Demystifying feminism

            Feminism consists in the idea that women are equal to men, thus having the same rights and responsibilities as them, with no special treatments. Material justice is achieved with equality in opportunities and rewards and it is only based on meritocracy.

 Formal justice is, therefore, necessary to show that women are capable of succeeding without any special treatment whatsoever: gender should not matter in any circumstance. That is what feminism is all about: equality, meritocracy, and same opportunities for all. Feminism doesn’t seek to portray women as victims, but as strong individuals who can perform tasks on the same level as men.

There is, however, a new wave of feminism that is very harmful for women. It occurs in countries where women’s rights are violated in a more silent manner: domestic violence, prejudices in everyday life, different payments. This feminist movement is a villain to the real feminism, because it attracts negative attention from the civil society: it chocks and attacks moral values.

The feminist wave that risks all the conquests of women is dominated by moral relativism, in which, they say, no woman is subjected to the oppressing values of society. According to it, women can dress as they wish (with few clothes), sleep with whom or with how many men they agree to: the more, the better. Let’s not forget about attacking religious groups through the invasion of churches and other locals. Kissing semi-dressed is also a “tactic” of these groups: unfortunately, everything is ok for them.

That reminds me of a much known case in Civil Law, in which a night club in France had a special entertainment: dwarf tossing. The club was acting according to the required legal specifications for the establishment, but they were allegedly violating the dignity of dwarfs by treating them as a mere object for the amusement of others. The dwarfs agreed with the (unique) entertainment, since they found it to be fun and financially rewarding. The case went to France’s higher administrative court: Le Conseil d'État.

After a series of considerations, the dwarfs were prohibited to practice such an activity. Human dignity had to prevail over the benefits of exploiting the economic activity and, more importantly, over unrestricted freedom.   

So, if human dignity has such an importance in the acts of normal life, how come some “feminists” are acting against it by portraying themselves as “sluts” (The SlutWalk), or by fighting against family values (there are marches where the sole purpose is to defy the traditional family)? Feminism is not AT ALL about that!! Feminism is about equality of rights.

Let’s not misrepresent feminism and subvert its main goal, which is not adolescent rebellion or frivolity. Feminism is a constant movement towards more dignity for women: more education, equal rights and so forth. Let’s not fight against its own notions while searching for the inexplicable! We want more dignity, not unrestricted freedom!

Gabriela Isa Rosendo Vieira Campos