Non-feminist Women Don't Complain Less About Men (Maybe More?)

Thanks to Lauren's blog, I was sent over to Shakespeare's Sister to read this excellent post on why "Men are Not Babies." SS really hits on the value of feminism for not only women, but for men. Specfically, she reminds the reader that being a feminist does not mean that you whine and complain about men more. Women do that plenty without any sort of feminist consciousness. In fact, it is sort of ridiculous for anti-feminists to believe that without feminism, women would shut up and accept the sexist bullshit that the culture has to offer. They would be hurt, offended, upset, and disgusted with individuals who engage in this behavior, but they wouldn't necessarily have a framework with which to make sense of this behavior. Furthermore, and more importantly, non-feminist women don't necessarily have any sense that there are solutions and strategies for dealing with sexism.

SS sums up:

Implicit, then, in feminism is not only the belief, but the expectation, that men are not infantile—nor stupid, useless, inept, emotionally retarded, or any other negative stereotype feminists have been accused of promoting—but instead our equals just as much as we are theirs, capable not only of understanding feminism (and feminists), but of actively and rigorously engaging challenges to their socialization, too. Feminists, of course, have the terrible reputation, but it isn't we who consider all men babies, dopes, dogs, and potential rapists. The holders of those views, I think you'll find, are the women and men who root for the patriarchy—which itself, after all, takes a rather unpleasantly dim view of most people.

Go read the rest of the post; it's well worth it!