The Girls Category
Tyaeda
Published
12/06/2014
I didn't know how I should title this blog. It's about feminism, and right above this, soon to be, wall of text, is a couple of options I can check off in order to add my blog to "the girls category". So fuck it.. I'll just use that.
I just skimmed through this gallery here, titled 19 People who think Feminism is for conquering men, and 19 times feminism went too far.http://www.ebaumsworld.com/pictures/view/84376533/
I totally admit. These are all absurd, and in some cases illegal and just completely fucked up. I don't... but I almost wish most of these dingy brods get to see what it's really like to be victimised because of their vaginas. This does not only give the feminist movement a bad name, and any self-respecting woman for that matter. It also steals focus away from real victims, and the real problem that affects women the world over.
I know this is ebaums, and I shouldn't take comments seriously, but some people actually voiced what they really thought about feminism - not just the idiots in this gallery. Among all of the jokes, and women hate, there were a few signs of respect and acknowledgement. So thanks goes out to you brave guys out there who are willing to voice their opinion without fear of judgement. I hope you continue to stand up for what you feel is right.
There was one such comment that did strike a nerve though... I think it's that nerve that all feminists have that makes them want to speak out against certain ideologies. The ideology in question was from a guy who said, "I agree with one school of feminist thought- That women should enjoy the same rights as men, but instead of trying to do everything men do, they should just be happy being women and doing what women do. This school of thought acknowledges that men and women are different and that they are good at different things."
Equality is a word derived from "equal" - meaning the same. Men and women are not the same. We have different body parts that do different things, and they need to stay that way in order to continue as a species. This is something I both accept and reject... but I especially do not like the "just be happy" part.
I was diagnosed with endometriosis a few years back. The doctor believes it was one of many negative side-effects of birth control - something I took in order to "be happy" as a woman. You see, a big part of what gave women freedom was the ability to choose between being a mother, or being something else, or both - whatever. It's my choice, it's a lot of women's choice, and having that choice is what it's all about. It's freedom - it gives us the equal opportunity and control as men have. Unfortunately now, I pay a price for that freedom - a freedom that I was told I was supposed to have. Endometriosis is extremely painful. For those of you who haven't googled it yet, it basically means that my uterus is deformed, and sometimes it swells up during an "attack", which it pushes on other organs and parts of my lady junk. The pain can get so bad that I vomit, lose my appetite, and develop temporary insomnia - not sleeping for the 2-3 days an attack can last. I've been hospitalized before, because the relief I needed only came in the form of an epidural. For those of you who don't know - that's a needle they put into your spine that makes everything from the waist down completely numb. It's typically given to women in labor.
"Just being happy being a girl" is not easy. I think in a lot of ways we got the shit end of the nature stick. Through history, and even in present day, women are severely oppressed in a lot of ways. Slavery is alive and well - in the sex trade. Although it runs more rampant in poor countries with lower political endorsement for human rights, it happens in our backyard too. Statistics in the western world still show that women are by far more likely to be the victim of sexual assault, domestic violence, and gender based legislation, than men are. Obviously these things happen to men too, but not nearly as much. There always seems to be at least one guy who likes to point that out every time the sexual harassment topic is brought up. But I look at it the same way as I look at cancer. Despite the fact that breast cancer affects both men and women. It's commonly considered a "women's health issue" simply because more women get it. It goes the other way too. Although some aging women naturally go bald, it' still called "male pattern baldness".
My illness has caused me to miss work. In fact most of the obstacles I face for being a girl become prevalent in my employment. I don't love my job, but I do it because the plant I work at pays significantly more than the average for this type of work, and is actually one of only a few companies in my area that has positions open in this type of work. The field I'm referring to is manufacturing in a heavy industrial setting. Not a place you typically find women. Although I'm an anomaly in this industry, this industry is all I know. It suits my aptitude, and it definitely pays the bills. I've been able to move up significantly in the last 3 years I've worked there, increasing my pay rate by over $5/hour in that amount of time. I went from heavy equipment operator, to inventory controller, and am now responsible for over $35 million + in product at any given time. I'd like to think I am successful. I know I'm a statistical outlier. However, I don't think I'm special.
