Mistakes of Feminists Can Teach The Rest of Us

Experts in Social Media suggest writing about controversial topics to increase viewer reach. Well, what’s more controversial than a straight, white man talking about the mistakes of feminists?

I’m No Expert on Feminism

Now, I’m No Expert on feminism, or any -ism for that matter. My only credentials are that I love women and believe that everyone, regardless of parts and pieces, should be treated with equality and respect; that sexist, racist and homophobic people should be ignored, not sensationalized (and never elected); and that I have been blessed with incredible female role-models, including my wife, mum, family and friends. In fact, almost all the women in my life are awesome – and I think that’s a good indicator of my own self-worth, if I do say so myself. Strong women don’t waste their time with losers, or so I’m told.

Next, let me say for the record that of course I understand why the feminist movement began. In a world ruled by men no one mattered but other men… well, other straight men… well, other men who at least pretended to be straight. Basically, if you had a penis and you said you didn’t like other penises (and you were white) you were accepted into the fold and given a seat at the trough, otherwise you’d better “earn it”. Of course “earning it” is difficult when you’re working against small-minded assholes.

The Superior Male

Now these men didn’t have breasts, couldn’t play basketball, and were lousy dancers, so they needed to convince themselves that they were somehow “superior”. Using muscle, money and military, White Men put themselves in charge of everything and everyone, and anyone who took issue with this was enslaved, labeled “abominations” or witches and were suitably punished.  Because the courts, governments and corporations were all full of other white men, the “proof” of their superiority was everywhere and white men got away with genocide (and still do). White men were assholes – many of us still are – and anyone else who attempted to rise up was quickly pushed back down “where they belong”.

The Mistakes of Feminists

Here we see the mistake: the feminist movement was fighting for the rights of women when women weren’t the only group being repressed. Black people, Native American and aboriginal people, handicapped people, people with mental issues, drug issues, sex issues, and body issues were all held down by White Men. Each group had a common enemy yet each group was (is) fighting their own fight.

Today you can open any newspaper or website and see headlines of a struggling “minority” fighting against  the rule of (generally) white men. Campaigns like #BlackLivesMatter, #BringBackOurGirls, #ChangeTheRatio, and #IdleNoMore are each attempting to raise awareness and support for the equal treatment of people.

All around the world, we have struggles, movements and hashtags attempting to raise awareness for basic human rights against the stronghold of elite power. Each of these groups have a common foe – the existing (sexist, racist, homophobic, fearful of the masses) elitist power structure. This fight, in all its incarnations, is the reason we don’t have World Peace, but that’s another story.

Feminists pull together to fight the men in power, but they have to share the stage with the movements for Black Rights, Native American rights, LGBT Rights, Animal Rights, Land Rights For Gay Whales and more.  Each group raises their own funds, holds their own protests, has their own magazine, and recruits their own supporters, and by doing so, dilutes the potential strength of each movement. This is what the existing power structure prays for, of course.

What would have happened, do you think, if each of these movements joined forces to take on their common represser?

Following Suit

Instead of putting on shoulder pads, man-tailored suits and trying to fit in to the existing male-dominated corporate structure, demanding equal pay from sexist bosses, and proving (as Hillary Clinton, Condoleezza Rice, Christy Clark and others have) that women can be just as corruptible as men, why didn’t women join forces with other marginalized groups and build new economies and opportunities outside of the existing power structure? Was it too hard? I doubt many women think that fighting for their rights has been easy.

Now, it’s no surprise that many of the women in power today are as bad as the men before them… that’s not sexist, that’s Capitalism. As business life has taught me, assholes always hire assholes. Shitty bosses don’t like “good” people pointing out their shittiness, so they tend to hire and promote other assholes who’ll keep their mouths shut. Is this the world working women wanted to become a part of?  Is this the world women hope(d) to change??

The old adage “if you can’t beat them, join them” is bullshit when you are the majority of people. In South Africa, it took the Black, Indian and Jewish communities working together (despite their differences and unique struggles) to over throw the barbaric minority of white men that ruled them… something, some argue, our society still hasn’t done!

