Jian Hong Su, Period 6, 12/22/22

 What are your thoughts and feelings about issues of inequity, oppression, and/or power?

I believe that everyone is titled to their own rights, no matter their race, gender, religion, etc. In that sense, I 100% support the feminist movement, but when it gets out of hand and it isn’t about fighting for gender equality anymore, I don’t think it’s the right move. I might be treading on thin ice here, but I feel like it's a matter that should be made aware before it gets worse. There are so many issues that I want to address. To be blunt, I think that the feminist movement has completely spiraled out of control, to the point that things can get dangerous. 

One certain danger is the KAM movement (kill all men). There are women out there that truly believe that all men should be killed. Of course, not all women think that, but for there even to be some people who believe in the genocide of an entire gender is clearly not safe. Can this still be considered gender equality? Even worse, children who have access to social media, children who are still in their developmental stage, are exposed to ideas such as this. As dangerous as this is, social media platforms such as tiktok, instagram, facebook, etc. are not doing anything to censor it.  I do not believe that this is safe for the entirety of our society. 

Another issue would be the separation of man and woman. It isn’t just women who are being fed the ideas of extreme feminism, men are too. The toxicity and aggressiveness of extreme feminism are causing men to be wary of women, and vice versa. This separation, in the long run, can be detrimental to society as a whole. Reproduction rates might drop, or bonding and socialization might become a foreign concept. Instead of women learning to stay away from bad men, they are being taught to stay away from all men. 

I do not mean for my aforementioned criticism in any form to undermine the great strides that feminism has taken. We have made great progress towards the equality of all, such as womens’ voting rights, right to education, prohibition of discrimination, and so on. However, in my opinion, it is now moving in the wrong direction, or in a direction that was not originally intended for the feminist movement. 

How do you reflect critically on your own beliefs, assumptions, values, and experiences, and how these can influence your perception of self and others?

While I tend to hold firm in my own beliefs, stubbornly rejecting truths that I wish not to hear, exposure to other views and perspectives has helped me to reflect on my own values. I find that it is much easier to understand someone else’s arguments and values when I put myself in their shoes, acknowledging their circumstances and why they think something is. I learned that everyone believes in their own truth, and that in order for everyone to grow, they need to understand the truths of the people around them.