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Feminazi

“Feminazi”? - I had never heard the term until recently, when I was called it for the first time, it was in response to what I believe to be a valid and non-extreme viewpoint on workplace sexism. My view was and still is that workplace sexism shouldn't be a thing; which seems like a feminist opinion not a “feminazi” one...

 So the term “Feminazi” goes quite far back, it was coined by Tom Hazlett and popularized by the radio-talk-show host Rush Limbaugh who mentioned it in his book “The Way Things Ought to Be”, crediting Hazlett. According to Hazlett, it is used to “describe women who are obsessed with perpetuating a modern-day holocaust: abortion” in order to further the belief that men are not necessary because “Abortion is the ultimate symbol of women's emancipation from the power and influence of men”. Abortion is a sensitive topic and as a woman, a feminist one at that, it is impossible for me to be unbiased on this subject.

 Medically speaking, an abortion is the process of ending a pregnancy so it doesn't result in the birth of a baby. It's also sometimes known as a termination. The pregnancy is ended either by taking medication or having a minor surgical procedure. I believe a woman should have control over her body and the United Nations Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights (SRHR) states that it is the right of all individuals to make decisions concerning their sexual activity and reproduction free from discrimination, coercion, and violence. These rights are specifically meant to ensure that individuals are able to choose whether, when, and with whom to engage in sexual activity; to choose whether and when to have children; and to access the information and means to do so.

 I find it very hard to believe that women would purposefully end the life of their unborn child just to prove a point to men. Aside from the human rights violation that preventing abortions would be, abortions are more than the facts: the women who go through them have to be considered. While there is no link between mental health issues after a woman has had an abortion, before it takes place it is common to feel anxiety, self-doubt, isolation and low self-worth as well as fear about the procedure and potential judgement from others. Some of these feelings will undoubtedly continue after the procedure itself however, there are multiple physical health risks a woman must consider as well. 10% of women undergoing induced abortions suffer from immediate complications, of which one-fifth (20%) were considered major.

 That is why Hazlett and Limbaugh, when they define “Feminazis” they do so from an ignorant perspective which does not take into account the legality of their statement. Nor does it consider how the women they direct their anger to feel at any stage of the abortion process. Perpetuating a “modern day holocaust” by killing the life only you can make as a woman seems so impossibly sadistic that even if on all the other levels their points weren't redundant, this is the last straw in them having a viable argument.

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Economic Colonialism

I visited Mexico for three weeks over Christmas and New Year except this isn’t a travel journal or a list of recommended places to visit. This is because in those three weeks were I visited the three northern states of Sinaloa, Chihuahua and Sonora, I came away with one thought: I believe The United States of America is neo-colonising Mexico. The definition of Neo-colonialism is the practice of using capitalism, globalization and cultural imperialism to influence a developing country instead of direct military control (imperialism) or indirect political control. You may believe I am merely paranoid and cannot generalise the whole of  America’s relationship with Mexico as modern colonialism as I only visited three states out of thirty-one, so please try and reserve judgement to the end.

One of the first things I noticed when I was in Mexico was the amount of Coca-Cola people drank. No matter age, gender or wealth, everyone seemed to be drinking it almost constantly. Even the indigenous Tarahumara people of which the majority of them still live in caves and practice Transhumance came into the towns and with the little money they had bought Coke.  Statistics show that Mexicans actually drink more soda than nearly anyone else in the world. In 2012 their three top daily sources of calories were all from high-calorie drinks. This addiction to sugary drinks means they also have the world’s highest death rate from chronic diseases caused by consumption of sugary drinks. This death rate is nearly triple that of the second country, South Africa. In some kind of twisted irony, the excessive consumption kills double the amount of Mexicans as trade in the other kind of coke that Mexico is famous for…

This consumption may be deadly but it also has large economic implications. FEMSA is a Mexican multinational beverage and retail operator, however, the most important fact is that it also runs the largest independent Coca-Cola bottling group in the world. This isn’t necessarily surprising considering how much is consumed. Coke controls 73% of the Mexican market compared to only 42% of the US one from which the product originates. This market share grows more symbolic with the ex-president of Coca-Cola Mexico being Vicente Fox. Fox was the President of Mexico in 2000.  The importance of this grows when it was revealed in 2006 Mexico’s National Survey of Health and Nutrition that diabetes – the country’s leading cause of death – had doubled since 2000.

Just by using the example of Coca-Cola the influence of such an iconic American company is having by using capitalism, globalization and cultural imperialism.

