The Silencing of Feminism

Is feminism really dead? A friend of mine proclaimed that feminism should be rejected because it is an “outdated, misdirected ideology.” Bra burning, anger and rage are all images that many of us associate with the feminist movements of the 1960s and 1970s. These images are certainty not ones with which women associate today. In fact, we have reached a point where feminism is cliché, with so many negative connotations that many women who actually advocate feminist principles hesitate to label themselves as feminists. The movement once called groundbreaking and liberal has now been stereotyped as a radical, anachronistic battle led by “femi-nazis.”

But the question remains: Is it really true that we’ve entered a post-feminist era? Yes, we do have equal rights to vote and equal access to education. Yet, despite what so many of us believe, men and women in this country are not yet equal. People still complain that they are tired of hearing about women being treated like victims— but feminists are tired of women continually being victimized.

If there is no inequality, how can we explain the still high incidence of domestic violence and sexual assault? In 1995, police reported 103,096 rapes, or about 39.2 rapes per 100,000 Americans. It is likely, whether you know it or not, that you’re surrounded by peers who have been victims of sexual harassment, assault or rape. They are friends of yours, women who live in your dorm, sit next to you in class, your girlfriends or sisters. These are violent crimes that affect women from all economic, social and physical backgrounds. Feminism is still alive and crucial today because of the continued prevalence of sexual violence. These issues should concern not only women but men, too.

But people often retort that sexual violence, while it does debase women, is an impossible issue to resolve and we cannot assign responsibility to or blame men alone. “Boys will be boys”—but is that really true? According to the U.S. Department of Justice, a reported 2.8 percent of the national female student population per semester are raped. People assign blame to the final clubs, fraternities, athletic teams and the administration for its weak policies on sexual assault. While these all play a role, we the students are really to blame.

In fact, despite the stereotype, it has not been proven that fraternity members or athletes commit more sexual assaults. Instead, psychologists have found a correlation between peer support of ruse or coercion and violence against women. Think about it: If your friends talk about women in demeaning ways—as objects just to use—it is going to be hard to resist that attitude yourself. Therefore, while final clubs and athletic teams provide structured settings in which such heartless social conditioning can occur, it also happens at small social parties, in dorm rooms or clubs.

The few clusters of men who do find this kind of behavior acceptable are not mysterious, shadowy students who hide in their rooms all day and only come out at night to attack. They are regular guys, the same ones who go to class with you, party and eat with you.

That is why we cannot be silent when we see sexual crimes being committed. We all have to have the courage to get involved and tell someone if he’s out of line, had too much to drink, abusing his girlfriend or simply that his demeaning jokes about women are not funny.

Not everyone needs to be putting up posters and becoming counselors for crisis hotlines; while this would be appreciated, there are other important ways to help. But we all can make a difference on campus, from the most dramatic action of final clubs co-sponsoring seminars on sexual assault to women speaking out on their own experiences to the modest action of telling your friend he’s done for the night and it’s time for him to go home alone.

So many people say that they’re not feminist either because of the negative connotations or because feminism has no place here anymore. Whether they want to admit it or not, women still confront inequality and cannot walk down the street without the fear or risk of being violated. The battles fought in the twentieth century may have been successful, but they’re not over. Both women and men alike need to continue to fight for feminism because gender inequity has not disappeared—except perhaps from our national consciousness.

Anat Maytal ’05, a Crimson editor, lives in Thayer Hall.