Not different, just better.
There seems to be two common refrains to feminism. "Women are just as good as men! We're equal! We're the same!" And in the same breath, "Women are better than men! We're superior to them! We're not different - but they're inferior!"
Anyone else notice anything peculiar about this?
Of course I'm not insightful enough to notice this on my own. A few weeks ago I read this post that pointed out this common theme to feminism. The writer referred to this New York Post article. The gist of the second article:
This kind of thinking is commonplace among baby-boomer liberals, who've conferred special status on women and minorities that goes beyond mere equality.
There is surely a psychological explanation for it, and it goes something like this: Women and Latinos (along with other minorities) were long discriminated against in this country, in sometimes humiliating ways. As these groups worked toward equality, a certain mythology sprung up that they weren't just equal to the people who were keeping them down, they were "better." ...
Indeed, this type of thinking is still fairly mainstream. ...
Such assertions are more the norm than the exception in feminist literature or books promoting women's rights. And, of course, there is little doubt that people of different ethnicities and gender are in fact, different.
But not better. It's time to let go of this outdated canard.
She's right. Really, it doesn't work for women (or any other racial or social group) to simultaneously proclaim that we're the same and that we're better. I'm not saying that all "feminists" think this, because there are all sorts of different types of feminists. But this is something I know I personally have said before, and it isn't logical. We can't say we're better - otherwise we're trying to assume the role of "oppressor" instead of just "equaling the playing field."
Please don't think that I'm knocking feminism - I'm just trying to figure it out. What is the true goal of feminism? The advancement of women? That's awful vague. How can we even measure this? Equal rights and equal opportunities? Well, we can vote now and I'm pretty sure it's illegal to discriminate in hiring based on about a gazillion different sociodemographic criteria. So, are we done? If not, what are we striving for? Absolute equality with men? Do we really want men and women to hold the exact same roles, as opposed to complementarity roles (which I mentioned the other day)? After all, while we are inherently equal in our dignity as human beings, we are different.
I'd love to hear your thoughts on this. Equal or better? How do you measure "equality?" What's the true goal of feminism? Or perhaps, the goal of true feminism?