Views on Feminism

Terry Crews and Caitlin Moran views on feminism intrigued me. Both the entertainer and the author shined a light on a matter that is often overlooked: feminism. If Terry Crews and Caitlin Moran sat down together for dinner they would have much to say.

 Feminism holds a different meaning to every person. Terry Crews and Caitlin Moran views of the matter are much alike. I think Moran would agree with Crews’ belief that men feel more valuable than women. Like Crews said, we are born into a society where we desire to be accepted. In order to be accepted, we must assimilate to fit in. Most men tries to assimilate with each other by feeling more valuable than women. However, doing such, consequent in generations before us to believe that this is the way to go. Crews compare this to slavery. African Americans were born into slavery. Because of little to none education, the slaves saw no other route, which is why slavery was so successful. The same is happening with gender inequality. There is not enough advocating being done to regress this issue.

Something else that may be discussed between Crews and Moran is the solution to gender inequality. Crews’ solution to the ordeal is altering the mindset. Men think that they are more valuable than women. Women, in return, treat them accordingly. If women could instead see their value, in which they hold within themselves, women would not need men. They would then hold the same amount of value as men, if not, more. This would be gender equality. A woman with the mindset of a man is detrimental to a man because the power a man possess over the woman is now gone. In order to maintain the power, men will continue to degrade women. It is up to women to take note of this and to act.  

Feminist Dinner Date

Looking at both these readings and seeing how they both have a familiarity with feminism, I think Terry Cruise would learn a great amount from Caitlin Morgan in the sense that she is bringing a great sense of realism to the truths about problems that women in todays society face including the constant fact about being asked "when are you planning to have babies" or "are you"? I feel as though when Caitlin bring up the subject of women being pressured to have babies and the question being actually disguised and really meaning "when will they leave" or in other word retire and go into a hiding whole where the world has forgotten them. I think she brings up a very valid point that Terry seems to be coming into a realization of. He confesses in the first minutes of the video saying that he was in fact "that man" of ignorance who thought of himself as better and greater that his own wife and family. He confesses to this reality and regards how he has realized that thats not how its suppose to be. Both of them would relate to each other in the sense that they both realize that people have the capacity to think logically but pride and emotion come into play and cloud the judgement of many to do otherwise. They both agree that women do have slightly less power that those that men have automatically imposed for them. If they were at a dinner date together they would have a lot of great idea bouncing off of each other and most significantly come up with a plan as Terry said ," To change the mentality" of the people from this old age idea of women being the subordinate powerless house wife to everyone being a feminist and riding the ignorance that plagues the minds of many that are unaware or to prideful to accept the actual definition that underlies this powerful word. A word that as Terry said is comparable to "the civil rights". There may be slight disagreement that men aren't needed in the world but that in my opinion is a reflex that women have in response to the rudimental fact that "typically" don't care or want to accept feminism.

Battling the mindset

Terry Crews explains how in the most recent years; boys are now able to start choosing what kind of man they want to be when they’re older. Even though, he says this he still has a “fear” of what some men have become. He explains how most men are too scared to exposed when they’re scared, think they’re more valuable than woman, and more. When it comes to feminism some men are scared of the idea and have a fear of being controlled. He believes that feminism is the act of striving for equal rights. On the other hand, Caitlin Moran says, “In the 21^st century, it can’t be about who we might make, and what they might do, anymore. It has to be about who we are, and what we’re going to do”. What exactly does she mean by “what we’re going to do”? I really don’t know. The one thing Terry Crews and Caitlin Moran would disagree on is that men can carry on with their lives after the baby is born. Moran states that, “The reason they don’t ask men when they’re having kids, of course, is because men can, pretty much, carry on as normal once they’ve had a baby”. Terry Crews believes that men should start stepping up to the plate and taking care of their children. They would probably agree that people do not have roles but purposes. Moran believes that women (she didn’t really talk about men) should have the chance to make a difference in the world by doing extraordinary activities. She explains that, “there [is] plenty of babies being born; the planet really doesn’t need all of us to produce more babies”. Crews believe that your purpose is to care for your child, and to protect your child regardless of gender. Regardless if we are talking about woman and baby making, or men and woman values “we are not battling people we’re battling the mindset” (Terry Crews).

