As a supporter of equal rights for both women and men, over the last decade I have become increasingly disillusioned with the content of many of the voices of Western feminism. It seems that they are obsessed by ‘first world problems’ or non existent or minor gripes, when outside of Western feminist bubbles, there are a multitude of problems affecting women that Western and especially academic feminists are not tackling. I have seen for example more high profile feminists getting heated up over which historical female character to have on a ten pound note, than there are feminists getting rightfully upset about the plight of women outside of the West such as women living in Islamic cultures.
Without a doubt first and second wave feminism helped to release women from rigid gender roles and gained women rights, such as voting rights, equal pay, the right for a woman to control her own fertility and so on and so on. However the tail end of second wave feminism and third wave feminism itself has succumbed to a large extent into navel gazing.
Feminism has appeared to be increasingly abandoned by young Western women and that is partially because many of the big battles, such as those regarding voting rights, pay equality and reproductive rights, have all largely been won. Feminism has also lost its appeal to young women in some cases because of the behaviour of some feminists and the image that they put over of feminism, which in some cases is nasty, shrill, authoritarian and intolerant. If feminism is at its heart the idea of giving women choices, then to me it goes against the grain for feminists to exclude women who hold views that are at odds with the tenets of Leftist feminism. If a woman chooses to be a conservative or is pro life or pro traditional marriage or believes in the scientific fact that there are only two genders, or follows Christianity or Orthodox Judaism, then that choice should be respected, even if it does lie outside the Leftist plantation. These women should not be excluded from feminist gatherings or feminist discourse merely for making the decisions that are best for them.
The reason for writing this article is to introduce to the readers of this blog the feminist commentator Sarah Press. I first came across Ms Press on the Gab social media platform (@spressto) where, as well as putting over her views in a thoughtful manner, she gives no quarter to those who attack and challenge her, but she does it in an intelligent and well thought out way.
Ms Press has a YouTube channel called ‘Rationally Centred’ to which Ms Press is slowly but surely adding content. Of the four videos that she has made so far, all of them are thoughtful and put her ideas over in an engaging and intelligent way. I find that even when I disagree with her, as I do to a certain extent on the issue of ‘white privilege’, it is still worth listening to her.
It’s obvious from what I’ve read and seen of Ms Press that she occupies the centre-left part of the political spectrum but even though I am of the centre-right, that doesn’t matter that much to me. I like it when those of opposing views are able to articulate interesting arguments and bring facts to the table. Of course we may disagree how those facts are interpreted but debate and sometimes disagreement is important if society is to move forward and deal with its problems. Ms Press is a bit of a breath of fresh air in the feminist debate. She is polite, chooses her words well and is clear about her point of view and her argument.
To those who are wondering why this blog is featuring a centre left feminist, well I say this: It would be a sad world indeed if we were all the same and held the same views and sometimes people from the opposite side of the political aisle have as much to say that is valid as the views of those on our own side.
You can find Ms Press’ You Tube channel via the link below.
