Feminist Ethics
Most females operate under the “ethics of care” system. This closely examines peoples needs rather than rights and laws. Ethical feminism is a fine line. You must ask when does fighting the oppression of women and equality cross the line into radicalism. Genuine feminism is sometimes over taken by the “Gender Wars” or “Man Hater” feminist. There is the continuous argument of what “freedom” means to women. Some fight for fair wages, equal opportunity, the right to walk down the street not under cover of heavy fabric…but some simply call themselves feminist because they hate men, this is the difference and the weakness of feminist ethics, there is no rule book or set way to be a feminist.
Gilligan, a psychologist who has done extensive research in this field and feels that you must distinctively define yourself away from relationships, there has to be a line drawn to be a strong feminist and not become parochial. Feminism, according to the text, requires “effort to abolish the prevailing biases that distort the way we think of men and women and their relation to each other.”
Overall I must say...don't claim to be a feminist because you hate men, stand behinf the equality of women....that is the most ethical way to be a feminist.
Check out these poor displays of feminism.
Feminism has gone too far when it breaks the law, these women did not break the law through their demonstration but it is a fine line.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ocya61_qkqA
These comedians show extreme feminism. They are a good example of Gender Wars feminism
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S7tX4Ma941E
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PHlzc4ynTg0
Feminism is a valid issue, there are good moral feminists.
The clip below shows how feminism should work in theory, based on the reversal of womens oppresion and equality.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6bkDbBq1QcE
This is a PSA that you have probably seen, it addresses the common myth of feminism and is a good example of moral feminists.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3YA13GNT8Mc
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Radical feminism
As an old feminist, I'm not sure that you are correct. While I don't espouse law breaking, I think that radicalism develops when the response to a need for change is too slow or ignored altogether. Perhaps radicalism is what is needed to show those who oppose change that moderated change is not all that bad.
I think it is too easy to ascribe radicalism to "man hating". It is perhaps, a better question to inquire as to the roots of the hatred. When you keep in mind the forms of oppression practiced against women over time, still practiced in places, when you keep in mind that women are still objectified as sexual objects, you can begin to understand the level of frustration that results in anger. Reflect on the recent primary election and the national obsession with Hilary Clinton's cleavage when she wore a blouse with a lower neckline than usual. Why was her cleavage even an issue?
I know one of your clips is of women involved in Operation Pink. Pink is a women's organization that is focused on getting our troops out of Iraq. It is an organization of women and has a feminist orientation but it is concerned with the excesses of the Bush administration. It is ironic in a way as it is active in what is usually considered to be a an area that women are traditionally concerned with... protection of our families. It brings to mind the women who initiated the grassroots organizations that resulted in the cessation of our involvement in Viet Nam. My concern comes not from the protestors actions, but in the federal response. Women in the audience wearing pink shirts were ejected from the chamber and arrested simply because they were wearing pink.
It is an interesting philosophical question; are extreme positions within any political movement necessary to the success of the movement? Are those extremes part of the engine that moves the philosophy from thought into action?
"Life is understood looking backwards but it must be lived forwards" (Soren Kierkegaard)
text
The discussion of feminist ethics was based on my reading in the below citation:
Brannigan, Michael. Ethics Across Cultures. McGraw Hill, 2005.
-Michelle