Research paper o feminizmie (dlugie)

05.06.03, 13:04
Katarzyna Łomańczyk
Post-feminism – a fact or a fallacy? Some thoughts on the present-day
feminist movement.

1. Is It the End?

In the first half of the eighties in the United States of America a
controversial issue was on the agenda. It was the issue of whether producing
or distributing pornographic materials should be forbidden by the federal
law. Regarding pornography as an expression of sexual discrimination against
women, radical feminists opted for making it illegal. On the other hand,
liberal feminists opposed to this view by claiming that people should be
allowed to choose for themselves. The radical anti-pornography campaign and
the lack of support for it from the side of feminist liberals, together with
the general discussion on the issues of human (and especially female)
sexuality, was a reason for deep dissent within the women’s movement1

Some interpreted this dissent as the finale of the feminist movement at all.
Kazimierz Ślęczka in his major work on feminist theories mentions various
sources which describe feminism as a movement so fossilized that it is
actually dead. The same sources claim that what we are facing nowadays is
already post-feminism.2 Agnieszka Kołakowska in her article Brygady
politycznej poprawności (The Political Correctness Squads) says: „There are
some symptoms that feminism, at least in its most radical forms, starts to
die a natural death. […] Radical feminism is dying out not only because it
has already bored everybody to death; it is dying out also because of being
brought to reductio ad absurdum.”3

Kołakowska is not the only one, and not even the earliest, to anticipate the
decline of the movement. One of the pioneer feminists, Betty Friedan,
suggests that feminism has already served its purpose and a next stage in the
development of the society is coming, the stage being the fight of women
together with men for changes in the social functioning of the sexes.4 Even
as early as in 1982 a journalist Susan Bolotin in her article entitled Voices
From the Post-Feminist Generation published in the New York Times Magazine
claimed that the floor had been taken by “a new post-feminist generation”.5
Later on (in 1986) on the pages of the same magazine another journalist Ann
Taylor Fleming wrote that any trace of the women’s movement had disappeared.6

It is true that in the eighties feminism was not as visible to the public as
it was earlier. The battle against pornography was lost, the public opinion
research was showing that American women did not feel discriminated and,
therefore, they did not regard feminism as something necessary. The movement
started to lose influence. Ślęczka gives the numbers of the members of the
biggest and most popular feminist organization in the USA called the National
Organization for Women (NOW): in 1985 it had only 130 thousand members,
whereas before the numbers exceeded 200 thousand.7

However, some voices appear which claim that feminism still has not spoken
its last word.8 In fact in the nineties one could notice that feminist
actions and organizations gained publicity again. Can we speak of the end of
feminism and the oncoming of the post-feminist era then? This is the question
which is going to be discussed in this paper.


2. What Is Feminism Nowadays?

There is great difficulty in establishing what type of social activism of
women can be qualified as feminist and, therefore, whether any form of
feminist activism is still present in the society. But is it really a
completely new problem? In fact in a piece of writing now regarded as the
first feminist manifesto, which was A Vindication of the Rights of Woman
(1789) by Mary Wollstonecraft, the notion of feminism was non-existent at
all. However, nobody would argue against the statement that this work belongs
to the canon of feminist writing. The whole suffragette movement, now treated
as a base and at the same time a point of reference for the so-called Second
Wave Feminism9, did not use the word ‘feminism’, either. There is also
another thing that adds a different dimension to this problem: some women
whose opinions or lifestyles do represent feminist attitudes repudiate being
feminists.10 One may only speculate about the reasons for such behaviour.
Kazimierz Ślęczka gives the one he thinks is the most plausible: since the
notion of feminism started to be identified with the extremely radical wing
of the movement, which is the separatist-cultural branch, these women do not
want to be seen as fanatic bra-burning man-haters.11 Christina Hoff Sommers
in her Who Stole Feminism? How Women Have Betrayed Women says that radical
feminism actually stole feminism, usurped the right to it. She also notices
that not every woman wants to take part in the war between the sexes.12 On
the basis of these observations I have decided to submit for discussion not
only those aspects of the present-day activism of women in society that are
openly defined as feminist in character, but also those which are connected
with the fight for women’s liberation and equality of the sexes, but not
necessarily ascribed to feminism in the everyday use of the word.


3. Trends In Today’s Feminism

Even though from time to time some voices announce the decline of women’s
liberation movement, the truth is that in the nineties many things indicate a
considerable enlivening within it. New ideas appear; new authors present
their works to the international audience, both in the field of social
sciences and literature. Ślęczka describes the main trends in the present-day
feminist thought of Western Europe and the USA. The most noticeable of them
is the radical branch, claiming itself the only true feminism, and often
regarded so by the public opinion. Radical feminists see the society as
divided into mutually opposed classes. Their vision is very much like
Marxism. However, to them one of the factors in the social division is sex.
Women are the oppressed class and men very cleverly sustain this situation.
The only way to change it is in fact a global sexual revolution and this
should be the objective.13 Another feminist trend, sometimes treated as a
part of the radical feminism, is cultural feminism. Developing mostly in
academic and artistic circles, it postulates creating a separate women’s
culture alternative to men’s and concentrates on women’s achievements in
arts, sciences and humanities in order to provide a counterbalance for the
domination of men in these fields. This is connected with the domain of
gender studies: studies describing social functioning of the sexes.14 The
least revolutionary feminism is liberal feminism. The liberals want to change
the status quo not through revolution but by means of reformatory activity to
eliminate any forms of sexual discrimination. Involving the state in the
Cause, they concentrate on legal issues and the education of new generations
towards the liberation of women.15 Liberal feminism is the most active one
nowadays. Moreover, it produced a completely new kind of feminism, often seen
as the future of the movement, that is power feminism. Radical and cultural
feminism have become somewhat marginal because of their sub-cultural and
orthodox character, whereas power feminism gains considerable popularity for
its lack of both ideological stiffness and hostility towards men, as was the
case with radical feminism.


