Wednesday, September 26, 2012

Has Feminist Movement Gone Haywire?

Feminism initially started as a movement to secure social justice for women. Its purpose was to secure political, economic and social rights for women; besides better opportunities for women in education and employment. It aimed at correcting cultural wrongs done to women due to spontaneously acquired false cultural notions about women and unjustifiably committing women to various cultural traditions. It also aimed to correct women's drift to weaker position in the survival struggle, caused by biological and behavioral differences between the two genders. Feminist movement fought for special rights for women under the pretext of gender equality. Feminists vehemently tried to secure their ends, out rightly ignoring finer aspects of spontaneous male female relationship and its familial and social aspects.

Margret Cavendish, Duchess of Newcastle-upon-Tyne of 17th century was among the earliest feminist writers. In 18th century Jeremy Bentham - a male, said that it was the placing of women in a legally inferior position that made him choose the career of a reformist at the age of 11. Bentham spoke of complete equality between sexes. He advocated women's right to vote and participate in government. He opposed different sexual moral standards to women and men. Marquis de Condorcet, another 18th century philosopher was a fierce defender of equal rights for women.

A Vindication of the Rights of Women (1792) by Mary Wollstonecraft is one of the first works that can unambiguously be called feminist. For many Commentators, Wollstonecraft represents the first codification of "equality" feminism, a refusal of the feminine. But a refusal of the feminine impliedly meant, refusal of natural, healthy male female relationship. This amounted to advocating over correction of the cultural wrong done to women. This eventually inspired gender clash instead of gender harmony.

But what may be appreciated here is that even in the so-called male dominated society, it is the men who championed women's cause seeking balanced and just male female relationship based on mutual respect, equality but at the same time taking care of natural differences between men and women. All over the world, it is the male dominated legislatures that have granted special rights or legal privileges to women in order to support them in the event of survival struggle or gender clash.

Once, I searched the net for men's rights and I found that none of the countries in the world have granted any special privileges or legal rights to men in order to protect their interest or to support them in the event of gender clash. Only in the matter of sexuality and reproductive function, consent of the spouse needs to be taken before a woman undertakes any therapeutic procedure affecting mutual interest. On the contrary women have been conferred a large number of legally protected interests or rights.

Therefore, women blaming male dominated society for all their ills are totally unfounded in their allegations. Whatever grudges they have against men spring from their natural dependence on men. All that they now want to have through feminist movement is to have dominant relationship, autonomy without being responsible, unlimited freedom, reckless individualism and even freedom from their biological role. Slut walks all over the world demonstrate women's craving for reducing their sexuality to mere entertainment. Pro- abortion movements demonstrate the same. They want total control of their body oblivious of their role, responsibilities and interests of all those who matter.

Majority among men have always tended to respect, protect and provide for women. As exception, minority of men have deplorable tendency to indulge in sexual violence against women, quite often on provocation of some kind. No society has ever defended such acts against women.

Males normally seek companionship as opposed to domination in male female relationship. Males normally assign the toughest of responsibilities to themselves and discharge the same to the best satisfaction of various interests. Society has never appreciated men who have betrayed themselves from this path. This has been essential to keep familial and social integrity. So, all the men can't be blamed, for acts of minority.

Throughout its history, except in inception, feminism has never sought balanced and just relationship with men. It is the will to dominate, individualism, unlimited personal freedom, feminine whims, fancies and fantasies and the desire to live up to them that has been deriving the feminist movement.

The whole notion of gender equality is incorrect because nature has not only made both genders unequal but has also granted them different roles and responsibilities. Men are naturally more comfortable doing certain things and the same is true for women. This has led to physical and mental inequities. Accordingly notion of role and responsibilities or division of labor has evolved in human society accounting for evolution of family culture and social culture as it is seen today. This also led to unfair cultural fixations contrary to feminine interests which need to be corrected and hence the feminist movement. But today feminist movement has turned into a class war between men and women. Home makers are fast emerging as home breakers leading to social disintegration. Nuclear families have become order of the day and old age homes have sprouted in numbers.

Women intoxicated by wave of feminism want to enjoy all the individual freedom but want to neither share nor discharge their social responsibilities. They want unconstrained freedom that allows them to live according to their fantasies oblivious of rights of others. They want autonomy literally amounting to monstrosity. I have come across a woman author who advocates women's rights to wear short clothes in public even if it is provocative for young boys but at the same time demands boys to behave responsibly. They do not even want to take consent of their partner in matters affecting both. They argue for total control of their physical body as if they exist in vacuum totally unconnected to any other soul on planet Earth. Instead of feeling guilty about their unjustifiable, illegitimate demands; they doggedly pursue their agenda to their selfish ends.

Therefore, over a period of time women who were once depraved and oppressed have now turned into oppressor. So the time has come to talk about men's rights or male legal privileges.



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