Five Things Feminism Has Done For Me, or, Gee Thanks, Joe

Tag, I'm it - I have to write up Five Things Feminism Has Done For Me after being tagged by blogger extraordinaire Joe Calgary.

First off, I have to echo Joe in saying that the Harper government is *not* anti-woman, and it makes the Left look silly anytime someone claims that it is. It's like when gays suggest Harper has declared "war on gays" - it's just dumb.

That said, here goes, with five things feminism has done for me.

1. Failed me completely: The idea that women should not be evaluated based on looks is a failure - in fact, things have gotten far, far worse than when feminism became a popular American (ie. Western) idea: a) women are sexualized much earlier in life, and b) boys have the same self-image problems today that girls do (though many feminists would never admit such). Young men are now just as insecure and unhappy with themselves as young women. Too bad.
2. Devalued motherhood: I can think of few careers I'd like more than being a mother - I'm a very maternal person and I like to raise kids. What the hell is wrong with being a mom? Feminists regard it with scorn - rather than demanding that motherhood be recognized as a priority career to society, they have made stay-at-home moms feel empty and unfulfilled, when in fact I can't think of a better way to be fulfilled. A major, catastrophic miscalculation on their part, with poor consequences for women (See 3)
3. Made me sympathetically unhappy for my mom: See 2. Feminism was preached to America (ie. the West) by feminists who had no children and had no sentiment or value for or understanding of women who did, and treated those women with children with condescending pity - they were "missing out on life". We all have goals in life that usually co-incide with our talents - my dad never wanted to be anything other than a farmer, and my mom never wanted anything but to have a family. Feminism made sure she would feel she should have worked herself to death raising kids AND having a "real" career.
4. Disappointed me with its hypocrisy: Far, far, far too few "feminists" are willing to speak out against medieval-era anti-women attitudes found in some certain immigrants from non-Western cultures. It's wrong to say "Miss" or "Missus" if you're Anglospheric, but refusal to take orders from a woman gets a pass if you're from, say, Sri Lanka (which is not to suggest all Sri Lankans are anti-women). (Note: Happily, some feminists *are* happy to take on this idiocy)
5. Made me excited: My good friend and neighbour Judith is 9 years old and we hang out at least once a week. She turns over new ideas for her future all the time, more than I ever did when I was 9, and I'm really excited for what lies in store for her in the future.

I *am* a feminist, and won't take up the space/time to go into a long litany of why/how. But 1960s-onward feminism has been promoted by bourgoise intellectuals out of touch with real, ordinary women's lives.