Tuesday, August 29, 2006

This is why I am a feminist

Today, someone in my office was talking about how women are complicated and hard to understand, while men are simple and easy to understand. And, feminist that I am, my blood began boiling the more I listened, until I finally couldn't stand it anymore, so I spoke up and said, "I happen to disagree with you. I'm not denying that women are complicated. I just don't think men are any less complicated. Or that ANY human being is simple. Honestly, is ANYONE easy to understand?"

Their response: "I always say, women are complex, spelled c-o-m-p-l-e-x. Men are simple, spelled s-e-x."

My jaw literally dropped, and I wanted to scream. Or worse. Now I was downright mad. If I had said any of the things that were jostling around on the tip of my tongue, vying for the privilege of being spewed out first, I'm pretty sure I would have been fired on the spot. But instead I just stood there in disbelief, my mouth gaping open like a goldfish, with my face gradually burning hotter and hotter, until I managed get out an incredulous, "WHAT???????????"

Before, they had been dismissing all women as tangled messes of moods and hormones to which there is no rhyme of reason. But this was infinitely worse. Now they were bashing men, too! (And the one speaking was a man, so he was bashing himSELF! Guys, are YOU insulted when someone says something like that?) I refuse to believe that little of men. I'm not denying that thinking about sex is a struggle - for men AND women - I'm just saying that nobody can be boiled down to their sexuality. It's just wrong. I know too many guys who are great and interesting and multifaceted and are interested in and motivated by LOTS of things besides sex.

I'm a feminist because of people like that. Because I hate the battle of the sexes. Because it makes me angry when entire groups of people are dismissed and put into general categories that are just plain wrong. (Not that I'm opinionated about this matter, or anything...hehehe...)

1 comment:

tskd said...

Go Becca GO! :)