Feminism Without Borders

Just as a quick follow up to my last blog entitled, "Creating a Sweatfree Campus", I wanted to mention a few things.

Daniela (my sweatfree guru...refer back to the last blog) has asked me to mention her affiliated campus group in an effort to reinvigorate some new membership.  Feminism Without Borders is the campus group that is associated with the big push to end sweat shop involvement here at the university.  Daniela and the other members meet each Wednesday in Jiminez Hall at 6:00PM in room 1124.  She has advised me that the group has a bunch of events coming up that are currently in the works, so if you'd like to be a part get yourself to Jiminez on Wednesdays.  In the past, Daniela and her group members have done several things associated with the sweatfree campaign, among other things.  Most recently, they brought two women from the Dominican Republic to campus to discuss the realities of working in sweat shop conditions.  It's important for all of us to realize the nexus between the sweat shop industry and the women who generally fill the jobs.  The sweatfree movement and the feminist movement are linked closely in the context of the interconnectedness of women and these specific labor markets.

Also, just as a quick disclaimer, and this goes out to the men that are reading: don't let your testosterone trick you into perceiving the word "feminism" with a negative connotation...this is a trap that many men have been trained to fall into since birth.  I'm being slightly sarcastic here, but seriously...how many times do we see men begin to moan and groan when the "f" word (not that one) is thrown around?  I challenge our male readers to go out and read some feminist writing.  Feminism truly encompasses something much greater than its nomenclature may suggest.  Feminism is about equity, equality, and, above all, social justice.  Many would say that the ideals of feminism preceded (and helped grow) the ideals of the civil rights movement.  There are countless similarities here, yet the way we frame our thinking locks a lot of people out of the feminist movement for what it truly is.  Anyway, thinking more concretely, we still live in a society in which the wage differential has women earning only about 70-75 cents for each dollar that the opposite sex makes.  In contrast with previous generations, though, we are now seeing women enrolled in higher education at higher rates than men.  And, so, my fellow males, women are on the rise; our generation will see traditional power structures smashed, and wage differentials diminished.  Let's begin thinking about what the feminist movement truly means, and where we, as men, fit into it all.   

If you're looking for some provocative feminist thinkers to read, check out: 

http://www.marxists.org/subject/women/feminists.htm

From Mary Wollstonecraft to Alexandra Kollontai to Betty Friedan this website outlines some of the most interesting work from some of the most radical (in every sense of the word) women to ever walk the face of this Earth.  Challenge you're thinking about traditional gender roles...at the very least, an intelligent, broad-minded, well-read man seems a lot more attractive to that cute girl who sits in front of you in your English class than a dimwit.

That's all for now...don't forget to check out Feminism Without Borders on Wednesdays at 6PM in Jiminez. 

"This is no simple reform. It really is a revolution. Sex and race because they are easy and visible differences have been the primary ways of organizing human beings into superior and inferior groups and into the cheap labour in which this system still depends. We are talking about a society in which there will be no roles other than those chosen or those earned. We are really talking about humanism." - Gloria Steinem

In Peace,

Pat 

Comments

[Zick Toidi]

As always Patrick, your blog has shed new light upon the social events in and around the campus. Truly inspirational. I look forward to next weeks entries in hopes that there might be something in it about Latin America and the injustices being committed in that area by the U.S. and local governments. I love Latin America.