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Feminism

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Submitted By lilachilles72
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Pages 5
Michael Garcia
Professor Ryan
History 106
October 23, 2013
Feminism
This presentation of how feminism has affected the world, how far its come and how much progresses we still have to go was phenomenal. Jeff Bucholtz performance and speaking fervor was unrivaled. The beginning of the seminar was started with the origin of inequality between men and women based on the thought that women’s minds worked different than a man’s. There was really the belief that women’s minds actually were biologically different and that they we incapable to do what men could do. When in reality women’s mind and men’s minds work exactly in the same way. Jeff Bucholtz demonstrated the possible way society could think by showing a picture of two apples and a orange. He then asked what is the difference between the figures. Obviously we answered those are apples and that is a orange. He then asked if they were more similar in ways than different. Then we noticed that they were; they were all fruit but just different. The same analogy could be said about men and women. Yes we are different from one another but we are more similar than different. Jeff reiterated that ever since we are children there is this constant emphasis of the difference between boys and girls. Girls need to act girly and boys need to be tough and not display emotion. With the constant emphasis between boys and girls there leads space for discrimination and competition between the two. That’s why even still today a girl in the elementary school level is made fun of or even question why they want to play sports all the time or why boys want to do ball room dancing instead of sports.
What was also a question being asked is what is feminism truly. Feminism is defined as the radical notion that women are people too. Feminism is the movement of further equality between everyone. What is commonly mistaken about feminism is that it is perceived that women are more superior or man hating view. Feminism is not anything like that in matter in fact men can also be feminist. If you favor equality of all people then you are a feminist. Feminist equals humanitarian. It’s not about men vs women but is about that we are all-equal and should be treated fairly and like one another. Another concept that was mentioned was being aware that the history that is often taught is about men and women were quite left out of our history. In some cases women were mentioned but only in the context of helping a man’s cause. An example of so is Rosa Parks. History being taught teaches that she refused to move her seat and she helped Martin Luther King’s cause. When in correct context of history Rosa Parks prior to that was active in feminist movement, female equality, and anti rape groups. We saw that throughout history there were many female figures that were swept under the rug to never be mentioned.
An interesting part of history was that during WWII women were called to work in factories but had children to be looked after. The government then set up the nations first childcare programs to take care of children but after the war all those programs disappeared and they put women back into their homes. That gave women a taste of independence and their hunger to work and become independent only grew even more. The feminist movement contributed to not only voting rights but also sent quakes to setup the civil rights movement and in current news foreshadowed the Gay rights movement.
I have realized that feminism has altered and changed my life in ways that I haven’t known. I also realized that I have unconsciously contributed to the attitude of demeaning women without knowing. Finding out all the things that women have done to fight for their right to be recognized leaves me speechless. I couldn’t agree more about the cause. I value women, and I value the equal treatment and respect that they deserve. Its how my relationship works, both my girlfriend and I are equals and we uphold this mutual respect for each other. That is how our society should also be. It was amazing to find out that Rosa Parks was actually a feminist activist prior to the bus incident. When I was taught about Rosa Parks, they didn’t mention any of that but only the bus incident is what she is known for. Susan B. Anthony had the utmost courage to stand up in a courtroom full of men and tell them they she had the citizens right to vote regardless of her being a woman. She knew already that she would have been stigmatized and arrested for her actions but to her the right to vote was worth fighting for. The amount of courage the woman had to do such a thing I don’t have words for. Her and many others’ actions jumpstarted change and equality, which spiraled throughout the next century. Men where scared of change, they cussed and stigmatized women that stood up for themselves and voted. They claimed it would bring the end of the country. The same was also said about the abolish of slavery, the civil rights movement and today the same is being said about the gays getting married. I didn’t always support gay marriage when I was younger. It was how I was raised to view it. My view changed with discovering that it was the same discrimination and prejudice is what the blacks, Jews, and women encountered. I then made the decision to promote and fight for equality of all people regardless of their differences. Most problems of the world are created with the attitudes of superiority over other people, usually based on religion or ethnicity. What is forgotten is the oldest problem of inequality, which is between Men and Women. Feminist is equivalent to being a humanist. I considered myself a humanist but under the definition of feminism, I am also a feminist and I am proud to be one. I value equality for all. It doesn’t matter your ethnic background, gender, where your from, what your religion is, or what beliefs you have. We are all the same. There must be tolerance and acceptance to be able to coexist with one another regardless of our differences. This is why I have on my car bumper stickers with the worlds Coexist and tolerance containing many of world’s beliefs. I take any opportunity I get to correct the presence of ignorance, in my family and in the world. We must fight to make this world better than it was before we were born.

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