I'm not a feminist... but I believe in equality

     Feminist.

            In the United States of America, this word has a daunting connotation. These days nobody can get past seeing people use words such as Feminazi to describe ye man-haters and bra-burners who can't get through a conversation without becoming passionate and severely critical of trivial issues that remotely deal with gender. Another issue people take with the word is the limited application of feminist ideals to certain races and classes. "Modern Feminism", as some people put it, is insufficient.

            I'd like to propose the radical idea that it is not feminism which is insufficient, but mindsets. As an immigrant who moved to America well-past my understanding of the term feminism as well as its usage, American reactions to the word are simply shocking to me. An easy way to define the problem is, well, its definition itself. To put it in perspective, before I moved here, nobody would ask anyone, "Are you a feminist?", because a response of no to that would imply that you are against equal rights for all genders. In other words, it is unthinkable for you to be a modern man or woman with ideals for equality, and not be a feminist. The history of such a term is not limited to this country. It is not limited to a single race. It is not limited to a single social label either. The simple solution would be to broaden your view of feminism. See the struggle for feminism in other countries, in other forms which continue today and probably will for a painstakingly long time. 

             Before I moved to blissful first-world living in this country, I lived in a place where rape culture is rampant, rape culture is real, women discouraged and demoralized are real, and equality is a dream far from reality. A surprising, not-very-surprising idea is that American women, too, are discriminated against, but in a way which is deeply rooted in society. Is there a problem? Short and simple: Yes. Is it comparable to a third-world country? Probably not. Which leads to the second problem—the idea that feminism is unnecessary, at least in America. 

No, just privileged and a little blind.

               Now, this can be diagnosed as the perspective of the privileged. If you believe that you are not discriminated against, good for you. Just because it snows in New York does not mean that the planet is not heating up. Just because you live a privileged lifestyle does not mean sexism isn't real. Standing up for the oppressed is not whiny, nor is it ungrateful. Standing up for those without a voice is how we build each other up. It is how we solve problems. There is a problem which permeates the very social fabric of this country, and every other country that could possibly come to mind. To those who don't experience it, it is mostly invisible, unless an extraordinary effort is made. 

                It mainly has to do with choice. The choice to be exposed, the choice to do what we will with our bodies, the choice to be safe, the choice to have sex. Women are not oppressed in the way you would see in a movie about the 18th century, of course, because strides have been made: thanks to feminism. Yet people are tentative about using the term, since people think that the meaning, the concept has changed. Look up the word on Google. Nothing has changed, save for the conviction of people, and the rise of misguided groups such as antifeminists and meninists: groups which truly often believe in equality, yet don't see this reflected in feminism. 

              Any minority group will tell you that absolute "equality" is impossible and undesirable. Read any book by Ayn Rand to understand that perspective. What we fight for is equal opportunity. Be it race, be it gender, be it sexuality, be it social strata; we have no control over how we were born. What we have control over is how we treat our differences. We fight for the right to be treated as an equal in jobs and careers, in education, in social interactions. We fight for the right to be judged by our skill, by our character, and not by superficial standards imposed upon us to make any generalized group superior to others. Feminism is such a concept—it is such an ideal we strive for. Feminism represents everyone, men and women, calls out discrimination across the board, and enables people to speak out and work towards its core concept.

Clearly defined its main principle: equality.

            Much like any other movement, there are many different branches, different ideas people bring to the plate. What we strive for is our core concept of equality, yet that means something different to different niches. You may not agree with it all, you may not support it all. Yet we can all agree to disagree— we can agree to giving people the choice to believe what they wish to believe. Whether you are transgender, cis, White, Black, Latino, Asian, man, woman, gay, straight, or anything else on the spectrum of what this planet consists, feminism needs to strive to bring us together. The movement is what its people are. The vast majority support common sense ideals that empower us all; when people don't agree to such ideals they are not worth your time. It is a worldwide movement. The loudest voices are sometimes the ones that disillusion you, which is why support from voices of reason is so necessary—this is what I strive for the most. And I repeat as I have—misandry is not feminism. Discrimination of any kind IS NOT FEMINISM. 

             Feminism comes in different shapes and sizes, and I personally do not agree with some definitions, and I definitely do not appreciate derogatory terms which belittle larger picture, important campaigns. Here is a good, must-read article to help understand the biggie: https://bitchmedia.org/article/everything-about-feminism-you-wanted-to-know-but-were-afraid-to-ask 

            If you choose not to embrace the word feminist for whatever reason, I cannot agreel however, we cannot stop you. Choice is paramount to our movement. Choice is paramount to that word. Yet a word so rich in its history, a word that has come so far in its path, a word which encompasses a simple idea, embraces it wonderfully, and unites women and men around the world so simply... is a word worth its concept. It is a word to which you will find few parallels. It is a word which brings tears and respect to the sparkling eyes of the old and young. It is a word which fills my heart with pride. Pride for this world we live in. Pride for my gender. Pride for the fight I will fight. Pride for the movement I believe and invest myself in. Feminism is a struggle for justice, not a struggle for power.

Yes, I am a feminist.