4. Power Feminism

Power feminism, as one may conclude from the very name of the trend, is a
movement that focuses its attention on women’s participation in wielding
power. It emerges from the conviction that there exists hidden discrimination
against women as to the access to government, parliaments
    • kasia.lomanczyk Re: Research paper o feminizmie cz. 2 (dlugie) 05.06.03, 13:06
      or higher positions in companies. Although power feminists do not identify
      themselves with the radical fraction of the women’s movement, they are
      conscious of the fact that if it had not been for the achievements of their
      predecessors (both radical and liberal), they would not be able to present
      their views at all. Sometimes called the Third Wave Feminism, it regards the so-
      called victim feminism (the conviction that women are the victims of male
      oppression, being an ideological basis for the feminist radicals) obsolete and
      doing more harm than good to the cause.

      Many new feminists are very critical towards the “old feminism”, an example of
      this being Christina Hoff Sommers, mentioned earlier in this paper. Another and
      even earlier such example is Naomi Wolf, regarded as one of the most
      influential present-day feminists. In her Fire With Fire. The New Female Power
      and How It Will Change the 21st Century she claims that if women constitute 51%
      of the population of the world, their participation in power is smaller than
      that and this situation must change. However, the way in which radical
      feminists try to gain power has proved ineffective and therefore a new method
      must be applied. She suggests that the first step for women should be to
      believe in themselves and to get rid of the stereotypical idea of the female as
      a victim of oppression. Wolf enumerates some women who have high positions in
      business or politics and sets them as examples for other women, stressing that
      they are not exceptions that prove the rule, but rather harbingers of a new
      epoch in which women will show their true nature.16

      Very often women activists of the nineties do not call themselves feminists,
      yet their ideas are close to feminism and they are associated with it in the
      public opinion. As Ślęczka rightly notices, the basic feminist ideas have
      become obvious for them. Although they did not declare themselves as feminists,
      they were familiar with feminist literature and ready to start the fight with
      sexism, should the need be. But it would be the war against sexism, not
      men.17Such is the case with Camille Paglia, the author of Sexual Personae, who
      even attacked cultural feminism by saying that because of its reproductive
      function female sex is inferior to men by nature. In her opinion men created
      culture and women are spongers parasitizing on men. She also opposes closing
      women in a ghetto, as they have their own role in the public world: a role on
      one hand equal to that of men, but on the other completely different. Only
      after the publication of her book did she start to call herself a feminist.
      Nevertheless, her ideas are something fresh in the women’s movement. However
      controversial are they, they cause some stir and prevent stagnation within
      feminism.18

      Power feminism is also interested in some notions being subjects of
      attention of other types of the movement. However, the approach to these
      notions is quite different. One of these problems is beauty and the pressure of
      being sexually attractive. This subject is submitted to discussion in another
      book by Naomi Wolf The Beauty Myth. How Images of Beauty Are Used against
      Women.19 Regarding eating disorders (such as bulimia or anorexia) as a
      transmission of the female feeling of guilt caused by sexual appetite onto the
      appetite in terms of food, Wolf says that it is a continuous process of
      depriving women of the right to their own bodies. Another such problem, which
      is the question of rape, and especially the so-called date-rape, is also
      treated differently in power feminism. Katie Roiphe, an author of The Morning
      After. Sex, Fear, and Feminism.20 claims that it is the woman who is
      responsible for taking drugs or drinking alcohol. If she sleeps with a man
      without the full consciousness of what she is doing because of that, she is not
      raped. This is an attitude completely different from that of the radicals, who
      regarded every man having an intercourse with such a woman as a rapist, and
      the woman as a victim of rape. 21Close to that is the question of woman-
      battering. Camille Paglia claims that this notion, just like date-rape, places
      the woman in the position of a victim of oppression, and therefore is damaging
      to the image of the powerful woman.22 Similarly, power feminists do not agree
      with the radicals as to the problem of sexual harassment: Roiphe says the
      whole problem is exaggerated and it should be treated with more objectivity,
      whereas Paglia protests against treating women in a special way.23 Some more
      differences as to the topics typical for feminism are visible if one considers
      the attitude of power feminists towards the questions of for example
      pornography. Catharine MacKinnon, a radical feminist and a professor of law at
      the University of Michigan, in her book entitled Only Words implies that
      pornography is a sign of women’s oppression.24 The book is a voice in the
      campaign against pornography, which is not over yet. The power feminists’
      attitude is completely opposite. Paglia claims that pornography does not
      humiliate women, as well as it does not condition behaviour. It is art
      (although of a special kind) and therefore it should be treated as art, not as
      a literal expression of reality.25 Generally, power feminism is deeply
      interested in the question of male and female sexuality and the notions of the
      masculine and the feminine. In Katie Roiphe’s view some women do like sex with
      elements of domination or lust, which is contradictory to the image of the
      woman sustained by earlier theoreticians of the women’s movement.26 Not fully
      conforming to the definition of feminist ideology as it is preserved in the
      public opinion, the ideas discussed above are highly criticized by the radical-
      cultural wing of the movement, but they prove that feminism is still able to
      contribute something new and inspiring to today’s psychology or sociology.


      5. The International Aspect of Feminism

      In the eighties feminism was losing strength in the USA; at the same time in
      the United Nations and many other international organizations it was rising in
      popularity, paradoxically under the influence of American feminists.27
      Describing this phenomenon, Kazimierz Ślęczka mentions women’s congresses under
      the auspices of the United Nations. The first Women’s Congress was organized in
      Mexico in 1975: there were some attempts to take over the feminist movement
      from the side of communists, who tried to organize this congress in East
      Berlin, but they did not succeed. Since then women’s congresses were organized
      every five years and the numbers of women taking part in them were growing. The
      congresses were concerned with the problems of women of the Third World
      countries. They were a factor stimulating the development of a new trend in
      feminist thought: ethnic feminism, which is a type of feminism stressing the
      uniqueness of experience of non-white women.28 Other problems touched by the
      congresses were the issues of religious fundamentalism and the patriarchal
      attitude of some religions, especially Catholicism, Judaism and Islam, towards
      women.29

      Feminism in general has become more international in character. The development
      in communications, especially the emergence of the Internet, has made it
      possible for the activists from different parts of the globe to take part, at
      least in terms of spiritual contribution, in the international actions for
      women’s liberation. The main centers of information for feminists and those
      interested in their activity on the Internet are www.feminist.org and
      www.feminist.com. As one may conclude from a brief visit to these websites, the
      main issues of concern for today’s feminists are the questions of access to
      • Gość: Maciej Re: Research paper o feminizmie cz. 2 (dlugie) IP: *.warszawa.cvx.ppp.tpnet.pl 22.06.03, 11:55
        kasia.lomanczyk napisała:


        > Sometimes called the Third Wave Feminism, it regards the so -
        > called victim feminism (the conviction that women are the victims of male
        > oppression, being an ideological basis for the feminist radicals)

        Bardzo ciekawie pisał o tym tutaj Tad, w wątku - "Feminizm cierpiętniczy".


