Mrs. America and Why I Don't Fit in with Mainstream Feminism

[stpurl]

It kind of is and isn’t.

I think that maybe the phrase should be more, “woman’s greatest honor is that she has the capacity to be a mother—to nurture another person and help bring them to God.”

“Man’s greatest honor is that he has the capacity to be a father—to nurture another person and help bring them to God’.

St. Joseph was the greatest ‘human’ father in history, but he was not the biological father of Jesus.

Some of the greatest saints have been religious—priests who were fathers to countless members of their flock; sisters and nuns who prayed for, worked for, suffered and died for their spiritual children.

So in that way, any of us can be a mother or a father, whether we actually carry a child, nurture a child, or even actually ‘see’ the people we pray for (as in contemplative religious).

 

[Tis_Bearself]

I think that doing whatever God calls you to do is a great honor.
Even if he just calls you to being a childless layperson in the world.

 

[Sarcelle]

How about lay women who can’t be mothers because they’re either single or married but infertile?

 

[dochawk]

Whew, I had to take a double take. For a second it looked like another type of “-ism”

you antiismistismist, you!

:crazy_face:

 

[NevermoreLenore]

Everything is so black and white, as if we no longer have the cognitive ability for nuance anymore. It’s like talking to toddlers whenever I explain that painting feminism as all good or all bad is ridiculous!

My husband and I were discussing this very thing an hour ago. It’s black vs white–no grey ideation allowed; it’s us or them–no compromising. This rigidity achieves the opposite of the intended goal because there is no middle ground upon which to move forward. It seems people lack the intelligence to understand the other’s perspective, even if they disagree with it. We’ve lost all ability for dialectical thinking. It is this phenomenon that, like @Tis_Bearself said, makes me not align with any ‘-isms’. I don’t say I’m prolife, because it instantly shuts down conversation. I am registered Independent. I do not claim to be conservative (which I am regarding morality) or liberal (which I am in that I support social programs, especially for the poor). I’m not a joiner anyway, but I don’t affiliate with groups or movements in general because I don’t want to pick a side. It’s not that I’m not willing to stand up for what’s right, because absolutely I will, but in aligning with one side it creates the us vs them mentality and discussions of moving forward, together, for change becomes nigh impossible.

 

[Lea101]

us vs them mentality and discussions of moving forward, together, for change becomes nigh impossible.

That’s true. People shut down immediately once they find out you gasp don’t agree with everything they believe in. In real life, I like to be as vague as possible, lol

 

[blackforest]

Didn’t you get the memo? Beliefs come pre-packaged like Lunchables. All or nothing, baby.

 

[Servant31]

To me that’s the main issue. It’s the extremism. As a white male I almost can’t disagree with something a “powerful” woman says. If I do I’m “mansplaining”. If I don’t I’m a doormat and lack “assertiveness”.

It’s not about the equality of rights in the extrema, it’s about power and bullying. You must accept the self righteous lecture and shaming.

Equality means everyone gets an equal chance or opportunity. Not retaliation.