are feminists failing the youth?
Males writing about feminism should be a study in itself. Those males critical of the feminist movement generally lack credibility and often resort to traditional patriarchal arguments. I, however, criticize the feminist movement for its misguided targeting. Generally speaking, who are the feminists? Without getting into generalizations, one cannot disagree that most feminists are females. Whether the feminist movement is being eclipsed by the shallowness of mass consumerism aimed at teenage girls or not could be debated. Studies (sorry, I cannot find my sources for this at the moment) have shown that it is accepted in the marketing industry that the most important target to hit is teenagers, especially girls.
My own personal opinion is that the feminist movement is failing. One only has to walk down the halls of a local high school, which at times can look more like brothels than centers of education. Although I could an entire book on why I believe this is the case and some solutions I think are feasible, I want to concentrate on one aspect of this issue.
Growing up in Suburbia, Pacific Coast, Canada, I experienced first hand the lack of respect that females are treated with. Sure, we can blame MTV and rap videos, but media is not only a perpetrator, but also a mirror of society’s values. The fact is, there has been no genuine attempts in our elementary or high schools to educate young people about respect towards females. Maybe it is not up to our schools. Maybe it is the responsibility of parents; parents, however, are increasingly becoming detached from their children. This is not even their fault in many cases. Our education system revolves around having children in school for six hours a day, where like it or not, they learn how to interact with others. This is not something that will change anytime soon. What can change, however, is how movements, such as feminism, can educate children about their social responsibility.
I believe that the most important target is not just young children, but young males. Males are the key to the feminist movement. Concerning this age group, we should not be so consumed with garnering equality in workplace, but with simply instilling young males with the idea that females should not be reduced to mere pieces of meat. It will be extremely difficult to gain true equality later on if males have to start with this perspective of women in high school.
So while Jack Thompson crusades against violent video games, feminists should be crusading against games like Dead or Alive Xtreme 2 which are basically a slap in the face to the female sex. It is no secret that the vast majority of young males play video games and that parents pay no attention to the ratings slapped on the front cover (pretty much like buying your 8 year old a pack of cigarettes). So while IGN gives a 9.2 out of 10 rating to games like Dead or Alive Xtreme, feminists stand around crying for equality in the capitalist world.
September 21st, 2006 at 12:23 am
BRAD: “One only has to walk down the halls of a local high school, which at times can look more like brothels than centers of education”
Brad, Holy Moley!
I really enjoy your posts because you sound as if you are a very level-headed person. But that line makes you sound like a ‘Talib’ !
September 21st, 2006 at 9:16 am
haha… Sometimes one needs to exaggerate a bit. Honestly though, I recently went to my old high school and I counted 5-6 “nipple slips” from Grade 10-12 girls in a period of under an hour. I walked down the street the other day next to a high school and their were girls there that looked more like Ronald McDonald than their former selves. I am not endorsing dress codes or a limit on freedom of expression. Rather, through education, I believe that when impressionable young men can respect women, impressionable young girls will stop buying into the toxic culture created by marketing.
September 21st, 2006 at 10:10 am
Brad, I don’t even know what a “nipple slip “..please don’t explain it to me either! I don’t disagree with you and i think one has to be acutely aware of the way in which capitalism restructures desires and expectations (to use a phrase from one of my favourite writers, E.P.Thompson); it’s just that I come from a culture that can sometimes be a bit obsessed about women’s clothes and so-called “purity”. but you have raised an interesting point about freedom and whether the lack of constraints is the only type of freedom..as Brando says in Apocalypse Now: “have you ever considered any real freedoms?” If you get the chance, do read a brilliant small article by Jonathan jones at the guardian , called ‘wild ones’.
September 21st, 2006 at 11:20 am
Brad, you must read this (not connected, but a great read nevertheless):
http://www.nybooks.com/articles/19376