As a little girl i heard about Emiline Pankhurst and the Suffragettes movement. 'Wow' i thought when i heard of how they handcuffed themselves to Downing st, and how they got arrested.
They were hero status for a time. *the suffragettes fought for women*
and then i grew up and read the books for myself.
I was gutted to learn that actually they were only interested in obtaining the vote for certain types of women. That is women with status and women with money. They were not interested in elevating women in general. They were only interested in furthering themselves and those women who enjoyed upper class status.
They were quickly knocked off the pedestal. It was disappointing.
the best way to move coward is by putting one foot in from of the other and repeat.
Change always seems to happen slowly. IMHO, if they were interested in the vote for the privileged class of women then they were putting one foot in front of the other.
Here is a problem with that thinking though McJagger
Here is the set up.
Women through the ages were often left with children whilst irresponsible Fathers refused to have anything to do with the children, and started new lives financially independent of the family they left.
Feminism saw this blatant inequality and various changes were made in the law courts and in child support so that dipshit Dads would not leave their kids high and dry. They pushed and pushed for more "rights" and finances for the Mother so that the kids would be looked after.
Sounds right? Sounds fair? Read on...
Now your marriage breaks down after many years and your now ex-wife gets custody of the children. She gets to stay in the house and you have to move out, and to help support you, you get nothing. To support her she gets 25% of your pay, and a government pension and child support from government as well as access to a variety of services. Between tax, child support and the new increased costs you are struggling far worse than she.
You dutifully pay your dues though because you are a good Dad.
The divorce comes through. The house is the only real asset....apart from your super. Effectively you get about 16% of what she does.
You move to the other side of the country on a mutual decision to both relocate for better schooling. You do the right thing. You move into rental and spend the next 6 months getting a new job and trying to settle in the place. You know no-one but the kids and her....only in the first month she decides she does not want you to see the kids.
She can't do that because you are all equal...right? Wrong! Thanks to feminism and women's rights, she can.
You go to the only men's rights institution around and explain you have no money as you have only just got a job and can not afford a lawyer. They say "That must feel bad. Do you need counselling?"
"No" you say, "I need to see my kids and they need to see me. What can you do to help?" They say "nothing"
"But I have researched and there are at least a half a dozen Women's centres and support units that WILL help if I was a woman"
"Yeah...I know. Sorry...we just can't..."
So you take out loans and credit cards to pay for lawyers to fight for your rights. You have heard of other guys this has been done to, who gave up and regretted it.
Nine months of not seeing your kids, running on nervous energy and not sleeping. Not knowing anyone where you live. Heart broken. Stressed.
But court will right it all. In court there will be comeuppance. No. In court she lies in deposition. Judge treats you like an arsehole and you get fuck all access and to rub salt into wounds she insists on supervised access initially. Is her parenting judged or for question? No, because she is a woman and Mother.
You see them just before Christmas. By January you start waking at nights with chest pain. It eventually goes. Sometimes you throw up. You walk it off. Work is suffering. These incidences increase in frequency and severity. You have no support. You eventually have a heart attack 4 months later. You are 35.
Still no support from anyone. You struggle on and do not miss one single access visit.
Your ex has bought a house and moved in with a bloke.
You are in a bad way. Less time at work means you are more than struggling to pay tax, loan repayments, child support and such.
You spend years fending off debt collectors, the child support agency and keep a home big enough to fulfill your obligations under the court orders that were slanted against you because you were male.
That is another side of what feminism will do. It IS NOT a human rights movement. It is a women's rights movement. They are concerned with women getting the most that they can and to right the inequalities against them in society. If a man gets trampled on then who gives a fuck?
So McJagger your allusions to this ideology of what helps women helps us is great, until shit hits the fan. Too simplistic is a "IF men do not embrace feminism they are cowards, they are afraid of losing privilege, they are not ...."whatever. Too simplistic by far and not well thought out.
I am despite this happy that feminism exists because I actually like women and those I love and care for I want empowered and secure and independent and equal. But I will actively laugh in the face of anyone who says feminism is for everyone and only helps.