Post #3560348

I need people to understand that #feminism is not as easily framed as "men vs. women". The enemy is #patriarchy, which is a system that is propped up, yes, mostly by men, but also by women who gladly lick boots to defend crumbs they're thrown from the table, and assimilationsists of every marginalized community imaginable. The victims of patriarchy are fucking everybody, even and especially those who adhere most to its principles. So being a victim does not qualify for being anti-patriarchy. Being against patriarchy does not just mean flipping around who holds the power, as that is just the same evil with new masters. Being a feminist means to be a proponent of self determination. That means you're not a feminist if you gossip about a woman who wore the same killer outfit to two occasions. You're not a feminist if you ridicule a man for pursuing a harmless hobby with childlike joy. You're not a feminist if you gatekeep another persons identity. And many more instances. None of us is perfect in these things. We're all victims, and sometimes we fail to live up to our ideal. That happens, we apologize, we become better. It happens because we live under patriarchy, where patriarchical thinking, sentiment, and precedence is normalized. While the feminist goal is to do away with all that, the feminist method is also identifying where it is - and sometimes we spot it in the mirror. Feminism begins at yourself. The expectation of perfection is patriarchical. The execution of punishment is patriarchical. It is feminist to acknowledge the need for growth, to give room and opportunity for that, while working to repair damage done. Nobody is served by inflicting damage on someone willing to repair.