Let me start by saying I am in support of the women’s marches. It’s important that the women of the United States feel united, strong, encouraged to not despair over a president that so far seems to be not only sexist, but a bigot to boot.
That said, I keep seeing this phrase,
The future is female
and I don’t get it.
According to otherwild.com who sells the t-shirt that helped make the phrase a current sensation,
The original “The Future Is Female” T-shirt design was made for Labyris Books, the first women’s bookstore in New York City, which was opened in 1972 by Jane Lurie and Marizel Rios.
The owner of the online shop printing the shirts told the New York Times,
The shirt is about a reaction to a misogynist and patriarchal culture that affects a lot of people. People are recontextualizing it: trans women, men, moms who have sons.
Rachel Berks
So, I appreciate that the phrase has a historic context, that’s cool. However, I feel that it still embodies my least favorite side-effect of feminism: the denigration of men.
The future is everyone. People of every walk need to be heard, counted, supported…
https://instagram.com/p/BPjtkz4jeQa/
If I have learned anything during my journey on Planet Earth, it is that people need one another. The presence of other people is essential; caring people, helpful people, interesting people, friendly people, thoughtful people. These folks take the grind out of life. About the time we are tempted to think we can handle things all alone, boom! We run into some obstacle and need assistance. We discover all over again that we are not nearly as self-sufficient as we thought.
Charles R. Swindoll, Laugh Again
If you like slogans there are plenty about equality, the power, determination, and strength of women, “no one is free when some are oppressed”, “liberty and justice for all”. Let’s not reduce the importance of men in the world because some men have done wrong.
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