Modern Feminists - aren't playing with a full deck, they have a 3.

Sweet J

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This Feminist can't say thank you to someone who saved her from getting run over, simply because they happen to be a man, in this case Ryan Gosling.


http://news.yahoo.com/maybe-ryan-gosling-shouldn-t-saved-woman-cab-144602045.html
http://www.nationalreview.com/home-front/295445/ryan-gosling-s-thankless-save/suzanne-venker

''As a feminist, a writer, and a gentlewoman of fortune, I refuse to be cast in any sort of boring supporting female role, even though I have occasional trouble crossing the road, and even though I did swoon the teeniest tiniest bit when I realized it was him. I think that's lazy storytelling, and I'm sure Ryan Gosling would agree with me.''

Even oft-insufferable New York Magazine columnist Jonathan Chait writes that Penny is "one of those leftie-types so sanctimonious they make you want to vote Republican out of sheer spite." He follows Penny's logic and takes to it to its natural conclusion:

[There should be] No stories about celebrities saving people from speeding cars, at least not until we have conquered racism, inequality and violence! Of course, if we follow this strict logic of moral utility to its conclusion, maybe we should be scolding Gosling for saving Laurie Penny rather than shoving her in front of the car, harvesting her organs and donating them to terminally ill children in Bangladesh.''
 
A man stopped her from walking in front of a car, the woman said thank you. Shouldn't that be the end of the story. I have almost stepped in front of cars dozens of times. Strangers have stopped me. Friends have stopped me. Family members have stopped me. Each time I have said thank you and that's the end of it.

Absolutely ridiculous to suggest that this is news worthy.

Also, next time, before you post a link I suggest you actually read it.
An actor happened to be passing and stopped me from getting run over by a car. I said “thank you."
This Feminist can't say thank you to someone who saved her from getting run over, simply because they happen to be a man

Not even going to bother with this thread any more seeing as it is clearly just a beef up by the right wing 'journalists'.
 
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Of course she literally said 'thank you', but she has clearly expressed a bizarre disdain for her story being told in a way that shows she needed help in the first place, essentially giving a 2 fingers to the person that saved her life.

So nearly got hit by a cab, and instead of being heartfelt in her thanks has taken it upon herself to say ''I Refuse to be cast in any sort of boring supporting female role, even though I have occasional trouble crossing the road...''

and I hardly count 'yahoo.com' and the New York magazine as 'right wing journalism'. I'd leave that dubious description for the likes of the extremist Glenn Beck.
 
But what is the purpose of posting this? Even if this woman was "crazy" it's not like she represents every "modern feminist" like you are suggesting in the title. To me it just looks like you're trying to prove that feminism is about irrational behavoir and being mad at men when really it's about equal rights. I hope that's not the case. So please explain, what was your intention?
 
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david4wt
Oh I hoped you forgot about Lord Tubbington :heart: I hope we can both make it at the London meeting :heart:
Of course she literally said 'thank you', but she has clearly expressed a bizarre disdain for her story being told in a way that shows she needed help in the first place, essentially giving a 2 fingers to the person that saved her life.

So nearly got hit by a cab, and instead of being heartfelt in her thanks has taken it upon herself to say ''I Refuse to be cast in any sort of boring supporting female role, even though I have occasional trouble crossing the road...''

and I hardly count 'yahoo.com' and the New York magazine as 'right wing journalism'. I'd leave that dubious description for the likes of the extremist Glenn Beck.

Seriously?! IT IS BIZARRE THAT HER STORY IS GETTING SO MUCH COVERAGE! It's not a story at all. I'm stepping away from this thread now, it's been proven in the past that men that disagree with women having equal rights to men (aka, modern feminists) are bloody impossible to have a rational discussion with.

My grandad got hit by a car once, actually got hit, he had 2 broken legs, a broken arm, and was in surgery for internal bleeding, it didn't make the news once. This women WASN'T hit by a car and it makes the news?! JOKE. Regardless of how much you respect yahoo.com surely you can see that this isn't news worthy?!

