By Punkerslut

Feminism is the belief that a person's character cannot be judged on their gender, that we all deserve a right to consideration regardless of physical appearance, that heresy from orthodox is only genius, that kindness and reverence are given and deserved by all, that the most sincere form of affection is not limited to one gender, as intellectual thoughts and meaning and purpose and emotion are not limited based on one's sex oran. Feminism is the belief that the love between two people is less real the more one tries to dominate the other because of gender. It is the call of the angels of truth for fairness and equality, compassion and knowledge. That none should be exempt from love, beyond the border of empathy, held under the bondage of cruelty, bound to in a tight fist, the belief that nobody should be subjected mercilessly to the brutality offered by human tyrants because of their sex -- this belief is Feminism. And like all other creeds that are founded on humaneness and passion for life, it will continue to exist, and it will manifest itself everywhere there is an open mind, everywhere there is an open heart, everywhere there exists a Freethinker willing to destroy the cyclopse of ill-thought tradition. Feminism is the belief that woman deserve to be treated equally as men, their gender not influencing how we regard them. This is Feminism, and it is what I believe, so much as what every kind and gentle-hearted soul believes.

But it is more than just that. It is the soft, reflection of one lover to another, the kind, unkempt spirituality of reverence for one another. And still, more than that, it is the rising sun of vitality and rebirth. It is more than just Feminism, but Equalism. Just as a woman deserves the rights enjoyed by a man, a man ought to enjoy the same rights as any woman. It is not about destroying the differences between a man and a woman, but appreciating the quality of the diversity of the genders. Creating equality between the sexes is not about destroying the attributes of one sex or another that make them unique, but it is about upholding their abilities to do what they do as individuals, and understanding the genders sexually, because that is really the only difference. It is a radically absurd statement to claim that no woman can do what a man can do, and the same applies to the claim that no man can do what a woman can do. Appreciating the diversity of the genders does not entail holding stereotypes towards one or another that are the most accurate, but understanding that not every woman is the same, and that not every man is the same. It is about understanding that a person is an individual because of their own taste of culture, because of their own personal ethics, because of their intellectual hunger and their artistic love, because of their own virtues and their own vices, that make them not just another person -- it is about understanding that a person is an individual with their own love and hate, their own past and memory, their own future and hope, and that one's gender does not alter their individuality in the slightest.

A Sexist will find himself confused if he asks for the best, the kindest, and the most intellgient, those full of the most ambition and duty -- a Sexist will find himself confused when asking humanity this, and finding that men and women both step forward. A Racist will also be confused when he finds that one race is not wholly (or even marginally) responsible for good people, kind fathers, affectionate mothers, and undying friends. The question really is: is there anything about a woman that makes her particualrly inferior, less noble, than a man? As sure as I can answer a Racist, I will say that good women are not good because they're women, and bad women are not bad because they're women. Similarly, there are many great men, as well as men of poor character, but their gender is not the root of their greatness or notoriety. It is in their adherence to humaneness and intellectual persuits, their unavowed romantic fascination with life and the ideal of a better world, it is the measure of virtue over vice that we find any one person worthy of our adoration, and their gender is only as relevant as their eye color, their hair color, their height, their weight, their race, their species. Just as one's eye color is irrespective of their abilities as a person, one's gender is not an innate factor in determining if they are productive, compassionate individuals.

Of all the greatest arguments against the equality of the sexes, none are as great as ignorance, deceit, and conviction in orthodox values. Values which are outdated in our new world, and our hope of a world full of justice, fairness, intellectual and emotional freedom, the values are outdated for this type of free society as any value containing barbaric and inhumane sentiments. And these values, which demanded us to shed rational inquiry and engulf ourselves in the suffocating veil of faith -- these values which repress every woman and her rights -- these values were as outdated the time they were made as they are today, because justice and compassion are eternal in the hearts of all Rationalist Humanitarians, and every sentiment of cruelty and hate will always be outdated and inefficient on their minds. Can an honest person truly believe that women are incapable of saying, "Give me affection, kindness, vitality, the ability to please those I love and cherish! Let me open the door to the library of my mind, the seething desire to learn and understand, contemplating forever the essence of life! Unleash the free emotions of sadness and joy,

