Saturday, September 12, 2009War is Menstruation Envy—Gloria SteinemDo you get scared when you hear the word, Feminist? What do you picture? Do you picture a bunch of butch dike biker chicks with chainsaws ready to chop off the next dick that pisses them off?That’s a tad harsh, don’t you think?Do you know that every word in the English language that has been used to solely denote women as been demonized. Harlot, Whore etc. used to just mean woman.Feminist is the new demonized word.Actually there is no such thing as feminism. There are feminisms. Every woman has a different view of what the word and notion means to her.I’ll tell you what it means to me. It means that women should get equal pay for equal work. It means that men who abuse women should go to jail for a very long time. It means to me that rapists should be castrated.Yeah, you heard me correct. They should be castrated. Alright, I’m not sure if I believe that but I’m not sure that I don’t.A woman needs a man like a fish needs a bicycle—Gloria SteinemWhat does feminism mean to you? Did you know you can be a man and be a feminist? It doesn’t make you gay, I promise.Being a feminist means you care about the cause for women. It means that you care about the cause for equality. This is not about superiority or anything like that.Feminism is about those little things you don’t always think about. It’s about making life better for battered women, stopping the sex trade and human trafficking of women, and understanding PMS.No seriously, PMS is a serious disorder that can make any woman turn into a monster. It’s not her fault. It’s your fault…just kidding.Feminism is the radical notion that women are people too—Bumper Sticker.So if you are stay-at-home mom or any kind of dad for that matter, you should consider becoming a feminist. It has nothing to do with gender or race or economic status.Feminisms are about the way in which you perceive the world to be a male dominated society and the ways in which you would like to change that.You know that there are countries where little girl babies are murdered because they are not boys. You know that women are sold into prostitution in many countries.You know that men are not the enemies. A society that does not value women is the enemy.So why should you teach your young girls and boys to become feminists? Because it will open their eyes. Women are still being paid less for the same work. Women are still being promoted less, hired less, and finally respected less.Now I ask you, are you afraid of the word FEMINIST?And always remember that there are interlocking oppressions. Being poor and a minority and a woman adds up to a difficult plight. Feminism is about breaking all forms of oppression, not just against women.So if you thought that feminism meant that you have to hate men or turn into a lesbian, think again. Feminism simply means you are aware that there is inequality.Don’t let them censor this F-word.nina