Sonya Kandah
7/28/02
Eng. 328
Feminism in News Groups and Society Communication
Dike, lesbian, man hater, butch, angry women, these are
all words commonly used to describe feminist groups. Feminism, in today’s
standard can be defined as the social, political and economic promotion of
the rights of all men and women. Early feminism championed the cause
of women to improve their equality and place in society.
The feminist movement continued to come forth in many waves with more issues
arising as the political, social, and economic role of society changed. Feminism
is for everyone, men or women, transgender, or transsexual, adult or child.
It is a movement that tries to bring equality into the lives of all people.
In ENG 328, I was assigned to follow a news group and
report its activities and ways in which it is different than other types
of communication. When searching the google news groups, www.googlegroups/soc.feminism
grabbed my attention because of the many preconceived notions of what belonging
to a feminist group means. Interacting with this group and following the
conversations has led me to choose this as my news group. Also, within reading
this group and understanding what the members were trying to get across,
I found that my own assumptions of what a feminist group meant, was totally
wrong. I hope this can give you an insight on what assumptions you
may or may not have that are not necessarily true.
The news group on feminism seems to choose an informal
language as they communicate via email to one another. The members are relaxed
and do not follow a set of standards when it pertains to getting information
across. I feel the members are very open to hear what others have to
say and in turn, leave the conversation inviting a response. They do
use language that can invoke a particular subject to arouse, but never to
the extent that anyone feels threatened or unable to be heard. “It’s
a fucking reality, men and women are different, always have been.”(Rich 2002-08-18
Re: Poll) “Well, thanks for the biology lesson….It doesn’t bother me.” (Maria
2002-08-18 Re: Poll) This was a thread discussion on how men and women
are different. The two users, Maria and Rich, battled an argument on
this thread. Yet, a few days later, they complimented each other’s
points on women as managers. “First of all, I’d like to say that I don’t
think women- do – fail as managers, there are quite a few women managers
where I work and they do every bit as good as a job of managing as the men
do.” (Rich 2002-08-15 Re: Why Women Fail as Managers) “Thank you. It’s
nice to see a man stick up for women’s equality in the workplace.” (Maria
2002-08-15 Re: Why Women Fail as Managers)
The word choices of my group seem to arise from the many
rhetorical questions asked. The words then are somewhat assertive when
answering the questions. Words like, you, are, it, and I, seem to be
very common ways to start answers or questions. It is informal in the
sense that each person is stating a broad or direct answer to a question,
very seldom giving his or her own personal experiences to fuel the fire.
“Are women happier now than they were 25 years ago?” (Michael L. 2002-08-21
RE: Why Women Fail as Managers) “Again, as a man who am I to say?” (Michael
S. 2002-08-21 Re: Why Women Fail as Managers) In this thread, the questions
were based to everyone, and men and women answered.
At the beginning, I stated this group helped me to change what I assumed
a feminist’s perception to be. I presumed that feminist’s stemmed from
women who wanted some equality in the light of men’s issues and they were
not willing to compromise and wanted every man to suffer. Well, when
I read this newsgroup I was introduced to a different arena. Many of
the subjects had to do with men and what rights they should have. A
few articles touched upon the fact men can be stereotyped just as women are,
and that men need some reassurance they are not alone. “I think most modern
men have a tenuous grip on masculinity because so few of us fit the popular
definitions of ‘manhood’---the cardboard cutouts of men, such as sports heroes
and the screen images of Stallone and Schwartzenggar. We grow up knowing
we don’t ‘measure up,’ and perhaps wonder if that means that inside we’re
not really men, but gay.” (Michael S. 2002-08-04 Re: Poll) Michael is confessing
that as women go through stereotypes and the need for society to ease up,
men also go through the same. Many articles were talking about the
place society held women at. “They suffer from the Impostor Syndrome, they
(still!) think they have to act like men, they are too easily disturbed by
criticism, competition, they believe that their power lies totally in their
sexuality, they feel uncomfortable with authority figures.” (Ovum 202-08-15
Re: Why Women Fail as Managers) Ovum is discussing where women are placed
in the corporate worlds of society. Ovum is discussing what women might
feel, that would cause them to fail as managers, due to the pressures and
wrongs of society.