        > if women constitute 51%
        > of the population of the world, their participation in power is smaller than
        > that and this situation must change.

        Omawialiśmy tą sprawę w kilku wątkach, m.in. "Kobieta największym wrogiem
        kobiety". Zwracałem tam uwagę, że kobiety w Polsce stanowią 52% wyborców, co
        oznacza, że bez żadnych parytetów mogłyby stanowić zdecydowaną większośc w
        Sejmie.

        W ostatnich wyborach lokalnych kobiety wystawiły tylko kilkanaście procent
        kandydatów na wójtów i burmistrzów, co dawało znaczną przewagę kandydatkom płci
        żeńskiej, gdyż głosy kobiece w wyborach większościowych (przy głosowaniu na 1
        osobe a nie na listę, jak w wyborach proporcjonalnych) mogły się nie
        rozpraszać, lecz skupić na jednej kandydatce, zaś głosy mężczyzn rozproszyć na
        wielu kandydatów. Tak więc, gdyby kobiety głosowały na kobiety, wszystkie
        kobiece kandydatki bez problemu zdobyłyby stanowisko.

        Tymczasem, okazało się... że kobiety zdobyły tylko kilka procent stanowisk! A
        więc same kobiety nie chciały głosować na kobiety...

        Feministki żądają więc parytetów, by usprawiedliwić swoją nieudolność w
        przekonywaniu wyborców do swojej osoby i swoich kwalifikacji.


        > Very often women activists of the nineties do not call themselves feminists,
        > yet their ideas are close to feminism and they are associated with it in the
        > public opinion.

        W ten sposób można mianować feministką np. Margareth Thatcher, albo Matkę
        Teresę z Kalkuty - bo aktywną kobietą była.

        > But it would be the war against sexism, not men.

        No właśnie. Czekam ciągle na feministyczną walkę z segregacją płciową w
        sporcie...

        > In her opinion men created culture

        To także już omawialiśmy tutaj. Jest w Indiach zapadła wioska z kulturą
        stworzoną przez kobiety. Kobiety utrzymują rodziny z uprawy narkotyków,
        mążczyźni są ciągle naćpani i mają opinię nieodpowiedzialnych. Może wszystkie
        zachodnie feministki wyemigrują do tej kobiecej kultury, zamiast tak męczyć się
        w patriarchacie?





        > One of these problems is beauty and the pressure of
        > being sexually attractive. This subject is submitted to discussion in another
        > book by Naomi Wolf The Beauty Myth. How Images of Beauty Are Used against
        > Women.19 Regarding eating disorders (such as bulimia or anorexia) as a
        > transmission of the female feeling of guilt caused by sexual appetite onto
        the
        > appetite in terms of food, Wolf says that it is a continuous process of
        > depriving women of the right to their own bodies.

        Jak mozna pisac takie bzdury... Kto każe kobietom zabiegać o swoją atrakcyjność
        seksualną? Patriarchalne społeczeństwo? Czy chcesz powiedzieć, że za zaburzenia
        odżywiania u kobiet odpowiedzialni są mężczyźni? Równie dobrze możnaby napisać,
        że za alkoholizm męzczyzn zawsze odpowiedzialne są ich zony, bo stawiają im za
        wysokie wymagania... ;-)

        > Catharine MacKinnon, a radical feminist and a professor of law at
        > the University of Michigan, in her book entitled Only Words implies that
        > pornography is a sign of women’s oppression.

        Nie tylko pornografia... Prof. Catharine MacKinnon nie czytała naszego forum,
        inaczej wiedziałaby, że symbolem kobiecej opresji jest zmywanie naczyń. ;-)

        > In Katie Roiphe’s view some women do like sex
        > with
        > elements of domination or lust,

        Niemożliwe - widocznie mają fałszywą świadomość. Patriarchalne spoeczeństwo im
        top wmówiło. Tak naprawdę wolałyby subtelny seks z wrażliwą lesbijką... ;-)

        > Other problems touched by the
        > congresses were the issues of religious fundamentalism and the patriarchal
        > attitude of some religions, especially Catholicism, Judaism and Islam,
        > towards women.