Instead of trying to fit in, why didn’t women, black people, Native Americans and all the other repressed people of the world team up with, well, white men like me (who want to help) and build entirely new economies based on the principals of nurturing motherhood and balanced nature instead of merging into this male/masculine rule-the-world crap?

Why didn’t all the minorities co-operate and start new banks, schools, and businesses based on the “feminine” qualities of life and the Indigenous values of Ecological Interconnectedness and crowd-out the ignorant white male power structure? They certainly would have had my vote!

Why didn’t all the minorities boycott all the racist and sexist businesses, combine their economic and social power and then lead by example, effectively ignoring the “other” power structure?

Of course, I’m not here to really discuss feminism or any “mistakes”, that was just a dirty trick to get you to read this article. My hat goes off and my heart goes out to anyone who has had to struggle for respect and equality.  My main point is simply – why are we still fighting these old men at their own game?

I believe that the mistake of any oppressed group is creating their own unique fight instead of joining forces with all the other marginalized people. I believe that if all these groups combined efforts, the sexist, racist, homophobic elite could simply be crowded out. Their tiny minority would be left behind or forced to evolve.

Now, here at imnoexpert.com, our focus is World Peace which we believe is incompatible with the existing profit-above-all corporate model. There is no room for peace when profit is the first priority–a legal requirement for CEOs of public for-profit companies today. The Social Enterprise movement, encouraging businesses to focus first on their social mission and then on profits, is the new “business minority” fighting for an equal place at the economic trough.

The Social Enterprise movement works tirelessly to prove this model is perfectly compatible with today’s Capitalism (and Socialism, for that matter), that it’s time has come, that we aren’t naive dreamers, and that we deserve to be heard. Like the fight for equality, existing Social Enterprise corporations are up against massive resistance from the existing profit-before-people corporate elite. Sound familiar?

I believe the Social Enterprise movement must learn from the mistakes of feminists and combine forces with everyone else fighting for change.

The Social Enterprise movement, like the rights for equality, are incompatible with the male-centric, profit-focused mentality. Where male CEOs in the 1950’s foolishly thought that women were useless at business, many of today’s corporate players foolishly think that Social Entrepreneurs are useless “socialists” and “lefties” with no place in the business world. In both cases, nothing could be further from the truth.

Yet, we continue to work with these people!

I propose that anyone grasping for equality in today’s world must unite against today’s common represser, the elite minority that believe profit is the sole purpose of business, and that wealth makes them superior.  The profit-above-all mentality is just as dangerous as the male-above-all mentality which of course still exists today.

Instead of trying to “join them”, “fit in”, or “carve our niche”, Social Enterprises, women, visible minorities, youth, socialists, whales and anyone else that is sick of today’s inequality and repression must work together to crowd-out these dinosaurs and build a new model based on peace, equality and respect for everyone worldwide.

The Feminist movement isn’t over – it continues to struggle for equality today, as do African Americans, Native Americans, the LGBT community, and more.

There comes a time when we must accept that the elite (called “The Investor Class” today, don’t you know)  never let in outsiders. You either earn your way to their game or you don’t play at all.

It’s time we re-invent the game for the 21st century. Your parts and pieces, skin colour or birthplace should have no bearing on what you are capable of becoming, creating or building. Anyone who doesn’t agree with that should be crowded-out and marginalized themselves. Sexism, Racism, Homophobia and greed are not traits we are born with, despite what the media will tell you. It’s time these people were booted away from the trough until they earn their way back in.

If you believe a peaceful planet should come before profits, if you believe all people deserve equal respect, and if you are tired of the existing system, its time to unite and build a new model fit for today’s world.

The Social Enterprise Movement is attempting to build a new model based on these ethics and we need your help, no matter what parts and pieces you may have.

• If you run a small business, make it a Social Enterprise – its as much a philosophy as a business plan, just prioritize profit third, not first
  
• If you are part of a marginalized minority, reach out to other marginalized groups (and Social Enterprises) and combine your protests and efforts with theirs

The mistakes of feminists–of all repressed groups–is in thinking they are alone and must first help themselves. The truth is, we are ALL in this together. Only a united front has the ability to garner the attention of the people, to reach a critical mass, and to crowd-out those in power still holding so tightly to the reigns.

We all deserve a more balanced, equal, peaceful world, and it’s going to take all of us to build it.