A stranger put an arm out, or maybe said 'watch it', or maybe held an arm back when another stranger was about to cross a road. The second stranger thanked the first. The second stranger is mystified that this was all over the news when their are much larger problems in the world. OMG FEMINAZI - HIDE YOUR CHILDDDRRREENNNNNN.
 
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Sweet J
it's news worthy because someone famous was involved. I made this thread to have a debate what other boarders thought about modern feminism
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SlayerOfVampyrs
Oh, Cait...How I love you so! ;)
But what is the purpose of posting this? Even if this woman was "crazy" it's not like she represents every "modern feminist" like you are suggesting in the title. To me it just looks like you're trying to prove that feminism is about irrational behavoir and being mad at men when really it's about equal rights. I hope that's not the case. So please explain, what was your intention?

I thought the story was a perfect example of the bizarre behaviour that appears to be the norm from modern feminists, I ask myself, what need is there for Modern Feminism in the western world? Unless I missed something, Women have had equal rights for decades now. Does the true Feminist fight not exist elsewhere? In regions of the world where women are still discriminated against? I am an ardent supporter of equality and true feminism, but the current modern feminist thinking appears to be the very antithesis of equality


What is so wrong about a women needing help? why did this modern feminist try to not too subtly downplay that a man helped her?

Afterall, isn't helping eachother one of the things that makes life worth living?
 
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You really think that women have equal rights? Well, can't we tell THIS was written by a man! Besides, being a feminist IS about fighting for equal rights for ALL women. EVERYWHERE in the world.

Why did she downplay the 'poor female' act? Because it is EVERYWHERE. Still. Have you ever seen/heard Joss Whedon's views on feminism? He wrote Buffy because HE didn't like the 'poor female' bullshit that was going on in the world.

Oh, and just so I'm clear. You say that feminism is no longer necessary because we have the exact same rights as males... What was the date that this occurred?
 
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I thought the story was a perfect example of the bizarre behaviour that appears to be the norm from modern feminists, I ask myself, what need is there for Modern Feminism in the western world? Unless I missed something, Women have had equal rights for decades now. Does the true Feminist fight not exist elsewhere? In regions of the world where women are still discriminated against? I am an ardent supporter of equality and true feminism, but the current modern feminist thinking appears to be the very antithesis of equality


What is so wrong about a women needing help? why did this modern feminist try to not too subtly downplay that a man helped her?

Afterall, isn't helping eachother one of the things that makes life worth living?

Women has not had equal rights for decades. I live in Sweden, a country that are often reffered to as one of the most equal countries in the world and here women still don't have equal pay, we have still never had a female to run our country and women still do the VAST majority of the unpaid housework in heterosexual relationships. These things is a reality in pretty much every other country in the western world too. Just to mention a few things.

Of course in other different parts of the world women have other problems, like being married against their will and not being allowed to go to school, but that doesn't mean that we should ignore the discrimination that are going on in our own countries for that sake. We can care about both!

The "current modern feminist thinking" can't be lumped together like you are doing now, expecting every feminist to think the same way. Women are a diverse group and have diverse needs. (Multiple struggles are going on, and that's a good thing. You can join as many as you want! And, just for the record, men are being held back by the stereotypical thinking we have regarding gender on a structural level too) But the core of feminism is the same: that men and women should have equal rights, obligations and choices. Right now they don't. So stop turning feminism in to something it's not. Feminism is a beautiful thing. :heart:

---------- Post added at 11:44 AM ---------- Previous post was at 11:40 AM ----------

Also, 2 of my favourite feminists on the subject:

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cYaczoJMRhs"]Joss Whedon's Equality Now speech - YouTube[/ame]


[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JjZusoNthjc"]Feminist - Patrick Stewart on domestic violence - YouTube[/ame]
 
caitaintdead
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Professor Walsh
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Good videos.
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I tohught the story was a perfect example of the bizarre behaviour that appears to be the norm from modern feminists, I ask myself, what need is there for Modern Feminism in the western world? Unless I missed something, Women have had equal rights for decades now. Does the true Feminist fight not exist elsewhere? In regions of the world where women are still discriminated against? I am an ardent supporter of equality and true feminism, but the current modern feminist thinking appears to be the very anthesis of equality, and frankly kind of koo-koo.

