Why Blogs for Women are Bad for Women

[Witsec6]

http://blogs.forbes.com/susannahbreslin/2011/06/30/why-blogs-for-women-are-bad-for-women/?utm_source=alertsnewpost&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=20110630

Once upon a time, the feminist movement was about politics. It was about marching in the streets. It was about making change. It was about being a female superhero. These days, the so-called feminist movement has gone online, and it’s practitioners greatest political act is writing a blog post. It’s about writing 200 words on that TV show last night that really pissed you off because the way it portrays women is not right in some way you can’t quite articulate.

Man, it sucks that I had to give up my female superhero cape with the dawn of the blog!

This is a pretty ridiculous argument as the same could be said about blogs for any group or subculture. People have been making these arguments about Internet culture since the dawn of the World Wide Web. Yes, like attracts like, and the web allows us to seek out like-minded people from a wider pool. This is not limited to "blogs for women", neither is it shocking, but it sure is annoying in editorial format.

[debrand]

Note: I haven't read the actual article yet and am only going by the quote.

Just because a woman blogs about a favorite TV show doesn't mean that she doesn't engage in other forms of activism.

[Antigone]

This is very concidentical and interesting. A friend of mine JUST re-started up her blog and was on the fence about writing on her blog about either superficial things or something a bit more "deep". I didn't comment, but was considering informing her of the issues we see often on blogs (she isn't fundie, but she is christian and plans to homeschool her kids this year due to schools closing). I don't want to threadjack but hearing more opinions on this kind of topic would be very helpful and good info to pass on to my friend, since she did ask for the advice and you guys seem to have a lot of experience with blogs, etc. Maybe it will even inspire me to start my own blog, LOL. I have been a few times, just by reading a few topics on here recently.

[theologygeek]

I agree with what was quoted from that article. There was a time when people were proactive. Blogs have turned both men and women into armchair quarterbacks. People complain about the latest injustice, but unless they march the streets, write letters to their representatives, and physically take time out of their day to make a difference, nothing will change. How many people thought it was horrible for a 95 year old cancer patient to have her adult diaper taken off at the airport? How many of those people staged protests or wrote letters? Today, taking a stand means "By golly, I'm going to blog (or twitter) about it!" Unless you're someone like Dooce, no one cares what you have to say on the internet.

[theologygeek]

Note: I haven't read the actual article yet and am only going by the quote.

Just because a woman blogs about a favorite TV show doesn't mean that she doesn't engage in other forms of activism.

I'm sure that there are women, myself included, who physically take the time to make a change. But I'm also sure that not everyone who complains on a blog about the latest injustice do the same.

[Effie]

Well, I think that expressing your opinion, even if it's "just" in your blog, is one way to make a difference. Some blogs have many readers, and their blogs reach out to many people. As a blogger you may have an impact on people in the blogosphere. You might challenge people to think differently. -> I think that's worth something.

[tehfanglyfish]

One thing the internet has done, for better or for worse, is help people realize that they aren't necessarily alone in their views when they hold different opinions than are prevalent in their communities. (Hell, it goes beyond opinions even. I regularly read the LJ community vaginapagina, and lots of women come to ask "am I normal" questions about their anatomy. Actually, one time the community reassured a teenager who had just discovered her cervix for the first time. She was terrified that it was a tumor and that it was so big it would mean certain death.) So while it's true that a blog critique of something happening on television, in government, etc., might not be viewed as traditional activism, it can help unite similarly-minded people, as well as generally raise awareness of issues that others might not have ever considered. (Of course it's also true that this can be used to bring people together who maybe don't need to connect to like-minded people - such as those who beat their kids with plumbing line, pedophiles, etc.)