Yesterday called for the end of a spam filled discord server as it was to be renovated into a new host for curation and community. The Steem Venue has been renamed
Feministeem
As the key holder to the @feminism account I set this up in preparation for International Womens Day on which I hope to host an empowering contest for women.
On announcing the new theme for the server that had no activity other than spam prior, there was first some silence and then 7 people left the server. This was not unexpected either, but I did want to ask if there was something about feminism that made them want to disassociate themselves.
It's something we should be used to by now and it's for this reason that I've set up 2 main roles which grant additional access to the server. These are
Feminists & Humanists
If you say you don't identify as a feminist but you do advocate for gender equality for roles and opportunities in community, politics and the socio-economical world then we can at least respect the second part and agree to disagree on the first. We do not control your interpretation of language or propaganda.
To be honest, having been a feminist long enough to get to know a lot of feminists I have to admit that I kind of get it. My favourite feminists happen to be the ones who don't have to say they are a feminist to stand up for womens strengths and capabilities. There is a tendency for some people to use the feminist badge as a license to look down on you. But remember, even if that is what some feminists do, that is not what feminism is about.
It's also often perceived that feminism is about blaming men for womens problems. And that is also what some people do - but that doesn't change the truth of what feminism is about. Womens issues are womens to own and the same goes for mens. Though if we were to stand together and also fight for each others causes and not just our own then perhaps we can make this the responsibility of society rather than an excuse to cast blame.
A perfect example of where feminism lets men down is when it comes to parenthood and fathers rights. One thing I dislike about Emma Watsons call to men to participate in feminism was her failure to acknowledge that men's issues fall under the umbrella of feminism and if we are to call on men to participate in feminist agendas then we need to also make their issues part of our agenda.
In theory it always has been but women are concerned with womens issues, that's human nature and there aren't many men calling themselves feminist while they advocate for what is by definition a feminist issue.
Quick reminder
Whether you be a socialist, a humanist, an anarchist, an anarcho-capitalist, a communist, a plagiarist or a dentist ...
PEOPLE GONNA PEOPLE
People do not constantly represent what they believe in. The world is full of hypocrites and people who are not self aware. You probably do this yourself. The mind has ways of tricking you into convincing yourself that you're justified in your actions even if they go against what you say you stand for. So just because an anarchist for example takes a brick and breaks a window with it, doesn't make anarchy about violence.
I can't think of a better way to celebrate International Womens Day than on the most female inclusive blockchain currently in existence. Steem has proven this through the many community meet ups around competitor blockchains.
Allow me to compare the last 3 blockchain meetups I've been at.
- ICO with free pizza - 50 people - 5 of which were women including myself
- Legal lecture on capital gains tax - 100 people of which about 10 or less were female
- Steem Dublin meetup at the crypto cafe - 19 steemians 8 of which were ladies.