I picked up a very interesting book today on radical feminism. It caught my eye because the title made me think of that insane nutcase I flamed a little while ago on her blog. Not sure if I mentioned that, but in case I didn't...I flamed an insane nutcase on her blog.
To explain it better, there was this crazy radical feminist lesbian that had this blog about how much she hates men. Now, I haven't got any qualms with lesbians, and I consider myself a feminist, but she was just over-the-top, out of her mind, batsh*t crazy. She was saying things like "No man should ever, EVER be allowed to be around a child." and "The world would be a better place without men, if it just had women instead." (yeah...we'd go extinct if that happened) and that "Even little boys are sex-driven freaks on the same paths as their sexist elders."
So you see...this woman was out of her mind. There was nothing logical about her blog. So, I flamed her. And I laughed while I did it.
Anyway, I saw this book, Radical Feminism and the title made me think of her and I just had to take a gander.
I was suprised. Big time.
This book was not what I was expecting. I immediately noticed the vast, collossal differences in the views expressed in this book compared to the rambling insanities of the woman I flamed. The things in this book were speeches and articles written by women involved in the feminist movement, and had a preface about the life of Susan B. Anthony. These articles were intended for the purpose of empowering women, promoting sisterhood, and proving to a largely patriarcal society that women are more than they are given credit for. It was amazing.
One of my favorite articles I read was called the "B*tch Manifesto." Intreguing title ain't it? It was an intreguing article too.
It said things like the word "b*tch" has always been female oriented. Whether you are referring to a female dog, or using a derogatory word toward women, it is a male-created term for females. Here are two quotes from said article:
"Like the term "ni**er", "b*tch" serves the social function of isolating and discrediting a class of people who do not conform to the socially accepted patterns of behavior.""B*TCH is an organization which does not yet exist. B*TCH does not use this word in a negative sense. A woman should be proud to declare she is a b*tch, because B*tch is Beautiful. It should be an act of affirmation by self and not negation by others....The most prominent characteristic of all b*tches is that they rudely violate conceptions of "proper" sex role behavior. They violate them in different ways, but they all violate them. Their attitudes toward themselves and other people, their goal orientations, their personal style, their appearance and way of handeling their bodies all jar people and make them feel uneasy. ....What is disturbing about a b*tch is that she is androgynous. She incorporates within herself qualities traditionally defined as "masculine" as well as feminine. A b*tch is blunt, direct, arrogent, at times, egotistic. She has no liking for the indirect, subtle, mysterious ways of the "eternal feminine." She disdains the vicarious life deemed natural to women because she wants to live a life of her own."What I like about this article, aside from the two above quotes, is that is says a lot about how women should, instead of feeling insulted or demeaned by being called a "b*tch" she should feel proud because she's breaking the traditional gender roles of women. It means that she has, in some way, stepped out of the mold set down for women by society and achieved some indepenance as a human. One more quote:
"Therefore, if taken seriously, a b*tch is a threat to the social structures which enslave women and the social values which justify keeping them in their place."
So, after having read that, I say I am a b*tch. And I'm proud of it. Women, the next time someone calls you a "b*tch," THANK THEM. It's a compliment. You've been deemed a destroyer of gender roles (and it pretty much takes away the insulting power of whom so ever called you one.)
(However...I don't condone taking that negative angle and pretty much being a jerk ("b*tch") to other people. I mean be confident and independent and don't settle for gender role norms. Don't be rude to people.)
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