The DWR Feminist Quote of the Day – Cordelia Fine

@VW

“It depends what ‘woman’ means to you.”

Actually it doesn’t. And I think that on this point is key to so much of the distance, perceived or otherwise, between our points of view on many issues.

I want to be very clear that I’m not telling you how you should think or even what you’re thinking is particularly wrong. It’s just this –

When it comes to certain concepts what you think as an individual just isn’t relevant because said issue is a class issue.

‘Woman’ is class of people that you are assigned to and when society reads you (not me, not any one individual) a certain set of assumptions is assumed.

The fact that you agree or disagree with those assumptions isn’t relevant – they exist independently of your assessment.

” I prefer to think of myself as a human being first.”

Our society places you in the class of women(the sex class), and that means that by default you are a second class citizen without the same rights and benefits of those in the dominant class (people like me).

This isn’t slam. Just the reality of the situation – you can think of yourself as a human being – but that won’t change the material reality that you, and the class of people like you (women) – will not be treated as full human beings in society.

It is not fair, not even a little bit. And yeah, for that I’m sorry, because we all play our part in keeping said crappy system going, and we shouldn’t because of the damage it does to the people inside of it. :(

” I don’t think it’s useful to see life through just one lens,”

Agreed.

“particularly if you want to project your one chosen lens to the rest of humanity.”

Certain methods of analysis provide greater clarity when looking at the issues people face in society. Again, this is not to disparage an individual focus, but rather to show that there are limitations to that particular model of looking at the world – as there are with sticking with a class based analysis of how the world works.

On a less emotionally charged ground, a symbiosis of the two ways of informing ourselves about how the world works would be ideal.

“Can I ask how you became so interested in feminism?”

I had peripheral interest in feminism after I finished University. My readings at the time included a great deal of work by dissident authors – the likes of Noam Chomsky, Howard Zinn, Taraq Ali (et cetera) – much of their focus is on how (historically, geo-politically, socially) the world works and the intentional way that life has been structured to be so shitty for the majority of the people in the world.

The catalyst for my interest in feminism was my partner, now wife, The Intransigent One is her moniker, here at DWR. She, at the time of our meeting, was a radical feminist and quickly opened my eyes – as much as a member of the privileged class can have their eyes opened – to the idea that living life as female is radically different then living life as male.

I might not have started the journey if I had known exactly(as exact as second hand knowledge gets) how oppressive it is just to exist in society as female – it’s quite a downer. But, being all lefty and progressive by nature, how could one not gravitate toward feminism – as you will find females inhabiting the lowest rung of every society – and that shit isn’t right. So yeah, that’s a thumbnail sketch of how I came about to being an ally/advocate for feminism.

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@Emma

“This is statistically rare(-ish), Arb, as research indicates that women in relationships tend to be more influenced by their men’ attitudes on gender issues than the reverse.”

I have no doubt about that veracity of that claim, given that men inhabit the dominant role in society/relationships.

I’d have to say though, thank goodness for being an outlier. :)

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@Miep

Who is your comment directed toward? I don’t do the nesting thing here on DWR, hence the @ nomenclature. :)

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