I went to university in the 1970s and again in the 1980s, a time when feminism was becoming more radical and very prevalent on campus and in society generally. I met feminists from a range of life settings and from varying political and social allegiances. Some were nutcases, a few were brilliant scholars and activists, most were regular women looking seriously at a host of ideas, and, wanting to be taken seriously, could be very assertive regarding who they were as women. They certainly didn’t agree with each other on all points. I found myself impressed by the best of them and friends with many of them. I feel strongly that their work has played a vital role in changing sexist aspects of society, something we all benefit from. I changed my mind on some issues after being exposed to some excellent feminist critiques of society and history. Although I was a conservative, rightwing christian at the time (yikes, is that embarrassing!), I raised my daughters to be strong independent woman who are today two of the most developed and impressive human beings on this planet (though I admit I’m a little biased here). I must give credit where credit is due though. I am a better man today at least in part because I was challenged by feminists and their ideas. I would hate to see feminism disappear.
Militants in any movement always run the risk of becoming extremists, which some feminists did. As postmodernism took root and gained ascendancy in the university one small part of the feminist spectrum came to dominate in that setting, and its methods and approaches, coloured strongly by the postmodernist trend (and often moving beyond its its real and valuable insights IMHO), seems to have become anti-rational, anti-scientific and strongly doctrinaire. Fanatics are seldom pleasant (I’m still apologizing to people I knew in the 70s for my extremist, fundamentalist crap). Some very bright young women I know have told me they are feminists but feel the need to distance themselves from this particular feminist trend, especially if they have strong science backgrounds. Social movements change over time and every movement seems to produce a spectrum of ideas and practices. I think feminism has made the world a better place, but that, like any set of ideas and practices, it does not and cannot be the one great truth to which all others must answer. If you’ve read Naomi Wolfe and bell hooks, you’re aware that feminists do not agree on all points. That’s not unique to the feminist movement. If you read women’s writers on sex or sex work, you’ll be aware of how bitter some discussions are. I have encountered SPs who are truly among the most astonishing women and human beings I know (and I work in a profession full of bright, educated, socially engaged women). Personally I like the integral approach of thinkers like Ken Wilber, an approach where we respect the spectrum of experiences and ideas that are part of the human experience generally, accept the best of those, and recognize that consciousness grows and changes. We simply never arrive; it’s always a journey. Personally I believe that the feminine is on the rise on our planet because it’s a necessary counterbalance to millennia of male dominance. I think our peace and survival depend on it. Feminism plays a positive role in that but, please, save us from fanatics of all varieties whether they wear skirts or trousers, turbans or neck ties. As an ex-fanatic I welcome any and all sources of knowledge and healing. Both feminists and SPs (even those SPs who are feminists) have been part of my education. That some feminists and SPs despise each other makes no difference in that regard. I hope they develop a meaningful dialogue. In the meantime I’ll continue to see them separately, though I respect many women in both camps.