w  rd 2 the woss

There are a lot of opinions surrounding the current movement of feminism. It’s stressing the need for the world to be a blank page for anyone who wishes to write on it. That no one has more right to that page than others, the belief that everyone should be treated equally, and that no one should feel they are compelled to do something that they don’t want to do.

 

Despite this being an ideal that many today aspire to make a reality, there are many who don’t think that feminism is a worthwhile venture. When those people argue against feminism the words “anti-man” come up a lot. However Emma Watson; actress, and UN goodwill ambassador sets things right in her interview with 18-year old Nobel Peace Prize winner Malala Yousafzai, where Malala voices her original concerns about saying she was a feminist, and then later coming into the realization that feminism was not pro-women or anti-men, but was pro-equality.

 

They also make the argument that Feminism is just another social movement like anti-slavery or Black Lives Matter. Both examples come from different time periods, and both push for equality, so what’s the difference between them? Nothing. Back then, they all made the change, abolished slavery and yet, a few years later here we are again, trying to gain equality for a group of people who are a minority. They argue that clearly these movements aren’t working if we still have needs for them. If another 20 years from now we have another movement, what are they really doing.

 

The people who are for feminism have other arguments to prove their case. As previously mentioned, those against feminism have argued that they believe it’s “anti-man”. However when given a chance to defend their beliefs, they explain that feminism is, as Malala explains, actually all about equality- making sure everyone understands that feminism is not an excuse for women to mistreat men, or view themselves as higher. It’s simply putting men and women on the same level. When the second argument is brought up many ask the question: well then what should we do? In response, there really isn’t much you can do. The reason these social movements started were to educate the public, show them that there is a problem and that it is their responsibility to fix it.

 

Both sides have really important arguments that offer two extremes on the matter. To me, there seems to be an obvious answer in terms of where I stand. Without creating the idea of feminism, without spreading the word and teaching others about the mistreatment of woman that has been going on, how will we change? Yes, we as humans constantly have to be reminded that everyone is created equal. That is why it’s important that everyone is informed about the issues that trouble today’s society, to ensure that we don’t go backwards in time, and renew old prejudices because that would be detrimental to our future, and the future of our children.