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Clarifying Differences of Feminism and Pseudo-Feminism
Clarifying Differences of Feminism and Pseudo-Feminism: We are in the year 2023 in the twenty-first century, and the world is constantly changing. Innovation, technology, and sciences are taking humanity to new heights. The fundamental concept of humanity is undergoing a major transformation, and this time it is all about equality, gender equality, and justice for everyone. The age-old sex discussion continues, and people are constantly arguing over male and female supremacy, and the environment has recently been tainted by specific events and situations. The latest feminism discussion and issue fascinates us. Any ordinary and decent man, by all accounts, understands the meaning of feminism and appreciates and supports it entirely.
Basic Understanding of Feminism and Pseudo-Feminism
In this situation, a few rotten eggs ruin the basket, and pseudo-feminist tarnishes the actual meaning of feminism. If you look it up in a dictionary, Feminism (n) is defined as “an ideology that emphasises the equality of women’s social, political, and other rights with those of men.” Emphasis should be on the term ‘equal’ here. According to the definition, neither gender should be discriminated against. However, a new feminist movement has emerged recently, aptly dubbed pseudo-feminism. Pseudo feminists have such a strong desire to right the wrongs done to women, usually by striking out and demeaning males.
Pseudo-feminist distributes misinformation, engages in victimisation, and, to some extent, equates “feminism” with misandry. Another type of pseudo-feminist, in my opinion, is feminism of convenience. The most egregious example is males who pay for dates. How is it that a restaurant bill can’t be shared between the two of us if we’re as equal as we pretend to be? The explanation is simple: males are too obstinate to let a woman pay, thus it falls to the guy to foot the bill for a few women. We may not notice it at times, yet pseudo-feminism is always there, lurking beneath the surface of feminism.
What is Feminism?
Feminism has always been about equal rights and opportunity for men and women. Individual rights, regardless of gender, are being fought for. In layman’s terms, this indicates that no gender must be treated unfairly. However, a new sort of feminism known as pseudo-feminist has recently emerged. Pseudo-feminists have a strong desire to right all of the injustices against women, which are frequently perpetrated by lashing and degrading males. But they overlooked the most important aspect of feminism: EQUALITY.
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Scope of Feminism
Feminism is a highly regarded force, a political movement, and a philosophy that promotes gender, political, social, personal, and communal equality. Feminism is the belief that society favours male viewpoints and that women are treated unfairly in such settings. Gender stereotypes must be challenged, and women and men must have equal academic and employment possibilities. The feminist movement continues to push for women’s rights including the right to vote, hold public office, work, receive equal pay and close the gender pay gap, and have equal rights in marriage, among other things. Feminists also seek to protect girls and women from rape, sexual harassment, and domestic abuse by ensuring lawful access to legal abortions and social integration.
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The feminist theory, which sprang from the feminist movement, tries to explain the concept of gender inequality by looking at women’s social responsibilities and experiences. It has created ideas in a number of methods to address gender issues. Feminism is “a movement promoting equal rights for women” as said in the Oxford English Dictionary. It is a fight for women’s empowerment in order to build a society with equal gender relations. Until the 1970s, no one had ever studied the place of women in histories or other subjects at a school or college, whether it’s in the civilized economies or in the developing world. However, by the end of the 20th century, the tale of women’s participation and mobility had become ubiquitous.
Four Waves of Feminism
Although not without problems, the wave metaphor is by far the most prevalent description for feminism’s movements. It has the potential to oversimplify a complex history of values, beliefs, and individuals that are frequently at odds with one another. With this abstraction, one may believe that feminism’s history follows a simple path. The reality is far more complicated. There are several sub-movements that are expanding on (and battling against) one another. The ‘wave’ metaphor is something that is widely used among academics and it an accepted adjective. Hence we will follow the same way here. However, the ‘wave’ metaphor doesn’t explain the entire tale, but it does assist to sketch it out. There have been four waves to this.
First Wave of Feminism:
The first wave, which occurred in the late 1800s, was not the first manifestation of feminist principles, and this was the first significant political movement in the Western world. Mary Wollstonecraft’s groundbreaking “Vindication of the Rights of Woman” got published in 1792. Around 200 ladies gathered at a church in 1848. They drafted 12 resolutions in which they demanded particular rights, namely the ability to vote. The feminists of early era were also vocal regarding their reproductive rights. In 1920, after decades of feminist campaigning, Congress ratified the 19th amendment, granting women the right to vote. It had been over years since New Zealand emerged as the first country in the world to allow women to vote.
Second Wave of Feminism:
During the 1960s and 1970s, the second-wave feminism first started to emerge. While based on first-wave feminism it necessarily questioned the position and role of a women within the society from a socio-historic point of view. Activists concentrated on the institutions that kept women behind, inspired by the Civil Rights movement and anti-Vietnam War rallies. This necessitated a closer examination of the reasons behind women’s oppression. Traditional gender and family responsibilities were also called into question. Queer theory grew in popularity. The Equal Pay Act, 1963 and Roe v. Wade in 1973, and other Supreme Court rulings were also key successes during this time.
Radical Feminism, Mainstream/liberal Feminism, and Cultural Feminism developed as the three primary forms of feminism. Mainstream feminism emphasized structural improvements, such as minimizing gender discrimination, allowing women admittance to male-dominated sectors, and advocating for equality.
