I'm currently reading I Am Malala and feeling very inspired by this book. I think it says a lot about womens rights and gives wonderful insight into what womens lives are like in other places around the world. It has really made me think about feminism. I am already a feminist but this finally gave me room to collect my thoughts enough to say some things I want to.
The thing about feminism is that you do not have to be the one feeling oppressed. I hear a lot of girls say "I'm just fine so why should I stand up for these 'made up' problems. The ignorance just shocks me. "I'M fine so there MUST NOT BE A PROBLEM" is all I hear. If you feel that you personally do not need feminism, you are wrong, but that is fantastic! Here's the catch, there are more people in this world than you.
Feminism is also about being able to step outside yourself and think about her, him, and them. It is about standing up for wives being forced into marriages where it is "acceptable" to throw acid on them. It is about little girls who can't have an education because she can ONLY be a wife and mother. It is for boys who are raised to believe that there is something wrong with them if they don't like sports or are told to "man up" when they cry. It is about the women who get in trouble at school for "exposed" shoulders. It is about women being told that they "had it coming" after they got raped. It is about other people. It is about others being oppressed. Let me say it one last time. It is about OTHERS.
Think outside your unproductive bubble. Stretch your mind to care for others.
AMEN. People can be so selfish. Its like white people saying racism doesn't exist. Just because you don't feel it, or you aren't personally affected by it doesn't mean its not worth your time. Like you said, its about OTHERS. I'm not just concerned with making the world a better place for ME. I want the world to be better for EVERYONE. There are so many problems in the world that we could prevent, or even fix, if people worked together and recognized other people's struggles. People can be very frustrating. Ok. I should stop my rant or I'll go on forever.
ReplyDeleteThis made me think of a quote I saw just last night at the end of a video about people walking by a homeless kid in 5 degree temps for 2 hours in NYC with no one saying a word...
ReplyDelete“If you wait until you can do everything for everybody, instead of something for somebody, you'll end up not doing anything for anybody.”
Malcolm Bane