I'm going to say it. I might regret it after, but here it goes. I believe the majority of women think/pretend they're a lot more weak/stupid/incapable than they really are. I think a lot of them mistake things like equality, strength, and freedom, for false entitlement. We think more about what we should have, and what we should be able to do, than what we already have access and ability to accomplish.
I'm not special, but I do serve as proof. I became what I am out of necessity, but it shows that it can be done. Ladies, the shackles are off, the door is open... I'm not saying we should be thankful to men for that. Having the same opportunities as our male counterparts should be a given. The door is open for many of us... we just can't expect to be carried over that threshold, nor have the door held open as we wait for the "ladies first" suggestion.
I speak to the unemployed women I know, and I suggest my field of work to them. I tell them how companies are looking to change their demographic for the sake of public relations and tax breaks, and if anything, we have a better chance getting into this field, and standing out in it, than men do. A few seem ambitious, but they usually put it on the bottom of the list, as plan B, or C, or even after the welfare runs out. Others listen to what I do for a living, and they see that it's male dominant, and they automatically assume that it's too physically difficult for them to do. I'm 5"4, 105-110lbs on a good day, and I can lift and carry at least 80lbs. Yeah, it's hard. It's not easy for anyone to carry 70 percent of their own weight. But despite this, there is not one aspect of my job that I couldn't do as well, and as efficiently as the men I work with. The only time my size was a factor was trying to purchase steel toed boots in my size. (I'm a 4.5 in mens). They make a lot of steel toed shoes in my size, but my job requires that I wear boots that go past my ankles and have metal torsos. It's outside too, so in the winter I need the ones that go half way up your shin and have thicker insulation. It's alright though. I get them special order.
It probably doesn't help women gain confidence in themselves when men feel the same as we do about our capabilities. I've had a superior actually come up and tell me that he told upper management to let me go on my first day. He literally took one look at me and decided in his mind that I wasn't cut out, and was only going to bring the rest of the crew down. The bar was set very low for me, but it wasn't necessary. I knew that guy, and many others like him were wrong, my resume said it, and I backed it up. I had to be conscious of that though. My crew did suffer at first because guys were stopping what they were doing to offer to help me. I took immediate offense. If they offered to help me, that meant they assumed I needed it. They assumed I was weak -at least that's how I saw it. I feel bad for getting so defensive now. I think a lot of those guys were raised in a way that to show respect to women is to be really nice to them, and hold the door open like a gentlemen.
I had to find the right balance. I didn't want to offend the guys by "out-doing" them. And I didn't want to piss people off by not doing my share of the work. I had to sit and explain it to some people. "I'm getting paid the same as you, to do the same work as you. I'm here for the same reason you are - to pay the bills". It took a while before people started to realise that this is my intended field of work, and that I wasn't just doing this while I waiting for a job to open up at the local nail salon. Things are good now though.
The guys have more than just accepted that they were wrong about me - they accepted me as not only an equal, but in some cases a superior who they ask for help (now that I'm in charge of inventory). It's strange to see the people around you change while you're just there the same as you always were. It's just a job - it's what I do and have always done. It's normal to me. Now it's normal for the guys I work with too. I'm sure there's still a few who have deeply rooted feelings and opinions about what a women should be, and do with her life. That's their problem. They're not paying my bills, and I'm certainly not about to ask them to.
See, I think equality means to be the same. In the case of gender equality, it means to denounce everything it means to be either a man or a woman, and not let gender define anyone other than biologically. I have a job. Not a man's job - just a job. I wear clothes - not man clothes or girl clothes - just clothes. I have hair (sometimes), and it's not a girl's style, or a boy's style. I am a female, I can't say that I'm not. I can't say I'm exactly the same as a man, because I have a vagina, and that vagina adds pros and cons to my life that someone with a penis does not experience.
