logo

search

  • Home
  • About the Harpies
  • Contact Us
  • FAQ
delete
bookmark bookmark bookmark bookmark bookmark bookmark bookmark bookmark bookmark bookmark bookmark bookmark

You’re not an Activist?

Posted by PhDork in Thoughts, Activism, Theory and Practice on Mar 17, 2009, 11:00am | 13 comments

You don't need a golden lasso.  Via bbaltimore @ Flickr.

You don't need a golden lasso. Via bbaltimore @ Flickr.

I’ve been reading around the feminist blogosphere for a number of years now, and I’ve seen a rather large, bothersome number of statements from commenters that go something like this:

“Well, not everyone is an activist.” or

“Not all of us are cut out to be activists.”

ORLY?  The definition of activist varies, but if I pull out my Tenth Edition Webster’s, I see that “activist” is related to active, adj. 1: characterized by action rather than by contemplation or speculation.  At its base, an activist is one who acts on behalf of a given cause.

That doesn’t have to mean that your day job is working for Planned Parenthood.  (But if it is:  thank you, from the bottom of my heart.)  That doesn’t have to mean that you spent hundreds of hours volunteering for a women’s shelter. (But if you did:  thank you, your work is so valuable.)  That doesn’t mean that you donate hundreds or thousands of dollars to NOW. (But if you can:  thank you, your generosity helps our sisters.)

Here’s my not-so-secret agenda:  I want you to think of yourself as an activist.  I also want to expand the definition of activism.  Not to get all slippery-slope, though, to the point that “anything a woman does is feminist activism,” cause it ain’t, but if you:

–donate your money or time to a political action committee, charity or NGO that helps women anywhere in the world;

–vote for candidates who support woman-friendly policies (equal pay legislation, family leave, subsidized family planning, etc.) and/or write letters to your elected officials asking them to support policies that effect women’s lives for the better;

–teach–formally or informally–other women and/or girls that their value is in their words and actions, and not in their looks, or sexual or marital status, and give them the tools to name the Patriarchy and claim what power they can from that recognition;

–support mothers (and, yes, fathers), whether they work in or out of the house, and help them raise their children to be free of gender-coding

–call yourself a feminist, and do the endless, tiresome work of explaining to your friends and family what that means (you believe in the political, social, economic an social equality of women and men) and why it matters;

THEN YOU ARE A FEMINIST ACTIVIST. Really. These are just a few ways, there are literally thousands of others. You are an activist. Tell me how in comments. And thank you. What you do matters.

Bookmark and share this post:
  • Digg
  • del.icio.us
  • Facebook
  • Google Bookmarks
  • De.lirio.us
  • StumbleUpon
  • Technorati
  • Tumblr
  • TwitThis
  • Yahoo! Buzz
  • email

13 Responses to “You’re not an Activist?”

  1. sarah.of.a.lesser.god says:
    March 17, 2009 at 11:20 am

    - You stand up to ignorant individuals and overall assholes who make statements that cause your blood to boil. And instead of silently seething, you tell them why they offended you and call on them to justify their statements.

  2. kithkin says:
    March 17, 2009 at 11:33 am

    - You create safe spaces on the scary, scary Internet where women and men can come together to think about gender, freedom, and equality and do their best to imagine a world outside from the grip of the patriarchy. Thanks to you, harpies.

  3. mkp-hearts-nyc says:
    March 17, 2009 at 11:37 am

    - You talk to younger siblings and cousins so they learn to believe in feminism, and help them cope with (and recognize) the sexism and just plain meanness around them so it won’t be as hard for them to find a voice as it may have been for some of us.

  4. BeckySharper says:
    March 17, 2009 at 11:41 am

    You mentor younger women climbing the career ladder and support/care for female friends who’ve been hurt by the Patriarchy.

    @kithkin: Glad to have you here! [hug]

  5. la sooz says:
    March 17, 2009 at 12:42 pm

    -You point out movies that use rape–or the almost “thrilling” possibility of sexual slavery and torture–as entertainment, and explain to your date why you would prefer not to give those movies your money.

    I didn’t write it so well, but I realized while watching movie trailers –”Last House on the Left”, and “Taken”—this weekend that every one my dude clicked on was churning my stomach. It’s so ingrained that even I am just now finding a way to verbalize it.

  6. kithkin says:
    March 17, 2009 at 12:52 pm

    - You give thanks to your mother and to the other b.a. women who have encouraged and supported you so far, so they know their efforts have borne fruit.

    - You work hard every day to remember the power structures in which you make your decisions so that you may remind others, like la sooz does, to do the same.

    BS- glad to be here :)
    la sooz- you’re a better woman than I am. I’d just run screaming in the other direction rather than taking the time to say why and possibly get a dude to think about these things, like you did. Good on you.

  7. Penny says:
    March 17, 2009 at 7:57 pm

    I said just this the other day on Jezebel and someone “corrected” my way of thinking in a similar fashion.

    You’re absolutely right, but the word “activist” within the confines of feminism (among other things) means something very specific to some people.

    In the end it’s just semantics and it depends on the context. In the particular Jez post it was about a feminist, whose name escapes me, essentially talking about taking feminism to the streets – so to speak – and I said that it’s really not my personality to do that, I am not an activist.

    It’s not bowing out or diminishing what I do, necessarily.

  8. CollegeBookworm says:
    March 17, 2009 at 9:45 pm

    Penny, I think I was one of the people who tried to assure you that yes, what you do is still activism. And I still agree with this post and what people replied to you on that post- activism is so much more than just ‘doing’. Anything that supports a feminist cause is feminist activism.

