Radical Feminist Controversy

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Ever since the introduction of feminism, there has been a controversy with the two main types of feminism in our society which are Radical and Liberal. Radical feminist believe that women should have the complete equality to men and want to revolutionized the patriarchal system in which men have full authority. On the other hand, liberal feminists argue that modern society holds the ignorant notion that women are by nature, less intelligent and unable to perform certain task that men are adept to doing. However, unlike the radical feminist, liberals are willing to work within the system. Although radical and liberal feminists are strategically different and take different approach on promoting change for women, both types of feminist aim to …show more content…

Lorde’s essay supports claims made by other powerful vocal feminist writers such as Rosemary Tong. Tong thought issues of feminism and women studies in many secondary institutions. Because of her sensational impact, she was awarded National Professor of the Year by the Council for Advancement and Support of Education. Tong wrote and published many books, her most popular one, Feminist Thought, depicts the ideology of radical and liberal feminism. In chapter 2 of the Feminist Thought, Tong analyzes the issues on how to find sexism. She mentions that “radical-cultural feminists believed sexism is the model for all other isms, including racism and classism, they expressed the view that it is better for women to be strictly feminine. Women, they said, should not try to be like men. On the contrary, they should try to be more like women” (Tong 50). On that same note Sue Ellen Case stated “This sense that women were essentially different from men caused new vocabulary. For example, there new spellings of the word “women” that removed “men” from the root (such as womon, womyn, wimmin) and the new formation of other words, such as history to herstory” (Case). These quotes dismiss Lorde’s claim, due to the fact that these radical feminists are promoting change, these radical feminists want women to embody and embrace their femininity. Undoubtedly, such misandry will dismantle the master’s house. The aims of the radical- cultural feminists are provocative because they exclude the existence of men which can cause a disturbance within the house of the

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