A Crash Course in Feminism Mk. II (or, why everyone should be a feminist)

[Mr Mystery]

Also - sole purpose of sex is reproduction?

This isn't Victorian England you know. Indeed, many anthropological studies kind of fly in the face of such an asinine statement. Sex in humans is an important part of bonding.

If it wasn't, we wouldn't be predisposed to being emotionally upset when a partner knocks boots with someone else.

[40kGamer]

Also - sole purpose of sex is reproduction?

This isn't Victorian England you know. Indeed, many anthropological studies kind of fly in the face of such an asinine statement. Sex in humans is an important part of bonding.

If it wasn't, we wouldn't be predisposed to being emotionally upset when a partner knocks boots with someone else.

I've never figured out why no male pill is available... and sex is about way more than reproduction. I strongly suspect that technology will ultimately settle the issues with me and thee and baby make three but who knows when that will happen. Governments do tend to get in the way of cloning and genetic manipulation.

[Mr Mystery]

I've never figured out why no male pill is available... and sex is about way more than reproduction. I strongly suspect that technology will ultimately settle the issues with me and thee and baby make three but who knows when that will happen. Governments do tend to get in the way of cloning and genetic manipulation.

Not in the UK. Parliament just approved 'three parent' sprogs.

[Charon]

Even when it comes to contraception, the onus is on the woman not to get pregnant. Available methods show that.

Men? Jubber Rays or Vasectomy are it. Just the two options, and culturally we're told Dunkies are kind of optional.

Women? Off the top of my head.... The pill, the morning after pill, the coil, diaphragm, tubes cut, implant. Three of those muck about with the natural biology of the woman, and are not without risk because of that.

Onus is clearly 'don't get pregnant' rather than 'don't impregnate'

I see the point you want to make but you are barking at the wrong tree here.
There are an awful lot of pharma labs who try to create a reliable contraception for men since decades.
Does not work smoothly. Everything they did come up with so far is either highly damaging (and I am not talking about pill level damaging), permanent or unreliable. They actually try hard because they smell money in the air.
As far as I am informed they are pretty close to a vacc you have to get every other year (which means that you cant change your mind a long time) but this one is promising... they just try to get the high probability of impotency down to a more reasonable level.

As a man, if you don't want to have kids.....don't sleep around.

Isn't that exactly what society tells women? If you don't want to get pregnant just don't sleep around?
You see you are using the same rethoric.. that should be an indicator that this issue can't be solved "fair" for both parties.

[40kGamer]

I am the master of my own destiny, and ever since I twigged, I've put a boot up my own arse and just crashed on.

And I want that for everyone. Male, female, trans, cis, gay, bi, lesbian, straight, black, white, brown, Asian, green, blue, right wing, left wing. Religious, agnostic or atheist.

I want freedom of choice for all. I've had that all my life - just took me a while to realise the bad decisions were mine and mine alone.

The biggest problem with equality is that every single person has a different idea of what it even is... but still everyone having freedom of choice without other people getting in the way is a good generalization.

I still think the biggest hurdle is the horrendous wealth inequality. Like you I've been very good at mastering my own destiny but regardless of talent, hard work and opportunity I'll never reach the level of freedom for those born to billionaire parents. Being a white male is winning the scratch off for the life lottery rather than the mega millions jackpot!

- - - Updated - - -

Not in the UK. Parliament just approved 'three parent' sprogs.

Pretty cool and good for them!

[Mr Mystery]

Why should it be fair? Equality isn't about everything being completely even.

As touched on, I'm jammy enough to be above average intelligence. That opens up roads for me that are closed to someone not as lucky.

Here, equality would be equal opportunity to work with what the respective person has got. I can do precisely bugger all with my hands. I can make numbers dance for me, but can't cut a piece of wood to size to save my life. Equality would mean equal prominence given to all skill sets. I find what I do for a living embarrassingly easy, and I am well paid. A talented carpenter, plumber or Builder? Yeah not so much. They're less valued by society because reasons.

My natural talents were well suited to the general academic approach of British Comprehensive Education. I may have buggered about a lot but again that's down to me. Someone more inclined to manual jobs? Left to rot.