        Jaki to problem? Wystarczy spopularyzować nowy kult bogini - matki, w którym
        kapłankami bedą kobiety - i po kłopocie... :-)
        Pozdrawiam -
    • kasia.lomanczyk Re: Research paper o feminizmie cz. 3 (dlugie) 05.06.03, 13:08
      NOTES
      1 Kazimierz Ślęczka, Feminizm: Ideologie i koncepcje społeczne współczesnego
      feminizmu (Katowice:
      Książnica, 1999) 215-223.
      2 Ibidem, 223-225.
      3 Agnieszka Kołakowska. “Brygady politycznej poprawności.” Rzeczpospolita
      Online 21 Jan. 2000. Online. Available:
      www.rzeczpospolita.pl/archiwum/brygady.html . 14 Apr 2000
      4 See: Kazimierz Ślęczka, op. cit., 211.
      5 See: ibidem, 223.
      6 See: ibidem, 226.
      7 Kazimierz Ślęczka, op. cit., 225.
      8 Ibidem, 229.
      9 The notion was introduced by Marsha Weiman Lear to distinguish the feminism
      of the late sixties from the First Wave Feminism, which is a different name for
      the period of suffragette fight for the right to vote. For more on this subject
      consult Maggie Humm, Słownik teorii feminizmu, trans. Bożena Umińska and
      Jarosław Mikos (Warszawa: Semper, 1993) 46.
      10 Beata Pawłowicz, “Kto się boi feministek,” Elle May 1999: 68-74.
      11 Kazimierz Ślęczka, op. cit., 234-235.
      12 See Kazimierz Ślęczka, op. cit., 249.
      13 Kazimierz Ślęczka, op. cit., 302-315.
      14 Ibidem, 410-421.
      15 Ibidem, 268-282.
      16 See Kazimierz Ślęczka, op. cit., 243-249.
      17 Kazimierz Ślęczka, op. cit., 239.
      18 Ibidem, 253-255.
      19 See Kazimierz Ślęczka, op. cit., 455-456.
      20 See Kazimierz Ślęczka, op. cit., 456.
      21 Maggie Humm, Słownik teorii feminizmu, trans. Bożena Umińska and Jarosław
      Mikos (Warszawa: Semper, 1993) 83.
      22 See Kazimierz Ślęczka, op. cit., 458-459.
      23 See Kazimierz Ślęczka, op. cit., 457.
      24 Catharine A. MacKinnon, Only Words (Harvard UP: Cambridge, MA, 1996) 7.
      25 See Kazimierz Ślęczka, op. cit., 459-460.
      26 See Kazimierz Ślęczka, op. cit., 461-462.
      27 Kazimierz Ślęczka, op. cit., 233.
      28 Kazimierz Ślęczka, op. cit., 233-234.
      29 Kazimierz Ślęczka, op. cit., 234.
      30 See www.feminist.com and www.feminist.org
      31 Bożena Chołuj, Matka Polka w Peerelu. (Ośrodek Informacji Środowisk
      Kobiecych OŚKA, 1998. Online.) Available:
      www.oska.org/panorama/matkapolka.html . 16 Apr 2000.
      32 See www.oska.org/index.html and www.efka.org.pl
      33 See www.efka.org.pl/gender
      34 Kazimierz Ślęczka, op. cit., 240.


      BIBLIOGRAPHY
      Chołuj, Bożena Matka Polka w Peerelu. Ośrodek Informacji Środowisk Kobiecych
      OŚKA,
      1998. Online. Available:
      www.oska.org/panorama/matkapolka.html . 16 Apr
      2000.
      Humm, Maggie. Słownik teorii feminizmu. Trans. Bożena Umińska and Jarosław
      Mikos.
      Warszawa: Semper, 1993.
      Kołakowska, Agnieszka “Brygady politycznej poprawności.” Rzeczpospolita Online
      21 Jan.
      2000. Online. Available:
      www.rzeczpospolita.pl/archiwum/brygady.html . 14
      Apr 2000.
      MacKinnon, Catherine A. Only Words. Cambridge, MA: Harvard UP, 1996.
      Morgan, Robin, ed. Sisterhood Is Powerful: an Anthology of Writings From the
      Women’s
      Liberation Movement. New York: Vintage Books, 1970.
      Pawłowicz, Beata “Kto się boi feministek.” Elle May 1999, 68-74
      Schur, Edwin M. Labelling Women Deviant: Gender, Stigma and Social Control. New
      York:
      Random House, 1984.
      Spender, Dale, ed. Feminist Theorists: Three Centuries of Key Women Thinkers.
      New York:
      Pantheon Books, 1983.
      Ślęczka, Kazimierz. Feminizm: Ideologie i koncepcje społeczne współczesnego
      feminizmu.
      Katowice: Książnica, 1999.
    • kasia.lomanczyk Re: Research paper o feminizmie cz. 2i1/2 (dlugie) 05.06.03, 13:12
      legal abortion and safe contraception, as well as domestic violence,
      pornography, prostitution, women trafficking, rape, sexual harassment, equal
      pay at work, access to power, education and ethnicity within the movement.30
      This is a very general list and perhaps having examined these websites more
      carefully, one should add to it many other issues. However, the list shows the
      breadth of scope of the areas of interest of contemporary feminism and
      constitutes a proof for the fact that the movement is still in full swing.


      6. Feminism in Poland

      Although in the USA and the countries of Western Europe feminism has
      already won the battle for women’s liberation, the situation in post-communist
      countries of the Central and Eastern Europe is quite different and this is the
      place where feminism has still a lot to do. Even though the movement is
      sometimes treated with great reserve or even hostility there, mostly because of
      false associations with the radical wing of the movement, it is becoming more
      and more influential nowadays. Let us take Poland as an example: feminism only
      revived here after the communist era. 31A place where abortion is illegal, the
      government does not subsidize contraceptives and women’s rights at workplace
      are openly violated by the employers asking them to provide a doctor’s note
      confirming that they are not pregnant constitutes an excellent basis for the
      development of women’s movement. And this is exactly the case: Polish feminists
      are becoming more and more visible to the public. A new department of Gender
      Studies has recently opened at the University of Warsaw, with more and more
      people interested in expanding their knowledge in this domain. There are two
      major women’s organizations in Poland: one of them is Ośrodek Informacji
      Środowisk Kobiecych (The Centre of Information for Women’s Environment), an
      organization supporting women’s initiative in various fields of public life and
      promoting women’s actions, and the other Fundacja Kobieca eFKa (eFKa Women’s
      Foundation), concentrating on women’s independence and anti-discrimination
      actions. Both of them have started their own websites32 and a new Internet
      discussion called Gender has been formed.33 This is a sign of the growth of
      interest in women’s cause in Poland. There is no doubt that feminism in Poland
      has just started and it is not in danger of decline.


      7. Post-feminism: Final Conclusions

      From the above facts one may conclude that the feminist movement both
      in Europe and the USA is still alive. Some internal fights or discussions
      within the movement only prove the liveliness of the movement. After the
      considerable stagnation in the eighties, feminism is gradually regaining
      popularity and we cannot say that it is dead. Kazimierz Ślęczka suggests that
      the word “post-feminism” is imposed by those who want to marginalize feminism,
      but in fact the movement is not dead yet.34 I would add to his view that it is
      not only still alive, but also flexible, perfectly adjusting to the
      circumstances, constantly developing and gaining more and more power, and the
      more it has to do the stronger it becomes.
      • Gość: Maciej Re: Research paper o feminizmie cz. 2i1/2 (dlugie IP: *.warszawa.cvx.ppp.tpnet.pl 21.06.03, 21:57
        kasia.lomanczyk napisała:

        > legal abortion and safe contraception, as well as domestic violence,
        > pornography, prostitution, women trafficking, rape, sexual harassment, equal
        > pay at work, access to power, education and ethnicity within the movement.30
        > This is a very general list and perhaps having examined these websites more
        > carefully, one should add to it many other issues. However, the list shows
        the
        > breadth of scope of the areas of interest of contemporary feminism and
        > constitutes a proof for the fact that the movement is still in full swing.
        >
        >
        > 6. Feminism in Poland
        >
        > Although in the USA and the countries of Western Europe feminism has
        > already won the battle for women’s liberation,

        Bzdura. Zajrzyj do któregoś z wątków Tada, zdaje się - o sufrażystach. Kobiety
        uzyskały prawa wyborcze w związku z postępującą demokratyzacją, a nie dlatego,
        że feministki coś dla nich wywalczyły.

