I have been having a ‘discussion’ with some women on the facebook group for “How do you solve a problem like Maria?” They have actually called me a ‘feminazi’ because I dared to bring up the fact that the Marias were being referred to as girls all the time. To quote Simon Lee, I am ‘gobsmacked.’ I expect to have these discussions with some men (there are men who are feminists and who get it) but I cannot believe what is coming from women. They clearly have no understanding of their own ignorance and privilege nor their own oppression. Not only do they not see, they don’t want to see. They do not see how their reluctance to address their own oppression contributes to the oppression of others.
You know, there are days when I wish I did not see these things. When I did not see the sytemic racism, sexism, classism, ableism, hetersexism etc that exists in our society. Life would be much easier if I did not see the intersections of poverty, addicition, mental health, gender and all of the isms mentioned above. Wouldn’t life be so much easier if I was not constantly engaged in working out my own racism, classism etc. But that is not my lot in life. I do see and I need to say something or I am complicit.
July 9, 2008 at 6:22 am
As a Jewish woman, and a feminist, I find the term “feminazi” absolutely and horrendously offensive.
People throw the word nazi around so easily and without thought that it has totally lost the sheer evil of its genesis. Unless people truly understand what the nazis were responsible for, and the human tragedy they caused, they should shut the fuck up.
Please feel free to quote me to the uninformed and the just plain stupid women who don’t have the common sense to know that they are oppressed.
July 9, 2008 at 6:18 pm
They used to call us “girls” at one of my old work places- the girls were the “white office getto” women who made just above min wage, and yet were in a white collar world….I think muchachas are muchachas, and women are women…it’s simple, or maybe we should refer to all men as boys…