General Discussion
In reply to the discussion: Is it possible for a man to be a feminist? [View all]Proud Public Servant
(2,097 posts)The first paragraph, anyway. He loses me in the 2nd paragraph, where he gets slippery with his definition of community. He's not part of the black community, but he and women are part of the same community, and "at the end of the day it should be a discussion which implies that all parts of the community need to participate." So does that mean if he lived in my neighborhood -- 1/3 white, 1/3 black, 1/3 Hispanic -- "whiteness" would need to be part of any conversation about race? I can't get on board with that.
Here's where I come down in the end. Let's leave feminism out of it for a moment. In addition to generally being liberal/progressive, my wife, my daughter and I have each, in the course of our lives, been strong advocates for disadvantaged groups to which we ourselves do not belong. My wife, a white woman, is a strong voice against racism in particular; I, a straight man, have tried to be a strong voice against homophobia in particular; my daughter, who has no physical or mental disabilities, is becoming a strong advocate for the rights of the disabled in particular. None of us would presume to speak for these groups, let alone attempt to set their agendas; but we want to help.
So -- and this is an honest question -- what would you call a man who responded to the struggle against sexism the way we have responded to the struggles against racism, homophobia, and discrimination against the disabled? The term for someone who traditionally advocates on behalf of women's equality is "feminist." Is there a different term you would use?