The Retort

The “C” Word and Other “-ism” Words

April 19th, 2010 by Ashley Frodsham For The Retort

No, not that one. The other one. Communism.

I know the Eye of Sauron beams from the Pentagon as though Frodo had just put on the ring when this word is spoken--at least on an American server. I won’t pretend to understand the intellectual damage left by the Cold War; where I grew up, people were still nursing the wounds of World War II. Still, you have to wonder why certain phrases ring like witchcraft to the American ear.

Communism. Lesbianism. Atheism. Environmentalism. Veganism. FEMINISM! Rush Limbaugh’s head just exploded! Once he recovers, however, he could win a public debate against these philosophies by doing what he does best: simply laughing at his opponent.

Why is it that the more you compound sensible, progressive, futuristic schools of thought, the less social influence you wield? By all accounts, someone like me should be living in a commune where I have libertarian orgies with “hairy-legged lesbians” and kill 8-month-old babies in the name of “choice”. As it stands, I’m a functional, happy, contributing member of society.

I’m not saying that the philosophies listed above are the only progressive paths in their respective arenas (except maybe lesbianism; the world is our lollipop, ladies! =P). But they are all ways of being or thinking that take, according to whatever logic, a rational step forward and away from the mistakes of the present. And they follow each other like links on a chain.

Who here is a feminist, but not also at least one of the following: an environmentalist, a vegan/vegetarian (and/or animal rights supporter), a liberal, an atheist (or philosophically religious), a staunch anti-capitalist, a believer in complete sexual freedom, a proponent of sex education, of equal marriage rights, of reproductive choice; a believer in equal access to healthcare, education, and housing?

Do we not find that the people who advocate for stem cell research, sex education in schools, the removal of creationism from the classroom, universal healthcare, fair punishment, and other - well, I hesitate to call them any more than basics...But do we not find that these people are intellectually whole in other ways? That they are not the ones blindly legislating religious oppression onto their fellow citizens, or demanding such things in their loved ones’ personal lives?

So why does the c-word still make even feminist heads explode? Why is there sometimes a dramatic resistance against the historical and intellectual connections that can be validly and factually drawn? Why are there feminists who take offense when another feminist will label themselves with their political or economics opinions intertwined with their feminist ones: communofeminist, sociofeminist, anarchofeminist, ecofeminist, etc?

We do not need to be communists in order to respect that other feminists hold this view, and to welcome the linking together of progressive thoughts. I suppose it is my thought and my question for the day, because I was doing some more reading on communism, and came across a wealth of material that sought to either: one, link feminism and communism as though such a link were the automatic defeat of the feminist philosophy; or two, desperately separate feminism and communism so as to avoid exactly this attack.

This back-and-forth seemed to go on for a million Google “o”s. I want to know what others here think of this? How prevalent of a perspective is this really? Do you believe that we can and should back fellow feminists no matter what philosophies they openly declare as linked to their feminism?

I personally am proud to stand up and say that I am a feminist, a socialist, an environmentalist, a vegan, and an atheist, and that all these things have VERY strong, fundamental links to me. I would certainly summon the name of feminism to argue against capitalism, and I do not see that as an abuse. Do you?