Published October 21, 1999
It is not terribly original to point out that the success of a movement is often due more to its name than the merit of its position. People respond well to words that sound friendly and shy away from words that have connotations they don�t like.
For instance, a mobster that extorts money from people might choose to refer to his action as a �protection fee� because it sounds like he is providing a service.
Similarly, a government that imposes a membership tax on its citizens could choose to call it an �activity fee� in the hope that its citizens will be convinced that the tax does something for them.
The words that we use to express our ideas are important because our personal vocabulary often acts as a window to our political ideologies, personal opinions and our knack for public relations. The labels that are chosen to identify a movement should not be arbitrary, but should instead take into consideration what those outside the movement will think when they hear them and how they will influence what the movement will eventually become.
One of the terms that has been particularly important for our modern cultural identity is feminism. The problem with this term is that it often alienates men, divides women and confuses nearly everyone about the ultimate goals of the movement it describes.
Does feminism mean obtaining equal rights and responsibilities for women or granting them superior status? If it means equal rights and responsibilities, then why has it yet to obtain the draft for women? If superior status, then why would any man claim to be a feminist, for in this case it will only mean his eventual relegation to a �second class citizen�?
Or, if the word feminism has a multiplicity of meanings that are often contradictory, why don�t we come up with some new words to better express what we are trying to say with this one?
To me, the term feminism seems to lead ultimately to a mindset where women are elevated to a position of superiority rather than equality. I am not saying that it started out that way or that everyone who uses the term intends it that way; instead, I am merely pointing out that a word containing a gender bias within itself seems flawed as an expression for the movement toward sexual equality.
I have known many women who have supported the equality of women and yet refused to identify themselves as feminists simply because they did not like the connotation that feminism has. Sometimes they felt feminists were saying that women should have superior rights to men, a viewpoint with which they strongly disagreed. And usually they felt that feminism demanded that women be completely interchangeable with men in all situations, which they considered absurd.
But what are these women to be called if not feminists? Is there a term specifically designed for people who feel this way?
It seems to me that the term that I use to identify myself is a fairly good one for the people I describe; I consider myself to be an equalist, for I feel this word conveys my opinion better than feminism ever could.
Essentially, while I believe that men and women are equal in all their rights, I do not believe that they are the same or that they can always be treated the same. The major problem with this definition of the term, of course, is that it also contains a great deal of ambiguity.
The view that men and women are equal and interchangeable is fairly straightforward. Unless we are willing to create a society in which there are absolutely no distinctions made between men and women, any attempt at complete interchangeability is doomed to be inconsistent. Instead, we must recognize and celebrate the differences between men and women even while we strive for equality for all people.
Taking the name of an equalist is a great responsibility, for as I have said, great care should always be taken in constructing new terminology.
By using this term, I am trying to convey that my goal is not that either gender should be superior but that their equality should be affirmed. I am trying to use a word in which people will see merit and which will cause them to think about how they describe themselves.
And, of course, I intend equalism to be a word that will influence the future of any movement that takes its name toward a path to equality rather than as a path to division. Feel free to join.
When Diversity Becomes Intolerant
Faith in Organized Religion
Equalism, Not Feminism
Updated Wednesday, 20-Oct-1999 23:08:12 EST
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Original Letter to the Editor