The best feminists are male feminists. Otherwise, with female feminists, it just sounds like they’re complaining about issues that do not exist. This is essential viewing.
He justifies his response by saying:
While my words may have seemed inflammatory, I was actually talking about how the oppressor is the best person to speak out against oppression. In reflection, I could have worded it better, as it makes it seem that males are better than females. What I was saying is that by males the oppression of females is given legitimacy, and the privileged party can help to enact change to that end. I did not say that women are useless at feminism, because that makes no sense.
As I read this justification for the supremacy of male feminism, my mind immediately went to my many queer friends. As a straight ally, every time I argue in support of marriage equality in a group of straight people, I’ve wondered whether my advocacy on behalf of my queer friends has the same (or better, or less) impact on straight audiences that it would if one of my gay or lesbian friends were making the same case to them. Similarly, as a woman and a feminist, I can also ask whether a male defending and advocating for feminist ideals is a more effective way to get these arguments taken seriously.
Privilege is a complicated animal; the last thing anyone should be trying to do is setting up feminists (or queer people, or any other oppressed group) as a helpless party incapable of speaking for themselves. I think that’s why I was most struck by this man’s assertion that men were the "best" feminist advocates. If one uses one’s access to spaces that are denied to others to advocate for their inclusion, that is responsible use of privilege. And I can imagine that in frat-house situations where one guy makes a rape joke, the most effective response may be for another guy to explain to him why that’s not cool, as opposed to another woman whom his sexist mind can easily dismiss.
But to suggest that men are always the best advocates for feminist ideals is a faulty presumption. Effective feminist advocacy can easily vary by context. I totally support men using the privilege they have to explain why patriarchy is bogus. But that does not mean that female feminist advocacy is by definition less effective. There are countless scenarios where the voice of the oppressed (in this case, women) is the most important tool in the fight for an egalitarian society, and to diminish its impact is to continue a problematic cycle.
To flip back to the queer/straight example, there are situations where a straight voice may be necessary to explain, for instance, why we are in no way threatened by the idea of marriage equality. But I also do not know what it’s like to have to hide a relationship with someone I love, or to have my relationships with men treated as a "phase" I will soon grow out of. My effectiveness will vary by situation, and I recognize that.
Ultimately, recognizing one’s own privilege and using it to advocate on behalf of others is something we should all embrace. After all, it takes men recognizing gender equality and straight people recognizing LGBT equality to truly create an egalitarian society. And that’s why no particular advocacy can call itself "the best."
Posted for Leading Lady’s blog carnival. To submit your own response, contact Leading Lady.
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