But that's it.
I just skimmed through this gallery here, titled 19 People who think Feminism is for conquering men, and 19 times feminism went too far.http://www.ebaumsworld.com/pictures/view/84376533/
I totally admit. These are all absurd, and in some cases illegal and just completely fucked up. I don't... but I almost wish most of these dingy brods get to see what it's really like to be victimised because of their vaginas. This does not only give the feminist movement a bad name, and any self-respecting woman for that matter. It also steals focus away from real victims, and the real problem that affects women the world over.
I know this is ebaums, and I shouldn't take comments seriously, but some people actually voiced what they really thought about feminism - not just the idiots in this gallery. Among all of the jokes, and women hate, there were a few signs of respect and acknowledgement. So thanks goes out to you brave guys out there who are willing to voice their opinion without fear of judgement. I hope you continue to stand up for what you feel is right.
There was one such comment that did strike a nerve though... I think it's that nerve that all feminists have that makes them want to speak out against certain ideologies. The ideology in question was from a guy who said, "I agree with one school of feminist thought- That women should enjoy the same rights as men, but instead of trying to do everything men do, they should just be happy being women and doing what women do. This school of thought acknowledges that men and women are different and that they are good at different things."
Equality is a word derived from "equal" - meaning the same. Men and women are not the same. We have different body parts that do different things, and they need to stay that way in order to continue as a species. This is something I both accept and reject... but I especially do not like the "just be happy" part.
I was diagnosed with endometriosis a few years back. The doctor believes it was one of many negative side-effects of birth control - something I took in order to "be happy" as a woman. You see, a big part of what gave women freedom was the ability to choose between being a mother, or being something else, or both - whatever. It's my choice, it's a lot of women's choice, and having that choice is what it's all about. It's freedom - it gives us the equal opportunity and control as men have. Unfortunately now, I pay a price for that freedom - a freedom that I was told I was supposed to have. Endometriosis is extremely painful. For those of you who haven't googled it yet, it basically means that my uterus is deformed, and sometimes it swells up during an "attack", which it pushes on other organs and parts of my lady junk. The pain can get so bad that I vomit, lose my appetite, and develop temporary insomnia - not sleeping for the 2-3 days an attack can last. I've been hospitalized before, because the relief I needed only came in the form of an epidural. For those of you who don't know - that's a needle they put into your spine that makes everything from the waist down completely numb. It's typically given to women in labor.
"Just being happy being a girl" is not easy. I think in a lot of ways we got the shit end of the nature stick. Through history, and even in present day, women are severely oppressed in a lot of ways. Slavery is alive and well - in the sex trade. Although it runs more rampant in poor countries with lower political endorsement for human rights, it happens in our backyard too. Statistics in the western world still show that women are by far more likely to be the victim of sexual assault, domestic violence, and gender based legislation, than men are. Obviously these things happen to men too, but not nearly as much. There always seems to be at least one guy who likes to point that out every time the sexual harassment topic is brought up. But I look at it the same way as I look at cancer. Despite the fact that breast cancer affects both men and women. It's commonly considered a "women's health issue" simply because more women get it. It goes the other way too. Although some aging women naturally go bald, it' still called "male pattern baldness".
My illness has caused me to miss work. In fact most of the obstacles I face for being a girl become prevalent in my employment. I don't love my job, but I do it because the plant I work at pays significantly more than the average for this type of work, and is actually one of only a few companies in my area that has positions open in this type of work. The field I'm referring to is manufacturing in a heavy industrial setting. Not a place you typically find women. Although I'm an anomaly in this industry, this industry is all I know. It suits my aptitude, and it definitely pays the bills. I've been able to move up significantly in the last 3 years I've worked there, increasing my pay rate by over $5/hour in that amount of time. I went from heavy equipment operator, to inventory controller, and am now responsible for over $35 million + in product at any given time. I'd like to think I am successful. I know I'm a statistical outlier. However, I don't think I'm special.
