This post on men’s reproductive rights over at Prawfsblog illustrates an interesting phenomenon there: a discussion of women’s reproductive rights, with little or no input by women. Why aren’t more women, particularly feminists, taking time to comment–whether we agree or not? Is it not worth the effort as a matter of ideology? We won’t make a difference, because of the audience or agenda of the blog? Prawfsblog doesn’t purport to be solely a pr vehicle for a single ideology–the postings invite comments, and there is a pretty diverse community of participants who have at some point blogged. The point of the blog is, at least in part, to provide reasoned debate on a variety of issues. Are we paralyzed by the overwhelming number of potential responses and so we don’t bother? Is the issue more a function of blogging? In other words, is it simply that we don’t have enough time as it is to do all of the things that we need to do to compete as academics? Do we have our plates full already just managing our sanity in a male dominated profession? Is it too much to ask of us to take responsibility for educating the world? Does the world not need our views? Is it some kind of anti-narcissism–a lack of a need to weigh in on every debate anywhere it occurs?
I know my own motivations vary and have at times encompassed each of these things. For me, that’s going to change, though. One of the problems, it seems, facing the feminist movement today is that not enough people are publicly identifying as feminist and not enough discuss these issues where they arise. It’s important to discuss issues in groups that are likely to have a common interest (although not viewpoint), but it’s also important to take on those issues with people who don’t share a common frame of reference. To do otherwise helps us seem invisible, which tells the public at large that feminists are simply some small group, well outside of the mainstream.
–Marcia L. McCormick