        > the situation in post-comm
        > unist
        > countries of the Central and Eastern Europe is quite different and this is
        the
        > place where feminism has still a lot to do.

        Taak. W komunie kobiety musiały pracować, chciały, czy nie chciały, bo był
        przymus ekonomiczny pracy kobiet. Była też rozbudowana sieć tanich i dobrych
        przedszkoli, finansowana przez państwo. A więc - sytuacja, o jakiej zachodnie
        feministki mogą sobie tylko pomarzyć. Teraz dopiero sytuacja wraca powoli do
        normalności i coraz więcej kobiet nie pracuje, by zając się dziećmi i domem...

        > Even though the movement is
        > sometimes treated with great reserve or even hostility there, mostly because
        of
        >
        > false associations with the radical wing of the movement, it is becoming more
        > and more influential nowadays. Let us take Poland as an example: feminism
        only
        > revived here after the communist era. 31A place where abortion is illegal,
        the
        > government does not subsidize contraceptives and women’s rights at workpl
        > ace
        > are openly violated by the employers asking them to provide a doctor’s no
        > te
        > confirming that they are not pregnant constitutes an excellent basis for the
        > development of women’s movement.

        Płytkie rozumienie problemu. Pytanie o ciążę przez pracodawcę jest konsekwencją
        praw kobiet cięzarnych, zapisanych w kodeksie pracy, a nie złośliwości
        pracodawcy. Pisaliśmy już o tym, np. w wątku o "czynniku c". Powinnaś
        przestudiować to forum, zanim zabrałas się do pisania tej pracy, uniknęłabyś
        wielu bzdurnych tez.

        > And this is exactly the case: Polish fem
        > inists
        > are becoming more and more visible to the public. A new department of Gender
        > Studies has recently opened at the University of Warsaw, with more and more
        > people interested in expanding their knowledge in this domain.

        Feminizm i studia gender to nie wiedza, lecz ideologia, w dodatku bardzo
        oderwana od realiów. Nie należy mylic pojęć.

        > There are two
        > major women’s organizations in Poland: one of them is Ośrodek Informacji
        > Środowisk Kobiecych (The Centre of Information for Women’s Environment),
        > an
        > organization supporting women’s initiative in various fields of public li
        > fe and
        > promoting women’s actions, and the other Fundacja Kobieca eFKa (eFKa Wome
        > n’s
        > Foundation), concentrating on women’s independence and anti-discriminatio
        > n
        > actions.

        Nie wiem, jak mogłaś te organizacje nazwać wiekszymi. Czy aby na pewno liczą
        więcej czlonkiń, niż kółko różańcowe w moje parafii? Jakie mają poparcie w
        wyborach lokalnych i parlamentarnych? Czy gromadzą więcej kobiet na swoich
        manifestacjach niż dowolny proboszcz na swojej procesji?
        Tak oto tworzy się mity... Nikt nie pisze w pracach naukowych o mojej parafi,
        nie pokazują jej w telewizorze, a gromadzi ona więcej członków niż wszystkie
        organizacje feministyczne razem wzięte.


        > Both of them have started their own websites32 and a new Internet
        > discussion called Gender has been formed.33 This is a sign of the growth of
        > interest in women’s cause in Poland.

        Każdy może załozyć stronę internetową i nie oznacza to niczego.

        > There is no doubt that feminism in P
        > oland
        > has just started and it is not in danger of decline.
        >
        >
        > 7. Post-feminism: Final Conclusions
        >
        > From the above facts one may conclude that the feminist movement both
        > in Europe and the USA is still alive.
        > Some internal fights or discussions
        > within the movement only prove the liveliness of the movement. After the
        > considerable stagnation in the eighties, feminism is gradually regaining
        > popularity and we cannot say that it is dead. Kazimierz Ślęczka suggests that
        > the word “post-feminism” is imposed by those who want to marginaliz
        > e feminism,
        > but in fact the movement is not dead yet.

        Nie, nie. Feminizm nie umarł, lecz zatoczył wielkie koło. W kolejnych falach
        powrócił do patriarchalnych pogladów, zachowując jednak swoją nazwę i nazywając
        feminizmem to, co kiedyś odrzucał. Jak komunizm, który był najdłuższą drogą od
        kapitalizmu do... kapitalizmu. ;-)

        Pozdrawiam -
        • kasia.lomanczyk Re: Research paper o feminizmie cz. 2i1/2 (dlugie 22.06.03, 17:27
          Jesli chodzi o czesc pierwsza, Macieju, zauwaz ze Twoje komentarze uiluja
          obalic to, co powiedzialy rozne feministki. Z niektorymi z nich sie zgadzam, z
          innymi nie - nigdzie jednak nie napisalam, ze sa to moje wlasne tezy i poglady.
          Research paper ma na celu przyblizyc czytelnikowi, co na dany temat powiedziano
          do tej pory. Wytknales zatem bledy nie mnie, lecz paniom ktore te poglady
          wyglosily. A odgrazales sie, ze to MNIE bedziesz te bledy wytykal. ;)

          Gość portalu: Maciej napisał(a):

          > Taak. W komunie kobiety musiały pracować, chciały, czy nie chciały, bo był
          > przymus ekonomiczny pracy kobiet. Była też rozbudowana sieć tanich i dobrych
          > przedszkoli, finansowana przez państwo. A więc - sytuacja, o jakiej zachodnie
          > feministki mogą sobie tylko pomarzyć. Teraz dopiero sytuacja wraca powoli do
          > normalności i coraz więcej kobiet nie pracuje, by zając się dziećmi i domem...

