How feminists stray from their original mission when they focus on small issues

The definition of feminism is the advocacy of equal rights for everyone, regardless of gender. Throughout history, feminists have accomplished many feats, including women’s suffrage in 1920 and the Equal Pay Act of 1963.

However, feminism has strayed far from its original purpose of promoting equality between all people. Modern-day feminism has lost the values and meaning of traditional feminism.

In recent years, feminists have publicized minute issues into something unnecessarily paramount. Examples include gendered toys, mansplaining, manspreading, and even string cheese.

There are plenty of other substantial problems for females in other countries, notably female circumcision on young girls. In Michigan, a doctor named Jumana Nagarwala performed female genital mutilation on several young girls. This crime did not arouse much attention from many feminists.

Modern-day feminism has lost the values and meaning of traditional feminism.

—

One well-known feminist, Ayaan Hirsi Ali, described this silence as “sad and depressing.” According to the World Health Organization, more than 3 million girls are at risk every year.

In general, female circumcision is rarely discussed among feminists who instead prioritize the issue of men spreading their legs on the bus.

Take the infamous Buzzfeed video “Women Try Manspreading for a Week.” By “spreading” awareness of this so-called problem, manspreading is banned in San Francisco, and people are fined up to $500; men have been arrested in New York for doing this.

There are better solutions to resolve this behaviour instead of involving the police, and there are more pressing issues that feminists should focus on.
Today, feminism is not about gender equality. Most feminists overlook significant injustices against females. Some treat men as inferior, which is the opposite purpose of feminism. Even those who claim to despise what feminism has become are really feminists at heart.

The country is like an ice cream sundae. The scoops are the people, the bowl is the government supporting the desires and opinions of the people, and the accomplishments by the people are the toppings, ranging from cherries to chocolate syrup. How these accomplishments are interpreted and further improved upon depend on the cooperation of all genders.

Rachel Liu is a Tower Staff Writer. Email her at: rachelliu112(at)gmail.com