Friday, September 07, 2007

I Guess I'm Just One of Those

lazy arsed Radical Feminists getting such a bad name in some parts of the blogosphere recently.

I have just been catching up with the latest round of blogwars! Hurrah! I learned that intellectual theorising is meaningless. I learned that stripping and getting sexually humiliated and ass fucked is all about whether I like it or not; if I do, then it's feminism. I have learned that if I identify with Radical Feminism then I am useless to REAL women in the REAL world, preferring as I do to sit and pontificate the politics of gender, sex, patriarchy and oppression. I am a dinosaur. I know nothing of reality. I sit on my duff and read Dworkin. I am humourless, sexless and dry.

Except.

I do my part. I get off my arse and DO stuff for people. I volunteer my time, I give what money I can. I work HARD. And I still recognise and celebrate the women who do the thinking. The kind of hard thinking that allows me to operate within my own moral and ethical codes. The kind of hard thinking that exposes subtle inequality and highlights oppression. We humans NEED our philosophers. Women NEED feminist thought and theory. And you know what? There are women who blog Radical Feminism because that's where their contribution to the cause lies. That's their best fit, and that's fucking awesome. There's room for all of us. The REAL LIFE activism has its genesis in the theory that some amazing women spend so long learning and developing.

So that said, from this moment on I will not be engaging my brain in any more debates about who does most for women. I won't be fretting about my intellectual feminism versus my "real life" activism. I won't be listening to any denigration of Radical Feminism. I will be Radical Feminist, embracing all the facets of my life. Join me!

6 comments:

Michelle said...

Here, here!

The REAL LIFE activism has its genesis in the theory that some amazing women spend so long learning and developing.

And I'm totally with you on this.

Anonymous said...

Rock on, sister! And if you haven't, go to my blog and read the tab at the top of the page titled "Practical Radical Feminism" where radical feminist women have written about all the amazing and many real life things they have done for women.

But I'm right there with you. Thanks for the inspiration. :)

Hugs,
Heart

Anonymous said...

Work it. :D

Pippa said...

Why, Thanks you women! It's good to hear that we are thinking alike. x

Anonymous said...

I'm with you!! Great speech, that - I think I'm probably in the same 'category'as you (I hate categories!) And I also do my bit and work very hard. All this devisive 'your kind on feminism doesn't count' sort of attitude just does not help.

Let's all just get on and do the job!! :D xx

Pippa said...

Hi Debs! Thanks, and welcome! I'll nip over and have a read!