Thursday, May 1, 2014

How feminism appropriates the efforts of minority women

"In many discussions, conventional feminism is not so much an analysis of patriarchy as it is an emphasis on equality of the sexes and a sense of camaraderie between women. This broad and vague definition allows it to operate as a big tent ideology that absorbs any and every idea and person dealing with women and gender. Even when women like my mother object to its norms and say 'I am not a feminist', they are still viewed as “feminist” because their work relates to women in some way."
 ~RobtheIdealist, full article can be found here




Since the 90s or so, there's been this rhetoric that "everybody can be their own feminist". We've seen all sorts of feminist denominations come out of the woodwork: Sex positive feminism, sex negative feminism, Marxist feminism, etc. Because the feminist movement does not have any (overtly) definitive principles, it can appropriate and claim the efforts of people who see no solidarity with their movement, simply because those efforts benefit women.

And on that subject, many people DON'T (or at least shouldn't) see solidarity with feminism, because they are alienated from its (subtle) de facto principles--- definitions we can determine by who is excluded from its mainstream policy and activist goals. For example, some Marxists want to be called "Marxist feminists", because they believe the abolition of private property benefits women since it would in theory, eliminate socioeconomic inequality, and dependence on men.

But the rest of the feminist community will never actually integrate Marxism into the mainstream movement, and will never actually exercise "camaraderie" by promoting any kind of socialist/communist political policies. "Marxist" feminists are a merely a subgroup of people that feminism exploits for the sake of appearances, solidarity, and the ability to take advantage of the sheer number of anti capitalists whilst still aiming to make policy that benefits capitalism.

Another example is how feminism excludes the concerns of women of color. Since slavery Black women have been typecast into pejorative sterotypes such as the mammy, the belligerent sapphire, and the sexually promiscuous Jezebel. One of Black women's biggest obstacles is being acknowledged as "real women". That doesn't mean that by "real women" we mean Black women want to assimilate with the infantile gender roles forced upon White women. However, it means that we don't want to be seen as hyper masculine without emotional vulnerabilities.

Feminism however, is going in the opposite direction. It WANTS to assimilate with capitalist (white) men, and sees the appreciation of the feminine gender identity as a "traditional gender role" that acts as a hindrance to its ultimate goal. This is how you know the movement is for white women. Because WHO is the main group of people in America that would actually seek to assimilate with men because they don't know what it's like to be COMPLETELY robbed of their feminine gender identity? White women.

Regardless of the empty rhetoric that "everyone can be their own feminist", in truth, feminism generally has a central movement that its social events, and political policies support. For example, its policies are almost exclusively sex positive and capitalist (ex: working to end wage disparity instead of abolishing people's dependence on wages).

And so, the problem with black feminism (and that includes womanism) is that it still follows the same pro male assimilation principles feminism does. Principles that do not benefit a group of people that are already especially burdened with being considered "less" female than everybody else. Feminism, "Black" feminism, womanism.....it's the same belief system under different denominations with cosmetic differences.

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