Feminism Tag

Up until Wednesday night, I figured the push to have a woman's mug gracing American currency was nothing more than internet fun. Apparently, this is a thing that's actually happening. Late Wednesday evening, Benny Johnson and Justin Green of IJ Review reported the new $10 could be available as soon as 2020:

The Treasury Department is preparing to announce that they are putting a woman on the $10 bill, as a source has confirmed what appears to be a premature tweet. Treasury Secretary Jack Lew will announce Thursday that the Bureau of Engraving and Printing will put a woman on the bill as soon as 2020.

The Treasury attempted to be female friendly in 1978 when they printed $1 coins featuring Susan B. Anthony's face. Only 1/3 of the coins were circulated though. Despite the convenience of the $1 coin, the fad never really caught on. When it comes to having a woman's face on the cash I use to buy shoes, books, and americanos, I'm indifferent. It all spends the same. If anything, I loathe the idea that because I'm a woman I'm supposed to applaud or champion all women firsts a la "it's time a woman _____!" Being a woman and doing something a man did years before is not in itself an accomplishment. Likewise, slapping a woman's face on a $10 bill isn't a cause to celebrate.

Last month we discussed feminist angst over summer blockbuster, Jurassic World. Evidently, the film's traditional gender roles were another tool of the patriarchy to keep women in the kitchen... or something. It should be noted that in an age where gender roles are a matter of choice, if one chooses to go the traditional route, the decision should be applauded. But when has any leftist faction ever employed ideological consistency? In any case, back to Jurassic World.

Be forewarned: Spoilers ahead, though I've tried to keep them vague.

If you enjoyed Jurassic Park, you'll love Jurassic World. I fully expected a modern redux of the original dino-park dream turn nightmare, but was pleasantly surprised. Jurassic World holds its own with plenty of subtle and not so subtle nods to its predecessor. Before the film hit the silver screen, there was much ado about the film's traditional gender roles -- at least among the feminists. Based on the trailer alone, they decried the portrayal of a stiff-shirted woman who needed the help of a man (heaven forbid!).

You probably remember Emma Sulkowicz, who carried her mattress around Columbia University to protest her alleged rapists presence on campus. Sulkowicz's "Carry the Weight" project was an act of "performance art" (her term, not ours) that resulted in college credit. Her alleged rapist, Paul Nungesser, was later cleared by Columbia and has since filed suit against the university. Sulkowicz graduated with her mattress in tow. Wasting no time, Sulkowicz released her latest piece of performance art -- a sex tape. "Ceci N'est Pas Un Viol" or "This is Not a Rape" is Sulkowicz's latest endeavor. Titled to imitate Rene Magritte’s “Ceci N’est Pas Une Pipe,” Sulkowicz's project begins with a trigger warning, and includes a critical thinking guide.

Leave it to feminists to be incensed over a dinosaur movie. "Jurassic World" hits theaters June 12. Presumably a redux of "Jurassic Park," but this time with one dude taking out dinosaurs instead of a motley crew of paleontologists, it's a film I can't wait to see on the silver screen. But that's probably because I'm not a feminist. In this edition of Feminists vs. Reality, the gripe is with (gasp!) traditional gender roles. According to NYU Local, Joss Whedon is to blame for reminding feminists they should be infuriated by traditional gender rolls instead of swooning over leading man, Chris Pratt:

When a clip from Jurassic World featuring Pratt and his co-star Bryce Dallas Howard was released on the Internet last week, Joss Whedon, director of the upcoming Avengers: Age of Ultron and well known feminist, had some major gripes with what he saw. Online feminist entertainment blog The Mary Sue tweeted out a link to the Jurassic World scene, commenting, “We’re too busy fanning ourselves to talk more about Chris Pratt in this #JurassicWorld clip.” Joss Whedon used his own Twitter account to reply: “…and I’m too busy wishing this clip wasn’t 70’s era sexist. She’s a stiff, he’s a life-force – really? Still?” He has since stated in an interview with Variety that he regrets sending the tweet, saying that Twitter was the wrong medium for such negative comments, but Whedon hasn’t retracted the opinion he expressed to his 1.12 million followers.

Whedon has since abandoned Twitter, but his tweeted seed of outrage has blossomed into a hideously stupid monstrosity.

Forget the fictitious but politically expedient 'War on Women,' masculinity is under attack. Men are maligned for not being more feminine in quality and character, and little boys are expected to forsake their natural curiosity, fervor, and active nature so as not to offend anyone with their rambunctiousness. The compulsion to label little boys as violent, soon-to-be patriarchal overlords who can't possibly understand the plight of women is not only out of control, but is damaging future generations of men. Why can't boys just be boys anymore? That's a question Bill Whittle, Stephen Kruiser, Scott Ott, Stephen Green, and Dr. Helen Smith tackle in a video released by PJ Media Monday. Boys are diagnosed with ADHD and ADD at substantially higher proportions than girls. Do boys really suffer from attention deficits or are they simply... little boys? "Are we drugging our boys into femininity?" asks Whittle. While boys aren't being drugged into femininity per se, Dr. Smith notes that a byproduct of the progressive education movement is a school system staffed predominately with women who know best how to serve girl students. And the boys? There's really no place for them in this construct. In order to make the transition as seamless as possible, little boys are disproportionately drugged to make them more cooperative in the system built around the needs of little girls. The progressive left's troupe of feminist harpies are the worst offenders in the War on Masculinity and examples abound. As Whittle points out, "so much of this is the feminist movement thinking they can get rid of violence by getting rid of masculinity."