And heeeeeeere we are. What is Modern Feminismâ„¢ anyway. On this board, you'll find a lot of feminists living in the western world today, does that make us modern?

And yes, you have missed something. To speak of equal rights as having existed for decades now is at best ignorant, at worst lying. Things are getting better, yes, perhaps better than what we've seen in our part of the world at any point in reasonably modern times, but that does not mean that egality is now a fact. Just look at rape as an example: When was the last time you, or any of your male friends, felt the need to think several times about which route to take home after dark to minimise risks? When was the last time you heard a bloke's outfit described as "practically asking for it"? Not to mention the now infamous comment from Faux News' Liz Trotta on Feb. 12. about women in the military complaining that they are being raped too much. (Which, by the way, is a comment I think looks down on men as well as women. I actually trust people - men and women alike - to be able to curb their impulses as long as we are raised within a set of values where that is expected.)

Now, my reason for being a feminist is just as much the situation for women other places than on my indecently wealthy little rock by the North Sea. To me, the world is a whole. And I believe that equality for all is worth striving for because I believe that it forms the basis for a better life for all in the long run, men and women alike.
 
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Yes! :heart:
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You really think that women have equal rights? Well, can't we tell THIS was written by a man! Besides, being a feminist IS about fighting for equal rights for ALL women. EVERYWHERE in the world.

Why did she downplay the 'poor female' act? Because it is EVERYWHERE. Still. Have you ever seen/heard Joss Whedon's views on feminism? He wrote Buffy because HE didn't like the 'poor female' bullshit that was going on in the world.

Oh, and just so I'm clear. You say that feminism is no longer necessary because we have the exact same rights as males... What was the date that this occurred?

The exact date? Well since different countries in 'the western world' exacted different laws, at different times, there is no exact date that is common amongst all of them. How could there be? 😕
Suffice to say though that the western world has had equal gender rights for decades. Gender Discrimination is unlawful in every western country there is.
Feel free to find the exact dates each country acknowledged equal rights, if you're interested in legislature dates and that sort of thing.

You appear to contend that women do not have equal rights in the western world? why is this?
If you have some evidence to support that women don't have equal rights in the western world, then by all means I'd be very interested to see it.

As I'm a fan of BtVS I know all too well that Joss Whedon got the idea for the show when he thought to himself, what if I turned the - woman in need of help trope/archetype on it's head, wouldn't that be interesting?

(and I paraphrase) 'wouldn't it be great to see the monster follow the girl down the alleyway, and it is the girl that walks away?'.

That is not to say that in REAL life women don't need help at times, just like men need help sometimes. Buffy does herself need help at times, and that help happens to come from both men and women, this is a true representation of life. We're helped by different people at different times in our lives.
Why would I denigrate received help if it was a woman who helped me? Similarly, if I were a woman, and the help happened to come from a man, why would I denigrate that help, because it came from a man? Wouldn't doing so just demonstrate that I was nothing more than a sexist bigot?

This is exactly what this modern feminist has done though, and I'm aghast you support it.

I don't recall Buffy ever showing a disdain for being helped by a man, despite her girl power role model status. (In 'When She was Bad' that wasn't disdain IMHO)

Maybe I'm picking you up wrong, but are you contending that the ''women in need of help'' trope, or the representation of women in the media is some kind of breach of equal rights?
It may be boring, sure, and I think Whedon tapped into that fact that it is boring seeing women constantly protrayed in the same manner, but I wouldn't go to the extreme and call it a breach of your rights.


Lastly the ''Can't we tell THIS was written by a man!'' comment was uncalled for, but again further strengthens the argument that modern feminism in the western world is not concerned with equality, as it is somehow deemed acceptable to say such things, and indeed look kindly upon such sexist condescension.
Put yourself in my shoes, Imagine I wrote to you ''Can't we tell THIS was written by a woman!'' in response to your post?
Would I be able to get away with that, without rightly being called out as a bigot?


