My View of Feminism

by Beau

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In my opinion the first goal of Feminism must be to expose the existence of the oppression of women by the patriarchal systems to women themselves. The unique nature of the oppression of woman is that it is endemic, it cuts across all class and racial barriers, and is unaffected, except temporarily, by changes in governments and other revolutions. So deeply is the myth of male superiority imbedded in our culture that women have accepted it as a basic, natural truth. Males have written it into every facet of life: Religion has its male god judging every woman by her submission to her husband, the moral sanctions of her culture are for her remaining wife and mothers and against her self-expression in "masculine" areas, psychology sees women as lesser creatures struggling for a virility they covet and cannot possess, and money, land, and power are in male possession even as women do most of the work.

A woman learns on her mother's knee to hate herself and her sisters. She must become the reflection of patriarchal expectations in order to survive. She learns to despise herself as weak and imcompetent, and, dependant on man for her social identity, she despises other women as rivals for that support and approval. So deep is the internalization of the oppressor's point of view that the loudest voice against feminism is that of women.

And what is Feminism? This much maligned and threatening position is basically an acceptance of Woman as whole and complete in herself--a real, competent, loveable human being,deserving of respect and equality of opportunities in the marketplace, education, and choice of career. The feminist loves and respects womqn. A feminist sees her as a total and complete person in her own right, without the need of a male owner for validation. Love and respect of woman does not rule out love and respect for man--in fact it is a building block for universal love based on other tban fear. A feminist may love men while hating the patriarchal system. A man may be a feminist. A feminist is not necessarily a musclebound castrator: she is more likely to be desperately trying to destroy this along with other mythological stereotypes of woman.

My own feminism is not born of lesbianism; nor is my lesbianism a sexual preference alone. Rather, both were a natural outcome of my growing self-esteem. As my respect for myself has increased, I have learned to love and respect other women, and to care about their lives. This homophilic attitude has enabled me to embrace my sisters, rather than to avoid them as rivals who are competing for "the Man", who embodies status and security. This embracing has, in course, encluded both lesbian and heterosexual sisters. An embracing of another in an atmosphere of empathy and acceptance allows for occasions of sexual embracing, which are natural expressions of love and caring. Therefore, with my increasing self-respect and self-validation, with my self-given permission to live my life in an approximation of an autonomous freedom, I have taken the opportunity to explore all sides of my self, including my sexuality.

What does a feminist want? Simone de Beauvoir says that a woman "spontaneously chooses to be a complete person, a subject and a free being with the world and the future open to- her; if .this choice has a virile cast, it is so to the extent that femininity today means mutilation."

I have been called masculine all my life. So had my mother. And yet she was a "housewife", she wore dresses and makeup and was on the altar guild. What is masculine about us? We read things other than cookbooks. We discuss politics and science and history and literature... frequently with men. We stand straight and look people directly in the eye. We say what we think. We are adults. In this society adult means adult male. Women are perceived as childlike and in need of protection and guidance. An independent woman has developed qualities which are considered masculine out of necessity. Her personal growth toward her potentialities, her following of her own internal directions, her financial independance, and her educational development have all labled her masculine, as society restricts the feminine role to that of the economically and emotionally dependent.

The feminist desires to be independent, self-sufficient, intelligent, educated, successful—and feminine. She doesn't see these as opposites.N,The feminist wants more than economic opportunity, she wants control of her own body. The advent of the "Pill" has been one of the most liberating in history for women. The yearly baby has been the heaviest entrapment for women throughout history, and has driven the world population past its carrying capacity. Birth control has become a biological necessity for human survival... therefore finally available to the individual woman, providing her salvation. The most dearly protected patriarchal priviledge has been the owning of the bodies of women for the production of children (preferably male).

The feminist wants freedom from stereotyped sex-roles. She wants to be free to fill whatever niche in society in which she feels most comfortable. Non-traditional occupations should not be defeminizing. She wants to be seen as a person, not as just wife, mother, and sex object. J.M. Jones, M.D., P.H.D., should not be automatically assumed to be John. John or Jane should be unconsciously interchangeable. But we know they are not, even in the freest of us. The feminist wants to go into basics, and to change the collective mind. The feminist is actively working to form a bonding between women: she is establishing a network, working together to reach mutually desired ends. She is trying to form a trust and a networking reliance upon one another. She is educating the world that women can be powerful and effective achievers. She tries to cement commonalities among women and to overcome differences.

Achievement of equality in an unequal society is not as simple as it may seem. Putting wimmin in the workplace beside men to bring about the necessary social adaptations has proven ineffective. Most of the women in the world work outside the home. Women in this country go to work, after chauffering their children to childcare, then pick them up, and go home to be treated as servant to husband and offspring. The wife and mother role is maintained at status quo, while the role of provider has been added.

The concept of woman as domestic slave is too deeply ingrained and has been accepted by too many women as their duty. Education of women is a necessary first step. It is hard to convince most women that they are, indeed, oppressed. "I don't feel oppressed. It makes me feel good to take care of my family. I like being protected and sheltered by my husband." is the usual response I have had to any statement about feminist theory I have made recently. Perhaps I am open to seeing the inferior role of women in the patriarchal culture because it existed somewhat outside of my immediate family. Women in my family were always equals... my foremothers have been heroines. My own mother bemoaned the fate of girls whose mothers taught them to be "femininely" stupid, dull, passive, and boring. She also respected education highly. Perhaps this is why I give such a high priority to learning in my own life and in my political theorizing. I believe that a proper synthesis of methodology by educated people will achieve the desired ends.