So, feminism is an extremely hot topic on the Odyssey. Especially after the, "I’m An 18-Year-Old Female And I Will Never Be A Feminist" landed under the “Popular on Odyssey” section. I know, it’s typical and cliche to write a response to this article, but I’d like to offer my response. I am not writing this to attack the student who wrote the article, but rather, I’d like to have a conversation about some of the points she brings up.
1. “I’m not a modern-day feminist.”
“Sure, I think boys are stupid and that I’m better than 90% of the male population, but that doesn’t make me a modern-day feminist.”
By now, we all know that the definition of feminism is simply the support of gender equality. I found it interesting that the writer decided to link another Odyssey article when saying she is not a “modern-day feminist.” This article debunks 11 common misconceptions of feminism that are used to stereotype all feminists.
We cannot paint modern-day feminism with one stroke. It is a diverse complex world where everyone has a different approach on how to achieve gender equality.
2. “Reality check: Men and women are not equal.”
Did not see that one coming. Of course, men and women are not equal in our society. We live in a patriarchal society where men are afforded more privileges than women. The article brings up the fact that men and women are biologically dissimilar. Many people, including many feminists, confuse gender equality with gender sameness. Gender sameness suggests that biological differences between men and women do not exist. Gender equality acknowledges the differences that the genders have, but state that these differences should not be a basis for designating authority in society.
3. “It’s ‘cool’ to hate Donald Trump.”
Because Donald Trump is such a great human right? Leftists do not binge watch Donald Trump’s twitter in hopes of creating drama. It is no secret that Twitter is Trump’s favorite tool of communication. He is one of the most retweeted and talked about people online. When he tweets something that is controversial, he is actually the one starting the drama. Everyone is entitled to their own opinion, but that doesn’t mean they are safe from criticism of their opinion. Donald Trump has been highly problematic long before his presidential campaign. I think it’s safe to say, people have disliked Trump for quite a while now.
So I just want to sit with those points for now. I plan on returning back to this conversation to dive deeper into my arguments, but for now I'd like for anyone reading this to sit and think about what you think that modern-day feminism has come to.