          W komunie kobiety byly dyskryminowane, poniewaz w rzeczywistosci posiadaly 2
          etaty. Pojscie przez nie do pracy nie oznaczalo automatycznie podzialu
          obowiazkow domowych z partnerem. Dlatego tez nie potraktowalam okresu PRL jako
          czasu, w ktorym kobiety posiadaly jakiekolwiek przywileje. Moim zdaniem byly
          jeszcze bardziej uciskane, niz w chwili obecnej.
          >

          > Płytkie rozumienie problemu. Pytanie o ciążę przez pracodawcę jest
          konsekwencją
          >
          > praw kobiet cięzarnych, zapisanych w kodeksie pracy, a nie złośliwości
          > pracodawcy. Pisaliśmy już o tym, np. w wątku o "czynniku c". Powinnaś
          > przestudiować to forum, zanim zabrałas się do pisania tej pracy, uniknęłabyś
          > wielu bzdurnych tez.

          Pytanie o ciaze przez pracodawce jest PRAWNIE ZABRONIONE w tym kraju, jednak
          malo kto tego prawa przestrzega, dlatego uwazam to rowniez za przejaw
          dyskryminacji.


          > Feminizm i studia gender to nie wiedza, lecz ideologia, w dodatku bardzo
          > oderwana od realiów. Nie należy mylic pojęć.
          Studia gender to bardzo czesto gleboka wiedza socjologiczna, lub na przyklad
          literaturoznawcza.


          > Nie wiem, jak mogłaś te organizacje nazwać wiekszymi. Czy aby na pewno liczą
          > więcej czlonkiń, niż kółko różańcowe w moje parafii? Jakie mają poparcie w
          > wyborach lokalnych i parlamentarnych? Czy gromadzą więcej kobiet na swoich
          > manifestacjach niż dowolny proboszcz na swojej procesji?
          > Tak oto tworzy się mity... Nikt nie pisze w pracach naukowych o mojej parafi,
          > nie pokazują jej w telewizorze, a gromadzi ona więcej członków niż wszystkie
          > organizacje feministyczne razem wzięte.

          Major oznacza po angielsku rowniez glowne. A jesli tak Ci doskwiera brak w
          mediach informacji o Twojej parafii, to pisz o niej.

          > Każdy może załozyć stronę internetową i nie oznacza to niczego.

          Jesli chodzi o liste gender, to udzial w dyskusjach bierze tam wiele osob, a
          dyskusje te tocza sie na tyle zywo, by mozna bylo nazwac je znaczacymi.
          • maciej.k1 Re: Research paper o feminizmie cz. 2i1/2 (dlugie 23.06.03, 15:11
            kasia.lomanczyk napisała:

            > nigdzie jednak nie napisalam, ze sa to moje wlasne tezy i poglady.

            Polemizuję z poglądami, jakie znalazły się w Twoim poscie. Masz rację, że się
            od nich dystansujesz. :-)

            > Wytknales zatem bledy nie mnie, lecz paniom ktore te poglady
            > wyglosily. A odgrazales sie, ze to MNIE bedziesz te bledy wytykal.

            Dużym minusem jest brak jakiejkolwiek krytycznej analizy.

            > W komunie kobiety byly dyskryminowane, poniewaz w rzeczywistosci posiadaly 2
            > etaty. Pojscie przez nie do pracy nie oznaczalo automatycznie podzialu
            > obowiazkow domowych z partnerem. Dlatego tez nie potraktowalam okresu PRL
            jako
            > czasu, w ktorym kobiety posiadaly jakiekolwiek przywileje. Moim zdaniem byly
            > jeszcze bardziej uciskane, niz w chwili obecnej.

            Cieszę się, że odważyłaś się wreszcie ujawnić ze swoim zdaniem. ;-)
            Podział obowiązkó domowych jest sprawą prywatną, czy państwo powinno w to
            ingerować? Jeśli państwo ma prawo ingerować kolejność zmywania naczyń w kuchni,
            to zgodzisz się zapewne też, by ingerowało w to, co i jak ludzie robią w
            sypialni? Zatem zapewne zgodzisz się z poglądem, że np. homoseksualizm nie jest
            prywatną sprawą homoseksualisty?

            Nb. uważasz, że np. kobiety na wsi powinny pracować w polu tak samo jak
            mężczyźni? Czy może równouprawnienie powinno być tylko w dużych miastach, w
            rodzinach inteligenckich?

            > Pytanie o ciaze przez pracodawce jest PRAWNIE ZABRONIONE w tym kraju, jednak
            > malo kto tego prawa przestrzega, dlatego uwazam to rowniez za przejaw
            > dyskryminacji.

            Zaskoczyłaś mnie tym. Może to zapisano w nowym kodeksie pracy...? Czy mogłabyś
            mi podać właściwy artykuł?

            > Jesli chodzi o liste gender, to udzial w dyskusjach bierze tam wiele osob, a
            > dyskusje te tocza sie na tyle zywo, by mozna bylo nazwac je znaczacymi.

            Rozumiem. Lista gender liczy pewnie z kilkaset tysięcy członków?
            Pozdrawiam -
    • Gość: zula :) faktycznie długie IP: diak:* / 10.2.12.* 05.06.03, 18:45
      daj mi ze 2 dni, z przyjemnością to przeczytam, teraz jednak musze odespać
      zawaloną noc i poranek:)

      pzdrw
      zula
    • Gość: Maciej Re: Research paper o feminizmie (dlugie) IP: *.warszawa.cvx.ppp.tpnet.pl 21.06.03, 13:28
      kasia.lomanczyk napisała:

      > Katarzyna Łomańczyk
      > Post-feminism – a fact or a fallacy? Some thoughts on the present-day
      > feminist movement.

      Droga Kasiu, wolałbym, byś zadała sobie trud i przetłumaczyła tekst na polski,
      by wszyscy mogli go zrozumieć. Skoro jednak Ci się nie chciało, ja będę dla
      odmiany komentować Twój tekst po niemiecku. Gdybyś z kolei chciała odpowiadać
      na moje wpisy - to zapraszam, ale - po francusku.

      > 1. Is It the End?

