Article: I am a Mother of Two and Cannot Support Feminism

[cindyluvs24]

Why is feminism necessary? Because the author might find herself in a life situation where she titles her article "I Am A Mother of Two And Cannot Support Them."

[DGayle]

^^ Wouldn't matter, I would want it left to the discretion of my employer.

It DOES matter. If you have the privilege of someone else writing you a paycheck, that employer shouldn't be expected to tolerate you going out being a racist ass, homophobic bigot, etc., when you're in a position to be connected to the company. An employer's employees reflect on the company, so if you want to do things unbecoming to the employer, either make damned sure no one can connect you to the employer, or be prepared to look for a new employer who shares the views of what you're doing.

I never said it was profiling, I said there was a possibility. I'm not defending the harassers, I'm defending the right to freedom of speech. If you want to straw man that, go ahead. People like you are also the problem when you think your logic is infallible to criticism.

Yes, you ARE defending the harassers. You're saying that them harassing people is an issue of free speech that trumps the right of others to not be harassed. If you're at a at a sidewalk cafe, trying to eat, and someone sits there in your face yelling at you calling you every name under the sun and trying to convert you, should your right to not be harassed be tossed out the window in favor of their supposed right to harass? Freedom of speech has legal limits. You can't be arrested for your beliefs, and simply stating them. Using speech to harassing in close proximity isn't protected.

A portion of street harassment comes from metally ill, homeless, and people different culture. How will we address them? What if the root of the problem of harassment begins in childhood, if shitty parents parents are raising the kids, an ettiquette movement isn't going to change that.

Frankly, it doesn't matter. Being mentally ill, homeless, or of a different culture, or having a shitty childhood, doesn't exempt you from the laws.

What about the petitioners, street evangelists, beggars. They make me feel uncomfortable, I would go as far to say hostile when they are aggressive in their attempts. Can the street harassment law apply to them?

If you're discomfort is because they have different beliefs, then no. If they're getting in your way of leaving or screaming in your face, yes.

[dairyfreelife]

It DOES matter. If you have the privilege of someone else writing you a paycheck, that employer shouldn't be expected to tolerate you going out being a racist ass, homophobic bigot, etc., when you're in a position to be connected to the company. An employer's employees reflect on the company, so if you want to do things unbecoming to the employer, either make damned sure no one can connect you to the employer, or be prepared to look for a new employer who shares the views of what you're doing.

Yes, you ARE defending the harassers. You're saying that them harassing people is an issue of free speech that trumps the right of others to not be harassed. If you're at a at a sidewalk cafe, trying to eat, and someone sits there in your face yelling at you calling you every name under the sun and trying to convert you, should your right to not be harassed be tossed out the window in favor of their supposed right to harass? Freedom of speech has legal limits. You can't be arrested for your beliefs, and simply stating them. Using speech to harassing in close proximity isn't protected.

Frankly, it doesn't matter. Being mentally ill, homeless, or of a different culture, or having a shitty childhood, doesn't exempt you from the laws.

If you're discomfort is because they have different beliefs, then no. If they're getting in your way of leaving or screaming in your face, yes.

Thank you. All this, DG.

And yes, your employer can fire you for telling them or a coworker to fuck off while at work. As others have said, you can say what you want, but that does not mean you are exempt from the consequences of saying such things. Employers, for the most part, are free to hire and fire who they want as they wish.

[Childless]

Where the hell do you work? Where I work, I can be fired for swearing, for harassing others, for showing preferential treatment based on gender, race, ethnicity, religion, sexual orientation, etc. (I'm management), for wearing inappropriate clothing after I was warned to change my choice of outfits, for violence, for bad mouthing the company in any form of media, for revealing proprietary information to anyone outside the company, and for accepting gifts from suppliers in exchange for giving them my business. That's just a sample of some of the things that can get me canned. This is all perfectly legal. Freedom of speech refers to the government's attempt to control speech, not a private business's attempt to control speech.

[roddma]

What is with this "I HAVE SOOOOOONS" anti-feminist trend lately? Surely these people can figure out that liberating everyone from expected roles is beneficial to men, too.

Yea i never knew having sons meant turning anti-feminist. I don't have kids, but especially if I had sons, they would be taught to value women. Don't make babies all over the place. Take responsibility if you do decide to be a father. Women aren't your personal maids and servants. Understand not all women can look like runway models. That said, respect women who may dress with fewer clothes than you like. If she is a legal adult and says 'talk to my dad first' when you ask her for date, run like heck. Now she may be the nicest girl in the world and you can do what you want, but this could spell trouble down the road. Most importantly, either gender would be taught to be polite and courteous to everyone. Open doors and be of service when possible even if some think it is outdated.

Here's a nice rebuttal. I say bravo espcially to the last paragraph.I saw no reason to break link.

http://thoughtcatalog.com/anonymous/201 ... -her-sons/

[NoneandDoneinCali]

True story - I was having a couple beers on my back porch last weekend, with a long-time friend I am now dating (known him for 17 years), my very liberal younger brother, and a couple of his very nice, very smart friends (all male). And the topic turns to feminism, and these truly lovely, supportive men, all of whom I trust a great deal, suddenly put me on the spot about why I, as a feminist, feel a need to separate myself from men, how it's putting women on a pedestal, how it isn't inclusive, how the name should be changed to "equalists" or some nonsense if I truly, as a feminist, support egalitarian relationships and male custody rights, etc, and why can't feminists fight for everything equally. And all I could say, after being (for me) patient and explaining things ad nauseum, was "this, right now, where four well-meaning, middle-class White males, with no analogous discriminatory experience, are telling me, as a woman, how I should feel about women's rights. And how women are doing it wrong. You guys are great allies, but you are still forgetting to listen. Imagine this conversation with men who aren't so respectful."

And then we went back to drinking and bullshitting about music, but yeah. THAT'S WHY.

[2xx1xy1JD]

In my field, that's basically my daily conversation, minus the drinking part.

Yes, being a feminist has made me more critical of stereotypes and sexist assumptions.

At the same time...it also means recognizing the factors that lead to inequality in the real world. From a family law POV, it means looking at the little details. Even if both parents work and are involved as parents, is there one parent who is always doing carpool or expected to be flexible? Is one parent always dealing with doctors and teachers? Does the default parent enable the other parent to earn more? The default parent isn't always the mom anymore, and I do see more egalitarian families now than 18 years ago, but you can't wave a magic wand and declare that everything is equal when it isn't.

[NoneandDoneinCali]

That conversation was so timely, because I posted something well-meaning about Ferguson on FB, expressing my sadness and worry for the folks on the ground out there amidst the buildings burning down and cops with itchy trigger fingers, and I had a friend, who is both black and in a PhD program for rhetoric up at Berkeley (so very well versed in social justice) gently point out that what most protesters (and the black community) needed in general from allies was an open mind and open ears, not well-meaning advice. And you know what? She was right. I started listening. But I saw the same misguided behavior from my bf(ish), my brother and his friends that very night, and I just realized "WOW. HOW FUCKING FRUSTRATING."

Keep up the good fight, XX:)