According to Courtney Martin, the term feminism is riddled with paradoxes. The three most prevalent being rejecting the past, then promptly reclaiming it, sobering up about our smallness and maintaining faith in our greatness, and finally aiming to succeed wildly and being fulfilled by failing really well.
Addressing the first paradox, I completely agree with it in this situation, but many others as well. Feminists like herself came to a point where they wanted to reinvent themselves. Long gone was the old and matronly protesters of the 1920's and a new modern woman who bubbled with confidence replaced her. But in any walk of life, it is vital to remember where one comes from, and what it has taken to reach the place you stand today. Just as is with children; so many are quick to grow up, and once they have, seek to return to their state of youth. People who have lived the 'American Dream', and turned their rags to riches frequently address the time when they were less fortunate to keep them grounded as they continue their lives, just as was necessary with many feminists as they modernized their look and ideals.
Some times we inflate our own minds with thoughts of greatness and invincibility. Oposingly we are always told to be our own worst critic. As said by Parker Palmer, "We are whiplashed between an arrogant overestimation of ourselves and a servile underestimation of ourselves," (Parker Palmer). These two extremes exist within the human mind, and rarely ever do we seem to find the medium. I personally know that I can either wake up confident one day or hopeless the next, although the majority on the former as we all should. Yet we need that bit of criticism, the tiny bit of negativity to keep our minds on the ground. We need to recognize our capability to do incredible things more often though. Just as Dave Eggers mentioned in his TED talk, some of the kids he dealt with had no idea how great they were and needed to be shown that. Although some children are incapable of showing themselves how good they may be at something, the remainder of the world should not do this to themselves. Feel your strengths, and bring them to your attention, realize the power you hold. However, with all other skills, they become ineffective without the opposite to balance it out. From her talk, I felt Courtney indirectly brought up the theme of balance through the paradoxes, which is vital to our lives.
Again, the balance between success and failure becomes the last factor of defining the word feminism. It is the balance that made the movement, and the balance is what will preserve it and drive it forward in the future.
Although very briefly she addresses the theme of heros, but I personally found it to be one of the most meaningful points in her talk. She said that most of us fail to recognize the heros in our day to day life. Hero's aren't the people who won the Superbowl, or the singer of the Grammy winning song. They are parents, coaches and teachers. The people who make a difference on our own personal levels of community, the firefighters, and police officers. Making changes and touching people's lives and bettering others through themselves is the key, not whether or not they can throw a ball through a hoop. Celebrities are idolized in our society, and I ask why? Why do you care more about them than a teacher who helped a child finally reach his or her proper reading level? Who made the difference that will directly effect the future?
At one point she said, "we don't want one hero, we don't want one face," (Courtney Martin). Why should they settle for one? All members of the movement are heros, through their daily activity they are slowly making the world an even more equal future, for young women worldwide to live in. Each one of them is committed to the cause, and to name one of them as their 'hero' or poster face not only creates an unrealistic image of the group, but undermines their goals of equality between all.
It was a pair of fishnets that convinced Courtney that she could carry the feminist label, and it was her words that convinced me I could wear one too. She said, "It's not man hating,"(Courtney Martin), but rather seeing value in yourself and the other women surrounding you. True heros are under appreciated, so take time to find the ones in your life who make the biggest difference in your life and let them know. I think performing the task of raising a child deserves a medal, recognition for the struggle and triumph the experience is. After seeing this TED talk, my respect for many has been renewed and I feel strength in myself that every little girl should be taught to feel. Balance is essential to every life form on earth, and we are no exception. Our life is a journey to find just the right mix.
Courtney's TED talk and many others like hers can be found at http://www.ted.com/themes/celebrating_tedwomen.html
Some times we inflate our own minds with thoughts of greatness and invincibility. Oposingly we are always told to be our own worst critic. As said by Parker Palmer, "We are whiplashed between an arrogant overestimation of ourselves and a servile underestimation of ourselves," (Parker Palmer). These two extremes exist within the human mind, and rarely ever do we seem to find the medium. I personally know that I can either wake up confident one day or hopeless the next, although the majority on the former as we all should. Yet we need that bit of criticism, the tiny bit of negativity to keep our minds on the ground. We need to recognize our capability to do incredible things more often though. Just as Dave Eggers mentioned in his TED talk, some of the kids he dealt with had no idea how great they were and needed to be shown that. Although some children are incapable of showing themselves how good they may be at something, the remainder of the world should not do this to themselves. Feel your strengths, and bring them to your attention, realize the power you hold. However, with all other skills, they become ineffective without the opposite to balance it out. From her talk, I felt Courtney indirectly brought up the theme of balance through the paradoxes, which is vital to our lives.
Again, the balance between success and failure becomes the last factor of defining the word feminism. It is the balance that made the movement, and the balance is what will preserve it and drive it forward in the future.
Although very briefly she addresses the theme of heros, but I personally found it to be one of the most meaningful points in her talk. She said that most of us fail to recognize the heros in our day to day life. Hero's aren't the people who won the Superbowl, or the singer of the Grammy winning song. They are parents, coaches and teachers. The people who make a difference on our own personal levels of community, the firefighters, and police officers. Making changes and touching people's lives and bettering others through themselves is the key, not whether or not they can throw a ball through a hoop. Celebrities are idolized in our society, and I ask why? Why do you care more about them than a teacher who helped a child finally reach his or her proper reading level? Who made the difference that will directly effect the future?
At one point she said, "we don't want one hero, we don't want one face," (Courtney Martin). Why should they settle for one? All members of the movement are heros, through their daily activity they are slowly making the world an even more equal future, for young women worldwide to live in. Each one of them is committed to the cause, and to name one of them as their 'hero' or poster face not only creates an unrealistic image of the group, but undermines their goals of equality between all.
It was a pair of fishnets that convinced Courtney that she could carry the feminist label, and it was her words that convinced me I could wear one too. She said, "It's not man hating,"(Courtney Martin), but rather seeing value in yourself and the other women surrounding you. True heros are under appreciated, so take time to find the ones in your life who make the biggest difference in your life and let them know. I think performing the task of raising a child deserves a medal, recognition for the struggle and triumph the experience is. After seeing this TED talk, my respect for many has been renewed and I feel strength in myself that every little girl should be taught to feel. Balance is essential to every life form on earth, and we are no exception. Our life is a journey to find just the right mix.
Courtney's TED talk and many others like hers can be found at http://www.ted.com/themes/celebrating_tedwomen.html
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