      > In the first half of the eighties in the United States of America a
      > controversial issue was on the agenda. It was the issue of whether producing
      > or distributing pornographic materials should be forbidden by the federal
      > law. Regarding pornography as an expression of sexual discrimination against
      > women, radical feminists opted for making it illegal. On the other hand,
      > liberal feminists opposed to this view by claiming that people should be
      > allowed to choose for themselves.

      Das is noch eine Beweise, dass die Feministinen haben widersprechende
      Anschauungen in jeder Sache. Sie koennen in keinem Fall gemeisame Ansicht
      vereinbaren. Haben die Frauen freie Auswall sich fuer Maenner entkleiden und
      dabei fotografieren, oder nein? Oder freie Auswall ist wirklich frei nur dann,
      wenn Frauen wahlen das, was Feministinen wahlen wollen? Sonst ist das falsche
      Bewusstsein?

      > The radical anti-pornography campaign and
      > the lack of support for it from the side of feminist liberals, together with
      > the general discussion on the issues of human (and especially female)
      > sexuality, was a reason for deep dissent within the women’s movement1
      >
      > Some interpreted this dissent as the finale of the feminist movement at all.
      > Kazimierz Ślęczka in his major work on feminist theories mentions various
      > sources which describe feminism as a movement so fossilized that it is
      > actually dead. The same sources claim that what we are facing nowadays is
      > already post-feminism.2 Agnieszka Kołakowska in her article Brygady
      > politycznej poprawności (The Political Correctness Squads) says: „There a
      > re
      > some symptoms that feminism, at least in its most radical forms, starts to
      > die a natural death. […] Radical feminism is dying out not only because i
      > t
      > has already bored everybody to death; it is dying out also because of being
      > brought to reductio ad absurdum.”3

      Ich muss dafuer sein. Ich hab das schon in der Zeitung gelesen und es hab mir
      gefallen. Sehr guter Artikel.

      > Kołakowska is not the only one, and not even the earliest, to anticipate the
      > decline of the movement. One of the pioneer feminists, Betty Friedan,
      > suggests that feminism has already served its purpose and a next stage in the
      > development of the society is coming, the stage being the fight of women
      > together with men for changes in the social functioning of the sexes.

      Das hat gemacht schon Sigmunt Freud und der Herausgeber von Playboy. Die
      Feministinen waren unbrauchtbar dabei.

      4 Even
      > as early as in 1982 a journalist Susan Bolotin in her article entitled Voices
      > From the Post-Feminist Generation published in the New York Times Magazine
      > claimed that the floor had been taken by “a new post-feminist generation&
      > #8221;.5
      > Later on (in 1986) on the pages of the same magazine another journalist Ann
      > Taylor Fleming wrote that any trace of the women’s movement had disappear
      > ed.6

      3 Jahren spaeter gen. Jaruzelski hat gesagt, dass der Komunizmus in Polen hat
      schon seine Aufgabe erfuellt... ;-)

      > It is true that in the eighties feminism was not as visible to the public as
      > it was earlier. The battle against pornography was lost, the public opinion
      > research was showing that American women did not feel discriminated and,
      > therefore,

      Zdumiewające! Amerykanki nie czuły się dyskryminowane? To pewnie fałszywa
      świadomość... ;-)

      > they did not regard feminism as something necessary. The movement
      > started to lose influence. Ślęczka gives the numbers of the members of the
      > biggest and most popular feminist organization in the USA called the National
      > Organization for Women (NOW): in 1985 it had only 130 thousand members,
      > whereas before the numbers exceeded 200 thousand.7

      Das is sehr interesant. Also Feminismus ist ein Leiche?

      >m Christina Hoff Sommers
      > in her Who Stole Feminism? How Women Have Betrayed Women says that radical
      > feminism actually stole feminism, usurped the right to it. She also notices
      > that not every woman wants to take part in the war between the sexes.

      Unmoeglich! Gibt es Feministin, welche das bemerken kann!

      > Ślęczka describes the main trends in the present-day
      > feminist thought of Western Europe and the USA. The most noticeable of them
      > is the radical branch, claiming itself the only true feminism, and often
      > regarded so by the public opinion. Radical feminists see the society as
      > divided into mutually opposed classes. Their vision is very much like
      > Marxism.

      Das haben wir hier schon zwei Jahren frueher schon gesagt.

      > The liberals want to change
      > the status quo not through revolution but by means of reformatory activity to
      > eliminate any forms of sexual discrimination. Involving the state in the
      > Cause, they concentrate on legal issues and the education of new generations
      > towards the liberation of women.

      Discrimination bedeutet auch wissen, dass die Frauen und Maenner unterscheiden
      sich zwischeneinender. Jest ist die Frage, ob die Feministinen wissen das, was
      wissen fast alle Leute, oder noch nicht?

      Gruess Dich -

      • kasia.lomanczyk Re: Research paper o feminizmie (dlugie) 21.06.03, 15:22
        Jesli chodzi o niemiecki - nie ma problemu. Z francuskim gorzej - nie moze byc
        hiszpanski? Powaznie mowie.
        A co do tlumaczenia - w watku, w ktorym zaproszono mnie do opublikowania pracy,
        zaznaczylam ze praca jest po angielsku. Nie stanowilo to, zdaje sie, problemu
        (zreszta dla wspolczesnego wyksztalconego czlowieka nie powinno), wiec nie
        rozumiem skad te pretensje?
        • pwrzes Re: Research paper o feminizmie (dlugie) 21.06.03, 21:52
          kasia.lomanczyk napisała:

          > Nie stanowilo to, zdaje sie, problemu
          > (zreszta dla wspolczesnego wyksztalconego czlowieka nie powinno), wiec nie
          > rozumiem skad te pretensje?

