Wednesday, September 21, 2011

Quotes: The F-word by Kristin Rowe-Finkbeiner

“One criticism of the first wave is that women’s suffrage movement didn’t pay enough attention to social hierarchies other than gender, like race and class (Rowe-Finkbeiner, 22).”
I found it interesting that the mainstream suffrage movement would so easily brush aside the issue of race and class, especially since some of its earliest beginnings were in the abolitionist movement.  Why was it that not all able bodied people were being actively recruited for the cause?  I understand that it is from a different cultural point of view that I look at these women through, but it still confuses me.  Since the beginnings (as I understand them to be) of the suffrage movement came from an abolitionist origin then how could women of color be so easily cast aside.  I think it is important to have a realization of the societal views of the time and choose to not forget this reality of white privilage.  I also found it interesting that class differences would be over looked.  I find it interesting that the voices of the lower class were not heard nearly as loudly as the middle and upper class.  I wonder if this was due to factors such as not having the free time, monetary demands or if they were just actively ignored.  I do understand that these other groups  (such as lower income women and women of color) had active roles in the overall suffrage movement, but why were they not adequately represented by the mainstream group of feminists?  I also wonder if this is still going on in the feminist movement today.
“In addition to the racial tension that marked the second wave, generational tension is now a factor.  Many leaders form the second wave of feminism are still active in contemporary politics, (Rowe-Finkbeiner, 29),”
            I believe that the generational difference between waves of feminism is important to recognize.  It is important to realize that the needs and demands of women change over time as their social and temporal environments change.  Previous generation of feminists that are still active should take into account these new needs of their heirs and not just focus on the issues of previous generations.  If both generations come together, then they become a much more powerful influence of change.  I also understand that this is much more easily said than done in reality, but people still need to try and understand one another.
“The sad fact is that many modern women face the challenges of gender inequality alone, as individuals.  The feeling that individual concerns add up to societal issues in need of electoral (legislative, voting, and candidate) action has been lost, along with flower power and rainbow suspenders, as the second wave fades (Rowe-Finkbeiner, 32).
I have myself experienced people who feel like they do not count on a large scale.  It is almost as if they give up before they even attempt to try.  I constantly hear people complain about various issues in our society today, but they usually come up with the conclusion that,” it sucks, but what can I do about it?”  I agree that there isn’t a very large and powerful movement in general for younger people (including women) to come together and collectively try to address their needs as a whole (at least none that I have witnessed).  Many times I have seen people assume that another entity will make the difference for them.  I don’t really know why this is.  I wonder what leads to this feeling; could it be a lack of a feeling of “togetherness” among the youth or could it be a lack of available conduits of political change.  I just don’t know, and the reality of it seriously frustrates me.

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