    Oh, and I found the post you were talking about, it was this one: http://jezebel.com/5168351/blogger-annoyed-by-drunk-pole+dancing-workaholic-women-writers about how Debra Dickerson thinks that young feminists aren’t doing anything “for the struggle.”

  9. [Big Fat Blog] What is an activist? says:
    March 19, 2009 at 9:20 pm

    [...] by this post at The Pursuit of Harpyness These icons link to social bookmarking sites where readers can [...]

  10. What is an activist? | Fatty Americans says:
    March 21, 2009 at 5:17 pm

    [...] by this post at The Pursuit of Harpyness Filed under: General Leave a [...]

  11. » Happy Birthday (+ Day), Gloria! The Pursuit of Harpyness says:
    March 26, 2009 at 11:00 am

    [...] If you think that’s a bit much for you, maybe read this? [...]

  12. Rob Johnston says:
    March 27, 2009 at 10:17 pm

    This post is an outrageous act. It’s right on target and a perfect support for Gloria Steinem’s advice that we each do one outrageous thing for simple justice. We’d love to post this as an outrageous act. Let me know if we can. Thank you. (Thanks also for the post on GS’s birthday and the burst of visits.)

  13. » On Thinking of Human Beings as Trash, And Other Tragedies of Resources The Pursuit of Harpyness says:
    April 24, 2009 at 12:01 pm

    [...] the pyramid, as far as patriarchy goes) lately?  I got PhDork’s point a few weeks ago that small acts can nonetheless be called activism, and I do agree with that for the most part, but on days where I check my Harpy feeds and find [...]

Leave a Reply

Click here to cancel reply.

random posts

Friday Fun Thread: First Kiss!...
Who’s got the funk?...
This is not a Facebook meme...

recent comments

  • bluebears: You guys look hot in that picture....
  • Cimorene: It makes me inordinately happy to think that a buncha harpie...
  • BeckySharper: @Cat: You're right, of course, about la plage. Although the ...
  • Shadow Boxer: Have Fun! Beach time is required. We'll survive without yo...
  • gherkinfiend: I'm going to need that pickle recipe...if that isn't an auto...
  • Cat: Yes indeed, s'mores are good stuff. I fondly remember making...

Tags

Abortion Activism Anger Anti-feminists Assweasels Beauty Culture Busybodies Children Choosing Your Choice Double Standards Education Empowerfulment Fashion Fat Is A Feminist Issue Feminism Great Male Narcissists Hollywood Ladylike Endeavors LGBT Marriage Masculinity Misogyny Motherhood Overshare Politics Race Racism Rants Religion Reproductive rights Sex Sexism Sexual violence So-Called Self-Improvement Solipsism Stereotypes The Media Theory and Practice Things That Are Awesome Unexpected Consequences Uteri Police Violence against women and girls Women's Health Women's Work Work Administrative Professionals Day (2)
Anonymous Prosecutor (3)
Culcha Vulcha (29)
Feminist Food for Thought (12)
Friday Fun Thread (42)
Guest Post (15)
Harpy Book Club (10)
Harpy Cinematical Society (8)
Harpy Droppings (2)
Harpy Hall of Fame (20)
Harpy Periodical (3)
Harpy Seminar (21)
Harpy Shout-out (50)
Harpy Televisual Society (3)
Heard (1)
Help Me Harpies! (4)
Honorary Harpies (16)
Housekeeping (23)
International Museum of Women (1)
Language Matters (19)
Linkaround (4)
Morning Snark (38)
Reader Request (7)
Retro Pleasures (10)
Solo Flying (53)
Thoughts (806)
You Have Got To Be Fucking Kidding Me (98)

WP Cumulus Flash tag cloud by Roy Tanck and Luke Morton requires Flash Player 9 or better.

Blogroll

  • A Truly Elegant Mess
  • Bitch
  • Bookslut
  • Deeply Problematic
  • Echidne of the Snakes
  • F Bomb
  • Feminist Law Professors
  • Feminist Philosophers
  • Feministe
  • Feministing
  • Fugitivus
  • FWD/Forward
  • Geek Feminism
  • gudbuy t'jane
  • Hoyden About Town
  • Hysteria!
  • I Blame the Patriarchy
  • Jezebel
  • Kate Harding’s Shapely Prose
  • Katha Pollitt
  • Like a Whisper
  • Maud Newton
  • Pandagon
  • Racialicious
  • Rage Against the Man-chine
  • Salon’s Broadsheet
  • Shakesville
  • Ta-Nehisi Coates
  • The Angry Black Woman
  • The Curvature
  • The F Word
  • The Feminist Agenda
  • The Feminist Texican
  • Tiger Beatdown
  • Womanist Musings
  • Women’s Voices for Change

Archives

  • July 2010
  • June 2010
  • May 2010
  • April 2010
  • March 2010
  • February 2010
  • January 2010
  • December 2009
  • November 2009
  • October 2009
  • September 2009
  • August 2009
  • July 2009
  • June 2009
  • May 2009
  • April 2009
  • March 2009
  • February 2009
  • January 2009

Search

Meta

  • Register
  • Log in
  • Valid XHTML
  • XFN
  • WordPress

Twitter Updates

google

google

.

Copyright © 2010. Creative Commons License
The Pursuit of Harpyness is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 United States License.

Powered by Wordpress | Designed by Elegant Themes

The harpy art you see in our banner above is by Ursula Dodge. Visit her etsy store!