Recently, a few good friends of mine have decided that the world's wrongs have to be righted. Of course, like so many middle-class university students, they believe that they are the only people who are actually doing anything to fight the cause. So, they go to protests, they make home made banners, they write in blogs.
I was just told off by one of these friends for defending the M&S big boss man. He's been making horrid sweeping statements about how glass ceilings don't exist any more. Said friend of mine posted that article up on facebook ranting about how he was a patriarchal oppressor and that he was slagging off feminists and generally defecating on the good name of women workers everywhere.
Okay, so I get that what Mr Marks and Sparks is saying is bull. Of course there are still glass ceilings. Of course there is still in equality in the work place. Thing is, not in the retail sector. Things are pretty balanced there. Sure, that's probably because ladies can't find a job else where and the retail sector has more flexible working hours to fit around kids and whatnot. But the point is, this guy is just talking from what he sees every day. Accurate or not, this guy sees women in positions of power every day and wonders what the big fuss is about. I point this out and feminazi friend sarcastically apologises for "trying to fight male oppressors" (he is a guy himself, I might add a guy who just beat two women to a position of power in our recent university elections) and he makes me out to be the advocate of evil everywhere.
And that's the problem. He, and others like him, have got so wrapped up in this idea that they are saving the world that there's no room for another opinion. Everyone who doesn't agree with their radical ideals automatically becomes a tool of the system. Anyone who doesn't think just like them and the people around them aren't worth listening to. In any other circumstances, that kind of thinking is considered dangerous, right? Just because they come from good homes, buy fair trade and think that they have the best intentions at heart they can discount everyone else.
It's frustrating. These people are fucking intelligent. We're at one of the best fucking universities in the country and they can't see that most of the time they are on a zealous witch hunt for anything with the slightest whiff of "wrong doing".
Maybe I'm just pissed off because they make me feel less liberal than I actually am. Because I'm not prepared to go vegan or fight to ban arms companies from campus or enforce my ideals on everyone else. That's not liberalism and they are giving us all a bad fucking name. Maybe I'm just jealous because they have something to bond over now and I missed the boat. Whatever. Why would I even want to be a part of that?
Because they go to protests and make homemade banners and write in blogs. They have monopolised all of the fun bits of student protests and now I can't do so much as submit a ballot paper without being associated with them and their crusade. Maybe I should start some kind of "liberals against liberals" campaign group. Of course, that would go against everything I believe. Each to their own and all that. Maybe liberals disagreeing with liberals would be better suited.
In other news, I get to mark a pub quiz tonight and enjoy the sunshine - horray!
xx
I was just told off by one of these friends for defending the M&S big boss man. He's been making horrid sweeping statements about how glass ceilings don't exist any more. Said friend of mine posted that article up on facebook ranting about how he was a patriarchal oppressor and that he was slagging off feminists and generally defecating on the good name of women workers everywhere.
Okay, so I get that what Mr Marks and Sparks is saying is bull. Of course there are still glass ceilings. Of course there is still in equality in the work place. Thing is, not in the retail sector. Things are pretty balanced there. Sure, that's probably because ladies can't find a job else where and the retail sector has more flexible working hours to fit around kids and whatnot. But the point is, this guy is just talking from what he sees every day. Accurate or not, this guy sees women in positions of power every day and wonders what the big fuss is about. I point this out and feminazi friend sarcastically apologises for "trying to fight male oppressors" (he is a guy himself, I might add a guy who just beat two women to a position of power in our recent university elections) and he makes me out to be the advocate of evil everywhere.
And that's the problem. He, and others like him, have got so wrapped up in this idea that they are saving the world that there's no room for another opinion. Everyone who doesn't agree with their radical ideals automatically becomes a tool of the system. Anyone who doesn't think just like them and the people around them aren't worth listening to. In any other circumstances, that kind of thinking is considered dangerous, right? Just because they come from good homes, buy fair trade and think that they have the best intentions at heart they can discount everyone else.
It's frustrating. These people are fucking intelligent. We're at one of the best fucking universities in the country and they can't see that most of the time they are on a zealous witch hunt for anything with the slightest whiff of "wrong doing".
Maybe I'm just pissed off because they make me feel less liberal than I actually am. Because I'm not prepared to go vegan or fight to ban arms companies from campus or enforce my ideals on everyone else. That's not liberalism and they are giving us all a bad fucking name. Maybe I'm just jealous because they have something to bond over now and I missed the boat. Whatever. Why would I even want to be a part of that?
Because they go to protests and make homemade banners and write in blogs. They have monopolised all of the fun bits of student protests and now I can't do so much as submit a ballot paper without being associated with them and their crusade. Maybe I should start some kind of "liberals against liberals" campaign group. Of course, that would go against everything I believe. Each to their own and all that. Maybe liberals disagreeing with liberals would be better suited.
In other news, I get to mark a pub quiz tonight and enjoy the sunshine - horray!
xx