Feminism

And finally, I've found that students—at least the ones in my classes—are starved for something other than the feel-good, it's-all-about-choice model of pseudo-feminism that they're exposed to elsewhere in the culture. The advertising industry tells them that a new lipstick shade will give them "power," while "freedom" can be theirs with a new variety of tampon. Meanwhile, the rest of the mainstream media assures them that feminism means climbing the corporate ladder, being free to pose for pornography if they want to, doing whatever makes them feel good and not being answerable to anyone for it. (In fact, some of them have dutifully identified this point of view as feminism and concluded—wisely—that it's bullshit.)

Sadly, women's studies classes too often convey this same point of view, thinly disguised. Whether it's the queer-theory, gender-performativity folks bringing on the revolution via drag parties; or the third-wave crowd confessing that they like nail polish and missionary-position sex and what of it (what, indeed?); or the "sex-positive," whips-and-leather crew selling dominance as hot and radical. . . well, sometimes I just don't recognize this movement as what I signed on for, even as recently as the late 80's. (I can't imagine what the second-wavers must be thinking.) I guess it's a lot easier to display your rebellious spirit when you're not being asked to think about (let alone do) anything particularly demanding. It's probably even easier when you can believe that whatever you're already doing is itself positively revolutionary—or, more chillingly, that doing to others as you've been done to is really what liberation is all about.

radical feminism also asks a whole lot more of them. It asks them to recognize that their choices do more than make them feel either empowered (good) or like a victim (bad). It shows them that they're located within a cultural and political system that gives their choices meanings beyond what they may intend, not to mention consequences for other people, many of whom are even less powerful than they are. And that's something that's really hard for them to swallow.

Empowerment is not just a feeling. To get power, you have to take it, and that means you need to try to understand where it is and who has it and how they use it; and you would also do well to have some positive vision of what you would do with power if you had it. This is heady and complicated stuff. It can't be glossed over in a chatroom or on a talk show. It takes time, and effort, and dedication to doing something difficult. That's why it is so important to keep teaching radical feminism—real feminism—in universities.