---------- Post added at 02:57 AM ---------- Previous post was at 02:33 AM ----------

And heeeeeeere we are. What is Modern Feminism™ anyway. On this board, you'll find a lot of feminists living in the western world today, does that make us modern?

The Penny lady in the OP links describes herself as a modern feminist. So that's what I was going on, Granted technically speaking I too am a Modern Feminist, i support equal rights, equal pay etc. but the type of feminism Penny spouts is in no way what I agree with.


Just look at rape as an example: When was the last time you, or any of your male friends, felt the need to think several times about which route to take home after dark to minimise risks? When was the last time you heard a bloke's outfit described as "practically asking for it"?

These are all terrible things I agree, but how can you link them with equal rights? If you rape someone you break the law and are sent to prison for(I hope) the rest of your natural life.

Equal rights essentially means it is unlawful to discriminate against either gender. Once you have that as a central part of your law, then you have equal rights.

Even if Men had zero rights and women had them all, there would probably still be rape and other violations of the law. Do you agree? That appears to be a law enforcement issue, Not an equality one.


There are many areas in my locality in which I do not like to go after dark(as I'm sure there is in yours) as they're centers of crime, drug use and a frequent area for violent incidents and so on. But again, how has this anything to do with equal rights? Is this not another issue altogether?


I believe that equality for all is worth striving for because I believe that it forms the basis for a better life for all in the long run, men and women alike.

Agreed.

---------- Post added at 03:11 AM ---------- Previous post was at 02:57 AM ----------

Women has not had equal rights for decades. I live in Sweden, a country that are often reffered to as one of the most equal countries in the world and here women still don't have equal pay,

Are you serious? that is an outrage, this is completely new to me, how is that still going on, especially, as you say in a place widely regard as an equal country?

As this was new to me I looked it up and got this:
''On average, women’s monthly salaries are 94 percent of men’s when differences in choice of profession and sector are taken into account.''

Since both parties presumedly do the same work, it is an outrage that they don't get the same salary for the same job.

In saying that though, this pay differential is not lawful and if an employer can be shown to be preferentially paying men more then women,
then a court case is taken against them.
http://www.sweden.se/eng/Home/Society/Equality/Facts/Gender-equality-in-Sweden/

So it appears Sweden does have equal rights, but there are some criminals who break the law.

The "current modern feminist thinking" can't be lumped together like you are doing now, expecting every feminist to think the same way. Women are a diverse group and have diverse needs. (Multiple struggles are going on, and that's a good thing. You can join as many as you want! And, just for the record, men are being held back by the stereotypical thinking we have regarding gender on a structural level too) But the core of feminism is the same: that men and women should have equal rights, obligations and choices. Right now they don't. So stop turning feminism in to something it's not. Feminism is a beautiful thing. :heart:

Ah, I understand why you might have thought it unfair of me to lump all ''current modern feminist thinking'' together.
The issue I was raising in this thread is about the extreme feminism I've encountered, an example of which is the Penny lady in the OP.

I scratch my head when the likes of Penny start talking, as like you said, the core of feminism is about equality and that's what I agree with, but it is the likes of Penny's feminism that cause me to try and divorce myself from it, the form of feminism she is speaking about, isn't at all a beautiful thing. The Core, as you said though is beautiful.
 
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This Year's Girl
there are tons of FACTS that prove that men and women don't have the same rights and choices right now. As both me and miromurr brought up in our posts.
caitaintdead
caitaintdead
Just to let you know, I think you ARE a bigot, and for that reason I am completely blocking you on here.
Ah, I understand why you might have thought it unfair of me to lump all ''current modern feminist thinking'' together.
The issue I was raising in this thread is about the extreme feminism I've encountered, an example of which is the Penny lady in the OP.

I scratch my head when the likes of Penny start talking, as like you said, the core of feminism is about equality and that's what I agree with, but it is the likes of Penny's feminism that cause me to try and divorce myself from it, the form of feminism she is speaking about, isn't at all a beautiful thing. The Core, as you said though is beautiful.

Thanks for clearing that up, and I'm glad you agree that feminism is a good thing! 🙂
 
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Sweet J
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Are you serious? that is an outrage, this is completely new to me, how is that still going on, especially, as you say in a place widely regard as an equal country?

