The Myths and Realities of Feminism

The Myths and Realities of Feminism
By E.N. Jackson
Copyright 2009 E.N. Jackson
Frost Illustrated Inc., Volume 41, Issue 25

With the recent nomination to the Supreme Court of Judge Sonia Sotamayor, President Obama once again demonstrated his “audacity to hope” as well as his ability to add fuel to an already raging right wing fire. It is no surprise that the root of conservative outrage over Obama’s choice is that Sotomayor violates the first tenet of conservative ideology: that one should be both white and male to acquire, maintain, and systematically practice power, authority, and control in any of this country’s institutions.

Sotomayor has made it clear that her status as a woman and a person of color are qualities she is both proud of and is depending on to guide her in her efforts to make fair, thoughtful, empathetic, and balanced decisions as a Supreme Court justice. Sotomayor’s statements have brought her under fire and may, some say already have, come back to haunt her. But the question others have asked is why should she not be honest in acknowledging that who and what she is will influence her decision-making? Why should the right wing be so up in arms over her comments when who and what they are have been influencing public policy in this country since its founding? What exactly is at the heart of their vitriolic response to Sonia Sotomayor? Yes, they are upset that Sotomayor is a minority, but I would argue that ultimately the greatest problem the right wing has with Sotomayor is her gender, not her race. The reality is that the greatest threat Sotomayor poses to the right wing lies not in her race but in her open embrace of her feminine power and her determination to stand-by her Feminist principles.

Words like “Feminism” and “Feminist” are singular in their ability to generate an intense emotional response from both men and women. In large part, this is due to the vast amount of misunderstanding surrounding these terms. I’d like to explode a few of the myths about Feminism and what it means to be a Feminist and replace them with realities.

Myth #1: Feminism is a cult that wants to brain-wash women.
Reality: Feminism is defined as the movement for social, political, and economic equality for women and men. On that level, the primary goal of Feminism is to achieve mutual cooperation, equality, and respect between the sexes. However, on a spiritual and emotional level, Feminism is also a system to achieve balance and wholeness for both men and women in all areas of their lives. Feminism takes Divine Feminine principles, such as creativity, empathy, fairness, and connectivity, and elevates them to their proper status as equal to and coinciding with Divine Masculine principles such as action, initiative, movement, and individualism. Feminism as a system recognizes that men and women must embrace both their feminine and masculine principles in order to live whole, balanced lives. When we attempt to deny any one of these elements we live half-lives as broken souls.

Myth #2: Feminists are female.
Reality: Wrong. You are not automatically a Feminist if you’re a female; nor are you an anti-Feminist if you’re a male. There are many women who have so completely internalized the patriarchal male system they have been historically and systematically controlled by that they fear and misunderstand their feminine power and Feminism just as much as some men do. Ultimately, Feminism is not a gender-based ideology, it is a mindset and a worldview; both women and men can (and should) embrace and practice Feminist principles. As far back as post-Civil War Reconstruction men have been bravely championing the cause of women’s equality. In an 1888 speech entitled “I Am a Radical Woman Suffrage Man,” Frederick Douglass compared the Women’s Movement to the anti-slavery movement, stating, “Woman is herself; she belongs to herself as fully as a man belongs to himself. She is a person and has all the attributes of personhood that can be claimed by [a] man. . . Her rights of personhood are equal in all respects to those of a man. Like [a] man, she is capable of forming intelligent judgement. . . and may exercise her right of choice.” In 1920 W.E.B. DuBois declared, “The uplift of women is, next to the problem of color and the peace movement, our greatest modern cause.” In fact, in using phrases and terms like “Hope,” “Diplomacy,” “Empathetic leader,” “peaceful resolution,” and “yes, we can!” without choking on them, even President Obama is honoring and practicing his feminine principles. Yes, Barack Obama is in my view – hold on to your seats – a Feminist.

Myth #3: Feminists are man-hating male-bashers.
Reality: This is perhaps one of the greatest and most frustrating misperceptions about Feminism. I often have to explain to people (primarily men) that when I’m bashing men I’m not being a Feminist, I’m being a male-basher. Unlike patriarchy, Feminism is not a “divide and conquer” ideology rooted in competition and the destruction of others. As a Feminist I do not need to deny a man’s value in order to affirm my own. In fact, by hating men or any population of people for that matter, I would be going against – not with – my Feminist ideals.

Myth #4: Feminism is a threat to men.
Reality: Many men view Feminism as an insult or threat to their sense of manhood because they have bought so completely into the false notion that anything considered “feminine” is equal to weakness and powerlessness, so the idea of a woman asserting her strength and power is, for some men, a scary one. The reality is that men need not be afraid of Feminists or Feminism. Feminism is a threat to men and the broken male-dominated value system we operate in if, and only if, you’re a man who views the ultimate goals of mutual cooperation, equality, and respect between the sexes as a threat. If you’re a man and the thought of having to share or relinquish power, authority, or control to a woman scares you to death, then that does not make Feminism a threat to you, it makes you a man who is threatened by Feminism.

As she accepts the honor of being the first Latina on the Supreme Court, Judge Sonia Sotomayor will no doubt face enumerable challenges. As we have already seen, these challenges will come in the form of blatant bigotry and fear-based hate mongering, primarily from the right wing but, sadly, also from men in general. In fact it was recently reported that Sotomayor broke long-standing ties with an elite women’s only club because of criticisms about her membership from the far right. Still, my hope for her and for all women struggling to reclaim our rightful place of equal value and worth within a patriarchal system is that we will continue to practice our Feminist ideals without apology, speak our truths, and hold firm to our hopes, wishes, and dreams for an egalitarian society that strives to live life in balance.