COLUMN The People's Fireworks

I never expected to hear her say it. Though numerous acquaintances had made the proclamation, I naively believed Rachel (not her real name) wouldn't succumb to the prevailing attitude. But no, one hot June night just one year ago, I listened as my accomplished, witty, no-nonsense friend echoed the illogical words of so many others. "I am not a feminist," she declared, with all the force of her usual definitive assertions. The reason for her rejection of this identity? "I want guys to open doors for me." Does this make sense to you? Quite possibly, considering the recent increase in the numbers of often liberal, independent young women who are opting to distance themselves from feminism. For many, an alignment with the movement implies approval of a now obsolete philosophy which contemporarily advocates male-hatred and hostile, extremist, divisive behavior. Even women who know the true nature of feminism do not want to be misunderstood, or be obliged to explain themselves at every turn. Why give others, the argument goes, a reason to mentally paint hair on your legs and a scowl on your face when we no longer need to fight since equality has been achieved? A careful look at the past and the present will answer that question - and reveal "feminist" as an appellation to be worn at worst with nonchalance and at best with pride. However, any defense of the relevance and vitality of feminism must begin with a definition. Feminism, according to Webster's, is "the theory that women should have political, economic, and social rights equal to those of men". So why is everyone in these enlightened times so alarmed at such a self-evident and theoretically non threatening proposal? Well, everyone knows those crazy "women's-libbers" warped the idea and then took it too far, right? You decide. Were it not for the women of all races who lectured and protested for black's and women's suffrage, over half the population of America would not be able to vote today. Thanks to the work of generations of feminists, girls can expect to attend universities, serve on juries, and enter any profession they choose upon reaching adulthood. Furthermore, men cannot legally claim their daughters and wives' earnings as their own property. Employers no longer ask female job candidates to justify taking away a man's job for their own "pre childbearing entertainment." In fact, authority figures who discriminate or harass on the basis of gender no longer have society's approval but rather legal condemnation. The advances made for women's health are just as impressive. The arrests and public condemnation suffered by activists like Margaret Sanger and Emma Goldman acquired for men and women the right to widely accessible birth control. Women finally have the power to escape and prosecute abusive husbands. And abortions, if not always accessible, are at least safe and legal. Considering all this, why should anyone fear being known as a feminist? It's an honor to be counted among the luminaries who have achieved so much for women and all of humanity. Perhaps the burdens conferred by the name are yet too great. I'd think, though, that the possibility of being misunderstood pales by comparison to the problems women still face today. Do we have time to debate the merits of declared feminism when gender bias and discrimination still exist in large scale form? In multiple countries throughout the world female genital mutilation and infanticide continue unabated. In the US, anti-choice lunatics, encouraged by the rhetoric of their more "moderate" allies, continue to terrorize the women who visit family planning clinics and murder the doctors who dare to render a legally sanctioned service. In the US, a woman is beaten every 18 minutes, but only 1 in 100 cases of domestic violence is ever reported. Rape victims are still asked what they did to encourage the rapist. Most insidiously, women waste millions of dollars on diet programs attempting to mold their bodies into the anorectic shapes glorified by the media. A close look at the labor force reveals that women do 1/3 of the paid work in the world, and 2/3 of all work, paid and unpaid. In industrialized societies like the US homemakers work harder than any other class of worker - an average of 99.6 hours a week. Teachers and child care workers (traditionally and still largely women), are among the lowest paid professionals. But as always, when tongues start clucking about the proliferation of day care worker- surrogate parents, the male half of the working parents couple is rarely condemned. On the cultural front, "girl" is still an insult in the boys' part of the school yard. And even as politicians self-righteously squawk about "family values", they're slashing funding for federal programs which help parents support and preserve their families. So must a feminist always be an activist? Certainly not. Assumption of the title feminist carries with it no promise to support a checklist of causes and protests. Feminism's premise is one of inclusion, not exclusion. The interpretation of the philosophy is up to each individual, assuming the basic definition is used as a basis. Will individuals' internal convictions change the public's erroneous assumptions about the meaning of the word feminist? Possibly. If each person who believes in the potential and value of every human's unique qualities reclaims the title, it will lose its stigma. Rather than casting around for a new term which will quickly acquire all the connotations of the old, let's work to teach others the true meaning of the word. In the meantime, can self-declared feminists expect others to open doors for them? Speaking metaphorically, of course not. But in practical terms? Well, feminism does not advocate the abandonment of gender roles, but rather the removal of societal constructs which forces these roles. However, neither gender holds sole claim on or responsibility for courtesy. In this age of rapidly deteriorating manners, we could all use a little more consideration and respect for others. The solution does not lie in the dictation of behavior or codification of speech. The backlash against political correctness has demonstrated that such efforts just result in a renewal of publicly sanctioned racism, sexism, and general rudeness. Rather, we need a renewed respect for each other as individuals. It's time to create a renaissance of feminism and courtesy. It'll be bad news for anyone whose manners are dependent on his companion's belief in her worth, and the worth of all women, as human beings -- but good news for everyone else.