I'm glad you're getting reacting to this, since I believe that reaction is the first step to doing something about it. 🙂 And yep, that's how it is. 🙁 Tons statistics about it. I'll try to find some for you that are in english. And sadly, it's not the only country, I think it's more common than uncommon... :/

---------- Post added at 01:34 PM ---------- Previous post was at 01:22 PM ----------

Here we go, this is a great summation: the latest publication by official statics of sweden published by order of the government. A new one will come this year, but this is the latest at least. We haven't made any huge political changes since 2010, so the situation is predicted to be pretty much the same 2012.

Women and men in sweden - facts and figures 2010.
 
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jellybean13
Yes, this is very true, very true and very sad! I live in England and i know for a fact that it is still a massive problem here too. Something needs to be done NOW! I think its outrageous that women are still treated like this today.
Just a side note: it's like that in Italy too. I really can't find it in english, but I have here a report from our government talking about it.
 
I have to get some work or studies done, so just a short note for now. Sweet J, to me, legislation against discrimination is not egality. Egality is when (most of) a population actually thinks that people are created equal and act in accordance with those beliefs.
 
I have to get some work or studies done, so just a short note for now. Sweet J, to me, legislation against discrimination is not egality. Egality is when (most of) a population actually thinks that people are created equal and act in accordance with those beliefs.

Tue. But it's also true that society discriminating attitude changes easier and quicker when non-discriminative laws are approved. So legislation against discrimination is the first step toward full egality.
 
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This Year's Girl
Truth! Oh Lord tubbington. How I wish that you lived in Sweden. We would be like best friends! :heart:
Sweet J said:
Why would I denigrate received help if it was a woman who helped me? Similarly, if I were a woman, and the help happened to come from a man, why would I denigrate that help, because it came from a man? Wouldn't doing so just demonstrate that I was nothing more than a sexist bigot?

This is exactly what this modern feminist has done though, and I'm aghast you support it.
She did no such thing. She doesn't like that the media is portraying her as a damsel in distress when she was simply given a heads up by Ryan. She is in no way disregarding the fact he helped her.
 
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Buffy Summers
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Tue. But it's also true that society discriminating attitude changes easier and quicker when non-discriminative laws are approved. So legislation against discrimination is the first step toward full egality.

Agreed, we can't change people's minds. All we can do is legislate and when discrimination is shown to exist, fine the company that is discriminating against their female employees.

Getting back to a lot Modern Feminists not having full deck:
Maybe, I should say 'radical feminists'
http://blacklikemoi.com/2012/03/afr...r-says-she-rejects-her-moms-radical-feminism/

''"Feminism has much to answer for denigrating men and encouraging women to seek independence whatever the cost to their families," she said. "My mother's feminist principles coloured every aspect of my life. As a little girl, I wasn't even allowed to play with dolls or stuffed toys in case they brought out a maternal instinct. It was drummed into me that being a mother, raising children and running a home were a form of slavery. Having a career, travelling the world and being independent were what really mattered according to her."'


''"I love my mother very much, but I haven't seen her or spoken to her since I became pregnant. She has never seen my son - her only grandchild. My crime? Daring to question her ideology," she said. "Well, so be it.''


Now, I understand her mother may have wanted her to get a career etc. but to refuse to see your grandchild out of spite is just down right insane.
 
Agreed, we can't change people's minds. All we can do is legislate and when discrimination is shown to exist, fine the company that is discriminating against their female employees.

Actually you can, just not by talking and discussing. Discussing is really important to keep the issue active and not to forget about it but it won't make bigots change their minds. Prejudices can't be dismantled by talking because of cognitive difenses. Someone who discriminates and has prejudices won't listen to logic. Therefore it's mandatory that the government guarantees protection and equality for all. Society will adjust.

I think that this strip, although about another hot issue, sums it all up with the representation of those steps 🙂

Uguali-diritti-la-vignetta.jpg
 
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HalloweenRain
What a biting cartoon. Perfect for the post.
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