blogging – Page 8 – Linda Nelson

Go, feminists! Treat everyone like you would want yourself treated.

Feminist – The belief of equal rights for both men and women. The term that began in 1895 as an organized movement for women’s rights and interests. (Feminism)

Image courtesy of creative commons license by … juliejordanscott Feminism, VDay 2007 and Me | by juliejordanscott via flickr.com and google images

“I need feminism because all the heroines in my stories are feminists. They are not only strong individuals, but they will stand for what they believe in and not back down regardless of the odds.” – Linda Nelson

I guess you would say that I would call myself a feminist. I believe in equality for the most part and women are not as weak as some would like to think. Women have internal strengths that even men can’t touch. That which lacks for in physical form is made up on the emotional and intellectual level and also the psychological level

I may not have the physical strength of a man, but I have my inner strength. Feminism is a balance between genders bringing about equality across the scale. Imagine what the world would be like if both genders worked harmoniously together with equal responsibilities.

An article written in the New York Times during 2014, Who is a Feminist Now? Featured actresses and other Hollywood stars arguing over what feminism meant. Many had no clue to even the origins of the women’s movement. The feminist movement brought about women’s rights and began in 1895. If it hadn’t been for that movement, women would still be staying home having baby after baby, no right to vote, and no rights to an education. Several women in the article fear to call themselves feminists, thinking it means to not like men or they have to do everything themselves or bring about a power trip. (MELTZER, 2014)

Feminism is more of a social problem that has a political and economic impact of equality between the sexes. Women do want representation. If they must pay taxes, then they should have voting rights. They do many of the same jobs that men perform. Not every job is designated to a gender role these days. There are men nurses, women politicians, women mechanics, and even women driving race cars such as Danica Patrick. So, should women seek equality socially, politically, and economically with equal wages?

Even men and boys can be considered feminists. Some men chose to stay home and raise the children while the mother goes to work. Why do men need to miss out on the first steps of their children and the women witness it all?

In many countries such as Denmark, Finland, Norway, and Sweden there are family leave policies in place that promotes family life. These parents receive multiple forms of paid family leave in the kind of social-insurance which lowers the employer’s resistance to hiring young workers such as women who would probably be leaving for periods of time to tend to family life like child care. Social policy is in place to help everyone not just lower-income workers. These European nations are caring for their people equally.(Gornick, 2010)

The statement made by Ellen Page, in the article, Who is a Feminist Now, “we still live in a patriarchal world when feminism is a bad word,” does bring to mind the reluctance of the United States to accept equal rights. Knowing how many strides made in Europe showing the United States behind the times socially and economically. The world is changing slowly, and America, unfortunately, is still in the dark age. (MELTZER, 2014)

In response to the #YesAllWomen social media hashtag, violence against women is common around the world. Did you know that many women are raped by their husbands and never report the incident?

But women are not the only victims of domestic violence and rape. Men are also victims too.

When it comes to murder, some countries still live in darker ages than the United States where honor killings still go on, or women are sold like cattle for marriage purposes. (Henslin, 2017)

So, why do we need feminism?

I don’t think I would want to be sold like a farm animal for breeding purposes and I certainly would not want to be a victim of murder. I also like learning so without feminism I would not be able to have a college degree or work outside the home.

Everyone should have equal opportunities to find and experience prosperity and happiness.

References

Feminism. (n.d.). Retrieved August 6, 2017, from Merriam-webster: https://www.merriam-webster.com

Gornick, J. C. (2010). Atlantic Passages: How Europe Supports Working Parents and Their Children. In D. S. Eitzen, Solutions to Social Problems (pp. 101-103). Boston: Allyn & Bacon.

Henslin, J. M. (2017). Sociology: A Down-To-Earth Approach. Boston: Pearson. Retrieved August 6, 2017

MELTZER, M. (2014, May 21). Who Is a Feminist Now? Retrieved August 6, 2017, from The New York Times: https://www.nytimes.com

We need Feminism Because. (2013, July 9). Retrieved August 6, 2017, from University of Cambridge: https://www.cam.ac.uk

The President wants to make America great again even though many argue that the country has never lost its ranking. However, it never ranked that high, to begin with, and too much focus has been placed on GDP over the years that Social Progress in the United States continues to slide down the scale of the quality of life. The United States ranks 16 with Sweden on top as the most livable country all due to the social policy of taking care of all the citizens of their country and not just the wealthy. Other nations feed, shelter and offer health care for all and not just a few.

Social Policy in the U.S. will take care of their poor to a small extent. Many go without any help.
Did you know that early childhood deaths rank higher in the U.S. than most countries?
We can blame substance abuse, poverty, or negligence of the social structure in the American society on the high childhood deaths. Our nation is technologically advanced; there is no excuse why children should face such odds of survival in America. Dr. McCoy on Star Trek would be appalled by today’s society and poor survival rate of the lowest class.

Gross Domestic Product also known as GDP tracks the income of a nation. However, this is based on the averages of the society. There are those whose wealth is recorded in the billions; this will offset those whose wealth is null. There is a better way to measure the quality of life in a country, and that is by using the Social Progress Index. How is it that the United States is considered to be the wealthiest of nations and rank at 16 on the quality of life index? Canada, Sweden, France, and many other Western Nations when it comes to the quality of life out rank the United States. They do this by funding welfare policies with tax or VAT revenues. Everyone in these countries has healthcare and can afford to put food on the table and sometimes with the monthly rent monies. (Reid, 2004)

The United States has the highest rank among its peers when it comes to social problems. Those issues are of murder, rapes, robbery, incarceration, drunk driving, fatalities, cocaine use, and greenhouse gas emissions. The social problem list for the U.S. continues with acid rain, forest depletion, hazardous waste per capita, garbage per capita, and cars per capita ( other than public transportation). Moreover, continues with even more problems such as elderly and children living in poverty, homelessness, bank failures, divorce, single parents, infant mortality, the death of children under age five, and teenage pregnancy. One would not be able to tell any of this by using the GDP index. (Eitzen, 2010)

Fact: The United States is the only industrialized nation that has no form of universal health care. (Eitzen, 2010)

Some may not think it is fair to compare the United States with smaller countries such as New Zealand and Switzerland, but why not? They are taking care of their population and with much lower crime rates. Our nation may have a higher population but we are spread out more, and this is supposed to be the land of opportunity. I don’t think crime was to be one of those opportunities. Why else do the people immigrate to America?
To find work, to own a home, to have a family and receive good medical care and education.

Perhaps it’s the beer and pizza, or maybe the cheese and wine.

The United States boasts of having the best academic schools in the world such as Harvard, Perdue, and Princeton which is mostly open to those who can afford such schools. Many American students can’t afford a higher education regardless of the college they choose. Other nations compared to the U.S. provide higher education regardless of the student’s income level. If the student can maintain the grades, then the education is provided at a much lower cost or free. With higher education comes lesser crime, a much better solution than incarceration for the many. (Reid, 2004)

America even has the best hospitals, but not everyone can afford the medical care. Prescriptions are outrageously priced, and many of the elderly can’t afford to pay those prices. They are forced to choose between taking their medication or food.

If that is the case, then I’m not looking forward to retirement anytime soon.

References

Eitzen, D. S. (2010). U.S. Social Problems in Comparative Perspective. Boston: Allyn & Bacon.
Reid, T. R. (2004). The European Social Model. New York: Penguin Press.