Quote:
Originally Posted by Cain
No, I was responding to your dislike of the masculinization of language. If that bothers some people (which is fair) then we should strive to homogenize language. I simply didn't think that you pointing out that because some words have a masculine lineage that others should get a free pass.
Don't try to make this something big, I just idly said that the way the word is used bothers me. I'm not up in arms and really irritated, just that I find the usage curious a lot of the time.
Your counterpoint was along the lines of "so what, look at all these other things we have to put up with" which I find unproductive. Both could be better.
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I wasn't trying making that counterpoint, I was trying to say that feminism is in direct opposition our society's male-dominated structure, so the word makes sense to me. The thing is, it IS big, because the "feminism" vs. "equalism" question isn't new.
I'm fine with it being called "feminism" for several reasons:
1) Women are the target of sexism/misogyny. Feminism is the countermovement to that (though that's oversimplified). I'm okay with "anti-sexism" or "gender equality" as well, but overall I prefer a word that speaks directly about women in a positive way.
2) There are many forms of "equalism" so that word doesn't really apply.
3) When you are in the middle of something that is all around you, and want to talk about its counterpoint, it makes sense to create a space for that to happen and where you can talk about it through a different "lens".
And really, at a time where some women will say "I'm not a feminist, but..." and then proceed to say something positive about gender equality, I would prefer that people not be ashamed of using the word. Feminism is a big tent, and it includes much more than radical feminist theorists. Debating the word and its use is often a distraction from making actual progress.
So anyway, call it what you want, but those are my thoughts.
Or really, I could just come back with "what, we can't even name our own movement now?"