          Czyli jak ktos nie zna angielskiego ale zna 5 innych jezykow to jest
          niewyksztalcony ? ;-)

          Mors
          PS. wiem, czepiam sie :)

          • kasia.lomanczyk Re: Research paper o feminizmie (dlugie) 21.06.03, 22:23
            Przy zalozeniu, ze angielski to obecnie lingua franca swiata, jest to powaznym
            problemem.
        • Gość: BRvUngern-Sternber No tak znow to samo. IP: *.bg.am.lodz.pl 23.06.03, 15:33
          Jesli chcesz rozmawiac rzecz musi byc po polsku jesli piszesz po angielsku to
          nalezalo by ci odpowiadac po angielsku a ja jako czlowiek odpowiedzialny nie
          moge odpowiadac po angielsku poniewaz sprawy intelektualne sa na tyle powazne
          ze trzeba znac perfekcyjnie jezyk.Ja nigdy w przeciwienstwie do feministek nie
          odwazylbym sie powiedziec,ze znam perfekcyjnie angielski.Poza tym jest rzecz
          wazniejsza tutaj uzywamy jezyka polskiego i z zasady nie powinnismy odpowiadac
          na inne jezyki.I tutaj przy okazji wyszlo znow twoje klamstwo.Napisalas ze nikt
          cie nie skrytykowal bo niby to bylo takie madre ze nikt bledu nie
          znalazl.Tymczasem okazuje sie ze jest to pa angielsku.I jezyk jest tu prawdziwa
          przyczyna.Jak mozna krytykowac cos czego sie nie rozumie?Nie chodzi tu o moja
          znajomosc jezyka ale o twoja.Przy uzywaniu obcego jezyka nie bardzo wiadomo co
          masz na mysli.Chyba ze praca zawiera stosunkowo proste zdania a nie pojecia
          abstrakcyjne.Jak mozna w takim razie cos o niej odpowiedzialnie powiedziec?
          Dlatego najlepiej gdybys wyrazila po polsku co chcialas powiedziec bo ten jezyk
          znasz najlepiej.Wyobrazmy sobie taka sytuacje.Zdaje ci sie ze pewna mysl mozna
          wyrazic zdaniem X.Jest to bledne bo nalezaloby zastosowac zdanie Y.Tymczasem ja
          blednie odczytuje to jako Z.O czym bysmy wtedy dyskutowali?
          • kasia.lomanczyk Re: No tak znow to samo. 24.06.03, 00:17
            Gość portalu: BRvUngern-Sternber napisał(a):

            > Jesli chcesz rozmawiac rzecz musi byc po polsku jesli piszesz po angielsku to
            > nalezalo by ci odpowiadac po angielsku a ja jako czlowiek odpowiedzialny nie
            > moge odpowiadac po angielsku poniewaz sprawy intelektualne sa na tyle powazne
            > ze trzeba znac perfekcyjnie jezyk.Ja nigdy w przeciwienstwie do feministek
            nie
            > odwazylbym sie powiedziec,ze znam perfekcyjnie angielski.Poza tym jest rzecz
            > wazniejsza tutaj uzywamy jezyka polskiego i z zasady nie powinnismy
            odpowiadac
            > na inne jezyki.I tutaj przy okazji wyszlo znow twoje klamstwo.Napisalas ze
            nikt
            >
            > cie nie skrytykowal bo niby to bylo takie madre ze nikt bledu nie
            > znalazl.Tymczasem okazuje sie ze jest to pa angielsku.I jezyk jest tu
            prawdziwa
            >
            > przyczyna.Jak mozna krytykowac cos czego sie nie rozumie?Nie chodzi tu o moja
            > znajomosc jezyka ale o twoja.Przy uzywaniu obcego jezyka nie bardzo wiadomo
            co
            > masz na mysli.Chyba ze praca zawiera stosunkowo proste zdania a nie pojecia
            > abstrakcyjne.Jak mozna w takim razie cos o niej odpowiedzialnie powiedziec?
            > Dlatego najlepiej gdybys wyrazila po polsku co chcialas powiedziec bo ten
            jezyk
            >
            > znasz najlepiej.Wyobrazmy sobie taka sytuacje.Zdaje ci sie ze pewna mysl
            mozna
            > wyrazic zdaniem X.Jest to bledne bo nalezaloby zastosowac zdanie Y.Tymczasem
            ja
            >
            > blednie odczytuje to jako Z.O czym bysmy wtedy dyskutowali?

            W watku, w ktorym zostalam zaproszona do opublikowania tej pracy, ostrzegalam
            ze jest ona po angielsku - nikt nie prosil o tlumaczenie. Jednak postaram sie w
            wolnej chwili (praca jest dluga, a ja jestem kobieta pracujaca i studiujaca
            zarazem na studiach dziennych, wiec nie mam zbyt wiele czasu wolnego)
            przetlumaczyc caly tekst na jezyk polski. Natomiast jesli chodzi o moje
            feministyczne przechwalanki ze znam perfekt angielski, to chyba nie sa to
            przechwalanki nieuzasadnione (pisalam w innym watku, ze wlasnie koncze
            anglistyke) i przewaznie nie uzywam sformulowan, ktorych nie znam (w sensie ich
            znaczenia i mozliwych zastosowan), poniewaz jestem filologiem i uczylam sie o
            tym, jakie konsekwencje moga miec bledy w slownictwie - dlatego Twoje obawy, ze
            cos zle ujelam, sa raczej niesluszne: dolozylam staran, by tego uniknac. Pod
            wzgledem jezykowym praca byla sprawdzana przez rodowita Angielke (dr Jean Ward
            z anglistyki UG, niefeministke ;)) i z tego co pamietam, to nie bylo tam
            zadnych bledow semantycznych, tylko troche z interpunkcja i formami czasownikow
            (mam gdzies w domu te poprawiona wersje, ale nie mialam czasu jej szukac). Poza
            tym tak sie sklada, ze feministki czesto naprawde swietnie znaja angielski.
            Liczylam, prawde mowiac, ze znajdzie sie tu jakas feministka-filolog, ktora
            wytknie mi konstruktywnie niedociagniecia i podpowie, na co powinnam zwracac
            uwage w przyszlosci. Niestety, tak sie nie stalo - Zula zdezerterowala ;) i
            pozostalo tylko paru nieszkodliwych czepialskich typu maciej lub Ty.
      • kasia.lomanczyk Re: Research paper o feminizmie (dlugie) 21.06.03, 15:35
        Si, Maciej, has dado algunos comentarios, pero no dices nada constructivo, solo
        lo que confirma los argumentos que doy mas adelante. Ademas, tu traductor ha
        olvidado traducir una linea del texto y la deja en polaco. ;)
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