BPNFC: Feminism

First, I just want to clarify something from the last post; the part where I say:
"...understand the documentary, it is important to understand that plastic is not a necessary product, but is actually a social construct.  It is a material one, but a social construct nonetheless."
Was unclear to one reader, who stated:
“I don’t get how plastic is a social construct, you say it is but how exactly?  Because humans made it?”
To clarify:
“Precisely; before we started making plastic, it did not exist.  We needed culture to be able to create the product out of another material.  Plastic is highly toxic, especially when it starts breaking down, yet we continue to produce and use it.”

Lately, in between tasks, I have been skimming the Br Paul Noonan Formation Centre, Tamale blog.  While doing so, I have come across a few posts that I found tied in to WaPreGs vision.  Because of this, I thought I could write about those particular posts.  Today, I am writing about their post entitled “Feminism - Change we can believe in?”.  This particular post is a brief discussion of feminism.  Feminism is about equality, rather than division of power.  This can be seen in spirituality, philanthropy, as well as environmentalism.  The discussion is a concise, yet subtle call to action for moving towards a more responsible paradigm.

Reading the article, I feel torn.  First, I my understanding of feminism is somewhat different to that expressed in the blog post.  My understanding of feminism, simply put, is the various movements seeking gender equality.  These movements are tightly linked to other movements seeking equality, however there are distinct differences.  The author displays a similar understanding, the difference being that feminism is about equality across the board, not only gender-based.  Due to this minor conflict, I decided to check the Merriam-Webster dictionary for their definition of the term.  In this dictionary, feminism is defined as the multi-faceted equality of the sexes, as well as the movements related to this equality.  Confirming the definition now allows me to really review this post in a seemingly informed manner.  I do, however, want to make it clear that I do not in any way seek to denounce the given definition.  I do not know where the author is from, but it must be remembered that though the post was written in the same language as that in which I am writing, definitions can vary slightly by location.  The difference in our definitions are not fundamental differences, they are merely differences based on the relation to other forms of inequality.  The thing is, all forms of [in]equality are tightly linked.  Since this post was about feminism and WaPreG is about environmentalism, I will link the two.  These two -isms are tightly linked, as men created culture, which is superior to nature, of which women are a part.  Because of this, women are inferior to men (the logic of the dualism, not my opinion).  Having made the link, I will stop, as I do have a few articles I want to discuss at a later date that are related to this topic.

Another important aspect I must bring up before getting into the article, however, is the other part of the posts title, i.e. “Change we can believe in”.  It appears this slogan was a part of the Barack Obama presidential campaign.  The article author is not specified, so I do not know the perspective; then again, the post is more about how this slogan ties in with feminism, than about the campaign behind the slogan.  For me, the slogan is nothing more than empty words, unless you relate it to something and this article has related it to feminism and other struggles for equality.  Bringing up various problems from around the world (most of which are still around today, four years later), the author asks whether “we as a people and a society are really committed to change”.  Having spent some time in Ghana and continued my friendships between visits, I have come to see how this can be related to WaPreG.  I will not say more, however I do encourage you to take a look at what WaPreG is about, then to think about how you would see the relationship.  The reason I do not want to give my opinion is that I am but one person and I surely have many things wrong.  I seek to learn through WaPreG and I am confident that observations brought to the table will be crucial to WapreGs success.  Do you think we are ready “to be the change that we wish to see in the world?”

The post asks the reader “is it not time now for a whole new world order, a new world view where power, control, order, domination, patriarchy, war, aggression give way to empowerment, equality, humanity and dignity of all living things? Or are we content to languish and wallow in ‘more of the same?’”  Now, I will not discuss my personal views about the context of the question, but I will emphasize the importance of this question.  This question has been debated for so long, yet it seems there are always forces against it.  A strong force against this is apathy.  Apathy must be fought in any movement seeking change.  It is important to decrease apathy, by increasing dialogue and discussion about the issue, which then decreases ignorance about the issue and finally brings about change through action.

As stated in the post, feminism “requires a whole new way of seeing the world and everything in it”.  This is definitely something that can be related to WaPreG.  A new way of seeing the world was introduced with the culture of consumption.  If people want to take advantage of this culture, however, we must further develop our view of the world, so as to be responsible in and for our consumption.  This is not something that will be easy, as it requires discipline of the mind.  If we put our minds to it, though, it will actually be quite easy and in many cases, much easier than how things are at the moment.  One example I can give is the reduction, if not abolishment, of those mini landfills so many homes and communities around the country seem to have.  Instead, we can return to some traditional, environmentally responsible habits, through the use of those technologies we seek to utilize.  Many believe that Earth cares for us and in return, we must show her the same love and respect we show our mothers.  “What [environmentalism] seeks is true partnership for the care of the earth, true balance of its gifts, true integrity in its relationships. Without it we can never mend a universe distorted by force, given over to power, built on oppression and made the captive of might” (as stated in the post).

“Imagine! Believe! Become the change!”

In general, I found the post was well written and made great points.  Many movements related to equality of any sort will agree with and respect other equality movements, so linking feminism to other forms of inequality is crucial in peoples understanding of how everything is interlinked!

Finally, a quote by Matthew McConaughey:
There aren't many things that are universally cool, and it's cool not to litter. I'd never do it.