Equality goes as far as opportunity. That's as far as it can go. That we have certain programmes to assist specific ethnic backgrounds speaks volumes about how far short of equality we are. In an ideal world, we wouldn't need positive discrimination - a seeming oxymoron that exists solely because of massive amounts of discrimination in society. Guess which one needs to go first?

[Mr Mystery]

This may cross with another post. Started writing this with no reply to my previous post. Important I point that out and I'm sure you'll see why by the end of this one.

I for one am sick to bloody death of hearing white males claim they are in any way oppressed. We're not. That is utter, utter bollocks.

Women are oppressed. Evidence is everywhere. They're treated as lesser citizens than men. Yes things have gotten a lot, lot better in recent decades, but massive issues remain. I posted a link earlier about how despite out stripping boys in the areas needed to be a good engineer, an embarrassingly low percentage of engineering jobs are held by women. They make up just over half of the population, but by comparison are barely represented in the top jobs, including government. Just look at how female politicians are discussed in the media. UK Cabinet had a shake up during the current term, and various women were appointed to good positions. One of our more embarrassing newspapers, The Daily Mail treated their arrival at Downing Street as a fashion parade. Women are more likely to be murderd or assaulted. If women are angry, they're told they're just being hysterical or overreacting. They're told to calm down.

Ethnic minorities are oppressed. Look at shootings in the U.S. Look at the expectation of young black men in the UK (overly sexualised, hyper masculine).

It doesn't matter where you feel the oppression stems from. If each of us took the time to step back and genuinely assess if we are part of the problem, and listened to those who are oppressed and held back and discriminated against about such things we'd be a lot closer to solving issued that have always plagued society.

And when it comes to tales of woe, it's not a dick measuring contest. Help your fellow human beings to overcome their own personal trials and demons, and you'll find many of your own go way with theirs. I know this from personal experience. Despite my so far pretty blessed existence, some really heavy stuff has happened to me. But I don't compare hardship. I've helped my friends through dark time and they've helped me in turn. It's not always an equal balance, but the will is there. Imagine extending that approach to our entire world.... (Just realised I may have come across as some kind of messianic being. Not my intent. I'm just as much of a tosspot as the next man, but I try not to be!)

[Erik Setzer]

Eh. I'm early 30s, 6'3, not that great looking, hazel eyed, definitely above average intelligence... and I can't stop the bloody hurdles coming. Oh sure, I clear them. But I've had to bust my butt to make it anywhere, and all I seem to get for any amount of success is being despised for it, including from my own family. I've had to make a lot of enemies, at least short term (funny enough, a lot of them have actually become friends, or at least friendly acquaintances, long term), in order to get people to stop blocking me or actively trying to sabotage me or hurt me or the people around me.

Maybe that has tainted my view. I don't see this magical "open path" just because I'm a white Christian male. It's never existed for me. This concept that I should feel blessed because of skin color or gender is ridiculous, because they haven't helped me.

Similarly, I don't get the lasting feelings of hate and anger with people, or the feelings of helplessness. Again, maybe I just can't relate, because I did have to fight for things, and did so... but then, the people who claim they can't will just say I was privileged to be white or male or whatever, which is preposterous and offensive. And maybe it's just that I've rarely seen any kind of love so I feel like it's an important commodity, and so is optimism, whereas other people have an abundance of these things and take them for granted.

Oh, and those medical procedures to keep women from getting pregnant? Not a guarantee. My mom had one done... and then I was born. A magnificent example that birth control doesn't always work, even if you go to the extreme. Oh, sure, I suppose my folks could have been "progressive" and just had me snuffed out in the womb. One less mistake in the world. That's their right, correct? To fix the mistake of birth control not working by just reaching up in there and crushing me, or taking a pill to end my system working, and then yank the dead tissue out. But on the plus side, I wouldn't have had to go through any difficulties in life, right? So... hurray for abortion, rather than accepting the natural results of sex?

[daboarder]

Theres no point arguing erik, When people start justifying their own bigotry, justifying inequality against others and then go on and eventually justify their hatred of people based solely on those peoples skin colour and gender you know that they are full of **** and hypocrites.


Cant wait for the copy and pasted "Im allowed to hate you because I'm oppressed by other people not you"

[Path Walker]

definitely above average intelligence...

Well, I dunno about that