If you've ever logged into a computer, you've likely seen an argument about gender. There will be countless "get back to the kitchen" jokes, cries of injustice, and the name-calling of such insults as feminazi. As feminism is once again drawn into the public eye, it's undergone quite a bit of misrepresentation and hostility. But what many don't realize is a truth they may not understand: Everyone most likely is, or should be, a feminist.
The Merriam-Webster definition of feminism is "he belief that men and women should have equal rights and opportunities." Simple enough, right? Basically, if you believe that women should have equality to men socially, politically, and economically, then you're a feminist. Congratulations.
"Actually, I'm not a feminist. It's unnecessary. I'm an egalitarian." Well, not quite. If you're not a feminist, you're not really an egalitarian either. Egalitarianism is overall, human equality, so this encompasses feminism. If you're an egalitarian, you're a feminist. Gender equality is kind of essential to the whole "universal equality" thing.
"But why does it have to be called 'feminism'? Why not 'meninism,' or 'gender-equality-ism'?" Because for hundreds of years, women were oppressed under a near-worldwide patriarchy. Properly reading a middle-school history textbook could tell you that. Feminism rose from the idea that "hey, maybe women aren't just for sex and providing us with more men. Maybe they're people too." It was so that women could be treated the same way men had always been. By calling yourself (God forbid) a "Meninist" and attempting to reverse feminism, you're essentially going right back to the oppressive nature that our society really should have nullified ages ago.
"Feminists just go around hating men and having double standards, and that's not right, so feminists are wrong." This is where the skewed idea of the "feminazi" comes into play. Just as the radical Westboro Baptist Church improperly represents Christianity, the girl who goes around message boards preaching feminism but bashing on men improperly represents feminism and is not actually a feminist.
Nothing about feminism endorses misandry or prejudice against men. If anything, feminism endorses the opposite. If a woman forces herself onto a man, it's just as bad as if a man had done it to a woman. There are no excuses, no "it's different" or "it's OK because it's a girl." Proper feminists condemn those actions. It's important to realize that what many few as "feminists" are not feminists at all, and those false feminists themselves probably have a distorted idea of what feminism really is.
Feminism is not complicated, but people are. However, these complications don't limit us from trying our best to better each other and our world as a whole. We need to listen to one another and actively work to give every person every opportunity and right they deserve. We've still got a ways to go, but by opening our minds to feminism and other forms of social justice and equality, we can make progress.
So if you're one of the many who are reluctant to call themselves a feminist, wipe your mental slate clean. It's time to take the next step forward.
