Feminism was until very recently a uniquely western idea. Born from the ideas of equality, the enlightenment and reformation it had no parallel in Africa, Asia, or most tribal cultures. In the west feminism has gone thru 4 waves.
The first wave
The first dealt with the right to vote for women, men and those without land. Those on the Government payroll, Judges, teachers and Indians were still excluded from voting. The first wave worked for 95% of the population and the corporatist agenda as well. Mostly a white womens struggle because “the west” was 95% white.
The second wave
The second dealt with equal pay. Also in line with the corporatist agenda of putting more to work and commodifying our economy breaking familial relationships and enslaving us all. But who can argue with equal pay for equal work. The fact it served the needs of the rich by increasing the labour pool and suppressing wages was just a handy by product. Also a white women’s struggle as the “west” was still mostly white.
The third wave
The third dealt with intersectionality. Starting in the seventies North America opened its borders to mass non european immigration. Bans of immigration had been in place due to smallpox but it was eradicated. With a declining birth rate, an organized well educated, highly unionized population the ruling class focused on mass immigration from countries without democratic traditions to break unions and drive down the cost of labour. It worked. With the rise of a landless coloured immigrant class, disadvantaged by their abundance, racial quota professors started asserting the problems were the intersection of a whole host of problems that kept people down. They were right.
The fourth wave
The fourth wave fell flat on its privileged face. With the rise of social media, the monitoring and manipulation of movements thru its use the movement was essential derailed. Lacking a clear ideological center it was easy for focused industrialists to introduce the ideas of Wokeness and identity politics, “#fell for it“, all reinforced with twitter and face-book shaming.
On the fourth waves watch Evangelicals have gained control of the Supreme Court and Roe vs Wade was overturned. Internal squabbles by this essential movement only drive us closer and faster to a religious theocratic state.
Organizational Failure
A wonderful article about the tyranny of structureless-ness. Although written for the feminist movement in the seventies it applies to my experience in business, why the fourth wave flounders and the green party as well. Jo Freemans essay can be found here
A Bad Feminist
Margaret Atwoods essay here
A Bad Muslim women
Funny eh! Insensitive, Intolerant, Islamaphobic, misogynist all in one. And I did not capitalize women, what a give away.
Dear Muslim Women
Stop whining, will you. Yes, yes, I know you had your genitals mutilated with a razor blade, and . . . yawn . . . don’t tell me yet again, I know you aren’t allowed to drive a car, and you can’t leave the house without a male relative, and your husband is allowed to beat you, and you’ll be stoned to death if you commit adultery. But stop whining, will you. Think of the suffering your poor Spanish sisters have to put up with.
Only this week; do you know what happened? A man, the womens coach, kissed her after she won the world cup, not just a peck on the cheek but a full blown lip kiss. I am not exaggerating. He really did. He did not ask, but after she gave him a hug of joy, he kissed her, on the lips! Well she would have none of that, she did not say yes, and he did not get a signed release / permission slip. but even so . . .
And you, Muslim women think you have misogyny to complain about! For goodness sake grow up, or at least grow a thicker skin.
Paraphrased from Richard Dawking Blog comment (2011-07-02), Regarding the Rebecca Watson elevator incident.