feminism

Thinking Out Loud ~ We All Deserve Respect and Dignity

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In her book, We Should All be Feminists, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie writes, “Culture does not make people. People make culture. If it is true that the full humanity of women is not our culture, then we can and must make it our culture.” P. 40

NOTE: Perhaps it is because I was raised by my mom and her sisters while my dad was away at war. Or, because I was the only male in a household of six females (my wife and 5 daughters) that I am not uncomfortable around strong, independent women. They shaped the culture in which I grew up and lived. They did not let the culture shape them.

Thinking out Loud ~ Men Should Not Fear a Strong, Independent Woman

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In her book, We Should All be Feminists, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie writes, “We say to girls: you can have ambition, but not too much. You should aim to be successful but not too successful otherwise you will threaten the man.” P. 26

NOTE: I have five daughters. When my wife and I were raising the girls we hoped they would fall in love forever. We also knew that sometimes that relationships don’t always work out. So, we also raised them to be strong, independent women who could take care of themselves. All five have turned out to be strong and independent, yet highly capable of having loving relationships.

Thinking Out Loud ~ Are You Invisible?

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In her book, We Should All be Feminists, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie writes about her experience in a Nigerian restaurant where the waiter will speak to the man and ignore her. She writes, “I know that they don’t intend harm, but it is one thing to know something intellectually and quite another to feel it emotionally. Each time they ignore me, I feel invisible. … I want to tell them I am just as human as the man, just as worthy of acknowledgement.” P.20

 

NOTE: You may be thinking, ‘Yes, that happened in Nigeria, it doesn’t happen in the U.S. or other western countries.’ I speak from personal experience in academia. As the only assistant professor in my department I could speak, but I wasn’t heard. I quickly learned I hadn’t yet been accepted. I was invisible. Later, in my career, when I was a full professor, I spoke in defense of a woman seeking to be promoted to full professor. The other full professors voted unanimously to deny her promotion. They were angry with me for being the lone holdout. I quickly became invisible to them. Perhaps you’ve had similar experiences of feeling invisible. I’d like to hear from you.

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