Politics is about power. We need to frankly acknowledge this. This sphere of human life is about the acquisition of power for oneself or others. It need not be a negative; it may often be necessary, and depending on the ends and the means, even conducive to the good of all. If you align yourself with a political movement, you align yourself not only with the ends of that movement, but with the means of its achievement.
Feminism is a political movement. It has transparently secular ends, for one thing. And what is the end of feminism or feminisms? The replacement of a perceived patriarchy with a matriarchy. It is women in power over men. It isn't hard to find or see. If we forget that all political movements are about power, we can easily delude ourselves, aligning ourselves with various secondary effects, or in opposition to numerous injustices against women. But if we say we are feminists, we get more than we likely intend. There is no doubt of it.
Don't say, "I'm a feminist" when you mean, "I intend to affirm the full personhood and dignity of women, in opposition to x, y, and z." Feminism does not aim to achieve harmony or balance; it aims to achieve power and dominance over men. This is the frank reason why heterosexual feminist women struggle to find husbands, or whatever we are calling it now. And this is why the men of those feminists are weak; it's a power relationship, and they've chosen to submit. Submission is not inherently bad, but if one submits to a poor leader, or for an end that is degrading to one's dignity, it's obvious. And that's why women who are not entirely intent on dominating men end up resenting those men.
Camille Paglia is on her way to being something other than a feminist, if she hasn't been exiled already, because she is beginning to see that its goals are not desirable. Would it be that we all did!
Feminism is a political movement. It has transparently secular ends, for one thing. And what is the end of feminism or feminisms? The replacement of a perceived patriarchy with a matriarchy. It is women in power over men. It isn't hard to find or see. If we forget that all political movements are about power, we can easily delude ourselves, aligning ourselves with various secondary effects, or in opposition to numerous injustices against women. But if we say we are feminists, we get more than we likely intend. There is no doubt of it.
Don't say, "I'm a feminist" when you mean, "I intend to affirm the full personhood and dignity of women, in opposition to x, y, and z." Feminism does not aim to achieve harmony or balance; it aims to achieve power and dominance over men. This is the frank reason why heterosexual feminist women struggle to find husbands, or whatever we are calling it now. And this is why the men of those feminists are weak; it's a power relationship, and they've chosen to submit. Submission is not inherently bad, but if one submits to a poor leader, or for an end that is degrading to one's dignity, it's obvious. And that's why women who are not entirely intent on dominating men end up resenting those men.
Camille Paglia is on her way to being something other than a feminist, if she hasn't been exiled already, because she is beginning to see that its goals are not desirable. Would it be that we all did!
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