Poll: Do you consider yourself a feminist?

[Colour Scientist]

I realise this site is mostly male but you don't have to be a woman in order to be a feminist.

Now, I want to clarify feminism is not an general term. Many people see it as a negative term to descibe angry women who hate men but in a vast majority of cases this is not so. The word has become so associated with "man hating" and bra burning that even most women will shy away from the label.

For example, I was in a college class yesterday of about fifty people. When asked who would describe themselves, publically, as a feminist only two people raised their hand, including myself. The other was a 50 year old man.

For the sake of this pole, I'm talking about "Liberal Feminism". Roughly meaning you support equal rights for men and women. There's a lot more to it but I don't want to bore most of you.

EDIT:
To those pointing out the obvious flaws in my description of "liberal feminsim", yes, I know it's unbelievably basic, that was my intention.

 

[Flatfrog]

For the sake of this pole, I'm talking about "Liberal Feminism". Roughly meaning you support equal rights for men and women.

Well surely by that definition you'd have to be a total dick to say no. I think that's a fair distance short of what I'd call feminism. (FWIW, I'm in the Male, yes camp, and would be by a lot more radical definition too!)

 

[Ekonk]

Males and females have the same rights and should be treated equally. I suppose that means yes.

 

[Jonluw]

I don't really know. I consider it self explanatory that women and men should have the same rights, but I make no effort to make that the case. *shrug*

 

[Astoria]

Well going by that definition I'd say yeah of course I am.

 

[GodsAndFishes]

I'm in favour of equal rights, so yeah feminist.

Spoiler

I mainly posted just to show this picture...

 

[Ganthrinor]

Man speaking. No I do not consider myself a Feminist, nor a Misongynist. Perhaps a Sadist, Masochist, not so much. Diabolist? Maybe a little.

Misanthrope? Definitely.


All that said, I beleive people are people and should be judged on an individual basis. The less annoying a person or group makes themselves to me, the more I tend to like and support them.

 

[Murray Whitwell]

I understand that it is always the worst of a particular group that is the most vocal, but my views of feminists has been damaged a fair bit over time. Don't get me wrong, I believe everyone is equal and should have equal rights, but most of the feminists I come across seem to want more rights for women and less rights for men.
For example, a woman in my town who is a very vocal feminist will blow her top at the most courteous men for doing harmless things, and she never seems to be happy about the way she is treated. One day a man might hold a door open for her, and it's "How dare you! You think I'm incapable of opening a door because I'm a woman!?". The next day someone might do the opposite and she claims they're rude and un-chivalrous. She's a mad witch.
Equality is always a good thing, though..

 

[Serenegoose]

Of course I'm a feminist. It would be nonsensical for me to not support equality for all.

 

[Joepow]

I support equal rights and responsibilities for men and women (including compulsory military service for women), so yes.

 

[DefunctTheory]

The problem is, that isn't what feminism is anymore.

I prefer the term equalist.

 

[tahrey]

By that definition, yes. I'll put on the shirt along with Bill Bailey, Hayao Miyazaki and all that.
(edit: written before GodsAndFishes inserted the picture )

If we're in the zone of believing not only in equal rights, opportunities and freedoms (and responsibilities) but also in equal ability, intelligence, creativity, value, and of being an interesting person (or story character) in their own right not just because they're either "A's wife/girlfriend/mother/daughter/sister", "the first female B" (or HAY LOOK ITS A GURL YOU WERE EXPECTING A GUY RITE), "both a C and blessed with a fantastic body" or etc.
(aka... and cliched i know, but... if you put two of them together, does their conversation pass the betchdel test, and is it not merely that of what were male characters before a focus group suggested your IP would be more popular if you swapped the models and voices?)

Not sure about the matriarchal dominance, ball busting, bra burning thing though. You swing the pendulum the other way, people start losing all over again, and I'd hope as few women would want to do that as men would put women in a box to be forgotten about until it's time for ogling, cooking/cleaning or sex. Besides, a well made brassiere is a useful piece of clothing with health benefits so I'm told. And we haven't yet created artificial sperm or a reliable way of closing with fused eggs

(further edit: this isn't the same as assuming everyone thinks the same / has the same logic or thought processes, has the same wants and desires, priorities, emotional responses, athletic ability, or even that they should. it's one of the things that makes the human race diverse, interesting and adaptable. and i don't think any level of equality will ever quite stop the majority on each side of the gender divide as seeing those on the other side as a bit wierd, as well as those in the middle or at the very extremes as even wierder - whether we should or not... its just how it goes because we're differently wired. Not better or worse, at least on aggregate ... just different.)

 

[AMMO Kid]

I pretend to be feminist to make my friends laugh

 

[Gigano]

Not really, I'm more of an equal worth and opportunity for all individuals kind of guy. Verbally tying down such a notion to be associated with equal worth for a specific gender - when it also encompass skin colour, sexuality etc. - is an unwarranted limitation. So I wouldn't use the term, which is fraught with anti-sexuality guilt tripping shit anyway these days.

 

[DasUberCow]

Think we're a bit blurry on the definition of feminist. Someone who thinks everyone should be treated equally couldn't really be called a feminist to be honest. That's like saying, if you flip it over to the opposite side, that a shovonist wants equal rights... Not exactly the first thing that pops into people's heads.

Pretty much everyone in our culture wants equal rights.

 

[magicmonkeybars]

No, I prefer to have freedom for all rather than the equal treatment of people.
Put plainly, if we all have to walk through the same door into the gas chamber we are equal, not having to walk into a gas chamber means we're free.

 

[thom_cat_]

Spoiler

Yes?

 

[CactiComplex]

By that definition yes, I suppose. To clarify my stance: I'm in full support of equal rights for everyone regardless of gender, including what some would call the 'negative' aspects of this, such as in places where there is compulsory military service, that would apply to women as well, as another poster mentioned. I hate all this picking and choosing business. Equal rights means the same for everyone, not one gender getting a one up on everyone else.

 

[SckizoBoy]

I'm in favour of equal rights, so yeah feminist.

Spoiler

I mainly posted just to show this picture...

Epic! Thanks for cheering me up! (love BB)

OT: Man, and yes, I suppose I am in a sense, as I'm all for... well, what Imperator_DK said.

 

[Azrael the Cat]

Well, put it this way. As a guy, I could never be interested in any woman who wasn't a feminist. If you don't respect yourself, and you aren't intelligent and independent enough to have your own goals and ambitions in business, science or literature without being a mere accessory, then why on earth would I respect you?

I think a lot of the kids come through thinking they are the first generation to have plenty of women in uni and that it will all 'automatically' change as they get older. They don't realise that there were as many, if not more, females than males who went to uni when I did law in the 90s, and there also was when my old boss law in the 70s, and yet women still get paid about 80% as much for the EXACT SAME jobs, and still make up hardly any of upper or middle management (and from the women my age that I know, that's more due to lack of decent child care options and discrimination against women once they have kids, than any desire to give up their careers).