The articles also give you a real sense of the history
of feminism and what people perceive to be true and their associated actualities.
“Table of contents: History, Implications of Beauty, Lesbian Feminism, Literary
writings, Media depiction’s of women, Military, Law enforcement, Patriarchy.”(Cindy
2002-08-17 Re: Feminism References) When I read further into each of
the table of contents, I learned of the many misconceptions I had and what
they really meant in the terms of what feminism was.
The most eye-awakening experience for me, was the amount
of men that were in the newsgroup and what they had to offer to the conversations.
It was not male bashing and women telling men what they thought was wrong
with them. It was human beings telling each their views in what they
thought need to change and what needed to be said. “I never realized what
being pregnant was like until I went through it. Now if I am in line for
the restroom and a pregnant women walks up, I immediately give her my place.”
(Emma 2002-08-15 Re: Etiquette) “Emma, you raise the same questions I asked
myself when I read this thread. Surrendering one’s seat to a pregnant
woman is one of that etiquette that is disappearing. At the same time,
I have read of women who have “chewed out” the guy who graciously offered
his seat.” (Gary 2002-08-16 Re: Etiquette) Of course they were of opposite
sexes, yet it was not the battle of the sexes or men versus women. Each responded
equally to the other and much thought and emphasis seemed to be placed in
each group.
The notion to stay on track seemed very important to the
newsgroup affiliates as they seemed to care about a particular subject and
commented on something from before. The subjects were tracked from year’s
prior and that seemed to make them very reliable. “The question is:
to ‘which’ man does one want to appeal?” (Gordon 1990-11-13 Re: None) “What
makes a man eligible, of course, is the power.”(MyDog 1990-11-13 Re: None)
This thread was able to stay “alive,” in the archives by continuing the discussion
on men and women and their power. The original question was changed
and the discussion turned into traditional power and how men and women hold
it. “Housework…… can be done by men or women. You don’t need particular skills
or qualifications.”(Charles 2002-03-11 Re: None)
The need to stay right on task was relevant within each
posting. Each question had a rhetorical answer that corresponded with
the initial task and no one really diverged off into a totally different
subject without letting the rest of the group know. The reading of
these articles also showed me the want and need to hear what others in the
groups were saying. This news group seems to be a gathering comprised of
women and men who have a common interest. Interest to discuss issues that
are relevant to the equality, the laws, the stereotypes, the values and the
belief systems of the issues centering around women and men with regards
to their place in society.
I noticed that news groups use email as a means of communication
without the need for human contact. Is it because email is not face
to face communication, and we can hide who we are? Does this explain why
some members use an alias? Prejteach2, Hoppybear, Banty, Cyradd, Pw, Larisaa,
are a few members who choose this identity.
Can we then become anything we want and not have to deal with the intimacy
of human contact? “There are no closets in cyberspace.” (Victoria 1997-07-25
Re: Attention, Wanted, and Unwanted) Maybe, this is what makes the situation
of a news group comfortable for many to use. The pure essence of being
able to state your views without anyone really knowing whom you are makes
the illusion of a new identity for us. “I don’t dress as a typical
male, I don’t act as a typical male, I don’t follow all of society’s little
petty rules of conduct.” (Sayeth 1997-07-02 Re: None)
As the news group opened me up to see a different light
on feminism, it also
opened me up to see the different ways of how the news group is a way of
communication that seems to hide the physical aspects that condemn many people
to hide their identity and views on life. This is a medium of communication
that allows our identity to be hidden and us make our own reality.
A place to meet people with common interests and a want/need to be there.
I see email/news groups as a different way that changes
the style of language by giving us the ability to become who we want on the
outside and make up the persona we may not regularly be able to do otherwise.
I think many people might like this type of interaction because they feel
they can be open about themselves in a world where many are other wise afraid
to do so.