International Women's Day

[Obiwanshinobi]

Not exactly revered in a number of countries I could name, but wherever it is, boy, are we having a blast.

[Cagar]

Are you a woman?

[KAI]

Happy female human day.

[Skykid]

Happy male Botswanian tribal malice day.

[brentsg]

Are you a woman?

It's the shmups forum, this is not always an easy question to answer.

[Obiwanshinobi]

The forum is troubled indeed.

[Stormwatch]

Ladies, today is your day. The rest of the year is ours.

[Eno]

Ladies, today is your day. The rest of the year is ours.

What about the noncisprivileged folks?

[Obiwanshinobi]

Ladies, today is your day. The rest of the year is ours.

Kinda sums it up I'm afraid, but still, what do I have to prove by boycotting the day? Or by contesting free elections, funerals and the likes while we're at it. Just how cool would be either?

[Bananamatic]

Ladies, today is your day. The rest of the year is ours.

What about the noncisprivileged folks?

they can have the whole year on tumblr

[Ed Oscuro]

Tumblr is where people post their fantasy women pix, though.

Anyway, too much stuff about non-women peoples' problems, though, that makes me sad

Go tell your mom / girlfriend / wife / friend / somebody who you like who has some relationship with being female that you appreciate them! :3

[Mischief Maker]

Men who have a lot of sex are studs, women who have a lot of sex are sluts.

Society celebrates men for what they DO, society celebrates women for what they DON'T DO.

The feminist movement is incomplete.

[glitch]

Ladies, today is your day. The rest of the year is ours.

aw no, i missed it
364 days until the next one ( ._.)

[undamned]

They already have Mother's Day, what more do they want? [I kid, I kid!]
-ud

[spadgy]

The 'WOW' festival in London associated with International Women's Day seemed brilliant. It succeeded in filling much of the mainstream news here with discussion and debate around feminism (though arguably more in the media where they may have been 'preaching to the converted'). I heard a great piece on the radio about how Malala Yousafzai's talk at WOW has inspired loads of younger kids in attendance to consider feminism. Hearing young kids talk about realising how important gender equality is felt like a pretty promising foundation for a better future.

[Krooze L-Roy]

Oops! I was so busy preparing for Middle Name Pride Day, that I completely forgot about Women's Day.

[GaijinPunch]

Men who have a lot of sex are studs, women who have a lot of sex are sluts.

Society celebrates men for what they DO, society celebrates women for what they DON'T DO.

The feminist movement is incomplete.

My 2 yen
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Di_dqMWsp8

[Eaglet]

While equal rights and opportunities for everybody should be the standard, heading too far in either direction gets kind of weird.
I don't know how much the outside world knows of this but Swedish feminists have been sort of extreme in their ideas and what they're pursuing.
We're talking about "scientists" - who think Valerie Solanas actually had worthwhile ideas - getting government funding to research how gender is nothing but a social construct and biology has nothing to do with why women and men excel in different areas. Strong proponents of using affirmative action to get women in leadership positions of course.
Experience and performance shouldn't have anything to do with deciding who gets to lead, right?
No, what matters is what you've got between your legs. Striking irony to say the least.
These people are a definite majority in the media which gets pretty bizarre, considering how fringe their beliefs (because that's just what they are. Just like any other form of religion) are in relation to the opinions of the vast majority.
Political correctness is amusing when you see the same people who praised Idris Elba playing a norse god in Thor (so progressive!) pouring hate over Jared Leto playing a transgender person (how could they do this?! He's not transgender! So discriminating!) in Dallas Buyers Club.
The hypocrisy is amazing.

[Krooze L-Roy]

Equality movements always seem to evolve into supremacy movements. That's why it's a good idea to oppress the oppressable; otherwise they'll end up doing it to you.

[glitch]

uhm, no, actually that's why it's a good idea NOT to oppress the oppressable, so that they won't need to start an equality movement in the first place.

amen to what eaglet said though. equal opportunity, not counter-biased opportunity.
pretty sure equal opportunity would not result in equal male/female representation across all jobs, but why should that matter anyway...

[spadgy]

Equality movements always seem to evolve into supremacy movements. That's why it's a good idea to oppress the oppressable; otherwise they'll end up doing it to you.

I think its fair to say a fringe element of any movement can go to more extreme places (and of course, the more extreme end of any spectrum gets more attention, creating a potential misconception of its size/status), but I strongly disagree with any notion feminism in its entirety is evolving into a supremacy movement.

As for research into gender; if it's robust scientific research without prejudice about the potential outcome of its findings, surely its a good thing?

I do agree, of course, that aims for equality do have to be just that; about equality. And reaching an absolute equality could err into the territory of dominating both sexes. Always going to be a hard thing to implement.

I'm not informed enough though. Must read more!

[replayme]

Hearing young kids talk about realising how important gender equality is felt like a pretty promising foundation for a better future.

Must read more!

And that's where the brain-washing begins. I believed it too for the longest time...

With equal rights comes equal responsibility, with all its pitfalls (including owning up to one's own actions). All too often, I've seen women demand cake and eat it too. And this isn't helped by "feminised" men who believe the dogma, and who encourage behavior that sees them acting like white knights.

I personally think that "feminism" is a garbage philosophy that caters to organised groups who are self-seeking. Ask any "princess" as to what her opinion is, and she'll most likely tell you that she doesn't care, as long as she gets to nab her footballer and act the trophy housewife/whore.

Feminism is a rotten apple that eats itself from the inside out, and is a passport that enables women to act like bitches. And I'm not even going to go into "Radical Feminism" (or sites like Jezebel) which really are gender fascism ideologues cloaked in disguise...

[Xyga]

Boobs.

