In my experience as a passionate conversationalist, everyone I have engaged with either hates, is annoyed by or disinterested by the word “Feminism”. Over the years this concept of equity has become obscene; the new prohibited “F-word” if I may call it that. Its connotation in relation to females and femininity leaves a bitterness people rarely wish to taste. I am left confounded that nobody is as fearful of patriarchy-a word that glorifies maleness, masculinity and its powers. The sentiments among women are similar to those of men, despite the fact that, in the system of patriarchy, women draw the shorter stick almost all of the time. Unfortunately, that reality is not so clear to all of us.
According to Ramon Grosfoguel (2013) epistemic sexism and racism go hand in hand; they both have the same effect of granting epistemic privilege to one knowledge source.The other side of the same coin is that it also imposes epistemic inferiority to another. We understand that genocide is the deliberate killing of large groups of people, especially ethnic groups; and Grosfoguel’s concept of epistemicide explains that knowledge is also exterminated with the genocide of its carriers. Throwback to the medieval era; featuring the conquest and genocide of Indo-European women who were masters of indigenous knowledge from ancient times. In their knowledge span were areas such as astronomy, biology, medicine and ethics. They were all killed, accused of being witches especially in the 16th and 17th century with the rise of “modern/colonial capitalist/patriarchal” power structures. Their leadership and authority posed a significant threat to Christian-centric patriarchy then and they were killed. So let’s fast track to modern times. Women are not necessarily or directly being killed because of the knowledge we possess but look at how this same sexism affects the average woman/girl daily. See the following video:
If you ever had to use phrases such as “Stop interrupting me” or “No explanation needed” or “I just said that” then you know what it is to be dismissed because what you are saying is not deemed worthy, not deemed credible and not deemed validated until spoken or explained by a man. No wonder feminism is not so popular; there are not enough male voices advocating for feminism for it to flourish. Surely if the men were on board it would no longer be the “F-word” nobody wants to make mention of.
Now in this video, Viola Davis utters the most profound words in the history of thank you speeches:
“The only only thing that separates women of colour from anyone else is opportunity”
Who can argue with her when she quotes Harriet Tubman in a time where social inequalities were much worse, yet the statement still holds relevance to her precise situation at the award ceremony.
Certainly, Taraji P. Henson’s reaction is warranted.
Sharing cookies to celebrate her win for playing the role of “Cookie” in Empire was quite theatrical but her speech commanded a certain attention that was well received, especially by me. She played several other roles before that she felt were deserving of an award, yet the one character that did secure one was “Cookie” who spent 17 years in jail for selling crack; ‘real’ yes, but negative nonetheless. Her point is that epistemic racism/sexism was at work here. Because the culturally hegemonic views of the black commumunity are negative and stereotypical. Added to that, during her speech she was cued to ‘wrap it up’ to which she retorted “Please wrap? Wait a minute, I waited 20 years for this, you gon’ wait”. Does this often happen to men?
The irony is that she gave that powerful, ghetto “Cookie” response that viewers and media stakeholders love. I can admit that I too, loved it. But why? Is it because all our minds have conformed to the epistemology that black women are ghetto, petty and have an attitude when their feathers are ruffled? Even Viola Davis’s role as Annalise Keating a successful defense attorney who lies, cheats and undermines the people around her on a daily basis perpetuates the ideology that black women are dishonest. Doesn’t this significantly reduce black women’s credibility when we speak if viewers are trained to perceive us as deceitful? We have come to glorify this type of behaviour because the black community and black women especially have been for years degraded with rape, domestic violence, promiscuity, name-calling, slut-shaming, condescending and a conglomerate of additives, all to our willing acceptance which is expressed by our viewership of the aforementioned content in the film industry.
On the other hand, men (especially white men) are portrayed as rich, powerful, intelligent super-heroes, God-like, representative of Jesus and the like. Again, Christian-centric patriarchy cannot be denied here.
Essentially, women have to be subjugated for patriarchy to work. Ironically, all everyone has to do for Feminism to work, is to be equitable. But who wants that?
References
Grosfoguel, Ramon. 2013. “The Structure of Knowledge in Westernized Universities:Epistemic Racism/Sexism and the Four Genocides/Epistemicides of the Long 16th Century”
Michelle Obama called out the casual sexism women face everyday. The Insider. Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thisisinsider/videos/1522809968026396/?pnref=story
Soraya Chemaly. The Credibility Gap: How Sexism Shapes Human Knowledge. TedX YouTube :https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HJqtUUDhaxA
Emmys 2015. Viola Davis wins Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series. Television Academy. YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OSpQfvd_zkE
Taraji P. Henson Wins Best Actress in a Drama Series at the 2016 Golden Globe Awards for Empire. Haves and Have Nots Info. YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Yrca4FSKXQ
Mansplaining meme: http://skepchick.se/2013/05/10/mansplaining-om-man-som-dumforklarar-kvinnor/
By Letiffia David
The 'Third World' In Global Development 
Unfortunately when thinking of Feminism some of the first thoughts are the radical feminist. Though their intentions are good, their approach turns you off. Basically sending females back deeper into “A Man’s World” and less of a equal. And more of a liability. As a female myself, I’m fully aware of how capable of a woman could be. But there’s always that stereotype that women are emotional and unstable. Even though it’s not entirely true. It’s always a those to prove the stereotype right. Leading society to continue to live and want live in patriarchy.
