I understand how FGM is a harmful practise. But classifying every practise of every culture that doesn't have an equivalent one for men as anti feminist sounds very unfair to me. I think the discussion around it needs to be very nuanced. Men and women are biologically differnet. Cultures around the world created a lot of practises based on their history and those biological differences. Sure, there needs to be equality and a lot of things need to change but saying everything that isnt equal is wrong doesnt really agree with me.
Tbh a lot of cultures had tons of problematic ideas introduced to them because of colonisation. Entire south east Asia is obsessed with fairness(fair colour in women only btw, it isn't really strict about men coloring ) because of colonisation. Traditional dances (which had a lot of steps that were seen as seductive) done by both men and women were objected to by Victorian British Officers because of their sensibilities. Then, the dances had to be passed on from one generation to another only by men. There were a lot of things like this in history where people from a different culture came and judged us based on their own culture lens and said we were wrong.
Today colonisation is not seen as a wonderful service people did to help save the barbarian people of other countries but as a tool of oppression.
A person of different culture than you, I find it very rude for someone to look at my life and say whichever part of my cultural practise doesnt have a equivalent one for a man's is wrong
Thanks for this. You’re right. Actually the next piece I wrote was all about differences between the sexes and why this actually matters for feminism. It’s more about equity than equality. To me FGM has a lot of real risks and just shouldn’t been done, just as many other cultures have practices that are harmful to women. I don’t think it’s automatically culturally insensitive to say those things are problematic - but I do think it’s better to lift up voices from within those communities when possible
South East Asia is obsessed with fairness for their own reasons and they were obsessed with it way before they had contact with the West. And the colonizers there were mostly the Japanese
Have you read “End of Woman: How Smashing the Patriarchy Has Destroyed Us” by Carrie Gross? I recently read it and it has some really interesting points of view on feminism and how it came about. Thought you might find it interesting.
I think equity is the more appropriate term than equality. Or it seems like everything has to be the same, which is I think the problem that you pointed out in modern feminism. Equity takes into account Indivual differences and accommodates them through social means
Tbh though none of ballerina farms choices are of the pointless severity of fgm, and some of your pieces of evidence like her ballet career are just descriptions of the cost of her choice, not actual evidence it was involuntary. and also: it’s an adult vs a child.
I’d agree it’s not about choice in that, in practice, feminists have very specific mental images of that is good and virtuous. Sometimes they allow for *some* motherhood, up to a maximum limit that exists in the viewers head. But picking a fight over the few women who would voluntarily exceed that just doesn’t seem reasonable or useful, or even related to your goal of increasing stay at home dads
yes yes yes! I love this comment and you perfectly anticipated my next post, coming tomorrow. Stay tuned! Hint: the hunter-gatherers have a perfect model for it.
I understand how FGM is a harmful practise. But classifying every practise of every culture that doesn't have an equivalent one for men as anti feminist sounds very unfair to me. I think the discussion around it needs to be very nuanced. Men and women are biologically differnet. Cultures around the world created a lot of practises based on their history and those biological differences. Sure, there needs to be equality and a lot of things need to change but saying everything that isnt equal is wrong doesnt really agree with me.
Tbh a lot of cultures had tons of problematic ideas introduced to them because of colonisation. Entire south east Asia is obsessed with fairness(fair colour in women only btw, it isn't really strict about men coloring ) because of colonisation. Traditional dances (which had a lot of steps that were seen as seductive) done by both men and women were objected to by Victorian British Officers because of their sensibilities. Then, the dances had to be passed on from one generation to another only by men. There were a lot of things like this in history where people from a different culture came and judged us based on their own culture lens and said we were wrong.
Today colonisation is not seen as a wonderful service people did to help save the barbarian people of other countries but as a tool of oppression.
A person of different culture than you, I find it very rude for someone to look at my life and say whichever part of my cultural practise doesnt have a equivalent one for a man's is wrong
Thanks for this. You’re right. Actually the next piece I wrote was all about differences between the sexes and why this actually matters for feminism. It’s more about equity than equality. To me FGM has a lot of real risks and just shouldn’t been done, just as many other cultures have practices that are harmful to women. I don’t think it’s automatically culturally insensitive to say those things are problematic - but I do think it’s better to lift up voices from within those communities when possible
Just read this after my comment :)
South East Asia is obsessed with fairness for their own reasons and they were obsessed with it way before they had contact with the West. And the colonizers there were mostly the Japanese
Have you read “End of Woman: How Smashing the Patriarchy Has Destroyed Us” by Carrie Gross? I recently read it and it has some really interesting points of view on feminism and how it came about. Thought you might find it interesting.
I think equity is the more appropriate term than equality. Or it seems like everything has to be the same, which is I think the problem that you pointed out in modern feminism. Equity takes into account Indivual differences and accommodates them through social means
Tbh though none of ballerina farms choices are of the pointless severity of fgm, and some of your pieces of evidence like her ballet career are just descriptions of the cost of her choice, not actual evidence it was involuntary. and also: it’s an adult vs a child.
I’d agree it’s not about choice in that, in practice, feminists have very specific mental images of that is good and virtuous. Sometimes they allow for *some* motherhood, up to a maximum limit that exists in the viewers head. But picking a fight over the few women who would voluntarily exceed that just doesn’t seem reasonable or useful, or even related to your goal of increasing stay at home dads
yes yes yes! I love this comment and you perfectly anticipated my next post, coming tomorrow. Stay tuned! Hint: the hunter-gatherers have a perfect model for it.