Feminism...

Delicate topic, probably stepping on a lot of toes here so I'll start off with a disclaimer.

The thoughts expressed below (such as they be) are my own. I do not expect you to conform to them. I do not judge anyone with conflicting opinions--I respect your opinion. This is not an attack of any strain of philosophy except maybe some hypothetical alien ones. However, heated discussions, arguments and mild fist-fights are welcome! :D Other than that, as someone I know would say, "Peace out....!"

I'm female.And as anyone who has known me for even a short while would tell you, I'm a feminist. I'm not ashamed of it, nor proud of it. I just am. And I believe lots of women claim to be (and are) to a variety of extents. I'm not a rabid one, not a spineless one. Somewhere in between. Or so I think. I don't hate men. Someone once told me they thought I did and this baffled me. I asked around and many people seemed to think the same thing. So I start off saying this. I don't hate men. I dislike some things about them but find me one person who doesn't like the something about the opposite sex and I'll find you a vella kakka (for the slang illiterate: white crow)! :)

But one thing I'm sure of is that I'm a feminist to some extent. What I don't understand about some women is that they claim to feminists yet are unwilling to give up the comforts that go hand-in-hand with the demand for equality. Take the example of buses. A lot of women--including some feminists--expect a man to get up and give them a seat if the bus is too crowded. The same applies to opening doors and pulling out chairs.

Women of this age are trying to break the shackles of ages of discrimination against them based on a puny little chromosome. Yet they accept these so-called signs of "chivalry" as their due. Is a woman incapable of opening a door for herself? Does she who, when alone, is able to do these little things and more by herself, suddenly find herself incapable of a task that requires less IQ and muscle than a toddler's?

When I state this, most people argue saying that I'm being too pessimistic and unnecessarily negative about the whole thing. It's just a sign of caring, they say. Don't women like to be pampered? My argument is that, sure, it's a sign of caring. Very sweet n all that. But how come women aren't expected to do the same for men? Or do you mean men don't like to be pampered?

It's also the same with men paying for all the dating expenses. Seriously, we're not in the middle ages. Women /girls get as much salary/pocket money as men/guys. So why is the guy expected to pay the bill? This is the height of unfariness! Men are getting a pretty raw deal, aren't they?

But then one may argue that lots of things work as men want them to so maybe women do deserve these perks. Well, these are the very inequalities feminism claims to want to abolish. Then why support them?