Gender Probs

If Terry Crews, author of “Manhood”, and author of “How to be a Woman”, Caitlin Moran sat down for dinner there would be things that they both agree and disagree on. I think they would be talking about gender equality and roles that both men and women have to deal with. Caitlin Moran talks about how women are pretty much pressured to have children and if they don’t, they won’t learn valuable life lessons. Terry Crews talks about how men are pressured to be super manly and not being able to show feelings. I think these two authors would disagree on whether or not men feel pressured to be a certain person in society. Caitlin Moran says , “The reason they don’t ask men when they’re having kids, of course, is because men can, pretty much, carry on as normal once they’ve had a baby.” I feel like Terry Crews would disagree with this because in his book he talks a lot about gender equality and in his video interview he says, “I’m in the kitchen, when my wife is in the studio, I’m in the kitchen making lunches for the kids.” By her saying, they carry on as normal, makes me think that she does not give enough credit to men. Something that they would agree on would be that they both feel like their gender has certain roles they have to live up to. Caitlin hates how every woman, when coming to a certain age, gets asked, “When are you having kids?” and Terry hates how men have to live up to a strong dominant man who does not show feelings. I liked when Terry was talking about his son and how he was scared during the Iron Man movie. Many men would tell their son to “man up”, but he decided to tell him it’s ok and take him somewhere else. Both authors think that man or woman should live how they want. If a woman wants to live a life without kids, she should. If a man wants to show feelings, he can.

Maybe Babies and Feminism

I found both readings very interesting and eye-opening. Both authors/speakers had interesting opinions that I both agree with and had never noticed before, particularly with Caitlin Moran's observation about woman being asked when they want children. If Terry Crews and Caitlin sat down together and talked about feminism there would be a fair amount of agreement between the two, but at some point everyone disagrees about something that they have in common. I think that to an extent, Terry would agree with Caitlin about her views of women and how they are expected to have children. Caitlin says "When people ask working women, "when are you going to have a baby?" what they're really asking is "when are you going to leave?"" At this, I think Terry would disagree with Caitlin's view that once you have a child, your career is over. Terry and his wife have a child--a son--and they both have successful careers. Terry wouldn't agree that just because a woman has a child, she wouldn't be able to do what she loves and that a child wouldn't be a hindrance on her or her career.
Terry, in his interview, talks about men and how it's okay for them to be feminists and that it's not bad to view women as equals or to express oneself. When you view someone as an equal, especially with your partner or significant other, you don't leave them to deal or care for something by themselves. So tying back in with the views on women and children, men are not overly affected by having a child--as stated by Caitlin. Men don't have to carry the child for nine months, they don't have to push a baby out of their body, and if they so choose, they don't even have to deal with the child. Yet there are still those few who "hand in hand with their partners and cut the sleeplessness and the fear...50/50." This is where both would agree with each other. Terry, as someone who helps take care of his son, would agree that it wouldn't be unmanly to help care for a child. Caring for a child or a family had always been a role given to women while the men were to provide for them and so it is not expected by society for men to help care for the child. But when women are viewed as equals, it is not a "role" that they have but a "partnership."

Babies and Gender Dinner Date

I liked listening to Terry Crews and reading the excerpt from Caitlin Moran novel How to be a Women and the different ideas he had from a man’s perspective and she had from being a women and a mother. Crews talked about his new book Manhood in the interview. In the beginning he said that Feminism is not saying women are better than men, it just means gender equality. Just like when people say black lives matter, that doesn’t mean all other races don’t. He then goes on to the fact that some men think that they are more valuable than women. I think that is very true. (Not to all men, but yes some) Crew talked about having a mindset about gender equality. The land of the law for a long time is that men are stronger, faster, smarter, just better then women, because it’s engraved in our brains that’s what it. Humans have this “mindset” is what Crews called it. We have had this mindset about gender equality since birth it’s we know what we see, men top women most of the time. I don’t really think people are at fault most of the time we do what we know without question this is what we know. We have to break this age old mindset about gender and see everyone equal no matter what body parts there are born with. Crews made the reference that you cannot kill a tree by chopping down the bad leaves or branches you have to get to the root of the problem to solve anything. We have to get to the center of our mindsets to have gender equality. I think if Crews and Moran sat down together there would have a lot of some of the same point of views. Crews believes that women should be equal to men, and believes in feminism. He also thinks that men “fear” feminism, that men should always top men. Moran brings this in when she talks about being a reporter of a women’s magazine and her editors wanted her to ask the women subject when there are having babies and also what they were wearing. She said whenever she interviewed men that they never asked her to ask them when they were going to decide to have babies or what kind of suit they were wearing. Moran also talks about women needed to have children. Right now in my life I do not want children for a very long time. I want to live my life before I have to raise another. I want to be able to experience things for myself and be able to learn things that I can pass on to my child. I have not experienced enough in my life yet to stop everything to raise a child. Moran made that point that when women and couples have children there life comes to a standstill, nothing else matters but that child, as it should be. So I am just trying to figure out to be me. Moran also makes the point that I completely agree with, women always get asked when they are going to have children, also said “you’re running out of time”. Even when I go to family events I always get asked, do you have a boyfriend? Do you want marriage/kids? When will women be viewed more than just the baby makers of this world? This is where I think that they might have clashed a little bit in views because Crews said that people have “gender purposes” not roles purposes. He said you need a “mother” and a “father”. I think that Moran who is more gender equal than Crews would disagree, because she is a strong female. 

