The problem with modern feminism
Mainstream, western feminism has failed ordinary women for the sake of imperialism and power politics.
I think the first time I heard about feminism, I was in my religious high school. And it wasn’t portrayed favourably.
All the stereotypes were present: feminists are hysterical, attention seeking, and opportunistic. I bought into it but didn’t really give it a lot of thought.
That said, I experienced a lot of issues in high school that were very gendered. I felt pitted against a lot of women for no reason, I had petty feuds among my peers in ballet class who just ~didn’t understand me~, I spent like 90% of my time on a diet, and I had less than ideal experiences with pushy, hypersexual guys. But I never really viewed these through a gendered lens. I just took each experience individually and did the best I could.
Once I hit university, I kept some and lost some of these issues. In my second year, I took a philosophy of law class and learned about radical feminism. I read Catharine MacKinnon’s “Feminism Unmodified,” and for the first time, I felt like - to use dual Tool and Tetris terminology - the pieces just… fit. My experiences with gendered adversities began to make sense as a series of patterns in a system that predisposes people toward and awards sexism. I began to hold very strong feminist convictions and partook in equity initiatives. Much of my work in the past involved advocating for young and vulnerable girls, and I was very happy to do so.
But I have learned something tragic: feminism in the mainstream has failed ordinary people; both men and women.