The second key thing I noticed was the amount of crops being produced in a country with such a critical water shortage. Even in December Northern Mexico has temperatures of 30+ degrees and so the amount of water needed to grow fruit and vegetables is tremendous. However, when going to a local supermarket the amount of produce on display was sparse. This is because trade is highly important for Mexico’s economy with them being a part of many free trade agreements including, and most notably, NAFTA (North American Free Trade Agreement). With 90% of Mexico’s exports going to the U.S.A (who takes the majority) and then Canada. It is not just the cliché avocados and corn which Mexico exports but also consumer appliances: in 2008, 1 in 4 consumer appliances sold in the United States was of Mexican design. Those stores I visited (mentioned earlier) were majority branches of American ones, which isn’t surprising considering that the Walmart Mexico division is the largest outside of the United States with as of 2016, 2,402 stores.

Through capitalism Mexico is dependent on the United States buying their goods and services, through globalization Mexicans consume American goods and through cultural imperialism a Western particularly American Hegemony continues.

Thirdly, I noticed the amount of American brand cars on the road. I visited the Copper Canyon (a series of massive canyons in northern Mexico, apparently 7 times larger than the Grand Canyon) and was driven in  Chevrolet – a subsidiary company of General Motors. This prevalence is due to the fact that since the 1930’s General Motors, Ford and Chrysler, “The Big Three”,  have operated in Mexico. They are the largest automakers in the United States and Canada. Therefore, Mexicans are drinking American products, buying them from American stores, exporting their own products for the same stores across the border, building and then, possibly driving American branded cars.

This means their economies are inextricably linked with 1.8% of Mexico’s GDP in 2015 coming from remittances from the U.S.A. This goes farther with Mexico’s stock market as due to the high volume of trading in Mexican equities through ADR’s; a stock that trades in the United States but represents a specified number of shares in a foreign corporation (Mexico is highly dependent on the US). As of January this year there are currently 27 Mexican  companies trading on the US OTC (Over-The-Counter) Markets. On the stock-market it’s also in tourism, 7.2 million Americans visited Mexico in 2014 which was the largest proportion of travellers from one country to do so. 1 million Americans also live in Mexico. I predominantly stayed in a town called Alamos, with a large minority of the residents being American ex-patriots. In fact, I stayed with some.

However, it isn’t just economic factors in which America has influence over Mexico, it’s through Cultural Imperialism too. Just by looking at the current top 40 with only 9 not being American artists. Advertising in magazines, on television and billboards also portrays women and men who have more Western European features, with blonde hair and blue eyes; not typical Mexican ones… Whitewashing in the beauty and advertising industry is a huge issue globally, however,  with Coca-Cola advertising encouraging the consumption of it in order to emulate your American neighbours- I believe a dangerous line starts to be crossed.

Accusing America of Neo-colonialism is quite bold, except the influence of American companies through capitalism and, globalization is undeniable, it means a large percentage of Mexico’s GDP is dependent on the United States purchasing their goods and services. These same companies also provide valuable jobs. Therefore, they could easily influence policy decisions using trade and employment as coercion. The pervasion of American culture in Mexico is also high. Thus, they are also being influenced through cultural imperialism. If, by using capitalism, globalization and cultural imperialism, a developing country can be effected then it is Neo-colonialism

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Why Feminism Can Be Scary for Some Women

 In my last piece I seemed to construct a beginners guide to voting so for this piece, I thought I would continue the theme and do a beginners guide to Feminism and why I now call myself a feminist and why it is important to do so. Personally, I’ve always led a feminist lifestyle, However I didn’t always call myself “A feminist” in fact I would often start conversations about women’s right with the dreaded phrase “I’m not a feminist, but…” So why was I so hesitant about calling myself a feminist? The truth is: I simply didn’t understand what feminism was about, let alone how freeing it could be.

I had misconceptions that feminism was about usurping men’s power and dominating them and more importantly, I didn’t think that I, as a woman, was oppressed. it certainly never occurred to me that part of it was the result of women’s internalized sexism. We lived by strict gender roles, and this was just the way things were. It wasn’t until I started reading about feminism out of curiosity that I understood how much of what I had experienced was the result of a patriarchal world. Yet even after the realization that I could question these norms, I still felt like feminism wasn’t for me.

I wanted to be free of constraining gender roles, of course – exacerbated by relatives who were unhappy I wanted to study Politics , as It was a so-called “masculine” profession – but I also wanted to be liked. Feminism preaches basic gender equality, but because we live in a society that preaches to us that the female and feminine qualities are weakness and docility, it only seemed extreme to me to call my self a feminist because at the time, whilst I wholeheartedly agreed with feminism, it seemed radical and revolutionary.

