Wednesday 11 April 2012

The Thought Box - [An Open Discussion]

At The Night Market and the most recent Marvellous Market, the Thought box sat neatly atop a table, deftly displaying its controversial and somewhat unforgiving quote. The topic,  feminism. The question... "What is Feminism to you?" The thought provoking quote provided by none other than the wonderful and incredibly not-at-all sexist, Pat Robertson. Please enjoy the quote, followed by the public response and finally, a sum-up of the most important points (in my mind). Don't forget to leave your comments. The Thought Box provides an [Open Discussion] that will change and evolve over time, as thoughts generally do. 

"[Feminism is] a socialist, anti-family, political movement that encourages women to leave their husbands, kill their children, practice witchcraft, destroy capitalism and become lesbians." 
- Pat Robertson

[Discuss]

What is feminism to you? 

A brilliant reason to have a rant. Nothing fancy and doesn't need to be scary, its just common sense. Feminism invites people to be who they are, as people, not biology. Feminism has allowed me to divorce my ex-husband and not be tied to him financially. It's given me my independence. Why wouldn't you say you were a feminist? Feminism is so logical.
Never keep quiet against inequality, don't pretend it doesn't matter because it isn't affecting you. My mum is the world's biggest feminist, it really pisses me off! Women kick ass! Feminism is a perennial cyclical issue. Feminism smells better. I am a closet feminist...the best kind. The men don't know what i'm up to. 

Feminism is a great idea until it is pushed too far. I like being Miss! Feminism is hindered by hormones. Feminism in the 19th century cant be bad. Always follow your dreams. Women are the answer, whatever the question. I like baking, sewing, washing up and dresses. I don't need to wear trousers to feel empowered, i'm content in my own skin. Peaceful women lead the world to equality. should do anyway. Kate Bush, check out all her lyrics. I do have balls, but they were so big they had to go on my chest.

Pat Robertson is a misogynistic, xenophobic, arrogant twat who has a cancerous and warped view of reality. He's so far out of touch that nothing he says even warrants a discussion. Only the view of a dinosaur.

Does feminism even exist anymore, outside of the corporate world? Feminism is divided by class and geographical location. Women are the same worth as the men are. It's not fair when women get treated differently to men. I am a feminist when it suits me. We are all equals...i'm not.

from the Public Voice


The Thought Box has done us proud. Among the general gist of points put to us by the general public, are some really hard hitting truths and comments that surely warrant discussion. I have been through and selected some statements and aim to continue the above discussion, which means we need your input. Where do you agree? Disagree? Are there any points mentioned above that get your knickers in a twist? Or are you simply wearing boxers and wondering where you belong in this discussion?

Please.... get involved.

1) Financial Independence/Freedom - Its true, women have been 'oppressed' into being the home-makers in the past. Blatantly due to the fact that women actually carry the children and generally cant bear to be away from them for long, which makes sense but when did the choice element come into play? When were women 'allowed' to go out and go to college, have aspirations and careers as the men had been allowed? That to me is a very important part of feminism, choice. The choice to vote, work, have children, place our children in childcare or divorce our husbands. Do we consider this done now? surely now the focus is on increasing financial independence and freedom to everyone, whatever gender, and allowing the same rights for everyone regardless of race, sex, sexual orientation or hair colour.

2) Does feminism even exist anymore, outside the corporate world? - Well does it? Do women ever encounter situations where they are treated differently because of their sex? do men ever find themselves treated differently because of their sex? Are we generally quite prejudice as a species? Do differences threaten us? Are women more likely to suffer negative   or ill-treatment due to being female than men are due to being male? Talk about answering a question with a question but hopefully I've made my point clearly enough.

3) Feminism is divided by geographical location and social class - I like this because I feel it is very true. Not everyone has a huge understanding of feminism or where it has been in the past, or really care that much! People generally think of bra-burning man haters which is so far out of date and ridiculous that i'm going to scoff at it. *scoff*. But anyway, back to the point, feminism effects people in different situations differently. It also provides people with a choice. The only woman working in a workplace full of men may decide to forgo feminism for the time-being because it's easier to just suck it up and accept that men can be arses and get on with her job, whereas she may choose to paddle upstream against an avalanche of ignorance and fight a probably losing battle. Point being, not everyone feels the same. geographical location, social class, emotions, opinions, experiences and gender all have influences on feminism as a whole. Which all ready in un-definable and interchangeable in my eyes. Go figure.

4) "Women are the same worth as the men are" - One of the most poignant opinions in my eyes, written by a young child. This does seem a logical statement, especially coming from a youthful perspective, but in actuality the problems women face daily in relationships,work-life and in general are so deep-rooted in our society that simply diluting it down generation by generation is unlikely to do anything. 


I am a true feminist, I feel that feminism should encompass ALL inequality, be it through sex, weight, skin colour, sexual orientation or age. Somewhere along the long and winding road of feminism we have lost sight of these differences and created not a fight for equality or fairness, but an act of one-up-man-ship. Or should I say one-up-person-ship.

There comes a point when we are going to have to face up to the fact that EVERYONE is different and that these differences should be celebrated, not argued over. Hormonal imbalances, emotional instability monthly (or more), being able to handle alcohol or not, whether or not we have leg hair, spider-phobias, high or low sex drives, the ability to lose sight of yourself in a  relationship, larger body mass index, spacial awareness, interest in football, multi-tasking, being a better dancer, or whether you've shaved your armpits or not. Who cares? It all boils down to basic respect for each others differences and there are millions of those!

Remember.... comments welcome.

MollyQueen














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