What Feminism Got Right

(This page is adapted from this post by HughRistik.)

This blog is called “Feminist Critics.” The name might suggest that what we do here is criticize feminism. As anyone can tell, most of the posts here involve some kind of criticism of feminism in general, or of particular feminists or feminist positions. Is the theme of this blog “Feminism on Trial”, to use belledame222′s term?

We can’t answer this question. Visitors to the blog can make up their own minds. Also, the blog is relatively new and it’s direction may evolve with time.

Calling this blog “Feminism on Trial” sounds like we are the prosecution. Prosecutors don’t try to be fair; they just make the strongest arguments they can for their case. They don’t generally acknowledge counter-arguments, because it is the job of the defense to provide them. In contrast, we think we do acknowledge and respond to counter-arguments, and we acknowledge that there are positive aspects to feminism. Our goal is to be fair.

Merely acknowledging in the abstract that feminism isn’t totally wrong might not convince feminists that our position is distinct from those who identify as Men’s Rights Activists and “antifeminists.” So here we acknowledge some of our specific agreements with feminism and what some of its important ideas are. Our purpose here is simply to list and briefly describe them, not to argue for them, nor to say “yes, but…” In other words, We’re not going to explain here, how these arguments are misleading or leave out important context; Our agreement with a certain feminist points doesn’t mean that we agree with the reasoning that feminists use to get there, with every example feminists consider to be evidence for that position, or with inferences that feminists make from that position. In many cases, we agree with a weak version of a feminist argument when we consider the strong version to be incorrect.

This is by no means a complete list, and we may revise it from time to time.

1. There is a gender system

Males and females are socialized into masculinities and femininities. Masculine and feminine behavior is not simply determined by biology.

2. The gender system is damaging

Masculinities and femininities can be damaging and dehumanizing to both males and females.

3. Women are oppressed

Women have suffered various types of systematic mistreatment throughout history, and continue to do so in the present. This mistreatment is unjust. If it can be called “oppression,” then women suffer gender oppression.

4. Sexism exists

Sexism—hateful, contemptuous, bigoted, or discriminatory attitudes based on sex—is real. Sexism can be institutionalized socially and politically. The feminist identification and critique of misogyny has mitigated it to a degree, though institutionalized misogyny still exists.

5. Males have unjust advantages

Males have some systematic advantages over females that they do not have a right to.

6. Marginalization of the experience of women

Prior to feminism, the experience of women was marginalized in academic and scientific disciplines, and in public discourse.

7. Sexuality involves power dynamics

Under the gender system at least, sexuality is intertwined with power dynamics. E.g. male-dominant, female-submissive, and male-active, female-passive. These power dynamics are not limited to heterosexuality. The link between power dynamics and sexuality can be damaging to people.

8. There is something wrong with pornography

Pornography can be dehumanizing toward both its users and towards its participants. Even if pornography can be defended on legal grounds, these liberal arguments doesn’t protect it from moral critique.

9. There is intersectionality of oppression

Gender oppression and oppression based on race, sexual orientation, or class, can combine multiplicatively (and sometime supramultiplicatively) into oppression that is more than the sum of its parts.

10. Beauty standards can be damaging

Beauty standards and objectification can be damaging to female self-esteem. It would be both practical and moral to change images of beautiful women in the media in certain ways.