People ask why we need feminism in this day and age. I, as a man, need feminism because being called a girl is still a put-down. Because words like pussy and vagina are still used as derogatory terms. Any of the examples Im about to list would make me proud to be called a girl: My mother grew up in an age when everything, especially the military was (and in many ways still is) considered a Mans world. She went on to become the commanding officer of her reserve communications squadron and retired with honors. She this while also having a job designing and delivering training programs to military personnel on how to operate their equipment , and still being a mother. My little sister, whos shorter than me, 3 years younger, and would be considered petite to look at her, frequently came on scout camps with me growing up. She usually out-performed most of the boys, who were my age, has worked numerous labor jobs all her life, and now is an aircraft heavy duty mechanic. She fixes airplanes for a living. I have no doubt she could kick my ass. My high school English teacher allowed me to write about fantasy and dragons, and actually encouraged me, as long as the content of what I wrote met the criteria of the assignment. She never once forced me to conform to a stifling, unimaginative curriculum. My ex-fiancé and still friend got me poi (fire-spinning) lessons for Christmas one year. I dabbled in it but never really went anywhere with it. She went on to become a professional performer, started and manages a performance troupe, moved to Europe, moved back, has been to Burning Man, and done at least half a dozen other things I consider far cooler than anything Ive accomplished with my life so far... And she could probably kick my ass too. A female performer I had the privilege to work with at the Calgary Stampede this past summer does areal and acrobatic performances, went off to school to become a stunt double, and has the amazing fortitude to have piercings driven into her skin and be suspended by them. I dont have the words to express how bad-ass she is and how much I admire her courage. My girlfriend has worked labor jobs, including construction, metal work, welding, and so on, most of her life. Shes done this despite growing up in small-town Europe where the locals think its so absurd to see a woman do that kind of work, that one day she was spreading asphalt with a road-work crew literally the entire block was out on their sidewalks gawking. She now has a job assembling high-grade industrial motors. And yes, she could definitely kick my ass. There are more--so many more--examples I could cite.
Posted on: Tue, 26 Nov 2013 01:16:51 +0000
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