Third Wave of Feminism:
Women had increased rights and power in the 1990s as a result of second-wave feminism’s institutional achievements. This was a period of reclamation. Eve Ensler’s The Vagina Monologs, the Guerilla Girls, and punk rock riot grrls are all cultural touchstones. Many women exhibited their sexuality more openly in the way they spoke, attired, and acted. This perplexed many 2nd-wave feminists, who had previously opposed conventional femininity. During this period, various ideas and mini-movements circulated, but there was only one “rule”: there were no rules. The primary emphasis of all the activities were centric to the thought that A woman, like any other individual, must be able to have her liberty to choose exactly how she wishes to conduct her own life.
Race became more prominent in third-wave feminism. Kimberle Crenshaw, gender and critical race researcher in 1989, came up with the term “intersectionality.” It defines how many forms of oppression, like gender or ethnicity based have interacted with one another.
Fourth Wave of Feminism:
Some argue that we’re in the the third wave of feminism, because the fourth wave was not so much a transition as it is the movement’s continuing expansion. Many feel we’re in the midst of a new wave, thanks to the #MeToo movement and a rise of attacks on women’s rights. Social media campaigning has catapulted the cause into the digital era. It expands on the third wave’s emphasis on inclusion by asking tough questions as to what independence, equality, and freedom mean in practice. Intersectionality is still a concern for fourth-wave feminism.
What is Psuedo-Feminism?
Pseudo-feminists are those who don’t understand the idea of feminism and look for indications of injustices and brutality especially when there aren’t any. Pseudo feminism is concerned with women’s dominance and men’s hostility. Pseudo Feminism asserts that either women or persons of the other sexes are deserving of respect. The worst aspect that some individuals have done to the term feminism is to live in a culture wherein women confront several hurdles on a daily basis. Pseudo feminists aspire to establish a society where only women may rule. On social media, almost no one knows what feminism is, therefore they become Pseudo feminists.
Men like US President Donald John Trump and Harvey Weinstein, who have acted like bullies while in power and are responsible for destroying a woman’s soul while she is still alive, haven’t helped the powerful men’s cause. For each and every Weinstein and Trump, there are thousands of men throughout the world who are admired, looked up to, who believe in equality and fairness. Men aren’t twisted or bad only because they don’t scream and yell about the #MeToo movement from the tops of buildings. Humanity continues to remain alive, and many good men will die to preserve a woman’s honor and always will fight for legitimate causes such as women’s suffrage.
Examples of psuedo-feminism
Bois Locker Room
The most hotly debated case in 2020 was indeed the ‘Bois Locker Room Case,’ in which a slew of feminists took to various venues to demand justice for a young woman who was threatened with gang-rape. Instagram (a social networking platform) was bombarded with screenshots depicting a bunch of random males attempting to sexually abuse a specific female and making unethical comments about numerous other ladies. They were inserted at random and were aimed towards a certain group of females.
Following the police inquiry, the detectives discovered that the report was false, and the girl who circulated it said that she did it to see the boy’s character and seek fame. As a result of social pressures, fake news all around the media and on major networks, and threatening hundreds of calls, the boy that was under investigative process committed suicide caused by social pressure due to the whole negative news against him. Later thereafter, the hashtags #fakefeminism and #shame became popular on social media.
Zomato Delivery Guy
In March 2021, a clip of a fashion influencer crying and expressing her tale of being abused by a Zomato delivery person went viral. She claimed that the Zomato delivery man became enraged when she refused to accept an order which was not delivered on time, and that he punched her in the nose as a result of his rage. Feminists were upset by the video, and they began mocking and commenting about the delivery man. The Zomato organization reacted quickly, and the delivery man’s work was suspended. Subsequently, the Zomato delivery person said that he was late bringing the order because of traffic as well as the woman.
Instead of arguing with him, she began striking him, and he shoved her back in self-defense. After injuring herself with her ring, she posted an Instagram video more about the phony physical assault she received from the Zomato delivery man. The beauty influencer used social media to play the victim card in order to attract followers and attention.
Woman Throwing Bleach on Man’s Lap
The most shocking incident occurred in Russia, when a young woman sprayed bleach on a guy’s lap after becoming upset even though she had no chair to sit on and the man refused to provide her a seat. She dubbed it ‘MAN-SPREADING,’ and it went viral on social media and across all news networks in no time. Her actions were completely unjustified.
Demarking Feminism and Psuedo Feminism
We must treat all victims equitably if true feminism was implemented. Victims will no longer be female or male, but merely abuse victims. Regrettably, this isn’t the case. Men can’t be raped, guys can’t be tortured, and men who say to have been subjected to such atrocities are lying con artists, according to pseudo-feminism.
Pseudo-feminism is a phrase used to describe a subset of feminism that some people disagree with. The idea of feminism is frequently wrong and nasty. Believing and promoting a concept is one thing, but creating hatred and division in its name for no reason would only undo all the goodness that has already been done in its name.
Keyboard warriors refer to pseudo-feminists as “feminazis” on the Internet; these are people who don’t understand the idea of feminism and look for indications of unfairness and violence even when none exist. Pseudo-feminists have succeeded to mutilate the notion of feminism into a brand of man-hatred, looking for any chance to seek revenge rather than equality.
Men should no longer be instructed that sobbing is exclusive for girls, according to true feminism. Feminism began as a philosophy to provide women with opportunity and equal rights, neither more nor less than males.
Conclusion
Misandry is not feminism, and neither is hatred of males or females who want to dominate males in society. These are two different words that both men and women, in my opinion, have misconstrued. “Feminism” is perceived by society as a filthy word coined by enraged women with no genuine significance. In this age of social media, I believe we have lost sight of the fundamental meaning of feminism and have unwittingly conflated the two concepts. The fact is that most women have no understanding what feminism is, but that isn’t strictly their fault, considering that the word feminism has no meaning, and almost no one in social media realizes what feminism is really all about, so they all wind up being phoney feminists.
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