What I realize now is: I was afraid of the label, not what it represented and this kept me from fully embracing feminism as a way of life. But then, I discovered that in some places, women who confront and try to change societal norms put themselves in danger of being alienated by their families and peers or even face governmental retribution. For example In Mexico, feminist, human rights advocate, and journalist Lydia Cacho has been threatened with rape and murder for speaking up about women’s rights. Or in Afghanistan, two gunmen killed Najia Seddiqi, head of the Women’s Affairs Department and tireless advocate for the advancement of women in her country. Her predecessor, Hanifa Safi, was also killed when explosives left in her vehicle were detonated. All over the world, there are stories of women who are punished for speaking up for women. And yet, even for those of us who are fortunate to live in a country where we do not face persecution for being feminists, there are still a lot of boundaries to becoming a feminist.

Unlike the Lydia Cacho, Najia Seddiqui, and Hanifa Safi not all of us are in physical danger because we call ourselves feminists. Nevertheless I understand that calling oneself a feminist is not always easy or feasible. Some women who attempt to embrace feminism, but feel disconnected to the movement.

Especially as mainstream feminism has the tendency to concentrate disproportionately on the problems of white, middle class women. It’s impractical to focus on issues like whether women should change their last names upon marriage, when you don’t have enough money to feed your family and when there are women who cannot leave their jobs to join a feminist rally, because that means their families could go hungry. These are the women who need feminism the most. As Patriarchy has worked hard to convince women that feminism is no longer necessary and it claims that “we’re all equal already”. The reality is that while men and women have achieved some levels of equality in our society, this is not the case in all parts of the world.

Even in the United Kingdom, women still earn less than men while doing the same work. Women are still expected to marry and have children, and those that are not interested in this lifestyle are often seen as outcasts. Meanwhile, in some countries, women can be killed by their relatives for being raped or for alleged promiscuity and so if feminism, like we’re being convinced, isn’t needed, these issues would be non-existent. I call myself a feminist because I believe in what it represents. I am lucky to live in a society that allows me to express myself freely, to claim the label proudly.

Ultimately, the goal of feminism is not to boast about the number of women calling themselves a feminist. A label may be important to enforce a feeling of community, but it won’t be enough to break down a patriarchal society. Those of us who have the means to improve women’s lives need to empathize and work for women who do not have a voice – even if their cause is not our cause. More important than saying “I am a feminist!” is doing the work necessary for women’s progress, and that is that what truly makes us feminists.

And I don’t see anything scary about that.

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Voting

If you’re looking for an un-opinionated and potentially relaxing read, you should probably find a different blog With months and counting to the general election the focus on British politics and the parties and leaders within it has become more intense. In preparation for the general election and voting, it is becoming increasingly more important to find out about the beliefs, values and policies of the political parties. To make your decision easier on May the 7th and as a warm up to the other political articles I will write. I thought giving you a list of some of the most important things you can do before May, might be useful Go online and register to vote, it takes 5 minutes and once its done, its done. Decide on one (or more) issues which you believe are a really important Find a party which is the closest to representing  these values Don’t feel pressurised to agree with all the political beliefs of a party Watch television debates and any other appearances the political parties make, speak to other people including representatives of the party, read the literature they produce and articles about their policies. As the more information you gather about the political parties the more informed your decision will be. Following these  five steps are not quick but by deciding quickly, you may regret quickly marking an “x” in the box especially if you know little about the party or felt pressurised to vote for that certain party. Many are saying the upcoming general elections in may will be a turning point in British politics because of the rise of party’s such as UKIP. Not only are the rise of these party’s disturbing the balance and control of the big three – Labour, Conservative and The Liberal Democrats; but they are also exposing the lack of understanding and connection that these parties have with the people of Britain.  A politician once said “When I returned from America, London had changed so much I hardly recognised it, the internet had been invented and I felt completely lost however when I visited west minister it was exactly the same as when I had left it” Yes, you may argue that this quote is old however, the relevance it has still to this day and age, is depressing and clearly highlights the lack of mobility within Westminster is one of the key reasons as to why more radical parties are becoming increasingly popular and why the general population is feeling disenchanted and unconnected to this old fashioned world. Yet, change cannot occur if no one votes for change as even though “It has been said that democracy is the worst form of government except all the others that have been tried.” – Winston Churchill. We are still ruled by it and so only by following it can change happen not only in the realm of politics also socially.