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Radical Feminism has managed to do more harm than good and is not a true representative of the ideals of the feminist movement, which is equity. As for the stereotype, it’s just that: a STEREOTYPE and does not necessarily apply to all women in all situations. The onus is not only on men to understand the need for equity but also on us women to stop playing such a major role in discrediting other women when we use terms such as “she’s PMS-ing” or “She’s a crazy bitch” etc because men simply repeat and validate our own words. Let’s not contribute to our own degradation because the day we have something valuable to contribute all people will remember is that we’re “emotional and unstable”.
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OH MY GOSH! YASS i can’t tell you how many times i sat in a tutorial give a right response a question… and got the response “not quite” only to have the guy next to me rephrase what i said and get a thumbs up from the tutor…so annoying but what can i say really? Even at university, unless you aren’t slightly aggressive by nature, you’re overlooked…I can tell you about my experience thus far as an 2nd year student studying sociology…so far ALL of my lectures have been male, Mr.Rampersad ,Mr. Salandy, Mr.Berkley, Mr Balfour, Mr.Marshall…and all my tutors..well the opposite, female, i’m not saying that they aren’t no female lectures in sociology, i just haven’t come across any as yet. It says to me that i can’t deny the fact that the knowledge i consume on a weekly basis is constructed predominantly by male minds, the persons i admire and look up too aren’t necessarily my tutors either, it’s my lecturers. Like the lady for ted talks explains, the higher you go, the less females you see, and even that fact reinforces women’s expectations to stay within the realms where there are many more women. that’s why being a nurse and a teacher is considered a “woman job”.
Epistemic sexism is deeply rooted in the university itself, the boys in my class are expected to voice their opinion on each topic based on facts while lectures will often ask for a girl’s experience, “give me an example from your life” not their knowledge. Anyway this was a great article, the only thing i wish it touched on more is how women themselves silence other women, and prefer to hear women who voices which reflects male ideals in society aka the abuse women cause on their own selves.
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You are absolutely right. We as women do the most damage to our sisters because we are all complicit in perpetuating the validation of male knowledge. I agree with you 100% that because we are surrounded constantly by male lecturers, they are the ones we actually look up to. Having male lecturers and female tutors solidifies in our minds the idea that female epistemology is not up to par and we are less likely to look up to them, even though they might be just as good teachers. My tutor for Third World in Global Development is a female and I believe she is equally competent, if not more, to lecture this course but this wouldn’t be validated until this university, a male dominated sphere, says she is good enough to do it.
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How unfortunate the current circumstances has become for women around the world. The only gate of life in which new life enters through this world is attributed for women. This and many other attributes should hold women to supersede men in terms of capability and placement in the societal hierarchy, which isn’t the case. The ideals portrayed through specific tools used for social engineering conforms the minds of its subjects to a male dominated and orientated social structure purposefully to undermine the role of women in reality itself. As Tupac Shakur said best, ” we all come from a women, so we have no business disrespecting one”. This I am a firm believer in. It has a direct affect on my perception of females and why they aren’t respected as the glorious and magnificent beings that they are. Women being treated as they should would pose a problem for the goals of the powers that be, not to mention the specific instances in history set up to perpetuate the same cause and effect. Feminism being the issue constantly swept under the rug is the exact reason why it needs to be at the forefront of epistemological conversations and debates among young scholars who will analyze the circumstances and dissect the problem for what it is, instead of writing it off as it usually is. If we are to inhabit earth successfully without foreboding warnings of imminent doom, the woman needs to be rightful placed on her throne to once again create balance and serve as a bridge to the greater consciousness of this earth and our position within this universe. We can’t hope to progress with such state of minds that holds us as indentured servants to one way of thinking and not our own.
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Now more than ever, mental slavery is at an all time high. We have much less independent thinkers and far less willing to speak up. If a woman possesses the knowledge to save mankind, we would never be saved. Take for instance “Mother Nature” having the source of good health and wellness…doctors in the male dominated field of Medicine now extract these same elements from the earth, providing temporal relief, and accepting credit for ground-breaking developments in healing. (confused face) Medicine that existed all along is being rejected by third world countries trying to develop and mimic the prescriptions of the first world. Hence, Panadol and Advil will always be the go-to drug instead of ginger and garlic tea. Notice how the validation came not only from the first world, but a male dominated sphere that controls and owns epistemic privilege simply because it is male dominated.
