We must all be feminists

imagesWe can all say what we want but all signs points to the fact that we will have a misogynist in the White House.  It is important now more than ever for fathers to be feminists.  What does that mean exactly?

Young women should be given the support and change to be anything that they want to be.  When it comes to STEM let them build what they want with technology.  Give them the tools to think about social responsibility and community so that they can apply that to STEM.  Women entrepreneurs tend to build businesses that fill voids in their lives.  Young women use the technology tools they are learning to build things that mean something to them and we should applaud that.

Young women should know that they can do anything or be anything.  If they try multiply things in school and happen to fail at one, tell them to out there and try again.  Don’t tell them perhaps that isn’t your thing.  Applaud their efforts, acknowledge their mistakes and push them to get back in the game and try, try again.

All women are beautiful.  Everyone should feel good about their bodies.  Teach them to be strong and stand up to men who feel empowered to dismiss them, take advantage of them or don’t consider them to be equals.  Teach them to stand firm and believe in themselves.

Teach them to always be curious.  To never stop learning.  To feel that they can take on the world.  They can forge their own path.  That they are our future and should have high hopes for any road that they choose.

They should know if someone takes advantage of them or abuses them that it isn’t them, it is the other person.  They should feel empowered to stand up to men like that and call the out on their behavior immediately.  They have done nothing wrong.  Do not stand back in fear but to be brave and call out any wrongdoing.

Teach your sons to treat women with respect.  While you are at it based on the many women who have taken a deep breath to come out of the closet and tell their tales of abuse at the hands of Trump ( Cosby and others ) it might not be a bad idea to teach them a good right hook as well.

We must all be feminists.

Comments (Archived):

  1. William Mougayar

    Agreed, and remembering what prime minister Trudeau said earlier this year:“I’m going to keep saying loud and clearly that I am a feminist until it is met with a shrug.”

    1. Gotham Gal

      love that

  2. Tracey Jackson

    Now more than ever. Despite working in a primarily male field and bumping up against sexism my entire career I’ve never felt down and out misogyny the way I do now. Trump has given liscene for the haters to hate and that includes women.

    1. Gotham Gal

      100%

  3. CCjudy

    it has become very clear to me that this election was won by men wanting to defeat women and to empower themselves to be king of the hill – we will see in these four years where this leads and this is the landscape – there will always b women who do not like or respect women and get behind their man…

    1. JLM

      .Just correcting the data — Pres Trump won 46% of women, even more of certain groups when it was further sliced and diced.If one were to subtract out women who voted solely for the novelty of the First Woman President, Pres Trump won MORE than half of the available women.Young and first time voting women were at the lowest levels of turnout amongst the entire electorate.Make of it what you desire but those are the facts. Not editorializing or interpreting it, just putting the truth into the mix.JLMwww.themusingsofthebigredca…

      1. Gotham Gal

        I can’t comment on why women would want to vote for a man who has treated women with such disdain

        1. JLM

          .What exit interviews indicated is that women prioritized their concerns similarly to men — the economy, potential for change, a desire to disrupt the status quo (“drain the swamp”), trust (not objective trust but trust to actually effect change, to be a change agent).Again, this is not my opinion but rather what the exit interviews indicated.Clearly, women saw his flaws but did not find them to be fatal flaws given their sentiments as to why they did vote for him. My opinion only — the women who came out of the woodwork at the end were not credible and undermined those who might have been credible.There was also a substantial “anybody but Hillary” vote which materialized. It was strongest amongst those who fell into the “deplorables” basket which was a group which might not have otherwise have come out to vote.The MSM, the general media, the pollsters, the pundits got it so wrong as to make any post-election analysis equally unlikely to be true.The “war on women” meme failed to gain traction.Pres Trump got 29% of Hispanics which is even more surprising to me. Trump Hispanics rather than dooming him in Florida, actually delivered Florida for him. This was particularly true amongst Cubans.JLMwww.themusingsofthebigredca…

        2. awaldstein

          Unimaginable to me honestly.

          1. JLM

            .Consider the possibility that you do not understand the American electorate or the motivations of female voters? Not too many liberals do or even try to.You have lots of company as the MSM, pollsters, pundits, HRC campaign all got it wrong also.The elites all missed the “people” and Trump did not.There is going to be more of the same in 2018 when there are 23 Dem Senate seats up for grabs.This is a tectonic shift not seen since the 1920s. The WH, Senate, House, governors, statehouses in Rep/conservative hands — redistricting post 2020 census.This is just the news, not opinion.JLM http://www.themusingsofthebigredca...

      2. pixiedust8

        “If one were to subtract out women who voted solely for the novelty of the First Woman President…” That’s QUITE an assumption to make. I’m a woman. I hear women talk. I have never heard any woman say she voted for any president for the “novelty” value. I have never heard a man say he voted for novelty value, either, but you don’t seem to think that’s even a possibility. Your comment completely demonstrates the sexism in this election. It would be amusing (that you don’t even get it as you write it) if it wasn’t so sad.

  4. awaldstein

    Post coming on the power of inclusivity to change the world.Think of the positioning of a crowd funding site for women entrepreneurs. (I have one in mind).The power should be that is it inclusive to include the family, networks and friends of those entrepreneurs. Inclusive of the broader community.Most aren’t.This is why in a relatively short time gay as a choice became so broad, because it was inclusive and expanded by acceptance within families and extended communities.My thoughts.

    1. lisa hickey

      Thank you for your leadership.

  5. JLM

    .It is confusing as to what constitutes being a “feminist.”Are we espousing a superior level of opportunity for women or a level playing field?If the answer is a superior level of opportunity, why is that not discrimination? [I say that without suggesting that a bit of discrimination may not be a bad thing. I, as an example, freely admit to discriminating in favor of veterans.]All of what you describe could easily be put under the umbrella of good parenting — the desire of any parent to arm their children — regardless of gender — to deal with the world as it really is rather than how one would want it to be.Raising children is much more than just feminism. Boys need to be far more thoughtful than just to consider their sister’s gender. They need to be raised to be gentlemen in a world which struggles to recognize the breed.Krav maga is a good skill for any young woman.JLMwww.themusingsofthebigredca…

    1. Cam MacRae

      It is confusing, largely because feminist is not a homogenous group. Best just to pick a flavour you can live with, and, well… live it.As an undergraduate I particularly enjoyed existentialist and French (post-structuralist) feminism. Much contemporary popular feminism is not nearly as thoughtful, although it does get more likes and retweets. If you have the inclination I’d start with A Vindication of the Rights of Woman and work my way forward about 200 years, preferably avoiding the easily identifiable fashionable nonsense, unless that’s your bag.

      1. Gotham Gal

        great advice

        1. Cam MacRae

          I know. I had hoped to elicit a wry smile.

  6. Emily Steed

    This is brilliant and so true! I just forwarded this post to my husband and will read it to my male and female kids. I am looking for positive ways to react to Trump, and re-doubling our efforts to raise feminist kids is a fantastic idea. Having been raised in Canada, I hate to be superior on the Justin Trudeau bandwagon, but this is a great line from him too – when asked “How can men be better feminists?” in 10 seconds or less? he answered “Don’t interrupt women and if you see other men do it, notice it.” http://www.huffingtonpost.c

  7. laurie kalmanson

    Thank you.