Understanding Feminism

Like most waves the world rides upon, feminism flows out of both legitimate and faulty motivations. I last wrote “Dangerous Heritage,” about feminism’s communist roots, but feminism also flowed out of need and failure in a world full of broken people. A few of those concerns:

— A value system of “boys will be boys” and “girls will be chaste,” and the connected double standard

–Rigid family structures that did not honor women’s contribution

–Outright abuse, and its damage

–Women seen only as sexual objects

–Making money as a paramount measure of worth in a world where much of women’s work received no money or very little

–Boredom, ennui, the lack of a sense of purpose in a home life that was more and more separated from others in the family, and from meaningful contribution

Feminism found some of the right problems but it failed to offer right solutions.

Feminism said, “Let’s have neither boys nor girls be chaste. Let’s have women engage in sex with the same freedom as her male counterparts. Let’s provide birth control to lessen any unwanted results of sexual activity, and further, let’s promote abortion as the ultimate way for women be “equal”—equally free to pursue sex divorced from love, children, family, or lasting relationship. We will marry less, live together more, and make divorce—so that we can escape a dead-end marriage—easier.”

Feminism said, “Let’s have women throw off the constraint of a male “provider” or male “protector,” who can be abusive and cruel. She will provide for herself and be her own protection, or government will rescue. Not just individually, but societally, men will no longer be needed in these roles.”

It shouted, “If men are seeing women as sexual objects, we’ll glory in the same objectification. Furthermore, we’ll throw off restraints. Promiscuity will be the new freedom.” Women Studies courses in colleges and feminists in the media defend women’s rights to be prostitutes and “Only Fan” models because it supports their “agency” to be whatever they wish.

Do women really desire all of this? So often, the viewpoints feminism champions bring women back full circle to the evils they were trying to escape.

I’ve already mentioned this but it begs repetition: in many, many areas, the women’s movement tacitly admitted that men were better, that male goals, male gifts, male values, and the masculine persona, were superior. Men and women have both suffered from this. But in the short term, many feminist goals pleased men as well. Women more accessible for sex, unexpected children less of a problem, less responsibility for provision or protection, divorces more easily obtained—these felt like win-win propositions to some men. And women bringing home more of the bacon? Both men and women were drawn to this. After all, an older “-ism” than feminism, is materialism, and more money makes for more “stuff”—a draw for everyone.

But at what cost?

There is so much to look at in these areas, and I hope you will look with me, but for now…. Please hang on with me through the development of ideas that are bigger than one, or even a few, blogposts.