
Missing gender difference's relevance
Article here. Excerpt:
'There is a brand of rhetoric within feminism that I find incredibly troubling. It is one that embraces dichotomy, reinforces old myths about gender identity and runs counter to common goals of feminist movements. An example of this sort of rhetoric is Eve Ensler's 'girl cell' monologue presented at tedtalks, India in November 2009. Ensler describes the 'girl cell,' which amounts to an embodiment of feminine stereotypes. She argues that everyone has a girl cell within them and that it is integral to the survival of humankind that we foster and express our girl cells. Ensler's view-- while certainly dramatic and biologically perplexing-- is not an isolated or fringe one within feminism. Well-meaning feminists I've spoken to, both on campus and through my regular internet haunts, feel particularly invested in incorporating 'feminist principles' into current institutions or doing away with those institutions altogether to invent new ones based on these principles. Like Ensler's girl cell, feminist principles are ideas, attributes and traits that have been historically prescribed to those of us born with ovaries. Institutions, organizations and any other collection of humans or their endeavours that do not embody these traits are seen as sexist, perpetuating patriarchy or misogynistic.'
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