I'm going to say it. I might regret it after, but here it goes. I believe the majority of women think/pretend they're a lot more weak/stupid/incapable than they really are. I think a lot of them mistake things like equality, strength, and freedom, for false entitlement. We think more about what we should have, and what we should be able to do, than what we already have access and ability to accomplish.
I'm not special, but I do serve as proof. I became what I am out of necessity, but it shows that it can be done. Ladies, the shackles are off, the door is open... I'm not saying we should be thankful to men for that. Having the same opportunities as our male counterparts should be a given. The door is open for many of us... we just can't expect to be carried over that threshold, nor have the door held open as we wait for the "ladies first" suggestion.
I speak to the unemployed women I know, and I suggest my field of work to them. I tell them how companies are looking to change their demographic for the sake of public relations and tax breaks, and if anything, we have a better chance getting into this field, and standing out in it, than men do. A few seem ambitious, but they usually put it on the bottom of the list, as plan B, or C, or even after the welfare runs out. Others listen to what I do for a living, and they see that it's male dominant, and they automatically assume that it's too physically difficult for them to do. I'm 5"4, 105-110lbs on a good day, and I can lift and carry at least 80lbs. Yeah, it's hard. It's not easy for anyone to carry 70 percent of their own weight. But despite this, there is not one aspect of my job that I couldn't do as well, and as efficiently as the men I work with. The only time my size was a factor was trying to purchase steel toed boots in my size. (I'm a 4.5 in mens). They make a lot of steel toed shoes in my size, but my job requires that I wear boots that go past my ankles and have metal torsos. It's outside too, so in the winter I need the ones that go half way up your shin and have thicker insulation. It's alright though. I get them special order.
It probably doesn't help women gain confidence in themselves when men feel the same as we do about our capabilities. I've had a superior actually come up and tell me that he told upper management to let me go on my first day. He literally took one look at me and decided in his mind that I wasn't cut out, and was only going to bring the rest of the crew down. The bar was set very low for me, but it wasn't necessary. I knew that guy, and many others like him were wrong, my resume said it, and I backed it up. I had to be conscious of that though. My crew did suffer at first because guys were stopping what they were doing to offer to help me. I took immediate offense. If they offered to help me, that meant they assumed I needed it. They assumed I was weak -at least that's how I saw it. I feel bad for getting so defensive now. I think a lot of those guys were raised in a way that to show respect to women is to be really nice to them, and hold the door open like a gentlemen.
I had to find the right balance. I didn't want to offend the guys by "out-doing" them. And I didn't want to piss people off by not doing my share of the work. I had to sit and explain it to some people. "I'm getting paid the same as you, to do the same work as you. I'm here for the same reason you are - to pay the bills". It took a while before people started to realise that this is my intended field of work, and that I wasn't just doing this while I waiting for a job to open up at the local nail salon. Things are good now though.
The guys have more than just accepted that they were wrong about me - they accepted me as not only an equal, but in some cases a superior who they ask for help (now that I'm in charge of inventory). It's strange to see the people around you change while you're just there the same as you always were. It's just a job - it's what I do and have always done. It's normal to me. Now it's normal for the guys I work with too. I'm sure there's still a few who have deeply rooted feelings and opinions about what a women should be, and do with her life. That's their problem. They're not paying my bills, and I'm certainly not about to ask them to.
See, I think equality means to be the same. In the case of gender equality, it means to denounce everything it means to be either a man or a woman, and not let gender define anyone other than biologically. I have a job. Not a man's job - just a job. I wear clothes - not man clothes or girl clothes - just clothes. I have hair (sometimes), and it's not a girl's style, or a boy's style. I am a female, I can't say that I'm not. I can't say I'm exactly the same as a man, because I have a vagina, and that vagina adds pros and cons to my life that someone with a penis does not experience.
But that's it.
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