I’m a cis male and I believe in the importance of feminism, but I hesitate to call myself a feminist because it seems like there is a presumption of understanding women’s experiences as if I was part of the Me Too movement. In some binary sense given how hateful and shitty men can be I’m absolutely a feminist, but I wouldn’t declare myself to be one. What is your standpoint?

  • Evkob (they/them)@lemmy.ca
    4·
    3 days ago

    Steinem worked with the CIA to promote reactionary propaganda and helped direct the women’s liberation movement into a corporate-friendly, anti-socialist direction.

    Source: Jacobin

    They didn’t imply feminism is a CIA initiative, but the CIA definitely worked with her to influence the feminist movement.

    • t3rmit3@beehaw.org
      7·
      3 days ago

      Sure, because they cared about controlling the direction of the political movement, same way they influenced the Civil Rights movement. But once again, unless they are implying that the definition of feminism as offered by Steinem, quoted above, is part of a CIA influence op, or tainted by their influence, then what’s the point of bringing that up?

      • BanMeFromPosting@lemmy.ml
        1·
        2 days ago

        To have a conversation? To get further insight into how a person thinks? To gain understanding? To talk about the ideological framework through which the person views the world, and hopefully gain some perspective out of that talk?

        • t3rmit3@beehaw.org
          2·
          2 days ago

          If they truly intended it to be a neutral question, then they used a particularly bad choice of phrasing.

          Most people understand the CIA is a tool of imperialist violence/authority, but framing that as “how does it feel to x” is clearly a condemnation of the association being pointed out, which in this case would only matter if that association itself in some way taints the topic it was brought up in response to… I.e. the definition of feminism by Steinem.