My Thoughts About Feminism

I feel that I should begin my blogs by stating my beliefs about feminism. I, personally, do not consider myself a feminist. Many women would think this to be outrageous. I have heard women say, "How can you be a woman and NOT be a feminist?" I think it's very simple. I don't agree with all of the theory, and therefore, I cannot accept it. However, I am not so biased that I will not listen and learn about it. I believe that knowledge is a very powerful thing, even knowledge of something one may not accept or consider false. I also believe that one cannot decide that they do not accept a certain idea or theory in ignorance; they must have information or evidence to support their decision.

I have many reasons why I do not fully accept the feminist theory, but I will only divulge a few here. One of the reasons is because I am a Christian and as part of my faith, I believe that men and women were designed for different roles in society. This does not mean that I think that only men should comprise the workforce while the women belong in the kitchen, I just feel that men are better at some things, just as women are better at some things. Of course, there are always exceptions to that statement. I have heard some people comment that the Bible is very patriarchal, but that is not an entirely true statement. In fact, many times did God use women in positions of leadership. Deborah was a judge of a tribe of Israel. Esther became queen and used her position to save her entire race. Because of these examples and many more, I believe that women can and should lead.

I also have a problem with the bitterness I feel when I read feminist texts, view films, or listen to discussions. Even though I hear time and time again that feminists are not 'man-haters' and hold nothing against them, I still hear little demeaning comments about them constantly. Even in the film we watched last week, I came away with the feeling that man is the enemy and that simply is not so. I feel that tradition and society are to blame and in order for any change to occur, a better approach must be taken to achieve the results women desire.

There is also something about feminism that confuses me to no end. Women say that they want the same rights of men, to be treated equally, and to be viewed the same as them. For example, in the first class, when one of the students was introducing another and said she was the captain of the "Lady Patriots" and the woman was quick to correct her and say "Patriots." She did this because her basketball team shouldn't be classified as "women players", but simply, players. So, why is it that whenever I see a woman come to a position of power do they always point out the fact that they are a woman in power? I have heard many declare this in some way, including Pelosi and Clinton, which seem to be the popular women in power at the moment. The thing that confuses me is that I thought women would want to be recognized for their position and not the fact that they are a woman in their position. It really doesn't make sense to me and it occurs so often.

I think that is enough of my thoughts for now. I would like to say that I don't want anyone to think that I am against them for their opinions or beliefs relating to feminism. I also don't want anyone to feel that I am totally close-minded about the theory. I am in this class to learn and listen, and to formulate opinions, just like everyone else.