Another war?

Is what I've been hearing. this time, on women. If you're a tumblr addict (like myself), and watch the feminism tag closely, then you'll have see the ever increasingly popular phrase "The war on women." I find it shocking that NOW women have declared this war. Don't get me wrong, i'm extremely happy people are coming to realize we need to stand up and do something, but none of this is "new". What's changed is because of how non-assertive and silent we've been for quite a while (I know there's been people doing things, but lets be honest, on a MASS level, it's been ignored), this has allowed misogyny to bloom, the stereotypes the evolve into a strong prejudice and men like the Republican candidates to assume positions of power leaving us, defenseless.
The war on women, it's here baby, it's happening, and we gotta do something about it.
If I told you that you could change things, you'd probably be all "...you're stupid" and if I told you that you have the power to do something, once again you'd probably be hitting the block button or exiting this page. So I'm not gonna tell you that.
All I know is that, if I do something, and you do something, then we'll have done something. And that is all that matters.

Today, it's a a wee bit different.

Instead of honoring a woman of history (or who should be in history), I'm highlighting a team of young women who made an outstanding Media Matters video about being a young black woman in America.
Directed and filmed by Kiri Davis, produced by Reel Works Teen Filmmaking, special thanks to Urban Academy High School and all the young women involved! Thank you for sharing your experiences and thoughts! I hope you enjoy A Girl Like Me, as much as I have. :)

Feminism basics, 101, novice, something to start you off with at least.

                  Part of the reason I started this blog is because of the appalling lack of general knowledge I’ve been seeing online. I’ve seeing groups basing all their actions and ideas on some ridiculous stereotypes, mind you, I wouldn’t mind so much if they weren’t creating so much resentment among men and other women along with making life difficult for those of us that do have the basics covered and are trying to move up on the knowledge bar past intermediate to proficient and beyond. If there’s ANYTHING you don’t understand, leave me a comment and I’ll try to clarify (I do find it a bit hard to dumb down stuff, which is why when I write I talk to my brother or mother because they’ll let me know when I’ve lost them or made no sense to someone who either doesn’t have the vocabulary terms or understanding of it yet).

Feminism: (dictionary meaning) the advocacy of women's rights on the grounds of political, social, and economic equality to men.

This is as rudimentary as it’s going to get when defining feminism. After this it’s generally defined as;

- a collection of movements aimed at defining, establishing, and defending equal political, economic, and social rights for women.

                 Please note it’s a collection of movements, which means there is no one true and only feminism as you see so many swearing by (example. I am a radical feminist. NOTE. It’s much more complicated than I’m making it sound, see my I Am. post for a breakdown of what I, personally, stand for as a radical feminist who also believes in other forms of feminism as well). That said, you’ll notice that when I refer to feminism, I add a (s) at the end, or I’ll use adjectives like “generally,” “hegemonically,” “ideologically,” “many” and “almost all,” but I will not say “all” or try to speak for all, because, well, I can’t and I shouldn’t (so, if at anytime I do, please feel free to call me on it and I’ll apologize and fix it because I truly strive to avoid doing that). The reason I don’t approve of the “spokesman” routine (speaking for everybody under a massive umbrella term) is because it leads to exclusion and can result in denying someone’s experience because it doesn’t fit your own.
Now that we have a basic understanding of feminism(s), let’s turn our attention to what makes it a collection, an active group, a physical movement itself, the people themselves, feminists.
                   It’s a term I’ve seen many hesitate to use in relation to one’s self, often tipped toed around like a slur or derogatory term because of the negative condensations due to all the stereotypes and prejudice attached to it, that does,come to mind when you say the word (i.e. bra burning, non-shaving, man-hating, lesbians- none – except the hating men part, are actually bad things by themselves [If someone wants to burn their bra, it’s none of my business, have fun; but generally due to their expense in the first place, most just don’t wear it if they don’t want to], but have all been used to devalue and "degrade" feminists by making them their “must be” truths).

Feminist: (n) A person who supports feminism. (ad) Of, relating to, or supporting feminism.

Note, no sex or gender is even implied in the fundamentally basic definition of what a feminist is. As you can see, it builds apon block one (feminism).

This is as basic as basic can get. If you did not know this stuff before, you do now, congrats: You've leveled up! You are now a novice! If you did/do have this knowledge, it's great to review and refresh your brain (healthy too, keeps the eye on the prize). So take your time to digest this knowledge, this'll be here for you to come back to review.

