But now the SJW term is lobbed at anyone who stands up for any cause, including one they believe in passionately. This is an easy way to insult someone and avoid thoughtful engagement.
"I’ve seen young men suffering from mental illness unable to ask for help for fear it would make them look less “macho”—in fact in the UK suicide is the biggest killer of men between 20-49 years of age; eclipsing road accidents, cancer and coronary heart disease. I’ve seen men made fragile and insecure by a distorted sense of what constitutes male success. Men don’t have the benefits of equality either.
We don’t often talk about men being imprisoned by gender stereotypes but I can see that that they are and that when they are free, things will change for women as a natural consequence.
If men don’t have to be aggressive in order to be accepted women won’t feel compelled to be submissive. If men don’t have to control, women won’t have to be controlled.
Both men and women should feel free to be sensitive. Both men and women should feel free to be strong… It is time that we all perceive gender on a spectrum not as two opposing sets of ideals."
This is brilliant, and something we so seldom hear anyone talk about. Feminism at its heart (and at its best) is about gender equality--for men, women, and non-binary persons. These issues are all deeply interconnected. When one group is oppressed, all groups are oppressed.
But perhaps the deeper issue here is how we define groups in the first place.
Originally I found this speech here. At that link, you can also read an equally brilliant response by Ed Holtom, one that I love even more, because it goes a step further into non-binary territory, and speaks about dismantling gender concepts instead of redefining them. Here is a great excerpt:
"Recently we’ve been hearing about what it means to be ‘masculine’ and what it means to be ‘feminine’. It means nothing, barring biological differences. By perceiving these two words as anything other than the description of a human’s genitalia, we perpetuate a stereotype which is nothing but harmful to all of us."
This echoes what I said in my most recent blog post. "Come to think of it, isn't that more or less a working definition of what gender is? A stereotype for members of a given sex?"
In theory, I don't care at all how other people want to define themselves as "masculine" or "feminine" or whatever. We create meaning each day of our lives, and we each have a right to create the meaning that lights up our own lives in a way which makes sense to us. If for a certain person, that involves gender concepts, great - that is perfect for them.
But they do not have the right to transpose their subjective meanings on the world around them as though those meanings are objective fact, and nobody has the right to try and force their meaning of gender or sexuality on somebody else. The deep-seated reverence with which these social constructs are upheld by society at large Needs. To. End. By all means, honour the constructs which mean something to you in your own private life. But respectfully do not try and inflict them on others, who find meaning - and freedom - in other ways.
To me Ms. Watson sounds borderline terrified - in part I think this is probably just from the pressure of speaking in front of the UN, but I also believe it is because she is deeply passionate about the issue and knows there is so much at stake. The speech is well worth watching from beginning to end, and I really admire her passion.
The transcript is here: http://www.unwomen.org/en/news/stories/2014/9/emma-watson-gender-equality-is-your-issue-too
My favourite part is this:
"I’ve seen young men suffering from mental illness unable to ask for help for fear it would make them look less “macho”—in fact in the UK suicide is the biggest killer of men between 20-49 years of age; eclipsing road accidents, cancer and coronary heart disease. I’ve seen men made fragile and insecure by a distorted sense of what constitutes male success. Men don’t have the benefits of equality either.
We don’t often talk about men being imprisoned by gender stereotypes but I can see that that they are and that when they are free, things will change for women as a natural consequence.
If men don’t have to be aggressive in order to be accepted women won’t feel compelled to be submissive. If men don’t have to control, women won’t have to be controlled.
Both men and women should feel free to be sensitive. Both men and women should feel free to be strong… It is time that we all perceive gender on a spectrum not as two opposing sets of ideals."
This is brilliant, and something we so seldom hear anyone talk about. Feminism at its heart (and at its best) is about gender equality--for men, women, and non-binary persons. These issues are all deeply interconnected. When one group is oppressed, all groups are oppressed.
But perhaps the deeper issue here is how we define groups in the first place.
Originally I found this speech here. At that link, you can also read an equally brilliant response by Ed Holtom, one that I love even more, because it goes a step further into non-binary territory, and speaks about dismantling gender concepts instead of redefining them. Here is a great excerpt:
"Recently we’ve been hearing about what it means to be ‘masculine’ and what it means to be ‘feminine’. It means nothing, barring biological differences. By perceiving these two words as anything other than the description of a human’s genitalia, we perpetuate a stereotype which is nothing but harmful to all of us."
This echoes what I said in my most recent blog post. "Come to think of it, isn't that more or less a working definition of what gender is? A stereotype for members of a given sex?"
In theory, I don't care at all how other people want to define themselves as "masculine" or "feminine" or whatever. We create meaning each day of our lives, and we each have a right to create the meaning that lights up our own lives in a way which makes sense to us. If for a certain person, that involves gender concepts, great - that is perfect for them.
But they do not have the right to transpose their subjective meanings on the world around them as though those meanings are objective fact, and nobody has the right to try and force their meaning of gender or sexuality on somebody else. The deep-seated reverence with which these social constructs are upheld by society at large Needs. To. End. By all means, honour the constructs which mean something to you in your own private life. But respectfully do not try and inflict them on others, who find meaning - and freedom - in other ways.
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