with this, and believes that men and women should be treated fairly (which I believe feminism does) then why do feminists call themselves feminists? Why not just call themselves humanists? Or create a new name which includes all people, regardless of sex?