AND! If you happen to know any great feminist online communities, that would be FANNNNNtastic if you shared it with us.

I am

A Radical Woman of Color Feminist.

It focuses on dismantling the patriarchy as a system of power. Now, if you’ve read definitions produce by groups like MRA (Men's / Father's Rights Activist), which state that “Feminists taught you that your history with men was of unremitting evil; that you were chattel, slaves to men who held all power and shut you out with extreme intent. They even gave it a name. Patriarchy” then you’ve been mislead by common stereotypes and prejudice generated by major sexism. Now, I’m not against groups that focus on detoxicifying and redefining masculinity, because part of the overall solution is also to improve things for men too (libaration is not superiority) and I realize that much of these misunderstandings comes from a place of hurt in their lives. Patriarchy is a system of power which favors and rewards the male gender, holding it as a primary authority figure central to social organization. No, it is not a system men run, think of it more as a system set up hundreds of years ago that runs on its own, a system in which we are all born into and perpetuate without the realizing it. It screws us all equally in different ways, where is has withheld rights and access to representation and media equality for women, it is also responsible for the gender roles dividing up expectations between all genders, the tough guise men are expected to embody without thought about the consequences on a hegemonic level (dominant values/ideas of the masses) and the interactions and appearances we expect of the ideal two genders/sexes.

If from that you assumed that as a radical feminist I am for discussing and dis-empowering gender roles, than you would be correct. NOTE, I am a radical feminist, but I cannot speak for all who identify as one as well.
But I do understand why the feminist community itself has it's reserves about it. One half is completly because there are extremely toxic and bad radical feminist. I am not going to defend them. They can be racist and cissexist and uphold sex binaries. Not going to erase that. But the other half is that because racism and cissexism and heterosexism weren't actively apart of mainstream feminism until recent times (and even then it's pathetically weak)- the history of radical feminists of color and LGBT+ are completly taken out of the dialogue.

Now that You have a basic understanding of what I stand for, I'll elaborate on other things I personally support as a feminist. I am for abortion rights (I don't use the term pro-choice because not everyone accepts the term and is offensive to those, who historically, weren't given one and have had to suffer from eugenics movements), against slut-shaming, for positive body images, multiracial feminism, trans feminism, multicultural feminism, believe in sexual freedom, and the study masculine theory as well.

I enjoy discussing feminism and the various types because in the process I generally learn more about my comfort zone, what's out there and how others feel about different issues. I like to find creative ways to respond to criticism and especially to negative actions/comments. Instead of getting worked up- as I've seen many do- I like to dissect what they've presented and use it as a tool of discussion and understanding.

Online, there's about a thousand different places you'll find negativity, animosity, discouragement and people willing to silence and disrespect others for talking about feminism. It's outrageous how discussions turn into debates in a blink of an eye, which is why I encourage you to seek out information and knowledge, so that the next time you encounter a critique or ignorance, you can utilize what you've learned, your experiences and thoughts to not only defend, but engage the person(s) in discussion and come to a productive understanding even if you are still in disagreement.

Let's change the stereotypes. Let's break the cycle. Create your own open dialogues.

Dialogue.

It’s a simple enough word, but takes serious skill to utilize.

Through out my posts, I will try my best to utilize dialogue to engage and discuss issues (such as feminisms, racism, classism, sexism, genderism, heterosexism, ect.) and discuss my own experiences with those that apply. I strongly believe that everyone, no matter how much pain and hurt they’ve experienced, are capable of love. That is not to say that one should not be held accountable for their prejudices and bigotry. Change is not easy, it doesn’t come over night, and requires recognition and accountability and discussion is a key part to creating it. That said, it’s also the reason I created this blog.

After joining a series of different feminist groups online, I was really disturbed but the lack of conversation and the amount of hurt being expressed through malicious, hateful posts. To me, hate has no place in feminism(s) (or in any type of group with the goal of equality and change), it isn’t a solution, it is an expression of hurt and ignorance. Hate, however; is not to be confused with confronting a prejudiced person.

I would really appreciate feedback and discussion because that is how I learn and expand my own understanding of other’s views and positions. I welcome your comments.

Sooo… let’s start the Open Dialogue.