WE SHOULD ALL BE FEMINISTS by Chimamanda Adichie
A short, sharp, and effective essay about gender, the wrong ideas many people have about feminism, and why it is so damn important. Even today.
The author delivers a compelling and deeply personal account of her experiences and the experiences of her friends - male and female, young and old, Nigerian and American.
ʷᵉ ˢᵗⁱᶠˡᵉ ᵗʰᵉ ʰᵘᵐᵃⁿⁱᵗʸ ᵒᶠ ᵇᵒʸˢ. ʷᵉ ᵈᵉᶠⁱⁿᵉ ᵐᵃˢᶜᵘˡⁱⁿⁱᵗʸ ⁱⁿ ᵃ ᵛᵉʳʸ ⁿᵃʳʳᵒʷ ʷᵃʸ. ᵐᵃˢᶜᵘˡⁱⁿⁱᵗʸ ⁱˢ ᵃ ʰᵃʳᵈ, ˢᵐᵃˡˡ ᶜᵃᵍᵉ, ᵃⁿᵈ ʷᵉ ᵖᵘᵗ ᵇᵒʸˢ ⁱⁿˢⁱᵈᵉ ᵗʰⁱˢ ᶜᵃᵍᵉ.
She makes many fantastic points and makes them in a conversational tone, without seeming preachy. Looking at the way we treat women and men, and how the expectations we have of both genders is contributing to a gender divide, the author makes an argument for a better future where we are not put into gendered boxes.
ᵐᵃⁿʸ ᵖᵉᵒᵖˡᵉ ᵃʳᵉ ᵠᵘⁱᶜᵏ ᵗᵒ ˢᵃʸ: "ⁱ ᵃᵇˢᵒˡᵘᵗᵉˡʸ ᵇᵉˡⁱᵉᵛᵉ ᵐᵉⁿ ᵃⁿᵈ ʷᵒᵐᵉⁿ ˢʰᵒᵘˡᵈ ᵇᵉ ᵉᵠᵘᵃˡ, ᵇᵘᵗ ʷʰʸ ᶜᵃˡˡ ⁱᵗ ᶠᵉᵐⁱⁿⁱˢᵐ? ⁱˢⁿ'ᵗ ᵗʰᵃᵗ ʷᵒʳᵈ ᵉˣᶜˡᵘˢⁱᵛᵉ? ʷʰʸ ⁿᵒᵗ ˢᵃʸ ʰᵘᵐᵃⁿⁱˢᵐ (ᵃˢ ᵐᵃⁿʸ ᵖᵉᵒᵖˡᵉ ᵈᵒ)?"
I've actually written a little about this in the past, but I especially like the way she draws attention to the importance of the word itself.
I think there are many great arguments for why it should be "feminism" and not just "humanism", "black lives matter" and not just "all lives matter", "gay pride" and not just "sexual pride", but I'll let Adichie do the talking on that issue. She summarizes it marvelously.
★★★★
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