Feminist vs Feminist

            In my imagination, if Terry Crews and Caitlin Moran went out for dinner, Crews would be the one who orders a big ass steak with potatoes and a glass of red wine while Moran would be the one who orders a salad and soup that’s not even on the menu and the most expensive wine in the restaurant because she’s just a bitch like that. (KEY WORDS: In my imagination). (Clearly, I’m guilty of stereotyping).

            Conversation would start off light until Crews asks Moran when she’s going to have children and then he’ll find out she already has them. Then Crews will start telling her the Iron Man 3 story and Moran will call his son a pussy. All of this will make them go into some kind of feminist intervention at the dinner table.

Terry Crews and Caitlin Moran would both agree that women and men are not treated as equals. Crews stated that feminism isn’t about “women [being] better than men” but it’s about “true gender equality” because he’s challenging the idea that “men have always felt they’re more valuable”. Crew also mentions how men are expected to prove their manhood/masculinity by having a certain persona. Just like women are expected to have babies for them to enter into womanhood, Moran says: “as if a woman somehow remains a child herself until she has her own children” or “that somehow women are incomplete without children”. They both feel like society has been wired to think a certain way and we should ask questions and break the cycle.

Crews and Moran would disagree with mommy and daddy roles. Moran feels like “men can, pretty much, carry on as normal once they’ve had a baby” and women give up everything for this new human. But Crews believes that the responsibility of a child is shared between the parents.  

I personally really like what Terry Crews had to say in his interview about what it meant to be a man and how to act in such a way. Not only did he discuss what being acting the way a man should towards women but also towards his child. Often times like Caitlin Moran says “men can, pretty much, carry on as normal once they’ve had a baby.” She is saying a man isn’t necessarily tied down to his child and doesn’t take effect his day to day life near as much as it would a woman. Terry Crews however believes men need to be there for their child playing whatever role is needed or how he would say it whatever purpose may be needed. I really liked his example of how to be a father describing him and his sons day at the iron man movie. It shows that at times all men are afraid at some point and should be nothing to be ashamed of.

                  I thought very highly of Terry Crews also talking about how in order for a man to rape a woman in his mind he sees them as an object and not a person which he goes on to say is a horrible mindset in grained in todays society. Crews believes in order for this to change we must target the root of the problem or as he says it the trunk of the issue. Society as a whole must open it’s mindset that all people are equal whether it be black or white, man or woman, gay or straight, or any other type of person one falls in. All are just as good as one another and should be thought of as that way, and I think both Crews and Moran would agree with that.