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This is interesting read. However, I am confused by actors like Taraji P. Henson and others that play negative female black stereotypes. Was her role as cookie really a reality or a stereotype? For some reason I can see Viola Davis living the black feminist more than Henson. I know the intent of the article was not to compare feminists but I believe that the reason why feminism has a negative connotation to it is due to ‘feminist’ who I really can’t see fighting against inequality. In addition, there are the ones (feminists) who go crazy, I mean radical, about women doing the man’s job. It may be the under-low job of the patriarch, ‘sowing seeds of discord’ among one fighters of equality. I believe that equality can be achieved quicker if don’t aid in reinforcing such stereotypes. I would love to see a black woman in Viola’s role any day than Henson’s. A law professor versus a crack seller from prison. We can look at their roles as highlighting what people want and like to see; a black woman in a highly esteem profession or a typical drug dealer, which roles both won awards.
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Henson’s role is both a reality and a stereotype. It is a reality for some black women but it’s also a stereotype because it is believed that this is the general expectation of the black community; to be involved in drugs. And this is not true.
Further, being a feminist is not a competition, nor is one expected to be a certain way, one can simply advocate the values of feminism. She may not necessarily identify as one, but if she did, there isn’t any one way a feminist should look or represent herself/himself. What we need to remember is that these actresses do not make their characters, the characters are created with potential actresses in mind and are solicited for the job . Albeit a more sophisticated role for a black woman, both cookie and annalise keating are negative characters that portray the black woman as far less than representative of our population. And people love to see these things, just look at love and hip hop for example.
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Not only as a woman, but as a person, I make it a point to ensure that my voice is heard where I feel that I have a valuable contribution that can be made. It took me until about 20 years old, however, to note that where I am framed as obnoxious and pushy when explaining a point, a man is seen as assertive and smarter. Where my colleagues may regard me as a bitch for controversial decisions I make in leadership roles, the same or similar action taken by a man is viewed in the vein of, “well, he had to do what he had to do.”
Asking many questions is seen as either “cute” or “rude”, a trouble making tactic, or a way to impress someone else whereas the same behaviour when a male does it is construed as academic interest, admirable inquisitive scholarly behaviour.
Reflecting further in my past, I find that even in the all-girl secondary school I attended, “feminist” was an F-word. The shadow of the patriarchy was so strong that even in this sphere where virtually no men walked or spoke with authority, ever (save for perhaps the parish priest or other clergy), dominant ideology still ruled.
I have to say, however, that I suspect you may be mistaken in regarding “patriarchy” with any less controversy than “the F word”. In my framework of knowledge, both words are regarded with equal amounts of scorn and suspicion.
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P.S., it’s topical to America but draws endless parallels here.
http://mic.com/articles/138045/hillary-clinton-should-have-smiled-more-shouted-less-says-male-pundits?utm_source=policymicFB&utm_medium=main&utm_campaign=social#.CtgyMrSve
Ah fed up hear people tell me to smile. Ah fed up hear people talk about female MP’s dress and makeup. Ah fed up hear people talk more about “yuh see what she wearing” more than “yuh hear what she say”?
ENOUGH.
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My sentiments are exact. I dream of a world where people could simply just BE. An imbalance in the body’s anatomy can be fatal and the same is true for the imbalanced social structures governing all our interactions.
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We have all been at this point at some time in our life, and some of us will continue to endure the pains of sexism unaffected. Patriarchy is controversial in the sphere of academia where much more feminist oriented knowledge is getting its airplay, but not quite enough controversy in the churches where women are still shunned for speaking and certainly not in the social world where women can’t seem to get over the perks of sexism that grants them child support, dates for which they do not have to pay and maternity leave. When it has surpassed the “F-word” in generated controversies I will be much more satisfied.
Correct me if this is not what you were referring to and steer me in the right direction with regards to patriarchy
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What I meant was strictly in terms of use of language and the construction of understanding around them. In my experience, I find that persons who use the word “feminism” are subject the same amount of outrage as someone who uses the word “patriarchy”. I’ve never been in a social situation where the word “feminism” would be disparaged but “patriarchy” would not.
To persons who do not belong to the gender studies discourse, the words appear to go together so perfectly that they do not stand independently. A feminist always espouses the evils of the patriarchy, and everyone who speaks about the patriarchy is typed a feminist.
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Yes!! You are absolutely correct in this analysis, and i tend to agree with this perspective also. Patriarchy has become a ‘thing’ because feminists have made it a ‘thing’ and its only negative connotation comes in relation to what feminists may have said about it. Look at the way language has such an effect on our epistemology; very interesting.
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I totally agree. As toddlers we’ve adjusted to the male being the hero within all of our animated films while the female needs to be saved. She’s estranged within an unhappy, hostile or poor environment and needs to be saved by this “knight in shining armor”. Never equal but in need of an upgrade from the man who is oh so willing to present her with this package. Cinderella, Ariel, Elsa and so many others. Adulthood is then the reality check where female actors then face the consequences. Is it that men are afraid of the capabilities of women. That the villains such as Ursula and maleficent would soon appear when given power?
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Great observation Amanda! This is very very true, and so girls are socialized to be like these characters (also because they epitomize Western beauty standards) and boys are socialied to be outgoing and aggressive (Tie the Heifer, Loose the Bull). All this in preparation for lifelong submission.
It is up to us now to break that vicious cycle.
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