So there I was, minding my own business, having a nice conversation in the kitchen with my coworker about one of Donald Trump's stupid remarks (there have been too many to remember which one in particular; suffice to say, it was probably very insulting) and commenting on why his rhetoric is so hurtful to literally all of America, when a male coworker of ours from the office across the hall walked by and happened to hear a snippet of our conversation that dealt with the rise of feminism. That's when it happened: the world stopped moving, the heavens fell silent, all actions in and around us ceased to continue while this brilliant specimen of a man opened his mouth to bestow upon us his infinite wisdom and much-needed opinion: "Didn't realize I was working with a bunch of Feminazis, I have got to watch my back!" with a "haha" thrown in for comedy's sake.

So after berating him for twenty minutes on why he was not only being reported to HR for harassment, but is quite literally the embodiment of the problem my coworker and I were just discussing and hoping that by some grace of God this man never reproduces to inflict upon the world another generation of stupidity to follow in his footsteps, I took a step back and thought about what this pathetic human being had really just said.

Because it wasn't crazy; it wasn't an overt or intended insult. It wasn't some strange out-of-the-blue comment that he dredged up from the annals of the 1950s to render upon my unsuspecting ears. He was voicing what many consider an offhand and acceptable joke in what has become a culture that abhors and rejects the current feminist movement. Instead of actually listening to what my coworker and I were saying, this man chose to only pick out the words he wanted to hear: "feminism," "patriarchy," and "needs to change" which he took to mean "I hate all men and women should rule the world while wearing only bikinis."

And that is so intrinsic of what the rhetoric against feminism has become. Feminists like myself are written off as "Feminazis" or, more popularly, "Radical Feminists" and that is just so not okay. The minute any sort of minority group (e.g. African Americans, Muslims, women, or immigrants) dare to voice an opinion or comment about the state of our current society, they are immediately shot down as a radical offshoot of the normative mainstream and their argument is not to be considered valid because "They don't know what they're talking about."

We need to change this rhetoric ASAP. Not just for feminists, but for all marginalized minority groups in America and really, the greater good of the world. Because the feminist movement has A LOT to say, and they are completely valid and justified in their cause. Contrary to popular belief, we do not want to dismantle the order of the civilized world, enslave men as our reproductive captives, and fill the seats of our modernized government with like-mined women who will continue to keep men in their place for the next three hundred years. Even though that's exactly what men have done since the founding of this great country, but let's not talk about that. Wouldn't want to hurt the "Meninist's" feelings.

What feminists are fighting, arguing, and campaigning for, are basic and equal civil rights. If I get a new job, I want to be paid the same starting wage as my male coworker who was hired at the same time. When I'm sitting on the subway after a grueling 12-hour workday, I want to be able to sit in a seat without having to worry about folding my legs into my body like a pretzel so the man next to me can spread his legs in a display of dominance. If I'm out to dinner with my girlfriends for the night, I don't want to have to worry about men yelling at me as they drive by because of how short my skirt is or what kind of shoes I'm wearing. When I have to breastfeed my future child, I don't want to be told that I'm immoral and distracting males in the general vicinity.

I'm not asking to rule the world. I'm not asking men to bow down and go out of their way to please me. I'm not asking for extra rights or to be treated differently. I'm asking to be treated like a human being, which is the right men get every day just by nature of their gender. I'm asking to be seen as a person, not as a woman, and afforded all the rights and kindnesses one extends to a human being that you don't always get as a woman.

Most importantly, I'm asking you to listen to what I have to say before labeling me as a radical feminist. In fact, I'm asking you to completely delete that phrase from your vocabulary, and use that energy you expend tearing down my cause to attempt to open your mind just a little and actually hear beyond your own prejudices what I have to say. Trust me, your wife, your daughter, your mother and your sisters will appreciate it.