Guys & Their Feelings and Bye Bye Babies

I enjoyed listening to Terry Crews speaking about his views on Manhood, Feminism and the Mindset That Leads to Rape because it was refreshing to hear those topics being discussed by a man. I loved when he said feminism was about "true gender equality" because it's the truth. Feminism is usually defined as the idea of women wanting to control men, take a man's job, or just flat out be above men and that's not what feminists stand for. He also spoke about how men are afraid to show their weaknesses. Weaknesses being when they're afraid, in need of help, etc. Like the example he used with his son in the movies. His son was afraid to be afraid because he felt that he was letting his dad down by being scared. He let his son know that it's okay to be scared and it's also okay to tell his dad that he's scared and not to be ashamed of it. Men shouldn't hide the way these weaknesses just because society tells them to. It doesn't make you less of a man, it doesn't make you a pussy. And from a girl's point of view, guys who express their feelings are hot! Girls like that! We want to know how you feel all the time and how we make you feel, don't hide it from us especially if we tell you already. Okay back on topic, the only part of Terry Crews' interview that I didn't agree with was when he said people rape people solely because they "think they're above them or they own them" (them being the victim.) The reason I don't agree with this is because I don't believe rapists have that mindset. Most rapists are psychologically messed up from some traumatic event and probably rape to relieve that anger/stress, or they just find it fun to rape people for some reason. That's not to say some rapists rape their victims because they do feel like they own them or like they are above them, however I feel like they have a deeper motive than that. (Not trying to justify rape just FYI rape is still disgusting and horrible)

Caitlin, THANK YOU FOR THIS ARTICLE! Being a young woman, I get these questions all the time! "So do you plan to have kids?" "When?" "How many?" I don't even know if I want kids, and my family is always in my face about it as if I don't have a million other cousins who can carry on the genes if I decide not to. I feel like if I said I don't want to have kids, that I'm breaking one of the Ten Commandments or something. I had mentioned me being on the fence about having kids once to my mom and she looked like she was about to drown in her own tears. I don't know if I'll even be treated the same by my family as my brother if he has kids and I don't. I could be a damn scholar and make six figures and frequently take trips to third world trips to help them out but I didn't have a baby so I didn't live my life to its fullest potential. That's stupid. Just because I have all the equipment down there to house a baby shouldn't mean that I HAVE to have a baby or I've done nothing valuable with my life. I love when she said at the end "Feminism needs Zero Tolerance over baby angst...it can't be about who we might make and what they might do anymore. It has to be about who we are and what we're going to do." Could not have said it better myself.

Gender

From the video, “Terry Crews: Manhood, Feminism & the Mindset that Leads to Rape” you get a pretty good idea on Terry’s perspective on gender. Terry says,” We need to bust this bubble” meaning he wanted to let his fans know that his manhood isn't all macho. He isn't the strong, over protective man of the house like his movies and commercials (old spice) portray him to be. Terry labels himself as a feminist, so his opinion on gender would be that men and women are equal. “We’re talking about gender equality, true gender equality”. If Terry and Caitlin were at dinner and talking about gender, Terry would most likely say,” I can’t talk for women or even other men, but from what i’ve learned about myself is that i’m (men) are no better than women.. we’re equal”. “Everyone is necessary”. But in, “why you shouldn't have children” written by Caitlin Morgan her perspective on gender seems to be more traditional. Traditional in the way of women have children and “blow a four year minimum chunk” of their lives while “men can pretty much carry on as normal once they've had a baby”. Caitlin believes that a woman's world revolves around when she’s going to fulfill her domestic duty (have kids). “when people ask workingwomen, ”when are you going to have a baby?” what they're really asking is “when are you going to leave work?” “. I believe Terry would argue that men shouldn't have a choice on raising a baby. “I was calling men to step up and say “dude your kids need you” ”. After watching and reading these two assignments, I have found that they would agree that there are in fact some men that choose to take raising a child 50/50. That not all men stand up but they can give credit to those men that are there for their wife and kids.

Goodbye Pretty and Hello Dadbod

We all know what our dads look like on the normally everyday occurrence. The author claims a dad bod is "I go to the gym occasionally, but I also drink heavily on the weekends, and enjoy eating eight slices of pizza at a time." When I think of my dad I don't see this in him what so ever. In fact I see a guy who works out, and drinks lightly with one or two slices of pizza. The dad bod to me is an excuse stating "that finally, you’re just like everyone else." I would be offended by the name dad bod since the term dad implies an elder age. I would hope that I can stay looking young forever, and not just one day look fifty. The dad bod won't stay with us forever, and is just a temporary thing for now.

Girls are falling into the same predicament. Except instead of dad bods they are losing their pretty. Pat Archbold describes pretty as a "balanced combination of beauty and projected innocence." However, "People will define pretty differently." I disagree with the author since pretty isn't going anywhere. It's simply put being viewed with unique new terms. Pretty is a vague opinion, for example I think that bright and calm colors are pretty. Especially when compared to brown or black. With the word pretty does come an "innocence", while calling a girl hot is turning her into an object. Pretty isn't gone just expanding into a vague space.