[Bananamatic]

all this internet equality slacktivism is the same shit(feminism, MRA, MGTOW, anything)
a few good points ruined by a load of made up bullshit ran by mostly bitter people and "progressive" teenagers on tumblr

feminism especially is incredibly offensive with the generalizing: i've never underestimated someone based on their gender or put them on a pedestal, yet they keep talking about "men" being rapists, all that "geek feminism" bullshit that we need to stop "fake geek girl shaming" and other shit as if everyone was doing it(and you need to become a feminist or you are a horrible misogynist)

for a normal person, if someone is being a dick at a con harassing cosplayers, they get kicked out and that's the end of it
for a feminist, this is misogyny, geekdom is not a "safe space" and you need to be a feminist too or you are supporting rape culture(insert more buzzwords if you wish)

[CIT]

As for research into gender; if it's robust scientific research without prejudice about the potential outcome of its findings, surely its a good thing?

Yes, that would be a good thing, but unfortunately most of gender studies is not at all based in "robust science", but in critical theory, without any sort of empirical basis, and a set of basic assumptions that are not challenged.

In fact, many people in gender studies even try to discredit science, by positing that science, like gender, is itself a social construct designed to keep the people with power in power.

[Eaglet]

.

This.
It's all just religious dogma.

Funny thing is how in my experience these people react the same way as fundamentalist religious people when you question their idea. They can't fathom how somebody could not agree with them - get irrationally stupid and agressive and come to the conclusion that he/she's good (because devout follower) and i'm evil (because heathen) and therefore any argument i make or anything i say doesn't matter and isn't worth listening to. Cause i don't follow the "right path".

[spadgy]

Hearing young kids talk about realising how important gender equality is felt like a pretty promising foundation for a better future.

Must read more!

And that's where the brain-washing begins. I believed it too for the longest time...

Reading and learning about things is a bad idea? Wow. To be clear, when I said 'must read more', I wasn't suggesting I do so with bias to one side of the argument. I was talking about trying to learn about the broader picture.

If you think reading equals brainwashing, are we to only learn about the world through direct experience? Should people not read books and news? I mean, we here read forums. (I do accept that there's an academic argument that all words carry bias in combination, and thus as you read anything it's worth baring that in mind).

As for the talk of feminism in a few posts here, I sense it's daft to talk about it as a singular movement with a singular goal. There are numerous kinds of feminism with many different priorities, and they are certainly not all compatible. There is good feminism and bad feminism. To make grand statements about it as a singular entity feels like a fruitless pursuit. Yes there's extremist feminists, but there's also very normal ones too. This idea that anyone who is feminist is a crazed extremist with a blinked perspective just seems irrational.

I have a fundamental belief that people of all genders should be treated with equality. That doesn't mean I'm saying all feminism is perfect, but neither is all of it awful.

Oh... and willies and boobs.

EDIT:

In fact, many people in gender studies even try to discredit science, by positing that science, like gender, is itself a social construct designed to keep the people with power in power.

That's a very interesting point I'd not considered...

Er... must read more!

(EDITS: Grammer.)

[replayme]

Hearing young kids talk about realising how important gender equality is felt like a pretty promising foundation for a better future.

Must read more!

And that's where the brain-washing begins. I believed it too for the longest time...

Reading and learning about things is a bad idea? Wow. To be clear, when I said 'must read more', I wasn't suggesting I do so with bias to one side of the argument. I was talking about trying to learn about the broader picture.

If you think reading equals brainwashing, are we to only learn about the world through direct experience? Should people not read books and news? I mean, we here read forums. (I do accept that there's an academic argument that all words carry bias in combination, and thus as you read anything it's worth baring that in mind).

As for the talk of feminism in a few posts here, I sense it's daft to talk about it as a singular movement with a singular goal. There are many numerous kinds of feminism with many different priorities, and they are certainly not all compatible. There is good feminism and bad feminism. To make grand statements about it as a singular entity feels like a fruitless pursuit. Yes there's extremist feminists, but there's also very normal ones too. This idea that anyone who is feminist is a crazed extremist with a blinked perspective just seems irrational.

I have a fundamental belief that people of all genders should be treated with equality. That doesn't mean I'm saying all feminism is perfect, but neither is all of it awful.

Oh... and willies and boobs.

No... I did learn all this stuff about Feminism at college - which was overly biased towards the "plight" of females (as it would be, considering the subject). Even you concede the biased nature of the argument. But feminism makes females appear angelic in nature, and therefore aids in the pedestalisation of women by men - especially in regards to being treated as the "weaker" sex.

And if there are many strands of feminism, I find there to be a contradiction when all of "feminism" is united under the umbrella of International Women's Day - itself implying a singular movement.

[Eaglet]

But why promote something that even calls itself "feminist" (the promotion of the female gender).
The logical end state of feminism is that the female gender is in power and privileged towards the male gender.
Its modern incarnation is a belief sprung out of hate, jealousy and a lust for revenge ("see how they treated us before, we'll show them now!").
Thus continuing what it sought out to counter in the beginning.

Why not try to reach a more tasteful solution of equality?
Equal rights and equal responsibility. Equal pay for equal work.
Meritocracy plz.

[replayme]

Equal rights and equal responsibility. Equal pay for equal work.
Meritocracy plz.

You can't have notions of "equality" and "equal pay"... Not when the majority of women still insist on men being the breadwinner, and when it's the guy who has to pay for dates.

That's why I say that feminism (as an ideological construct) is bullshit, which promotes the notion that women can have their cake and eat it too. And if equality encourages responsibility, the last thing women want is to take responsibility for their actions.

By and large, women want all the benefits of "equality", but none of the pitfalls.