This isn’t a slam on them by any means. Undergraduates rarely write anything creative or original. At the bachelor level, students need to master information and concepts. I imagine these young women thought, “Let’s try to dispel some stereotypes and enlighten others on campus. We’ll write an op-ed!”

Join me in playing, “Spot the feminist writer!”

Do you believe in equality? Do you believe that people should be able to make decisions about their own bodies? Do you believe that men and women should be paid the same? If you answered yes, you just might be a feminist.

Definitely third wave feminist. Possibly Valenti or Baumgardner. Making feminism accessible to the masses is the primary goal of third wave feminism.

Don’t be fooled by misleading rhetoric or trite myths. Despite recent press, real feminism is not dead. Feminism is not about sitting around complaining, it’s about choice and achieving equality. A feminist is simply someone who supports true equality for everyone. However, many stereotypes about feminism and feminists exist. To clear some things up, bras were not burned and feminists aren’t hairy Sasquatches intent on destroying men. The feminists of the 1960s and 1970s were known as second wave feminists, and some of these were “radical” due to the need for a revolt against the entrenched sexism and systematic oppression of women in that era. Indeed, many elements of that sexism still exist. But, the movement has changed, as have the people, creating the third wave. They place greater focus on multiculturalism, class differences, the role of racism, LGBT rights and the rights of women all over the world.

Again, third wave. This reads straight out of Manifesta or Full Frontal Feminism.

Sidebar: Feminists may not have burned bras, but that’s only because they could not get a permit to build a fire at the 1968 Miss America Protest in Atlantic City. Instead, they threw bras, falsies, makeup, curlers, (tokens of oppressed femininity) in to a garbage can. The term “bra burning” was mistakenly used in a press release and stuck. It’s a perception vs. reality situation.

Those anti-feminist myths are meant to distract people from the bigger picture of systematic oppression. We live in a system with an unequal balance of power. This hegemonic system is known as patriarchy in which women, minorities, LGBT folk, etc. comprise the subordinate groups. By distracting oppressed groups with insignificant issues or debates, we allow ourselves to ignore the issues really concerning feminists: domestic abuse and sexual assault, inequitable wages, human trafficking, feminization of poverty, reproductive freedom, discrimination and segregation in the workplace, and education. In such a system, no one wins.

This goes back to Simone de Beauvoir, Dworkin, Greer, Faludi, Firestone and Millet.

This paragraph made me laugh. So, there’s a conspiracy against women? Only it’s such a huge conspiracy that men don’t realize what they’re doing and women unknowingly raise their sons to perpetuate it? Why not just say fate is a cruel bitch and there’s nothing we can do? If that oppressive patriarchy didn’t exist, chances are neither Ms. Burns or Ms. Hogan would have had the choice to attend James Madison University nor the resources to pay for it. They would have taken tests early in their elementary days that determined the amount and type of resources that the state invested in them. They wouldn’t be able to fight for “equal rights” because that would send them immediately to the gulag. Furthermore, it’s the welfare policies of the Democratic party that caused the feminization of poverty. However, that’s another blog post for another day. If the system that they are referencing is the current system that they are living under, everyone wins. Everyone has the freedom and opportunity to do whatever they want and go as far as they want. Again, the evils of democracy are a terrible burden. The ability to re-hash everything you’ve ever learned in a women’s studies class is just wrong!

We must realize our personal actions have far-reaching consequences and are results of a larger system at work. When one woman is raped, it is not solely the rapist’s fault, but that man playing into society’s hyper-masculine role coupled with the overall devaluation and objectification of women. The combination of all institutions — the media, science, education, religion, advertising — devalues, objectifies and dehumanizes women. The process of stripping individuals of power transforms them into objects for male violence. In societies where women have higher social status and value, the occurrence of rape is much lower. Men are not inherently bad, but rather, the system of patriarchy is harmful for everyone. In fact, women usually indoctrinate their children into patriarchy. We all play roles within this system, which is why we must all take action.

Again de Beauvoir, Millet and lots of Brownmiller’s Against Our Will.

This also references the evil of capitalism and our society. They forget to point out that far more men are raped every year within the prison system than women. The 1 in 4 number of rape is developed by lumping rape, attempted rape and sexual harassment together. Thus, if you were cat-called by a construction worker or a guy said something inappropriate in a bar, you are grouped with real victims of rape.

I see a lot of mentions of the patriarchy, but how do we overcome it? The feminists have been fighting it for nearly 50 years. What’s the deal?If there is a problem with a system, suggest another one. Yet, they never do.

If one really wants to know what a feminist looks like, he or she should consider taking women’s studies courses and joining feminist organizations on campus such as CARE, NOW, Sister Speak, Her Two Cents or the Take Back the Night Coalition. Feminists are not a homogenous group with a monolithic doctrine but rather diverse individuals who believe in equal human rights for men and women with differing perspectives on how to achieve that goal. Both the stay-at-home mom and the Fortune 500 CEO can be feminists.

Third wave again, although I’d go with Baumgardner and Richards. They’re not as hostile towards stay-at-home moms

Apathy toward such rampant inequality has to end. We must stand strong in our convictions without compromising ourselves, or our ultimate pursuit of equality, on an issue much bigger than us. We must empower ourselves and one another, recognizing our actions and those of others as the deciding factor in whether or not we maintain this system. Awareness of our choices and the ability to choose what is right on an individual basis must be raised to a larger scale. Ultimately, we must ask ourselves, what do I want for myself, for my children and for the world? If equality is the answer, then you too can say, “This is what a feminist looks like.”

Assortment of third-wave writers all shouting “equality!” and “you go, girl!”

This piece shows several things:

1. The pedagogy of women’s studies programs does not exist to instill knowledge, history or concepts but to build an activist army. These aren’t independant thinkers trying to synthesize what they’ve learned in order to forge ahead in their own scholarship. The modern academy creates drones simply memorizing rote facts. Where is the critical thinking in this?
2. Because women’s studies programs are so insulated, the general public does not understand the philosophy behind this movement/philosophy/academic subject. This allows op-eds such as this one to narrowly define one side of the debate. It’s doubtful that any conservative young women on this campus are knowledgeable enough nor willing to debate this op-ed.

The second point is crucial. How many conservative women are familiar with feminist theories? Sure, we could probably all name Gloria Steinem and Betty Friedan as leading feminists, but any others? Six months ago I wouldn’t have been able to answer that. In order to defeat this or at least reign in the movement, we need to know the philosophy and the players. Feminists know who their enemies are they study them. We’re playing blind.