Beyond the primary defense of Sexism, being ignorance nad cruel orthodoxy, there are the claims that women are typically different in some way, or that men are superior in another way. These claims run the spectrum of stereotyping, from claims that women are weaker, less intelligent, and sometimes this negativity will manifest itself in extreme opposites, that a woman is either a promiscuous whore or a pure and pristine virgin, that they either hate sex and reject it or that they love sex more than any other activity and spend all their time procuring it. Superstition in the minds of men too afraid to ask, more afraid to discover, culminates, creating a system of betrayal and oppression. Only staunch ignorance can defend the idea that women are incapable, or undesirous, of learning new things. It may certainly be true that they typically lack in physical strength (for the human species' females), but this can be accounted for as far as genetics go. Science can only be used as a candle in the dark, a star in a lightless sky, a hope among many fears and traumas. Without much investigation, it is not difficult to see that men and women are intrinsically similar: we both have brains capable of thought, we both have organs which keep us alive, we both have similar hormones and chemicals, we both live in the same physical, tangible, real world. But beyond this almost petty and obvious information, there is something more that we have all sensed in our lives. Both men and women can feel the same emotions, both are subjected to the same fear and the same strees, both must face the obstacles which block them from happiness and success, we both have friends, family, loves, interests, and lives overflowing with the substance of existence: conflicts, admirations, failures, triumphs, sorrows, problems, resolutions! No person can deny these most fundamental of truths, unless they have an ignorance willed with unimaginable strength and conviction.

Asside from reverence, kindness, rationality, and hospitality, there is only one rule a Humanitarian uses in their behavior: judge a persion not on race, species, gender, sexuality, but only on what you are looking for in an individual. If one is looking for a good, kind friend, then seeking out either male or female companions will be a fruitless trek. A good friend has the attributes of a good person: merciful, dutiful, warm, compassionate, humane, quick to forgive, unrelenting in sympathy, holding the truth to be known only if something of value is at stake, and -- like any good individual -- a good friend will offer warmth and comfort to another, regardless of sex. That is a good friend, and they are not stuck in a social or cultural complex, bound by certain ridiculous rules simply because they are male or female. A good person is more, though. Like a good mother, a good person treats everyone as their child. Like a good father, a good person teaches everyone. Like a good brother or sister, a good person offers the unavailing gifts of support and kindness. The virtues of humanity, of the courage and boldness shown in the face of cruel opposition, of the wonderful and unbelievable comradery of two good friends, of the deathless nature in the devotion of two lovers, these traits which we have used to paint the hallway of goodness are not restricted to one sex or another. No gender is inherently related to anything good or bad, smart or stupid, cruel or sympathetic. Women are no more responsible for the worst crimes of tyranny than men are, and woman are no less important in the development of greatness than men are. The tyrants of the world came from the cruel brutalitarians, be they male or female. And the innovators of the world came from the creative artists, be they male or female. You cannot place the greatness of one title on the shoulders of an entire gender, with all its variety, and then place the cement block of notoriety on the shoulders of another entire gender, also with its variety -- you cannot do this, without blemishing the face of justice, and destroying any concept of fairness and Reason.

As with every great movement based on the blood and sweat of the oppressed, Feminism will not let up. The souls of women are wonderfully like those of men: undying in their desire to be free, to be able to think and understand as they wish. Everywhere there is an oppressed woman, there will be a woman in resistance -- just like everywhere there was an oppressed man, there was a man in resistance. Feminism is not born of the minds of psuedo-intellectuals who ponder abstract philosophical questions. It is born of a longing desire to be free, only cured by the actualization of this need. Feminism will prevail, as much as justice, fairness, and truth, will prevail.

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About the Author

Punkerslut (or Andy Carloff) has been writing essays and poetry on social issues which have caught his attention for several years. His website www.punkerslut.com provides a complete list of all of these writings. His life experience includes homelessness, squating in New Orleans and LA, dropping out of high school, getting expelled from college for "subversive activities," and a myriad of other revolutionary actions.