Sage's

GENDERLINKS

I apologize for the numerous obstacles which have prevented me from updating this site as quickly as I wanted to. Sometimes, life gets in the way. I am working on this now and will be transferring webring info here as soon as the pages are complete.

I have studied gender issues for the past 15 years. As I've spent much time in the past month or so surfing through various sites and forums, what has struck me the most is how tired I am of the vehemence behind gender issues. The nastiness, the name-calling - all of it - is so counter-productive. Today, I visited a discussion board I monitor to find a url someone posted for various definitions of feminism. I found the definitions to be deliberately antagonistic, as they so often are intended to be.

It is my opinion that those who are radical feminists have themselves been responsible for the current lack of respect for so-called feminist goals. They have themselves been responsible for brain-washing our younger generations and creating division when we need to work together. Exactly what is feminism and if we declare ourselves feminists, how do we differ from those who say they are not? Are those who disagree with feminist politics and goals women-haters?

I will be adding more to the list below, including a section where I will discuss my own thoughts on this subject. I will also be adding the various urls of forums other than the webring forum as I find them. It would well serve those interested in this subject to visit the various forums because it is necessary for all of us to understand each other. I will attempt to explain the issues which originally brought me into this arena and to explain where and why I think feminism has become counter-productive. I have had the good fortune to find one author who comes very close to my own opinions on this subject.

"The future that feminism offers is not attractive. It involves a division of society into two opposing camps, with the battle lines drawn within homes and families, between parents, between siblings, between mothers and sons, fathers and daughters. In itself, this is alarming, but when we note that it is based on bias, prejudice and misinformation, it is hard not to conclude that such a situation is both harmful and unnecessary. We should move beyond this. We must accept what has already been done, but we can work towards a post-feminist future which acknowledges all members of society. As feminism has shown, there are important issues to be addressed, such as work and family, parenting, social stereotyping, obligations and rights, violence and abuse in all its forms. A gender-biased approach will not give the answers, however. We should search for ways in which people can co-operate to accept the realities and aspirations of all, both male and female, with due consideration for each other and what can be achieved in a realistic and sustainable way. A post-feminist approach would aim to achieve such a balance, and would include a validation of men's realities as well as women's. It would recognise the interdependencies of men and women and our common interests. That is why I see myself as a post-feminist and I would like to see my children grow up in a post-feminist world."

Stuart Birks 26 July 1996